Beautiful Wedding!! Anthonia and Fola -Baltimore, MD

Hello Everyone!!


How are you all doing??? Today I have a beautifulll wedding for you! Photographed by friend of the blog Tunji Sarumi, the beautiful bride, Anthonia looked absolutely stunning in her fit & flare gown and the groom, Fola along with his groomsmen looked very handsome in slate gray suits! I LOVED the lighting and colors of their reception, done very tastefully! Let me know what you think!! Also, read along for the interview questions that Anthonia and Fola answered for your reading pleasure!

Bride: Anthonia Soyoye
Age: 26
Occupation: Regulatory Analyst
Location: Baltimore, MD


Groom: Fola Soyoye
Age: 30
Occupation: Business Analyst
Location: Baltimore, MD

How did you meet? (Anthonia’s version of the story if you want a bit of humor)

November 2003, remember that month like it was yesterday :). When I met my knight in shining armor *giggles* (Sorry, it’s still all like a high school crush to me, well in this case a college crush). I met Fola in College; at this time I was taking a break from relationships and was definitely not looking for one. Somehow, one day I mustered this boldness from nowhere and told a guy I did not even know that “I know your feet must be cold in those sandals* (it was winter and this African had on sandals ----- Nigerians *SMH*). At this time I was friends with Lola Soyoye and never knew she had a brother in the same school.

Fast forward --------------------------------------- >

One fateful day, Fola offered to walk me to class and I accepted. Dude had the cutest smile ever (but you girls know the rules…. You can’t even act interested). When we got to my class, Fola asked for my number. Later that week he called me up and asked if I wanted to go see a movie, we went to watch “Gothika” and I talked his ear off before /during/after the movie. Now, if you know me, you will know this is unusual as I am a very shy person (I guess that was God’s clue that he is the one). Fola, being the calm patient man that he is listened to me the whole time. Fast forward -------->

Fola and I had been dating quietly for a couple of months as no one really knew. While having a conversation with Lola one day, I told her that there was this guy I was seeing with the cutest smile --- (I can’t seem to get the smile outta my head :) ) and I told her I would introduce them someday. Hehehehehehe…. that’s my evil laugh because little did I know I was going to have a rude awakening. So one day, I get to the school lobby and I’m wondering why Lola is talking to my man *girl fight*(I kid, I kid). So l walk up to them and tell Lola that he is the one I was talking about *wink*, and she goes “ewwwwwww, my brother?” And my mouth drops….. LOL

Anyway, here we are almost 8 years later…..stronger than ever about to start this new journey called marriage. Who would have thought huhhhhnnnn???????

What do you love about your spouse?

Fola is very caring, supportive, God fearing, and oh…. He has the cutest smile on this planet

What was the most stressful part of wedding planning?

The most stressful part was finding the right location that would cater to everyone’s need.

And how did you deal with it?

We prayed about it, took our time and weighed all our options while putting into consideration our budget and the guest list.

What's the best part of wedding planning?


The best part of wedding planning is knowing that your other half is always there, assisting and planning along with you. Since we did not have a wedding planner, we planned our wedding ourselves and enjoyed every moment of it. Although there were times we weren't on the same page, we always came to a consensus. The fun part of it all was the cake tasting – Debbie’s Cake Studio *mhmn mhmn good*


Would you do anything different?
No

Favorite part of your wedding?
My favorite part of the wedding was the union process, leading up to the moment when the pastor pronounced us as husband and wife.

Any advice for planning brides??
Always, always put God first and pray – everything else will fall into place. Plan ahead and don’t fret over the small stuff, if you do then you will miss the precious moments. If things don’t go according to plan, then know it was not meant to be and push for even greater things. I made sure I had a stress free wedding and enjoyed every minute of our wedding day. Remember that you can never please everyone – fact of life. Make sure to get enough rest the night before so you are refreshed in the a.m.

Ceremony: Jesus House Baltimore – 410-521-4783

Reception: St Joseph hall (Bel Air) – 410-952-7073

Decoration: J Garner Events – 443-629-4777

Photographer: TJ Photography – 443-846-1112

Videographer: 5Star Production – 240-305-3967

Hair Stylist: Evelyn Mann – 301-404-8506

Makeup Artist: Charlene Rich (M.A.C) – 443-790-3175

Lighting: INI Production – 240-481-3964

MC: Seyi Hopewell – 301-213-8694

Live Band: 301-537-0706 / 240-441-1558

Catering rental (excluding food): Soft Touch Rentals – Aunty Dayo – 301-792-3320

Cake: Debi ‘s Cakes – 410-206-3714

Transportation: City Lites – 410-248-3333

Cultural Wear: TnT Fashions - (646)932-0857

Shoe Bedazzlers: JeniBelle Stones - (443)803-8259

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How To Thursdays: Everything you need to know about DIAMONDSSS!

