Colorful Teal and Orange Nigerian Fusion Wedding in Baltimore, Maryland

Colorful Teal and Orange Nigerian Fusion Wedding in Baltimore, Maryland

This is blog is originally posted by Munaluchi Bridal, we are so excited that one of our weddings was selected to be a feature!

Thank you Charlotte & Sola!

Posted Mar 5 2014 by Angela Washington in Multicultural Weddings, Nigerian Weddings, Real Weddings 

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Charlotte Young and Olusola Fadare’s wedding was a chic and heartwarming celebration of culture and love.  Charlotte’s stunning face, and timeless natural updo were complimented beautifully by her gorgeous crystal statement earrings. Olusola looked like prince charming in his perfectly tailored tuxedo, which he accessorized with charming personalized black cuff-links that read, “I Do.”  This stylish couple fused Charlotte’s African American heritage with Olusola’s Nigerian culture throughout their ceremony and reception. In tribute to the groom’s Yoruba Nigerian roots, their bridesmaids wore Ankara fabric print dresses and danced the night away to Nigerian music; to celebrate the bride’s Southern roots, the couple jumped the broom and soul food was served during the reception. Paosin Photography took the most lovely pictures of this gorgeous fusion wedding.

Quick Facts 

• Wedding Date:  08/17/2013
• Wedding Location:  Preston Hall, Baltimore, MD
• Wedding Colors: Teal and Orange
• Wedding Flowers: We made the flowers for the wedding: I used balsa wood and preserved roses for the bouquet and the bridesmaids used real touch calla lilies.
• First Dance Song: ”Amani” by Philip Monteiro/”I Love My Baby” by Wizkid
• Wedding Cake Flavors: Praline-the wedding cake came from a french bakery.
• Wedding Menu Favorite:  Everyone loved the blending of the Nigerian and American foods, my personal fav was the Nigerian moin join.
• Bridesmaids Gifts: I spent the summer in Morocco and brought back Moroccan pillows, pottery and jewelry for all the bridesmaids.
• Groomsmen Gifts:  Traditional Nigerian caps.

                                 
Wedding Theme
We were inspired by our desire to infuse African American culture with Nigerian style and tradition. We wanted to use bright bold colors and so chose teal and orange.
Wedding Style
My wedding dress was a fit and flare gown from Allure that I paired with a Maggie Sottero diamond belt and a lace veil from Etsy. I loved all of my accessories, but my favorite were my wing tip earrings from Nordstrom.
Incorporation of Culture
We did our best to mix both my SC and his Yoruba Nigerian roots: My bridesmaids wore Ankara fabric print dresses and the groomsmen wore matching Ankara bow ties. We jumped the broom, had both Soul Food and Nigerian food and played both styles of music.
Most Memorable Moment 
There were so many great memories, my fave was after we said I do and jumped the broom, we danced down the aisle to “I Love My Life” by Demarco.
Wedding Advice
Don’t be afraid to stand up for your wedding vision, everyone will offer their input but it is your wedding and at the end of the day you want to be happy with what you see.

Vendors

• Wedding Planner: Prestigious Occasions
• Invitations/Stationery: Invitation Consultants/Vista Print
• Ceremony and Reception Location: Preston Hall
• Wedding Dress: Allure
• Bridesmaids Dresses: Tailor Made by a family friend
• Grooms Suit: Topman
• Hair: Octavia at Studio Chique
• Make-up: Laide Akinfolarin of Style Dazzle
• Shoes: Luichiny
• Photography: Paosin Photography
• Videography: Faraday Video Productions
• Florist: We designed our own flowers
• Wedding Cake: Patisserie Poupon
• DJ: Dee’Jay Donn

How to Save on a Budget Wedding?

Having a wedding is costly and adds up pretty quickly as many couples find out during the planning process.

We understand that not all couples have a large budget for planning a wedding. Here are somethings to consider that may help you with savings.

I. Location 
Select a location that will fit your budget, this means that you should base your venue selection on the key items that you are looking for and important to you. If you would like a venue more central for your guests and would like to have an outdoor wedding then these are the top priorities for the search.

If you cannot afford the Country Club wedding here is an alternative - How about a ceremony in a park? There are nice local parks that offer their grounds for weddings with or without a pavilion. If your guest count permits look into a summer house that you can rent out for the weekend for your intimate wedding?

