Wedding Tip of the Week: Smell Me!

You may have that favorite fragrance that you wear everyday, but on your wedding day you want to smell as special as you feel. Not every perfume is going to smell good on everyone since all of our body make up is different, so be careful of what you choose to spray. There is a perfume for every ceremony, but there are four main categories;

• Traditional Ceremony: Try a floral scent



• Intimate Ceremony: Try a romantic scent



• Outdoor Ceremony: Try a floral or a woodsy scent



• Creative Ceremony: Try a bold or oriental scent

There are so many fragrances out there, here is a short list of perfumes for each category.

Floral

• Vera by Vera Wang
• Anna Sui by Anna Sui
• Imari Seduction by Avon
• White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor
• Flower by Cynthia Rowley for Avon

Fruity

• Burberry of London for Women by Burberry
• Tropical Punch by Escada
• Tahitian Holiday by Avon

Woodsy

• Imari by Avon
• Black by Bulgari

Oriental Scents

• Obsession by Calvin Klein
• Shalimar by Guerlian
• Rogue by Christian Lacroix by Avon
• Brown Sugar and Fig by Bath and Body Works
• Japanese Cherry Blossom by Bath and Body Works
• Midnight Pomegranate by Bath and Body Works ( one of my favorites)

Whatever scent you pick, make sure you love it and your groom will too. Do you have a favorite scent? Share with others, it might become their favorite scent as well.

(information partly from WeddingChannel)

A Pefect Day: Jakes Marries Henson

These photos are from Bishop T.D. Jakes daughter, Sarah Jakes wedding. She married her college sweetheart Robert Henson, on June 21, 2008 at the Potter House church where her father Bishop T.D. Jakes is pastor. She was so pretty. She has great color choices for her wedding, and they are even close to mine. Her colors are light blue and brown and mine are tiffany blue and chocolate brown. What can I say....great minds think alike.

Here are some words for Bishop Jakes about his daughters wedding:

"Okay, okay, I will admit it-there might have been a moment or two that my windshields got a little foggy at my daughter's wedding. It might have been the humidifier in the room but no, in reality I think those were really tears! It was unbelievable to me to see how she had turned into such a beautiful woman. The music was flawless but that is what one gets when you have Kelly Price, Anasia, and Micah Stampley. The mood was regal as Bishop Noel Jones brought an elegance and ambiance that is consistent with his erudite persona. But for my wife and I, it was all about the look in the bride and groom's eye. I will never forget the feeling of escorting her down the aisle, trying with some futility to get her to slow down her pace. I wanted her to walk slowly-in part because I am still healing and needed a slower pace-but mostly because I wanted her to savor the moment. I whispered in her ear to slow down a little, as she seemed like she was ready to run a track sprint to get to the altar. As we got closer to the front I could see why-the groom had tears running down his face and I swear it seemed like she was all he could see in the room. "

For more on this wedding click on the following links:

CBS 11TV

fav.or.it

Wedding Dresses: Amsale

Amsale's career began when she was planning her own wedding and could not find a wedding dress for herself. She wanted something that was simple and refined and since she could not find it she made it. Thus began her career in bridal. Her gowns are simple with a stylish flare. They are not fussy, but are elegant. Her gowns make any bride timeless.

(all photos from Amsale website)

My Favorite Flowers Part IV: Gerbera Daisies

The gerbera daisy is the last of my favorite flowers. I think that this flower is very "shabby chic". This flower can add a bit of casual elegance to an otherwise stuffy affair. I think that this flower is very versatile and lends itself to be used in a variety of ways. I think that I am going to have this flower somewhere in my wedding. Watch the video below. I really like the idea of the gerbera daisy being used for the men's boutonnieres. What is your favorite flower? What flowers are you going to use in your wedding?

(photos from Yahoo images and The Knot)

You Go Girl!!!

Well, I was looking on some new wedding blogs to add to my blog roll and decided to click on Alltop to see who was listed on there. To my surprise, I saw Jumping the Broom listed. Go, Dana!! Go, Dana!! I am listed with cream of the crop. I can not believe I am listed on Alltop. I am listed right next to The Preppy Wedding ( one of my own daily reads). I am so honored to be on this list with Kate's Wedding, My Cleveland Wedding, Martha Stewart and Wedding Bee.

