Wedding Planning Diary: The Ups & Downs

Hello Readers!!

Soooooo I realized that it has been a LONG while since I've updated you guys about how my wedding planning is going. Well I didnt really have too many pleasant things to say about wedding planning, LOL! I didn't want to come on here and rant so I just stayed away from blogging about it...and kind of fell off blogging all together. I even found it hard to log on to my beloved WeddingBee account for about 3 months and that is my haven on all things weddings!! Needless to say I wasn't in the greatest place. What was the issue you ask? Well first and foremost I realized my fiancee and I had a LOT on our plate with planning this humongous wedding, house searching, holiday shopping, jobs, family, etc...it just got to be a tad overwhelming. Second of all we noticed that the budget we had just was NOT enough for what we want to do, that was the hardest part for me because it really forced me to take many steps back and reevaluate EVERYthing. We met with our planner who really helped to put things in perspective and offer us some really good advice. After that my Fiancee and I prayed, we fasted, and asked God to just take control and have his way in our lives. So now we are pressing on in a positive direction and I have NO doubt in my mind that God will be glorified on the day of our wedding!!

Now fun stuff!! I'd say the best part of wedding planning is being able to create things that are a reflection of you and your fiancee. For instance, I know it seems corny but I really had a LOT of fun making our save the dates. We had a fall engagement session with our photographer and we used those photos to make the save the dates. It was cool sitting down with my honey and going through our favorite pictures and choosing different layouts and colors, we had alot of fun with that! We went with http://www.weddingpaperdivas.com/ and they had the best options in comparison to other stationary sites...they were a little more expensive but we saved over $100 using coupon codes. So WIN for us!!


Here is a pic of one of our Save The Dates!

Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi

Trend Alert: First Look Photo Session

Hello Readers!!

The trend we are visiting today is the "First Look Photo Shoot". Needless to say wedding photos have drastically changed in the past few years from group photos where the bride and groom just stand and smile to a more photo-journalistic style of photography. Now we see wedding albums that actually tell a story and really display the essence of the love the couple really share. One way people are making the most of their photos and utilizing every minute of time on their wedding day is by doing a short session BEFORE the ceremony. During this session the bride and groom get to see each other and share some private moments together before she walks down the aisle. They get to calm each other's nerves, talk, get the crying out of the way and have some one on one time because it will be the ONLY time that will happen all day, lloll! This may not work for the really traditional couple but it depends on you and your fiancee. Here are some pictures of "First Looks"

Typically the groom's back is turned and the bride walks up to tap him on the shoulder (http://simplistichic.blogspot.com/)

http://simplistichic.blogspot.com/

munaluchibridal.com

unitedwithlove.com

laurenjacksonphotography.com

greenweddingshoes.com

So whether you want the "First Look" to be you walking down the aisle and experiencing the rush of emotions you will feel at the ceremony OR if you want to be able to share a few private minutes with your soon-to-be-spouse and make the most of your wedding timeline. It is definitely a personal choice!


Readers what do you think?? Would you be open to a first look photo session?? Or would you want to keep to tradition?? Talk to me!


Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi

Beautiful Weddings: Temi and Jide

Hello lovelies, of course we are back, and back to blogging beautiful weddings.  This week we feature a wedding from our archives; Temi and Jide.  When they came to us to design their event, we were excited with their theme of Modern Elegant Simplicity, and when we saw their venue, we ABSOLUTELY fell in love.  The setting at Addison Park is absolutely divine.  The Modern vintage appeal to this space provided enough inspirasi for their wedding event and it is with absolute joy as we present these photos.  Thanks to Brooke Fitts of Brookelyn Photography for capturing the details.
Enjoy!

Be Inspired: Blush Heavenly Dream

Hello Readers!!


Today I want to share with you some color-spirations!! I know one of the biggest things for a bride to select are her wedding colors. So I'm here to help! If you have any requests on color ideas you would like to see together, send me an email or leave a comment and I'll post an inspiration board to give you a jump start on things you can do to make your wedding look amazing!!


