We're Married!!

Hey All!
The wedding was gorgeous!

We've been married for almost 4 months now and I'm so happy.
Here are some of the wedding photos!

Getting all tucked in

MUAH!

Introducing... the bride and groom

Yummmy... cake!

At the club after the wedding

Wedding Planning Part VII - Wedding Gown Pics

I went for my 2nd wedding gown fitting today.  The seamstress took in the chest and added the bustle to the back so my train won't get in the way when it's time to get my party on.  Here are the photos from todays fitting.  I'm definitely rocking my natural hair to the wedding.  Check out some of the styles I'm considering for my wedding.

These photos were taken with my iPhone so as expected they aren't the best quality. I tried to enhance them on my computer.

Wedding Planning Part VI

Everyday is more and more exciting for me.  In a little over 2 months we will be on the beautiful sandy beach saying "I Do!"...

Then the very next day we will sail away on a cruise ship for our week long honeymoon.

I CAN'T WAIT!

Let's discuss what we've done.

We've paid off the florist, the photographer, the rental company, and almost done with the catering.  The honeymoon cruise is paid off as well.

As stated before I have my dress, but I still need to get my jewelry, my shoes, and my hair.  We purchased my fiances suit and shoes this week, but he still needs his shirt.

We will be purchasing our wedding bands next month (May).

Some things we still need to think over is whether we will have a Bridal shower, will we have a rehearsal dinner, and what will go in our Out Of Town Bags?

I'm not stressed out over this wedding at all.   All that matters to me is getting married to the love of my life and living happily ever after.

Wedding Planning Part V

Saturday was such an awesome day for me.

I took a trip to NYC with my maid of honor, two bride maids, my little sister, and my three wedding planners.

The seven of us navigated ourselves to RK Bridal on W39th st. with one goal in mind --Selecting my WEDDING DRESS!

I went in there thinking that a flowy style dress would be the perfect dress for my venue. Beach wedding, light chiffon flowy dress, hot Miami sun--perfect match.

WRONG

After trying on 4 dresses in this style we all realized this style did not suit my thick curvy Diva body at all.

I was in a conundrum. This style was perfect for the Beach but not for my body.

My dress consultant was very good with her stuff. She reminded me of one of the Golden Girls. She went out and found a style that was just right for my body type. It looked like I was born in it. After trying on three dresses in this style with different fabrics, I found the ONE!

Someone in the store said I looked like I walked out of a Bridal Magazine.

Wedding Planning Part IV

According to my wedding countdown on the sidebar I have 11 months and 18 days until my Coco Puff and I say "I Do!" How exciting!

My wedding planners (KEA Event Planners) are awesome! They've been working so diligently, quickly, and efficiently to plan my wedding.

We have a very tight budget because, as mentioned before, we don't want any help from our loved ones. We would like for them to give us a wonderful monetary gift to assist us in purchasing a home shortly after the wedding.

My wedding will be on the beach in Miami, FL and all negotiations are made from here in NY. So my planners have made lot's of phone calls and sent lot's of emails to various vendors on our behalf. We had our first meeting on June 13th and since then we've gotten so much accomplished.

Colors

I decided on a Peach, Ivory, Cream color pallet.
I of course will wear white.

My bride maids will wear peach and the groomsmen will wear ivory/cream.

My mother, step mother, and mother in law to be will wear a shade of beige.

I'm not sure which color my Coco Puff will wear. Any suggestions?

Save The Date Cards

Initially, we weren't sure which style was best. Should we go with a horizontal or vertical card? Should we have our photo on it? Which template looks best? Should we go with the beach theme? Should we go with magnets? What should we say on it?

After about a week or two we decided on an Island themed magnet. This way all guests could stick them right on their fridge and have a daily reminder of our wedding.
Here's the proof.

Flowers

When it came to flowers I decided on Calla Lillies and Roses. I find them to be a beautiful combination of flowers. They are gorgeous in peach. The planners found a florist with an awesome package.

We are getting everything we need for the wedding ceremony, bridal party and parents for a very good price.

For the ceremony, I want a bamboo canopy and organza sprinkled with flowers. The florist has this exact setup!

Ceremony & Reception

We will have the ceremony on the beach behind The Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort in Sunny Isle Miami, Fl. On my fourth trip to Miami, I stayed here and I had an awesome time there. I've chosen this hotel for our guests. The resort is giving us a good deal on accommodations for our group.

We've chosen to have our reception here as well because they are offering an incredibly good deal with the catering. Three Hour Open Bar Featuring Premium Brands of Liquor. Cocktail Hour with Selection of Four Butler Passed Hors D’ Oeuvres. Champagne Celebration Toast
Three Course Sit Down Dinner. Complimentary Bridal Suite Evening of the Wedding. And my wedding cake! This deal can't be beat at all!