There are so many wedding blogs that add inspiration to me and so many others everyday. Research Alltop to see what is new out there in the wedding blogging world. Thanks, Alltop!!

Are you a Zen Bride?

My friend Ginger gave me a nice gift set when I announced I was engaged, it is called the Zen Bride. It has in it some bath salts, room mist, an eye mask, body lotion, a candle and a book called, what else, but the "Zen Bride". The book is by Nora Cabrera. The book gives you great suggestions on how to relax and not get stressed from all of the wedding planning. It can really help you focus on what really matters....you becoming a Mrs.

Here are some quick tips to help you relax,so that you can become a Zen Bride.

• If you need to yell, yell into a pillow...take your frustrations out on it and not anyone else.
• Do something nice for someone...maybe even yourself.
• Get your dance on.
• Exercise and get your heart pumping.
• Get outside. It is finally summer enjoy it.
• Make sure that you get your beauty rest.
• Take your vitamins.
• Have a pajama party and relax with your girls.
• Be content. (This one maybe hard when you want, what you want for your wedding)
• Laugh alot and often.
• Breathe. Taking several deep breaths can help alot.

You have any suggestions on how to become a Zen Bride. Please share. We can all use a little help during our wedding planning process to reduce our stress.

( content from the Zen Bride by Nora Cabrera)

Scoops Up!!

Well, my candy bar is coming together. I had talked about in other post on how that I had found containers to hold the candy and websites to purchases the candy from. Recently I purchased these scoops on Ebay for $10.00 for 10 of them. This is enough to cover the entire candy bar, so that each container will have a scoop.

Now since I have the scoops I need to find the bags that the guest to scoop their treats into. I have found some sites that have bags and recently received a catalog from Paper Mart , but I still can not find the right shade of aqua to match the wedding colors. I thought it would be nice to have aqua bags and stamp either our names or our monogram (which I need to finish working on) on them in brown.

I saw these bags on the Internet, but of course the aqua bags in the photo were not available (crap). I have also seen clear bags that you can get in 100-200 piece roll for a cheap price, but I thought that they looked cheap. What do you think? Does anyone have any suggestions on where I can find aqua bags? Does it really matter since people are just going to put candy in them, eat the candy and throw the bag away? At least with paper, people might be more likely to recycle them instead of throwing them into the trash.

I have gathered some ideas for what I want my candy bar to look like.

At least that one more aspect of the wedding almost accomplished. I will look start ordering the candy at the end of February to have for the wedding. Now I just have to find something for my guest to put them in.

Hele mei hoohiwahiwako maua la male'ana

Ho' olaule' a means celebrate in Hawaiian. I bet you are thinking what does the title phrase mean. It means , "Come celebrate our wedding day." We are planning a luau, feast, for our engagement party. The Broomjumpinggroom and I usually have a 4th of July party and have decided to make it a two for one. We are cheap and why fed people twice, when we have other things to take care of for the wedding. I recently finished our invitations for the party and they are ready to go into the mail tomorrow.

They started like this......and ended like this.

(inside)

(outside)

Now, all I need to do is plan for the party and turn our back yard into a Hawaiian paradise. I have already told some people about the party who usually attend our 4th of July bash. I have asked each guest to wear their Hawaiian attire to make the luau a little more festive. I am sure my ku'uipo (sweetheart) and I will have a great ho' olaule'a (celebration) with all of our friends and family.

If you are planning a Hawaiian themed party or wedding check out this website for more ideas. Click here.

Wedding Tip of the Week: Jumping the Broom

The title, "Jumping the Broom", is really not what you think is the name for a blog about someone planning her wedding. To bring everyone reading up to speed about what " Jumping the Broom" actually is, I decided to share a few facts behind the title.



Jumping the broom was always done before witnesses in order for members of the slave community to know a couple was married. No form of marriage was recognized for African-Americans during slavery, therefore jumping the broom solidified this ceremony within the slave community.