II. Food & Beverage 
What type of food would you like to serve?
A quick and easy way of saying a nice amount of money is having a brunch reception or a cocktail reception. These are a little less formal, however also lots of fun. Most guests would like to enjoy the food, drinks, and dancing! If you are fortunate to locate a venue that will allow you to bring in your own catering company, this is an advantage to negotiating with caterers. You will not be restricted to 1caterer...you can now choose your preferred caterer.

III. DIY 
Do as much as possible yourself leading up to the wedding without stressing or compromising the quality of your wedding. It is important to take your time in creating the details that will be displayed at your wedding. I am a fan of DIY, however you should be crafty and the personal touches should not come off as 'cheesy' if you are not great at crafts outsource the tasks.

IV. Rent Items 
There are so many companies that you can rent items from to create a design that you would like. From linen, napkins, chair covers (we also offer chair covers), birdcages, to many other items...why buy when you can simply rent them! Your local wedding planner may have several items available for rent. Just send a quick email to find out if they have what you may need.

* We rent decor items and also offer design services with or without planning services*

V. Use Alternatives 
Flower Centerpieces > Change the expensive flower to something cheaper...or use > Candles

Satin Linen Tablecloth> Use Polyester ....or > Use long tables & keep the satin or poly (less tablecloths)

Aisle Decor> The decor you use for the aisle double use them for the centerpieces (floating candles/flowers)

In the picture below the altar arrangements were used to frame the sweetheart table during the reception.
Venue Location: Cira Centre, Philadelphia, PA

George Peabody Library Wedding

We recently had a great wedding at the George Peabody Library in early October and could not wait to share some of the great images that Clapp Studios captured!

Cake: Sugarbakers
Catering: Chef's Expressions
Flowers: Wicked Willow
Photography: Clapp Studios

Here are a few sneak peek photos that I am able to share.

The bride and groom team J & J were so easy to work with and open to creative ideas that made their decor and details flawless!

Hope to post more soon!
Kay

A Red, Black, and White Wedding

Happy New Year!

We are back with some wedding recaps from the 2012 year!

The rich colors of red and black accented with white is a great color combination and was a perfect choice for Mr. & Mrs. Redd. Yes this is truly their last name, so we took the red theme and ran with it!

This wedding took place at the Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, MD. 

When we first met with our couple they were not sure about the style, theme, or a few other items about the wedding. They just knew that they were in love and wanted to be married. That was a great start for me...good reason to start. As I got to know them during the consultation and learned more about them they met each other in High School and had two slightly different stories (as usual...there is always a gap in the funny 'how we met stories'). So we all came to the conclusion that it all began with a crush and there our theme and colors combined with the last name began laying the foundation for their wedding journey.

Kim is such a sweet person and we bonded right away, she was not your typical bride that knew all the details that she wanted. However, she was open and loved the facts that we offered choices and looked at each, talked through the details and then made the decision on the best fit for their wedding. I went gown shopping with Kim and her bridesmaids to help her pick the colors and styles of the dresses. 

Tip: When you go out shopping for your gown have your Maid of Honor try on the bridesmaids dresses that you like and are considering and stand next to the bride. We eliminated a few bridesmaids dresses this way. 

Being different in some of her attire and ceremony decor was keen to the couple and that we did with a red chuppah/canopy for the ceremony. It served as a pretty backdrop for the ceremony and formal pictures following the ceremony. 

Prestigious Occasions provided the custom red chuppah/canopy, all linen, chair covers, DIY crush bottles and tags, aisle decor, and more!

Following the ceremony the guests identified their seats by locating their names on the Crush soda bottles... remember it all began with a High School Crush and that is what the framed sign on the table said. The named tags were created by Prestigious Occasions and tied with red ribbon by the Bride and her Bridesmaids. This served as an escort card and favor...some favors never made it home...the guest really enjoyed the kid in them with the soda and candy bar as a favor.

Guests signed the framed picture as a guest book alternative.

Tip: DIY projects are great to put a personal touch on your wedding. However it is very important to plan out your tasks ahead of time and also enlist help when you need it.

For the reception we combined square and round tables with two different table layouts. The round tables were covered in black linen with a damask overlay while the square table had a black underlay with a damask runner, read napkins with menu cards were placed at each setting. The centerpieces and flowers were created by Randy at Wicked Willow.  

The entire wedding day was wonderful for our clients and here is their review that we received on our services. 

