How To Thursdays: Guest Blogger!!

Welcome back guysss!!

Today I am featuring a How-To Thursday sent to me from a fellow wedding blogger Kelechi!! Her blog is called Naija Wed n More! Check her out! Thanks again Kelechi for allowing us to feature you! 

Her post is about wedding crashers and what you can do to avoid them!!

Wedding Crashers…What To Do…What To Do

                           

The bane of any African wedding is planning for wedding crashers. 

Or really, planning to prevent wedding crashers from appearing at the wedding that you have excruciatingly planned for however many months.

I once heard about a Nigerian wedding in Houston that had 500 invited guests. By the time you actually considered the amount of crashers, there were 800 guests at the wedding. I can’t even imagine how you would have had enough space or food for the amount of people when you haven’t planned for it.

Some brides are indifferent about wedding crashers. The simply calculate them into their total guest number and don’t give it a second thought.

Other brides (myself included), refuse to treat their wedding as the neighborhood block party, annual family or college reunion, or local church gathering.

As I continue to plan my “small” (200 invited guests) African wedding, I’ve come across several different ways to minimize wedding crashers

1.    Promote “Strictly Invitation Only”

Tell everyone, their mom, and cousin that your wedding is strictly invitation only. Put in your invitation, on your save the date, or on your website. Make sure the word gets around through your family as well.

2.     Keep the wedding talk with uninvited guests to a minimum

Quite a few brides enjoy talking about different aspects of their wedding especially to anyone who will listen. However, if you talk incessantly about your wedding to someone you don’t intend to invite, they may feel slighted that they don’t get to see your wedding vision come to fruition. Keep wedding talk to a minimum.

3.     Have a guest list at the door with security

If you aren’t promoting to your guests that your wedding is invitation only (or even if you are), you may want to have a guest list at the door with security available to prevent crashers from entering the venue.

4.     Request that your guests bring their invitations

Inform your guests to bring their formal invitations. Of course, wedding crashers won’t have formal invitations so this will help to keep them at bay.

5.     Require guests to RSVP

It’s quite common for African guests to not RSVP and just attend a wedding because they were formally invited. One could require their guests to RSVP and also let them know if a RSVP isn’t received, a seat will not be reserved for them.

6.     Have a destination wedding

If you want to keep your guest list to less than 100 people, any resort in the Caribbean can help you plan your wedding day. This method is the best way to foolproof your wedding from any and all crashers.

7.     Protect your venue location information.

As African wedding websites have become more and more popular, it’s also a way for wedding crashers to get information on their own. The best way to avoid this is to not list the ceremony/reception venue on the website.

What I chose to do is password protect the section with the ceremony/reception information. Although, I know some couples decide to password protect the entire website.

8.     Have your wedding on a not so popular day

Most couples choose to get married on Saturday as it’s most convenient for themselves and others. If you can help it, have your wedding on day like Friday or Sunday which will help minimize random people just looking for something to do, deciding to hang out at your wedding.

All of these methods can definitely help to minimize if not completely prevent having wedding crashers at your wedding. I’ve actually decided to employ several methods which include having my wedding on a Sunday, a guest list at the door, and require that my guests RSVP.

At the end of the day, you may not be able to prevent wedding crashers from appearing at your wedding, but you can definitely do what you can.

Can you think of any other ways to help minimize wedding crashers?

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How To Thursdays: Being a FAB Spring Wedding Guest

Hello Guys!!!! I knowwww it's Monday but I promised you all a How-TO guest blogger post but the site was down last week so I wasn't able to post. BUTTT today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Nifesimi a.k.a Skinny Hipster. Nife is a young budding stylist who has a real eye for upcoming trends and just has the ability to make ANY combination of clothes look GOOD! Check out her site here at www.skinnyhipster.com!!! Make sure you leave comments and let her know what you think!!

Hello BCG Readers,

I am glad to have the opportunity to share some fashion tips with you! I love weddings and I am so excited about being able to mesh my passion with weddings! So I hope you enjoy some pictures I've taken from different weddings I've gone to and some of the looks that caught my eye!

Color blocking/ Neon colored dresses are very appropriate for spring/early summer
weddings. What I love the most about this dress is not a lot of accessories are
needed, the dress is a statement on its own. I wore nude pumps with this outfit
because Nude is the new black- it goes with EVERYTHING!!!

I adore this beautiful, long gown on Abi and most importantly, I love how she
added her own flair to it. The shoulders are very edgy and you do not need to
wear lots of jewelry to make this outfit pop. The vibrant colors SCREAM spring
wedding!!! A simple hairstyle goes well with this look and Abi’s’ bun allows all
the attention to be on the dress.

