Take it from them...

...because black women {and men} find love, too!

This post is all about a happily married black man who's married to a black woman {yes, they do exist!}. Check out what Emmanuel has to say:

Wedding Anniversary Date: June 28, 2008

How did you know Crystal was the one?
That's a great question...honestly, I had commitment issues before Crystal- as in, I ran from the word "relationship." However, I always figured that whenever I actually "take the plunge" and get into a committed relationship, that woman would most likely be the one I marry. I guess I started to realize it when I thought about how she was the first person I felt like I could be myself 100% around, without holding back anything. I'm a very reserved, guarded person, and I knew she had to be special to be able to break down those barries so easily.

What is one thing marriage has taught you?
No matter what, if your foundation is built on love, you can weather any storm. No matter how wonderful the connection is between two people, you're not going to see eye-to-eye on everything; some issues may come up from time to time, but love will conquer all. It seems that, especially nowadays, people run at the first sign of trouble, but I think that's because they haven't built a foundation on love. I've heard couples refer to their marriages as business arrangements or partnerships- and that's unfortunate because the bond I have with my wife is so much more than that!

Any advice or tips for newlyweds?
Communicate! Learn how to disagree, discuss and dissolve an issue without fighting. Lastly, remember to do the nice little things you did for each other earlier in the relationship- continuous courtship keeps the fire buring for a lifetime.

Check out Emmanuel aka Eazy's music--> eazy.bandcamp.com

If you're a happily married black woman {or man}, and you want to be featured, send me an email for consideration: jamienfleming (at) gmail (dot) com.

The Venue

So I'm excited because we may have found the perfect venue! First, let me give you a little background about the search.

Okay, I live in Hartwell, a small town that doesn't have many options when it comes to wedding/reception venues. Initially, we thought we'd have the wedding at the church we attend and have the reception at the local golf course. I got information about having it there, and there are two prices: For 125 guests, the food, half the ballroom, etc, it was around $2500 {according to my calculations}. But as you know, the guest list is now way more than 125, and it costs $800 just to get the entire room. So...yeah, I don't think that's going to work.

Option two was to have the wedding in Hartwell and the reception in Anderson (where Chris is from). But it's a 30 minute drive, and I don't really feel comfortable asking people to drive to Hartwell for the wedding and then drive 30 more minutes to the reception. And besides, I don't want to ride 30 minutes to the reception either.

Now, I'm hoping {fingers crossed} that we can have the wedding in Anderson at the Anderson Arts Center. I love it because 1) Well, it's in Anderson; 2) It can hold up to 300 guests; 3) It's unique; and 4) It's affordable! I want to have both the wedding and reception there; the events coordinator said it was probably possible, but no one's ever had a wedding there...Anyhoo, I think we're going to have a look at it next week, and hopefully everything will work out...Wish me luck!

I don't care what you think!

First of all, hey ya'll! Sorry I haven't posted lately; I really don't have a good excuse reason so I won't try to come up with one Lol.

Anyhoo, so if you're planning your wedding now or you're already married, I'm sure you've had to deal with everybody and their grandma's {and grandpa's} opinion about what you should do at your wedding. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind the opinions and thoughts of some people like my besties, sister, mom, his mom and people I might ask {like ya'll}, but really, if I don't ask you, I really don't care what you think! That's another reason I don't like talking about my wedding-- unsolicited advice. But I just listen to it, and go on...still, it's really annoying.

So, to all the ladies who are dealing with and have dealt with this, how did/do you handle it? I'd love to hear your advice!