In the mood...for planning!

So, I'm pleased to report that I'm now officially {I hope} in the wedding planning mood! Woo hoo!


The reason I wasn't in the mood initially was because to me, a wedding was just an event you spent a whole lot of money on that lasted just a few hours. I really didn't see what the big deal was. I mean, yeah, it's an important day, I suppose, but the way some people make it...it's just not that serious. And I still don't really see the point of spending a ton of money on one day, but I do think I see the bigger purpose of a wedding.

I guess I had this epiphany the other day when I was looking at the wedding mags I received from the bridal show. Let me rewind a little: Brittany and I were trying to think of a wedding theme for me, and I came across one called 'Bright Beginnings.' We both thought this would be a perfect theme for my wedding because yellow is the main color, and, well, it's a beginning. And that got me thinking...a wedding symbolizes the beginning of Mr. & Mrs., the start of our new lives together.

Throughout our marriage, we'll have the support of our true friends and family, so it's important to share this significant moment with them as well. See, I'd been more excited about actually being married to Chris than the actual wedding, but now I'm getting excited about the wedding, too. I don't think I'm going to be all-gung-ho Super-excited-wedding-planner-guru, but I will be more into the process now...




Anyhoo, please feel free to share your thoughts on the subject! ^_^

My first bridal show

Yesterday I attended my first bridal show {hence the title}. One of my besties, Brittany, invited me. It was...interesting to say the least. I did get a few free magazines and other stuff, and I actually got some really great ideas.

But the most memorable moment had to be with the Ardyss "Body Magic" people. So, they have a booth, and one of the ladies asked me if I wanted to try one on; I was thinking, What the heck? It can't hurt anything.' {Let me first stop and say I really don't need one, and if you know me, you know this is true}...Anyhoo, so I go behind their curtain, and she takes my measurements. Then she finds the size...and tells me to lay down...on one of those tables you might see at a Dr.'s office. She couldn't really get it clasped, so she asked for assistance. So here I am, laying on the table thinking, Why the eff did I decide to do this? It's very awkward-- two women standing over me, my pants unbuttoned, it was really uncomfortable Lol. Then I go out and show Brittany, and she couldn't tell the difference either way Lol. And the one guy they had working there couldn't tell, either....*sigh* fun times...

On a brighter note, Brittany and I did go to David's Bridal, and it was kind of fun. I didn't try on any dresses, but Brit did try on a couple of bridesmaid's dresses, and I think I found them. Woo-hoo! Progress!

One thing I still haven't been able to decide on is the freaking bridal party...ugh! I really want to decide soon so I can just let everyone know or ask everyone, and I keep seeing all these articles that say choose wisely...

Anyway, I'm now feeling inspired to start planning for real-for real. I contacted a venue today, and we're {hopefully} going to get this first guest list squared away...Well, that's all I have for now...

Take it from them...

...because black women find love, too!

Today, it's about Tiffany M.


Wedding anniversary date: June 27, 2009

How did you know Marty was the One?
For about the first year or two that Marty and I dated, everything was nearly perfect. That whole "can't eat/can't sleep" cliche is oh-so-true when you're in love. I wanted to spend every single second of my free time with him and vice versa. I just hated when I wasn't with him. And when we were together, it was pure magic. I just knew that no one had ever made my heart flutter the way he did. There was no doubt in my mind that he was the right one for me.

What's one thing marriage has taught you?
Wow, just one? Communication is the first thing that comes to mind because it's such an important factor in a happy and successful marriage. Marty and I are both quiet-natured people. This makes it difficult in times of disagreement because both of us tend to close ourselves off from one another. I think too many people don't realize that marriage takes WORK from BOTH partners. Next to motherhood (I'm not a mother yet; this is just my opinion), marriage is probably the hardest job a person can have. Both parties must put in the effort to make it work. And one of those efforts you have to constantly perfect is communication.

Any advice for the engaged or newlyweds?
Have a marriage plan in place either before getting married or shortly thereafter. Sort out finances, the housework, all the responsibilities of each party. I think this makes it so much easier to know which spouse will be accountable for what early on in the marriage. Will the plan change? Sure it will. But coming to an agreement and setting your expectations now rather than later can save a lot of headaches in the long run.
Another tip I've found helpful is to read marriage advice (self-help) books. I tend to trust some of these more so than information I find on random websites. I read the books, highlight the parts I find most helpful or interesting, and I revisit them when I need a helping hand in my relationship. And if I find something really good, I'll even share it with my husband : o )

Read more about Tiffany & Marty's married life on Tiffany's blog, The Chocolate Knot.