Alaba’s suit is very fitted, despite his build. So fellas, there is no excuse to wear
oversized suits anymore!!! It is not a must for males to wear traditional, you could
always do a tie from ankara fabric with a matching pocket square. Shoutout to his stunning wife as well!

This sweetheart neckline with the one shoulder really works for Debora. Again, You
wouldn’t want to do TOO much with your hair because of the intricate details
of the skirt. You can do a hairstyle like Deborah’s, a center part bob or
straight hair. Minimal jewelry is advised and I really like her fresh make-up.

I like how Olumide did not do a regular black suit. I really love navy blue and
grey suits on men. The contrast of the navy blue tie and purple shirt is nice and
unexpected- it gives it a fresh, stylish look.

Floral is really in right now and it’s perfect for a spring or summer wedding. A fuller dress like this is really appropriate for someone between ages 18-35. It’s
very young, playful and fresh. A blazer or a cardigan or shawl can be worn with a
sweetheart dress like this.

When people think of weddings they think of dresses. I wore pants because I
wanted to revamp my wedding look and I’m all for taking fashion risks. Wearing
pants to weddings is ok because it’s ok to switch it up sometimes. My bowtie is made
out of aso oke fabric with a little bit of ankara print (I’m obsessed with aso oke
frabrics and bow ties :-). When choosing a style for a wedding always make sure
you wear something that you’re very comfortable in and ALWAYS add your
personal flavor to it.

Not wearing to a wedding in not in my stylebook. This
gown is very appropriate for an evening wedding. I’m in love with the draping
of this dress- it’s amazing. It is very elegant and although it’s a little simple, it
speaks volume. With this look, a necklace is a “NO, NO,” the black belt with
the green butterfly detail is enough. With this look, stick to simple bracelets and
rings; stud earrings is highly recommended. I wore gold accessories, my mother’s
vintage gold purse and nude pumps.

What do you think about the fashion tips and ideas?? Did you get any inspiration from the pictures? Thanks again Skinny Hipster for dropping off some fashion advice with our wonderful readers!!

Stay Beautiful My Loves, 

Memi

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GUEST BLOG FEATURE!!

Every now and again I will be giving other ah!Mazing bloggers the opportunity to feature some of their stories on our blog! Today we have the honor of presenting a post by Lola from Blue New and Borrowed!   I'm so excited about her because she is new at the blogging thing and has hit the ground running! Continue to check her out for her unique style and uber cool perspective on all things BEAUTIFUL!! Today we will be featuring a post she did in a series from her blog called Brides Around The World! 

Brides Around the World: Edo Brides!!!

ALL ABOARD!!!!!!!!

     

So every now and then we're going to be taking trips around the world. I think it'll be great to see how brides incorporate the western style into their weddings while still staying true to their roots. Some cultures are so rich and vibrant that you cant help but fall in love with their wedding ceremonies.

     

Today I want to stay a little close to home; Nigeria, Benin city to be exact. Im not an Edo girl but there's just something about the "bendelites" that are just so so so beautiful. I have an infatuation with their culture. Benin City is the capital of Edo state in southern Nigeria.  Benin is known for its arts and crafts.

     

       

 Edo brides are usually adorned in inticately woven coral beads, they even go as far as having the coral beads sewn into their hair to create these crown like gears. I can just imagine how long this process takes but the end result is so worth it.

     

   The big coral necklaces are typically reserved for big and important occasions such as weddings. They add to the glamor of a traditional bride. 



Duduguy (http://duduguy.shutterchance.com/)



       

        

           My favorite accessory  is the poncho-like coral beads some brides wear. It gives this regal look to the outfit as a whole.

     

Another beautiful part of these attires are the wrappers. The fabrics are usually very rich and sometimes adorned with gold accents that makes these brides look like queens. Who wouldnt want to look like a queen on her wedding day!?!?! A true definition of an African Queen.

     

Duduguy (http://duduguy.shutterchance.com/)

       

      

Check out the groom....don't they look like royalty....I used to daydream about marrying an Edo guy so we can look like this on our wedding day!!! (I'm such a dork LOL)      

                  

I love the fact that her bridesmaids are also beautifully dressed in the traditional attires.        

I think my next brides are going to be Indian brides.....another culture I just absolutely adore....

    

There you have it!! I hope you enjoyed her post as much as I did! Leave comments and let her know what you think! If you blog about beautiful weddings, wedding tips, wedding decor, etc. Email me at bcgblogger@gmail.com if you would like to be featured!

The blogger had a hard time remembering where she found these pictures which is why there are no photo credits, if you recognize any of these photos as your work or anyone else's, please let us know and we will SURELY credit your work!

Stay Beautiful My Loves,

Memi

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