The Secret is You Gotta Coordinate – or maybe not!

In the HILARIOUS movie Boomerang, Pops made a point to teach his sons friend , who was also a notorious ladies man, how to stay up on his fashion game. The key was to “coordinate” aka keep everything matching . He was serious about his fashion sense, the mushroom printed shirt, matched the mushroom belt – that also matched the mushroom printed lining in the suit jacket! Now that’s stylin’ lol. Keep in mind, Pops is old school – And in those days , the more you matched the more “put together” you looked. But in these modern times, where the rules for fashion & weddings are being broken on a worldwide scale – things have changed rapidly. Brides have said goodbye to the extra matching, cloned bridal party dresses and welcomed things that truly coordinate- meaning they fit the same style, color or overall feel of the wedding! Here's how you can get in on the ever-evolving trend!

Bridesmaids Dresses Ideas

Same Dress, Different Shades




Same Color, Different Styles


Different Dresses, Various Shades of Wedding Colors




Same Style, Dresses Done Differently




Suspenders, Socks, Hats, Shoelaces & Neckties also unify the Groom and Groomsmens look.






Add in Non Matching Accessories too --

Black Lace Hose


Vintage Hats


And the easiest way to do is in the shoes!

Natural Hair Brides—Rock your crowns !!

This post is all about the natural hair ladies, who want to highlight your crowns on the wedding day- but you don't have a clue of where to start! Merely 5 yrs ago, when I was rocking my locs, it seemed the only visual references I had for hairstyles was the hair care pioneers Khamit Kinks in New York. (Thank God!) I chose a crisscross updo that was fierce & complemented my shoulder length locs --see the second pic in the bunch. Since then, the natural hair care industry has exploded in its availability & creativity-- blogs, websites & magazines are poping up everywhere-- and more & more natural hair fashionistas are rocking their hair loud & proud as they say I Do! Here's a few examples I found to be hot to def!












Photo credits & websites for more info: www.afrobella.com,www.khamitkinks.com,http://thankgodimnatural.wordpress.com,http://niaonline.org/bride,http://www.naturalchica.com/,http://naturalhairbrides.tumblr.com/

Real Life Brides With Flavor- The Early Family

Each year, I try to show pics of real life brides & weddings to inspire you on your marriage journey so today marks the start of the 2011 edition of the Real Life Brides With Flavor!

I believe that sometimes a picture can say volumes about a couples love & wedding style and todays highlighted couple truly falls into this category. Say hello to the Early Family!

Their wedding was held in Chicago last year, so they just celebrated their first year of a marriage. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at their ceremony & the thing I loved the most was just the overall feel of the event- a mix of harlem renaissance vintage/elegance with like a urban hang suite/ modern luxe relaxation too it! Trust me sometimes- its hard to pull off a event that is very elegant and yet not uptight - but they nailed it! Hope you all enjoy the pictures & get inspired!

Bride & Groom Names: Aquinas & Corey Early

Location: Date of wedding: Chicago, May 29, 2010

Wedding Style: A modern theme with vintage hues

My favorite moment: Walking slowly down the aisle, looking straight into my husband's eyes and savoring that moment.

Wedding advice to Brides to Be: Do what I did... Walk slowly down the aisle and look into your hubby-2-be's eyes and truly savor that moment, because the rest of the night goes by in the blink of an eye!!!!

Best part of being married: Learning, loving, adapting, celebrating the highs with my best friend, working through the lows with my best friend, coming home to kisses and hugs and having someone there to cuddle next to at night. There's never a dull moment!

I Wanna Thank You Heavenly Father...

Rewind back to 1982, and this song was playing in the clubs non-stop, and ladies were on the floor getting down! Now, I am hoping a bride-to-be will see this post, and keep the tradition of "cutting a rug" going!

Why not use this song during the reception, or maybe even for the first dance with your husband (hint,hint) :-) Enjoy!

Mays Brides- Mrs. Marsha & Mrs. Meegan!

I promised to show you some pictures from my latest clients wedding, so here there are! I refer to both Marsha & Meegan as my "dream" clients because they both really allowed me to be as creative as possible with her wedding items! I can certainly appreciate this because often times brides aren't receptive to new ideas when it comes to designing their wedding, they've been dreaming about for years! But Mrs. Marsha & Mrs Meegan were both flexible and a pleasure to work with - and I 'm very happy with the end results!

Tell me what you think: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chocolate-Brooms-and-Bouquets/113884361823

Death to the Birdcage Veil! Seriously...

As of today, I am REALLY getting tired of birdcage veils. Now, don't give me wrong- I am very aware they look absolutely fabu, modern & vintage all in the same rip (hell i even wore one lol) but now i'm just sick of seeing them.

For almost the past 8 years!- the birdcage veil has been all the rage- ever since the release of the movie "sweet home alabama" reintroduced them to the masses. So it got me to thinking, about bridal headpeices again - what would look fab and totally set you apart from the flock of bird(cage) veils! (lol). Here's my top choices- in no particular order!


Utilize a feather headband (Wendy Louise Designs)...


recreate a vintage look


or a modernly vintage bride (Doir ad campaign)


Wear a lovely bow ...


or a chapeaux (Maggie Mae Designs)


Add a little understated sparkle...


or a lot of sparkle! (Stephanie Browne Couture Jewelry collection)


Be a queen(Wilsdom African Designs)...


Or a Lovebird! (Topsy Turvy Designs)