Are you a happily married black woman and want to be featured? Contact me: jamienfleming [at] gmail [dot] com.

Really great blog post...and other thoughts...

So last night, I was reading blogs for wedding inspiration and I started reading Chocolate Brides. I came across this fabulous post, Chronicles of a Borderline Bridezilla Part 1 1/2. In a nutshell, the writer was saying that your wedding is your wedding so you should do what you want. {Which I totally agree with}.

If you've read some of my posts, you probably came across the one about choosing the bridal party. When I read this post, it really made me think about it again. She was saying that the only people standing next to you on your wedding day should be those who are there to truly support you.
Of course, that got me thinking: Who are really my ace-boon-coons? My ride-or-dies? Who should really be standing next to me? Of course, my sister and bestest friends, but I really don't know who else {aside from one of my cousins and one of his}. I mean, I feel like I should include his sisters as well. Now, don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against either of them, but we're not bffs either. And then Chris has his guys he wants in the wedding, so...once again, I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess we'll have to talk about it and go from there....

Who was in your wedding party? How did you go about choosing who'd stand beside you? Do you regret who you had standing up there with you?

We're featured on a blog!

Chris and I are on Black Love Poster! Check us {and the other fab couples} out!

Jamie & Chris on Black Love Poster


: - )

Take it from them...

Happy Saturday!

I recently decided to begin featuring some happily married black women on this blog. I have two reasons: 1) To show that yes, black women do find love and get married {surprise, surprise}; and 2) To have these women share a little of their experiences and advice.

First up is JeLisa S.:

Wedding anniversary date: September 14, 2008

How did you know Galen [the hubby] was the One?
The realization that Galen was the one hit me harder than anything in my entire life. Not in a bad way...just in a big one. Everything I thought I knew-- about myself, my plans, even love-- was forever changed in an instant. I sat in my dorm room talking to my friend, Galen, about our friendship and realized I was talking to my husband.

I don't know how I knew. Call it divine intervention, my heart being smarter than me. Maybe I'm psychic. Well, I can't be psychic since I thought from childhood I'd never, ever, ever get married or have kids. {I thought I didn't even like them}.

And now, I'm a very happily married preschool teacher who's planning her nursery. Turns out, the only thing I'd been right about was that Galen was "the marrying type"--I'd always told him that and that he'd one day make a really sweet husband to some lucky girl. How crazy it was when I realized that girl was me.

What's one thing marriage has taught you?
It has been the deepest, most revealing mirror ever held to my face. It has shown me who I truly am {the good and bad, the ugliness and the beauty}, what my habits are, what my needs are, what my strengths are, how I need to grow, what I need to change, what I need to cultivate.

Any advice for the engaged and newlyweds?
If you're engaged, I'd advise you not to get so caught up in planning your wedding that you forget to plan and prepare for your marriage.

If you're a newlywed and have just gotten married, I'd advise you to enjoy it! And you can't enjoy it by sweating the small stuff. Yes, he leaves his shoes by the doorway when he gets home-- but you can focus on how annoying that is or how awesome it is that he's home. The first year passes you by before you know it, and you two are only newlyweds once!

Get more of JeLisa and her marriage on her blog, ...And They Lived Blogging Ever After.

Are you a happily married black woman and want to be featured? Contact me: jamienfleming@gmail.com.

Just another outing...

Chris was off on Sunday {ya'll don't understand, he's been working 7 days a week for the past month}. So after spending some time with his familia, we headed to Greenville {SC for those of ya'll who don't know}. Here are some pics:


{Downtown Greenville}

{Sad about the rain}

{Falls Park}

Really cool blog I found

I was looking at African-American Brides blog and came across another really cool blog, Black Love Poster.

The founder, Leila, founded the blog because she was frustrated/weary/bored with the media's portrayal of black women as unloveable. It's absolutely beautiful, ya'll, and I love it!

Check it out: Black Love Poster