Dress

Being that the wedding is on the beach, I've decided to go with a simple but elegant dress. I dont want it too heavy so I can keep cool. I want it to be comfortable and appropriate enough for a beach and a formal reception. I love the dresses from the Maggie Sottero Destinations collection. They are perfect for the classy beach wedding bride.

I go on my first dress shopping date with my mom, sister, maid of honor and wedding planners on Aug 1. I'm counting down the days.

A few more things need to be done, like find a photographer, decide on the music, purchase the formal invitatioms, wedding favors, and a few more, to complete all of the planning for our wedding. I can't believe how stress free I am thus far.

My Vendors:

Save the Date Cards --A Giftful Heart

Florist -- Natinel Designs

Ceremony & Reception -- The Newport Beachside Hotel & Resort

All the Changes We've Made

Coco Puff and I were sifting through our old photos in order to find one we both wanted to use on our Save the Date magnet cards that we are sending to all our guest for the wedding.

In doing so, I noticed how much I've changed over the course of our relationship.

This was us when he and I FIRST started dating in 2005

At this point I weighed over 200 lbs. I was very confident and didn't really notice my weight. It was never an issue for me. My beauty and personality were innate.


Now this photo was take a year after we started dating, Nov. 2006.

In January of 2006 I weighed 230 pounds, I decided to go on a diet and lose 80 pounds. In this photo I was about 190 pounds. I managed to lose 40 pounds.

This photo was taken at my brothers wedding reception. Everyone there was shocked to see my transformation!

This next photo was taken Jan. 2007 (2 months after the previous photo. I was down to 180 pounds!

Here we are last summer (2008) at my Divas Law

School graduation BBQ. I look hot!! I was down to 165

pounds. Not my goal of 150 lbs, but very close!

I lost 65 pounds over the

course of 2 years.

I couldn't have done this without the support of my Coco Puff.

I love him so much!

Wedding Planning Part III

Family... Family... Family!

My mom and sister are giving me grief about not wanting to have a LARGE wedding.

My African family is very large and I have many aunts and uncles on my moms side and my dads. I also have thousands of other people who have common DNA with me--they are known as brothers, sisters, cousins, neices and nephews. It's not that I don't want to have everyone share this joyous day with me. In fact, I'd love it if everyone could take part in the day that Coco Puff and sanctify our relationship, but quite frankly, we can't afford it.

Now, my parents are all ready to come together with all the family and pay for this wedding, but my non-negotiables make it challenging.

I didn't mind where the wedding was held as well as the venue for the reception. I also didn't mind what food was served or liquor or even music. I just need to have it catered with a wait staff and it must be a sitdown reception.

Well ofcourse these terms dramatically change the budget. If I go there way, it'll be a buffet style with family coming together to cook, set up, and serve.

Uh uh. That's tacky.

Who's wedding is this again?

Wedding Planning Part II

Meeting with the Wedding Planners

Last night Coco Puff and I met with the Bridal Consultants and it was great!



We greeted eachother with smiles and hugs and they made themselves right at home. I shared with them all of my ideas and they offered many suggestions. They made us laugh-A LOT! And shared many suggestions with us from past and personal events.

I really felt like I was working with 3 of my closests friends.

In the end, I made it very clear that I do not wish to micromanage this whole thing. My wedding is a year away in Florida and I know that any decisions they make will be with our best interests and budgets in mind.


Why would I want to stress myself over every intricate detail?

I don't mind surprises.

I really don't mind cutting my wedding cake and finding out its Carrot Cake and not Yellow Cake.

As long as its one of the two and it looks simple with flowers, and it's within budget--They can decide.


Should we rent a villa? Or Use the hotel hall?--They can decide.


Thank You KEA Event Planners http://www.keaeventplanners.com/!

I look foward to working with you.


If you need help planning an event check out these women!

Wedding Planning Part I

I have one year until I get married and the wedding planning is getting interesting. We are meeting with the Bridal Consultants tomorrow to discuss the terms of the agreement and most importantly the specifics of our wedding.

So far we have our minds made up to have a VERY small intimate barefoot Florida Beach Wedding under a beautiful bamboo canopy topped with peach colored organza. My wedding colors will be a soft gold and peach. I wish to have the aisle divided by medium height tropical plants and a white sheet aisle on top of the warm sand. I would also like to have peach colored roses delicately placed on the aisle.

I wish to have white cloth over the chairs with peach ribbon. As for music, we have decide on a steel pan musician. Following the wedding, we are planning on having a small reception in a small hall with our guests. We are planning on inviting 50 people, including the bridemaids and groomsmen. NO KIDS!

I want a simple yellow cake with no fillings or creams with soft gold colored fondant and peach flowers for decoration.

As a wedding gift, my Fiance and I wish to have our families collaborate and give us a nice down payment for our first home.

A new future for me

I haven't posted anything personal in a long time.



Teaching has consumed me.

So let me take this time to share with you all that I am ENGAGED!



See my RING?



Coco Puff proposed to me on December 5, 2008.


We are scheduled to be married on July 10, 2010!