Placing the broom on the ground symbolizes the couples new home together. Jumping the broom symbolizes the sweeping away of the past and the jumping into a new beginning.



Jumping the broom fell out of practice due to the stigma it carried, and in some cases still carries, among African-Americans wishing to forget the horrors of slavery. Once slavery had ended and African-Americans were able to have European style weddings, many African-Americans wanted nothing to do with anything associated with that era and discarded the broom jumping practice altogether.



Today many African-American couples add this practice to their ceremony once they are pronounced as husband and wife or when the couple first enters their reception. African-American couples do this today to honor their past and ancestors and to look forward to their future.



Here is a picture of what a broom would look like that would be used in a ceremony today. I did not want you to think that it was just an ordinary broom that you use for sweeping the floor. You can decorate the broom to reflect your wedding colors or theme.

I will be having this custom as a part of my wedding ceremony. I think that I want to do it right after we are pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Jumping the Broom. Are you having any special customs or traditions in your wedding ceremony? Like to share. Respond to this post.

(information from Wikipedia)

Wedding Dress: Angel Sanchez

Angel Sanchez is designer who is multi-tasking with a bridal line and a fashion line for women. When looking at his designs, I really enjoyed the variation of fabrics, the creation of new shapes and the different style patterns. These dresses are so flirty and sexy, and really look like you would have fun in them. These dress are definitely for the bride who is really comfortable with herself and wants to make a statement on her big day. Looking at these dresses, you might become a two wedding dress gal.

My Favorite Flowers Part III: Lilies

Here is third installment of "my favorite flowers" . This installment is lilies. There are several different types of lilies but calla lilies are my favorite out of all of the varieties. I might have a few of these flowers in some aspect of my wedding.

There is one more installment in this series. Can you guess what flower is next? What are your favorite flowers?

(all photos form msn images, the knot and yahoo images)

Wedding Dresses: Vera Wang

Even though I have already have my wedding dress, I still like to look at the all the different dresses that are coming out from different designers for the current season. In this post, I am featuring designer Vera Wang. What I like about her dresses is their simplicity and elegance along with their individual personality. Here are a few of my favorites from her current collection.

Can Flowers Grow Out of Your Ears?

I felt like this picture yesterday after I spent almost 3 hours talking about flowers for my wedding with my mom and Mrs. Herron, the crafty lady from my church. I really did not realize how much we needed to talk about. I just I thought all that I needed to do was to hand her the pictures that I had ripped out of wedding magazines and tell her what I wanted the feel for the ceremony and reception to be like. She really made me think. I did not realize how much went into picking out flowers. I had to talk about what flowers I wanted on the chuppah, the centerpieces for the reception, how to decorate the aisle and even decorating the banquet room where the buffet will be set up. I had to count how many tables, how many attendances and even how many chairs. In all of my counting of boutonnieres, I forgot to add my broomjumpinggroom in the count (kinda need him to be there). In all of my talking I did keep reminding all that were involved, that I did not want any roses. I am glad Mrs. Herron asked me what my favorite flowers were. She is going to do everything at this point (of course I will be over her house assisting her putting these items together), but my bouquet. What that means I have to do this all over again, with a florist!!! Ugh...I am not sure if I want to go through that again. At least I already prepared Mrs. Herron , by ending our meeting by saying," If I get sticker shock at the florist, you might be doing my bouquet as well". Always good to cover your bases.

Mitch + Keisha = Ross Oscar Knight Photography

Here are some more photographs from photographer Ross Oscar Knight. I talked about him in one of my previous post about a beautiful engagement that he photographed. These photos are from a wedding his he did for Mitch and Keisha in beautiful, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. I do not know what I like more, the photographs or that gorgeous beach (that I wish I was on). Enjoy.

Ross also did Mitch and Keisha's engagement photos as well. Click here to view them.

( all photos are property of Ross Oscar Knight Photography )

304 Days to Go and Counting

Well, it is official..I have 10 months to go. It seems like sometimes I am moving in slow motion and I know I need to get myself in gear there are so many little things that I need to complete. According to the knot I should get the following things done before July 11.