Here, we have a very soft, wispy, romantic palette! You should be able to pick up on hints of  blush pink, ivory, mauve, and antique gold. I predict we will be seeing a lot of these light, soft colors this wedding season.

Borrowed from The Perfect Palette

Here are some other things you could add to complement your colors:

Trend Alert: Lace Sleeves

Princess Kate's long sleeved wedding dress of course became the most popular dress of the year, she singlehandedly brought sleeved dresses back in style! Some even call it the, "Kate Middleton Effect".  Many style experts and wedding dress designers are predicting that this wedding season we will see a return to a classic, clean and more refined, demure look. Long sleeves on a wedding gown were once MANDATORY when getting married in certain religions. Now it is completely optional and a beautiful fashion statement! Sleeves can be worn in many different styles and fabrics. Right now the most popular is lace. I found a couple of pics of some long sleeved gowns that I think are stunning!

Unsure of designer

Pronovias

Rosa Clara

Monique Lhullier

Monique Lhullier

Click highlighted words under photo for Photo Source




What do you all think of the long sleeved trend?? Would you wear it?


Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi 

Happy New Year and Welcome Back!!!!

Hello Readers!!!

Bye-Bye 2011!!!! Welcome New Year, welcome new heights!!

Welcome back to our blog!! We took a break to let the holidays pass and let all of you settle in but we are back! We are ready to have an exciting and fun-filled year with you all!

Could be you!!

This is such a busy year for BCG! We have so many amazing weddings coming up including MINE! Loll! We are so eager to see how this year will unfold. We will be doing some new things with our blog this year. We will still have our Ah! Mazing Vendor and Beautiful Wedding features but we will now be sharing trends, inspiration boards, and the most EXCITING thing we are doing this year will be a FREE wedding giveaway! Yes that is right, we will be planning and designing a wedding for a deserving couple with a compelling love story to share with us!! I will have more details about that as time goes on, so stay tuned with us!


We are ALSO looking for more wedding bloggers!! If you have a passion for weddings and love to write and blog! Please contact me at bcgblogger[at]gmail[dot]com. We want you!


Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi

What Are We Watching? Diann Valentine's I DO OVER!

Anybody that knows me, knows I am a wedding show fanatic. You name it I watch it...everything from, David Tutera's My Fair Wedding, Four Weddings, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (pretty interesting show) to my FAVORITE Say Yes to the Dress. A show that I have been really into and excited about lately is I Do Over, starring THE Diann Valentine. When I discovered this lady and read about her work I was so confused as to why she did not have her own show. So when I learned of this show I was SO excited. This show introduces us to a couple that is already married but had a disaster or unfortunate event ruin their wedding the first time around. Diann surprises them and takes on the role of a Fairy Godmother and promises the chosen couple a second chance to have the wedding of their dreams! So right after the couple's excitement subsides, Diann explains to them she will plan their wedding in FIVE days! Yes FIVE days! 

So this takes the couple up in a wedding planning whirlwind where they select linens, choose florals, cake tastings, and pick out a dress. Diann takes care of the rest and keeps the wedding location a secret from the couple. Anybody that is familiar with Diann's work knows that these weddings are TRULY fabulous and something that I'm sure most people couldnt even imagine if they tried! Here are some photos of some of Diann's weddings. 

Photo by Mike Colon

Photo by Gavin Wade

This is SO different I love!! Photo by Mike Colon

I wanted to blog about this show because it is great to see a beautiful, successful black woman on television doing something she loves and is wonderful at!! Not to mention her fashion sense DEFINITELY keeps viewers on their toes! Her hair and shoes ALWAYS brings me joy, hahaa! Support the show and watch! Make sure we keep the seasons coming! New episodes are aired on WE TV on Sunday evenings at 10pm. Check your listings because the show re-runs alot! 

Check out her website and her blog HERE!!


You can also check out a clip of her show below!





Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi