by Brittiny
Real-life bride, event planner & member of our Ladies Lounge
The bridesmaids pashminas have arrived! They are great. The seller is wonderful and the delivery was prompt. I definitely recommend Muraslove . She is running a special right now where if you purchase 4 you get the 5th one free which was quite perfect. The total cost for all five was $27.40. I don't think that M's mom is the pashmina type, and she usually wears sleeves so this isn't a good option for her.
The grey color is for my bridesmaids and the blue for my mom.
Here are the bridesmaids' dresses (Alfred Angelo 6583)
My mom's dress is below, and yes even mom mocha is a sexy diva.
Here are all of the gifts with the exception of the clutches, the monogram totes, and the sweets. I think these look pretty good together. I got the jewelry set for $10.00 at a local store, it was marked down from $50.00.
Journey to the Altar: Bridesmaids!
Keeping Love Alive: The Miracles
- by Erica
Kathleen and Ollie Johnson are the power couple behind Dr. Miracles hair care products. I recently had the chance to talk to them about how they’ve managed their business and marriage partnerships so well while also homeschooling their three children. Rather than parse out their words, I'm giving you the entire interview. A very interesting and funny couple!
Me: Do you find that working together so closely enhances or challenges a marriage?
Kathleen: For us, it’s an enhancement because we have a mutual interest outside of the marital norms. It is hard for men and women to find things to share that they can both be passionate about. This is something that means a lot to both of us.
Ollie: Working together has given us an unusual opportunity to share in the Dr.
Miracle’s journey. Since we are not performing the same job functions, we bring unique perspectives to working together.
Me: How do you handle disagreements?
Kathleen: Yelling, violence and generally being irrational. Ha, Ha, Ha...just kidding.
Ollie: We talk out our positions when there are disagreements. Usually there is room for compromise.
Kathleen: After 26 years of marriage we know we have different views and have learned to listen to each other and take time to consider the other's point of view. I respect Ollie's viewpoint based upon his years of hands-on experience while I may bring a "looking at the forest outside of the trees” view. Each view has value to us.
Me: Is it difficult to create "alone time"?
Ollie: We manage “alone time” when we feel we need it. Sometimes taking a trip to the country is a good remedy.
Kathleen: Since our children are grown-up, we are enjoying the freedom that comes with not having to be regulated by meals and bedtimes. It's great being able to travel together more and be spontaneous.
Me: Do you feel the media does enough to show the reality of black love and black families?
Kathleen: I feel that the media does “very little” in the way of positive affirmation of the Black family or Black love. The positive aspects of the Black family are rarely highlighted and not enough media attention is spent on those couples who represent positive family values.
Ollie: Television doesn't do much to show the reality of most things. It just doesn't sell advertising. What people want is drama. To see a family at peace with one another and living normally is not exciting, but it is a blessing.
Me: So, how did you spend Valentine’s Day?
Ollie: We went for a couples massage in the afternoon. Afterwards we were picked up by a limousine that took us to a very romantic restaurant.
Kathleen: It's just a nice day to do something together like go to a fabulous restaurant in SoHo (New York) for some great spicy Thai food. We exchanged little gifts to express our love for each other. Finding ways to say "I love you" is always important. We don't take what we have for granted.
Etsy Finds of the Day
Tophandmadejewelry - Freshwater pearls and only $5.95!
Beads in the Belfry We love cufflinks as a gift for a groom.
Tissage Pure glam. 
SarahBethDesigns Adorable earrings for bride or maid-of-honor.
Road to the Altar: Goin' To the Chapel!
- Brittiny,
Real-life bride and event planner
Update: We have a venue! We paid the deposit and now this cute little chapel is ours. 
I plan on having it draped on the inside. It's a tad bit rustic for my taste, but that's nothing that linens and drapery can't fix. Here are some ideas I have for the drapery and decor.
Tell Me Something Good
- by Erica
We're having a great start to 2010 and we're hoping our readers can say the same. In the last few weeks, we've received some awesome partnerships that will ensure that our readers continue to get top-notch content and photographs relevant to the African-American wedding experience. One of the most exciting benefits of this is that we will be able to bring you more stories, vendors and wedding/engagement photographs that you won't see anywhere else. We recently started a new Twitter account exclusively for wedding-related tweets, so if you're on Twitter, be sure to add us at Twitter.com/WeddingLuxe. You'll get the latest from this blog and our sister wedding blogs. Do not miss out.
Just today we found out that we were leading in the votes for Best Black Bridal Blog. We were also excited to read that Dana Ostomel recently named African-AmericanBrides.com part of "The New Awesome in Wedding Planning". It's hard to believe all of this is about a little website that started as a Yahoo group almost 8 years ago!
As the editor of African-AmericanBrides.com, I can honestly say that things have never looked better. I've turned off my Google alerts because each search for black weddings has our stories in the top five slots. But read back over the last few pages of this blog and you'll see I have LOTS of help from some fabulous brides, photographers and event planners. Visit their blogs and websites when you get the chance, as they will save you both money and time. I believe the current economy means African-American Brides' readers deserve MORE and not less. More options, more understanding, more joy and more inspiration. Please continue to communicate with us. Let us know what you like and what you'd like to see more of. Also, please keep those gorgeous wedding pictures and stories coming in!