1. Contact newspaper to announce your engagement (you may need to have an engagement photo taken as well). --This one is kinda hard since we will not take our engagement photo until the end of July or the middle of August.


2. Finalize the guest list. -- We are pretty much done with this. We may need to make some finagling on this.


3. Sign your caterer contract and send in a deposit. --I have talked to my cater and he has given me an estimate. I just need to pin him down for a contract.


4. If you've chosen an outdoor ceremony or reception site, look into tent and lighting rentals.
   Set up appointments with various florists to discuss options. --Do not have to worry about this since I am having an indoor ceremony.


5. Interview and get price lists from several photographers and videographers. --Check this is done. I have my photographer and my best friends husband is video taping.


6. Book reception band or DJ, sign the contract, and send a deposit. --I am between two DJ's right now. We will definitely make a decision before the end of the month.


7. If you plan to use frequent flyer miles to travel to your honeymoon destination, book your flight now. --- Per my previous post about the honeymoon, this will not be an issue for us.

To add to this I am currently working on my engagement party invitations. We usually have a 4th of July party and decided to have our engagement party the same day. Why feed folks twice? I will post how I made my invitations later. Well back to the planning..there is so much left to do.

Swimming Anyone?

If you are looking for a great swimsuit for your honeymoon or just need a hot swimsuit for summer, here are a few that I have found. Don't worry I found some for gals of all sizes.

Land's End

Suit $99.50

Suit $89.50

Suit $62.50

Lane Bryant

Suit $ 99.50

Suit $49.50

J Crew

Top $50. 00 Bottom $ 40.00

Suit $76.00







Top $58.00 Bottom $42.00

Gilt Groupe-- Badgley Mischka Beachwear

Gilt $98.00 Retail $280.00





Gilt $68.00 Retail $195.00

Gilt $92.00 Retail $260.00

If you want one of the suits from Gilt Groupe you have to purchase by June 12 at 12:00 am or they are going, going, gone. If you want an invitation to Gilt Groupe reply to this post.

Good luck with finding the perfect swim suit for your perfect honeymoon or just to be cute in this summer.

Blue, Red or Song bird, What is in the Nest?

Looking for a magazine that speaks to you as future " the Mrs.", well I got one for you. It is [ the nest] magazine. This quarterly mag, is filled with information for you and your future hubby to look over concerning issues from fiance, cooking, decor and planning for baby (not ready for that section). You not only get expert advice, but also get to hear the perspective for engaged couples and/or newlyweds. This magazine comes from the creators of the knot (they know what they are talking about) . These editors get you from planning for your wedding, to planning for your home to creating a life for you and your significant other.

I stumbled upon this magazine, when a co-worker who was getting married sign up on [ the nest ] website stated that she received the magazine free for a year. I tried and have been getting the magazine ever since. It has been totally worth it. I will probably extend my subscription after mine runs out (to add to my already large subscription list. My mail man should love that). You should try it as well. Go to[the nest]and sign up as a member, it is free. You to could be receiving free issues of the magazine. If you do not want to kill a tree every 3 months, you can also find lots information, blog groups and communities on their website.

If you get [the nest] or have been to their website, share your thoughts by responding to this post. Happy reading.

My Favorite Flowers Part II: Tuilps

My second favorite flower is the tulip. I think I like the simplicity of them. You definitely know that it is spring when the tulips start to come up and bloom. There are several different types of tulips, who knew.

Here a tulip glossary, from Martha Stewart Weddings:

1. A long-stemmed 'Triumph' tulip.

2. A gold-tinged orange 'Darwin' hybrid.

3. The peony-flowered type has abundant double petals.

4. The pointed petals of an orange lily-flowered tulip.

5. & 6. Dutch tulips, characterized by a simple cup form.

7. The showy parrot tulip.

8. Viridflora tulips have dramatic high-contrast streaks

If you are thinking of making your own bouquet here are some steps to making one.

