African American Brides Blog

Whole Lot of Networking Going On

There's a lot going on behind the scenes at African-AmericanBrides.com and this is one busy blog. We try to give our friends various ways to keep up based on where they spend time online. So, today we joined Networked Blogs on Facebook, which provides a great way to see many of our updates in one place. We'll be adding new features over there to coincide with all the happenings here on the blog. Check out our blog's Facebook page by clicking the icon below.

Wedding Gown of the Day

Bara Luxe
"Paola"

So why do we like this gown? You can imagine how many wedding dresses we see in a week. This one came across as being a little different from the rest. We like that it incorporates a major amount of lace in a way that isn't frilly and we love seeing a gown that still looks like a wedding dress even though it isn't white. It's also very cool that this look was created for a plus-size line in a way that doesn't leave the bride swamped in miles of extra fabric. But that's just one opinion. Tell us what YOU think.

See more Bara Luxe dresses at eDressMe.com

Cocktail Series: Blue Margarita

We're working on a "Blue" post for next week, which got us thinking about whether there were any good blue drinks for our cocktail series. We found this mouth-watering gem at the Swanky Tables blog:

Blue Margarita

First, prepare five glasses by coating the rims. To do this, dip the rim of each glass in lime juice and then salt.

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) can frozen margarita mix
3/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup blue curaçao liqueur
2 tablespoons lime juice

Next, combine all ingredients in a blender. Fill with ice to 5-cup level, and process until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 5 servings.

Your Wedding Planning Team

-by Lisa

I have gotten many questions from potential clients about the role of site coordinators vs. wedding consultants – and why a couple would want or even need both.
I have alluded to the advantages of hiring private consultant in another blog entry, but here, I would like to touch on the advantages of having both the site coordinator and a wedding coordinator as part of your team. I always feel that having 2 people is better than 1, and three people better than 2. A thousand things can come up on your wedding day, and I feel it is always better to have more people rather than less to attend to those details and ensure your perfect day.

In this day and age where money is tight and time is not abundant, companies are attempting to become one stop shops. I have even witnessed some venues attempting to market only their coordinator by shutting out others – charging more money to have a coordinator, or not allowing private consultants at all. This is not good for anyone – the couple or the venue. I will be the first to admit that private consultants are not innocent all together. Inexperience in the industry is abundant. Not only venues, but other vendors, have had bad experiences with inexperienced planners/coordinators. I have experienced people being very reluctant and even hostile prior to working with me. Needless to say, the attitude changes after seeing how I work, but it doesn’t make it comfortable in the beginning.

Site coordinators are absolutely wonderful! More times than not, they have done hundreds of weddings at the venue and knows what works and what doesn’t. They give advice of a person with experience. They have a handle on the food (if the site has its own caterer) and can work with the consultant to coordinate the food and timeline. Often times, they can also handle rental deliver and pick up (if your caterer is not handling those details). On the other hand, private consultants can help you to plan/coordinate the day as a whole – and tend to those details which are not handled by a site coordinator, such as delivery of flowers, pick up and drop of times of limos and other transport, and arrangements with stylists, just to name a few.

There have been a few occasions where I am setting up the reception; something comes up where the Bride or Groom needs me at the ceremony site earlier than expected. I have gone to the site coordinator, gave her my set up list and asked her if she could continue while I tend to other details. Likewise, I am able, and have, picked up for the site coordinator when things have come up.
Often times, the ceremony is elsewhere, where site coordinator doesn’t have jurisdiction. Your private consultant can oversee your entire day, while the site coordinator and consultant oversee the success of the reception together.

In the event the ceremony and reception are in the same place, you have two people overseeing everything. Why should this be a bad thing? The couple is covered pre-ceremony by the consultant. The consultant will know all the details regarding flower delivery, photography schedules, and hair and make-up schedules. You will then have multiple people helping to line up wedding party members and cue musicians. The consultant and her/his team are tending to details and the site coordinator and his/her team can tend to other details. When everyone communicates and works together, everything runs smoothly.

The downfall of private consultants, especially inexperienced ones, is that they are intimated by venues with site coordinators (which happen to be almost all venues). They often feel that they have to “run the show” to the detriment of others. The downfall to site coordinators is that they have done hundreds of weddings at the site and know what works and what doesn’t. Often times a fresh perspective is exactly what’s needed. The ability to have confidence in both coordinators is paramount. The ability to be professional and work together is what will make the most perfect day for the Bride and Groom – which should be the ultimate goal.

Running of the Brides 2009

Yes, it's that season again. For the seventh year Filene's Basement is holding its "Running of the Brides" events in major cities all over the country. Each sale is a virtual stampede for designer wedding dresses marked up to 90 percent off.

The first 2009 Running of the Brides sale took place on Friday in Atlanta. 1,300 women showed up (some of them had camped out overnight) to join the stampede which erupted in pandemonium, chaos, and even one fistfight! Take a look:

Want to get in on the, er, action? Chances are, the Running of the Brides is coming to a town (almost) near you.

Rockville, MD April 3
Chicago, IL July 24
Washington, DC July 31
Boston, MA August 21
Cleveland, OH October 16

Go HERE for more details.