Soooo my last post was a Beauty Sightings on rings and cute ring detail shots! Today I want to help those ladies out there who don't know anything about diamond rings! Nowadays, more and more men are asking for more input from their girlfriends when it comes to selecting the ring they will wear for the rest of their lives. So in order to be prepared to answer his question correctly here are just a few tips on what you should know about diamonds!! And for my male readers, make sure you are getting the BEST quality possible for what you are paying. 

Photo Source here

Anybody that knows ANYthing about diamonds will tell you about the 4C's. I will explain what the 4C's stand for and what they mean!

CUT

Diamond cut is perhaps the most important of the four Cs, so it is important to understand how this quality affects the properties and values of a diamond. A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, which is that brightness that seems to come from the very heart of a diamond. The angles and finish of any diamond are what determine its ability to handle light, which leads to brilliance. As shown in the images below, when a diamond is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels to the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the observer's eye. This light is the brilliance we mentioned, and it's this flashing, fiery effect that makes diamonds so mesmerizing. 

Because cut is so important, several grading methods have been developed to help consumers determine the cut of a particular diamond. In general, these grades are:

• Ideal
• Premium
• Very Good
• Good
• Fair & Poor

Read More about Cut here...

CLARITY

When we speak of a diamond's clarity, we are referring to the presence of identifying characteristics on (blemishes) and within (inclusions) the stone. If you think about the incredible amount of pressure it takes to create a diamond and the fact that natural diamonds are not grown in a sterile laboratory, it's no surprise that most diamonds have flaws. Basically there are two types of flaws: inclusions and blemishes. Inclusions refer to internal flaws and blemishes refer to surface flaws. However, in the diamond grades listed below, you'll note that none of the grades include the term "blemish" -- for the purposes of grading diamonds, all flaws are called "inclusions." Inclusions include flaws such as air bubbles, cracks, and non-diamond minerals found in the diamond. Blemishes include scratches, pits, and chips. Some blemishes occur during the cutting processes (most often at the girdle). Diamonds with no or few inclusions and blemishes are more highly valued than those with less clarity because they are rarer. 

Diamonds are graded for clarity under 10x loupe magnification. Grades range from Flawless (diamonds which are completely free of blemishes and inclusions), to Included 3 (diamonds which possess large, heavy blemishes and inclusions that are visible to the naked eye).

• F
  Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Extremely rare.
• IF
  Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.
• VVS1-VVS2
  Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under 10x magnification by a trained gemologist.
• VS1-VS2
  Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification.
• SI1-SI2
  Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions more easily detected under 10x magnification. 
• I1-I2-I3
  Included (three grades). Inclusions visible under 10x magnification AS WELL AS to the human eye. We do not recommend buying diamonds in any of these grades. 

F-IF

VVS1-VVS2

VS1-VS2

SI1-SI2

I1-I2-I3

Read more on clarity here...




COLOR

When jewelers speak of a diamond's color, they are usually referring to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Color is a result of the composition of the diamond, and it never changes over time. Because a colorless diamond, like a clear window, allows more light to pass through it than a colored diamond, colorless diamonds emit more sparkle and fire. The formation process of a diamond ensures that only a few, rare diamonds are truly colorless. Thus the whiter a diamond's color, the greater its value. 

To grade 'whiteness' or colorlessness, most jewelers refer to GIA's professional color scale that begins with the highest rating of D for colorless, and travels down the alphabet to grade stones with traces of very faint or light yellowish or brownish color. The color scale continues all the way to Z. 

Read more about Color here...

CARAT

This is the most popular of the 4 C's EVERYbody has heard of a carat so here are more details on what it means!

A carat is a unit of measurement, it's the unit used to weigh a diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams. The word "carat" is taken from the carob seeds that people once used in ancient times to balance scales. So uniform in shape and weight are these little seeds that even today's sophisticated instruments cannot detect more than three one-thousandths of a difference between them. 

[NOTE: Don't confuse "carat weight" with "karat," the method of determining the purity of gold.] 

The process that forms a diamond happens only in very rare circumstances, and typically the natural materials required are found only in small amounts. That means that larger diamonds are uncovered less often than smaller ones. Thus, large diamonds are rare and have a greater value per carat. For that reason, the price of a diamond rises exponentionaly to its size.

Read more about Carat Weight here....

There you have it!! The basics of diamond rings!! Fellas, do NOT get robbed at the jewelry store PLEASE do your research and ladies educate your man before he goes and spends his hard earned money on a BEAUTIFUL piece of jewelry you will wear your ENTIRE life!! I hope you guys like the post, gimme some FEEDBACK! 

Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi

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BEAUTY SIGHTINGS: Wedding Ring Photographs

One of my FAVORITE parts of wedding albums are the detail shots. I love how, despite all the seriousness and emotions in a wedding album, there are specific shots dedicated to the small things that make everything come to life! Today I'm showcasing some pictures I've come across of GORGEOUSSSS wedding rings and some really cute photo ideas! I think these are really cute ways to showcase the ring in the detail portion of ANY album!

What do you think of these??

Sooo many to choose from!!!!

Did this post give you any ideas??? Which one is your dream ring?? Have you even thought about it?? If you already have a ring, is it the one you always dreamed of?? Let me know, talk to me!!

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