Homemade Bouquets: Tulip Orb
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:Camellia foliage,Floral tape, Oasis waterproof tape, Peony tulips,

Ribbon, Thin-gauge wire

STEP 1: Stick to the leaves select your camellia foliage.With floral tape, secure thin-gauge wires to the stems of several camellia leaves.

STEP 2: Make the bouquet pick your peony tulips.In your hand, arrange the tulips into a

rounded, sphere-shaped formation.Use floral tape to bind them together.

STEP 3: Create a collar form a collar around the tulips with the wired camellia leaves.

Bind the grouping with waterproof tape. Clip the ends of the wires, and cover the tape with ribbon.

(courtesy of The Knot)

When thinking of flowers for your wedding, consider tulips. I will be.

(all photos from Martha Stewart, The Knot, Yahoo images)

Wedding Shoes

My shoes are here.I found these cute, but comfortable shoes on Ebay a few weeks ago and I WON!!! I bought them from another bride who stated that she had bought several pairs of shoes and decided not to wear these. I thought great for me. I won them for the low, low price of $24.00. I am thinking about dyeing them aqua to match my bridesmaids dresses. It could be my something blue. I am so happy. I like the way that they look on my foot and even better I can check one more thing off of my planning list.

Tag I'm it....Oops, Not Me My Fiance is it

I was tagged by Kate to tell 5 fun facts about my broomjumpinggroom. Here is what I have for ya.

Broomjumpinggroom loves his yard. Every season when spring hits, it begins...the yard work. He spends hours pruning, digging and mowing the lawn. He tunes up the lawnmower and seeks out the best plants to plant in the flower beds. Sometimes he is out there from sun up to sun down competing with the other men in the neighborhood to have the best lawn. He is always proud of his golf course lines in the yard and wants to share them with me. He always tries to get me outside to help him. I always tell him that I will help select plants, I will drive them home, but being one with nature is not really for me. Being one with TiVo is.

Broomjumpinggroom is obsessed with his tools. He loves his tools. He has several different types of tool boxes varying from little ones, to large ones with wheels on them and one like the picture that I bought him for Christmas this past year. He has every tool imaginable (but I am sure that he can find one that he does not have). He enjoys combing the Loews and Harbor Freight adds to see what new tool he can purchase. I sometimes think that he makes up projects around the house to just go purchase a new tool. Buying tools for him is like purchasing a new pair of shoes for me.

Broomjumpinggroom loves jazz. He likes all types of jazz ( all but Kenny G, sorry Kenny). He has CD after CD of jazz songs. When we first started dating, I really did not like jazz, I thought that it was mainly sleeping music. After attending a couple of concerts with him I really enjoy listening to it now.

Broomjumpinggroom has a beautiful singing voice. ( That he does not use often) He does not like to sing in public. The first time I really heard his voice is when I went to his hometown to hear him in concert with his sisters. I believe that is the last time that I heard his sing in public. Now I get to hear his privately while he is in the kitchen, or catch a tune or two through the bathroom when he is in the shower or when we are going somewhere and a song that he really likes comes on the radio and begins to sing along. I have been trying to get him to sing to me at some point during the wedding, but the chances of him doing that about none to zilch.

Broomjumpinggroom is a grill master. Become one with the grill. It does not matter what season it is, (he has been known to grill in the snow) he will fire up the grill in a moment. Sometimes when I am sleeping and I have the window open, I smell the aroma of charcoal. This would be because he works second shift and when he gets off at 12:00 am, he is hungry and want to come home and cook something (how about a microwave). I can not complain to much because I get to enjoy the fruits of his labor for lunch and dinner the next day. He is an excellent griller. Just talking about makes me want to call him at work to see if he would fire the grill up tomorrow for dinner.

I know that Kate only asked for 5, but I have one more.

Broomjumpinggroom makes me laugh. It does not matter if we are teasing each other like 5 year olds on a playground or he telling jokes he always makes me laugh. He knows when to make me laugh when I am feeling down or when to start a funny conversation with me. I really appreciate his humor. He definitely knows how to put a smile on my face.

Well, I think that is it. I think that I am going to tag Nautical Wedding and Nursing School and That Bride.

My Favorite Flowers: Hydrangeas

I love hydrangeas. At my grandfathers house, he has two huge plants the bloom with the most beautiful flowers every year. I can remember picking them as a child. My mom recently gave me some plants of my own, that my broomjumpinggroom just planted last weekend. I can not wait to see for them to bloom. I have chosen some hydrangea inspiration, enjoy.

Check out Martha Stewart's website under the weddings section and check out her video on how to make a hydrangea bouquet. The video is called Seasonal Bouquets.It looks very simple to do, but time consuming, and it turns out beautifully.

( All pictures from Flicker,The Knot and Martha Stewart)

Honey, We Are Not in Ohio Anymore.

Today I received the first , I sure, of many catalogs for my broomjumpinggroom and myself to look over to choose a place to go on for our honeymoon. The books that I received today were both from North Carolina for some of the beach house property in that area. I , well I guess it really is not just about me, have a couple stipulations for planning our honeymoon:

• No planes, trains or maybe even not a boat. My broomjumpinggroom has never flown, thinks the train will derail and keeps quoting scenes from the "Titanic" when I mention a cruise. Shall we say he has some control issues and if he is not in control of the car he gets a little anxious.
• The place needs to be within driving distance, but far enough away that no one knows us. I really do not care how far the drive is because I probably would not be driving for the whole 7 day trip anyway.
• I like would some sand, sun and sea.
• A place that I can enjoy some of the sites but also have room for us to relax.

We had considered several places like Las Vegas or New York, but I guess the point of the honeymoon is to spend time with my "husband". If I go to either one of these places, I would be in front of a nickle or quarter slot machine all day or shopping on 25th Ave in Manhattan trying to find newest designer purses. Places that we are currently considering are:

• Virginia Beach
• North Carolina (reason for the booklets)
• South Carolina
• Toronto, Canada (would have to obtain passports, another expense)
• Florida ( anywhere but Orlando, since my broomjumpinggroom is not overjoyed with the thought of a two big mice coming towards him singing,"It's A Small, Small World".)

We need to make a decision by mid-July or the beginning of August so that we can contact the travel agent and make arrangements.

If you have any suggestions for places that this Midwest bride can go on her honeymoon, remember we will be driving, reply to this post or contact me.

Bridal TV

There are many shows on on TV for brides or "soon to be" brides that offer information, resources and of course entertainment. Below is a list of so of these shows, I TiVo often ( I really need to find something else to do).

Lifetime Television

• Get Married-- Resource show that gives information on all aspects of wedding. The show also has a website that list wedding resources in your area.
• Real Weddings of a Lifetime -- Show selects a topic like, great wedding cakes or celebrity weddings, and shows different aspects of the topic. Real Weddings also shows weddings of ordinary people.

Style Network

• Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? -- This is the wedding planner show. The series comes from the wedding coordinators perspective and shows how the selected couple wedding turns out.

Fine Living

• Wedding SOS -- The fairy god-coordinator, Jane, gives stressed couples three wishes in assisting them with the last minute planning of their weddings.

WE tv

• Bridezillas --Are you a bridezilla? A show about brides and their craziness.
• Platinum Weddings --Are you having a platinum wedding? This series shows extravagant weddings were couples are spending thousands and thousands of dollars on their big day.

TLC-The Learning Channel

• A Wedding Story --Follows couples the week of their wedding until their big day.
• Say Yes to the Dress--Looking for a designer wedding dress? Why not go to Kleinfeld. Say Yes to the Dress shows the wedding dress consultants view and the brides view of purchasing a dress from the historic store,Kleinfeld.

Many stations have specials dedicated to weddings. If you go to their website and put in the search section, "wedding", all of them will bring up shows that deal with that topic. Here are a few:

• HGTV
• Oxygen
• The Food Network

Some of the networks that have regular wedding shows as show specials. For all of the networks you will have to check your local listing for days and times the shows play. If you know of any other shows to watch, please respond to this posting. I would be happy to share them. Happy viewing!