         Kay (Prestigious Occasions) was the best planner. Our wedding was like a dream come true. When my husband and I first sat down with Kay I did not even have a vision for what I wanted (not the typical bride), but Kay helped me to form a vision for our wedding, and brought it to life just as we had imagined it. It was beautiful, and more than we could have ever dreamed of. Her best quality is her patience and willingness to do what needs to be done to ensure that your wedding day is a beautiful experience you'll never forget. Thank you Kay. If you are looking for a planner you have found her!

       ~ Kim                                                                                

DIY Fun & Easy Decor

Anyone that knows me knows that I love crafts and am just about down for any DIY as long as time permits. With that said, I am working on DIY Yard décor for a two different events.

I found this really cute DIY project that I think will be fun and can easily be done in my garage. Here are some really cute pictures and instructions; I will post the original blog link at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy the pictures and the inexpensive project!

MATERIALS:

– Yarn

– School Glue

– Corn Starch

– Vaseline

– Dowel rod/pole for hanging

– Scissors

– Balloons

– Bowl for Mixing

*****

Step by Step INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Blow up Balloons:

I wanted various sized yarn chandeliers so I chose to incorporate a large punching balloon as my main focal point and added standard balloons for the surrounding areas. I only blew the standard balloons to approximately half capacity to keep as true of a circular shape as possible.

2. Assemble work space:

Place a long pole or dowel rod between two chairs to create a DIY ‘drying station’. I highly recommend placing a plastic trash bag or disposable plastic tablecloth underneath where you will hang the balloons. I initially began this project outdoors, however wind became a factor and I was forced to relocate (not easy).


3. Attach balloons to rod:

Tie yarn around the stem of the balloon and hang from the dowel rod. Be sure that the balloon is suspended and not touching the surrounding balloons.


4. Petroleum Jelly:

Cover each balloon in a light coating of petroleum jelly. This ensures that the yarn will not stick to the balloon once it is dried and popped.

5. Mixing & Dipping:

Mix the school glue (about half of the bottle) with approx. 1/2 cup of cornstarch and approx. 1/4 cup of water. I estimated these amounts and added more cornstarch and glue when desiring a thicker paste consistency.


Dip the yarn into the glue mixture, squeeze out excess, and begin wrapping around the balloon vertically and then switch to horizontally. Once you have covered a good part of your balloon, cut the yarn and tie to a surrounding piece. I chose to do this near the stem of the balloon so it would not be as obvious when hanging.

6. Drying/Popping:

Allow yarn chandeliers to hang for 24 hours in a dry, covered area. Do not attempt to shorten this process!

Next, pop the balloon (this is where I held my breath in anticipation). The yarn will also have dried glue crystals however they easily flake off when tapped.

Now your yarn chandeliers are ready to hang! I used mine for my Whimsical Winter Wonderland photo shoot and then hung them in my children’s playroom for a fun pop of color!


Original Post: http://blog.hwtm.com/2012/01/diy-tutorial-creative-yarn-chandelier/
Author: POSTED BY - Jennifer Sbranti - HWTM Editor-in-Chief
Photography of the final product by: SweetBee Photography

Happy Planning!

Oh Baby! Baby Boy Co-Ed Shower

So we are really excited to design a baby shower for a very dear friend of mine. She is having a boy and her husband is super happy that they are having a baby. This will be a co-ed shower for both women and men to enjoy. So now we have to think about the games, décor, food, and all the other elements of the shower.


As we prepare all the details of the shower we will share with you our planning journey. The colors are going to be fun and not your typical baby shower, yellow, blue, pastel green….etc.

We are planning on sprucing it up and creating fun colors for the shower in August. The colors are a secret for a little while longer, just in case ‘mom’ is reading our blogs 

Let’s talk about the games!

Most of you know the unscramble game; well we are not playing that game it’s been around for a long time!

Since it is a co-ed shower we have to include games for the guys:

Who can drink that baby bottle the fastest? – Pour apple juice, cranberry, or white grape juice in a baby bottle and see who can drink the bottle the fastest. If you would like to be tricky you can have a small hole in the nipple to slow down the process. The first one finished is the winner.

Who can tie their shoe without popping the balloon? - Blow up a balloon and give it to as at least 3 guys to place under their shirts. Untie their shoe laces and place chairs behind them (the chair is optional – no chairs create more laughter). The object of this game is the first guy to tie their laces without popping the balloon is the winner.

Blindfolds and Diaper! Use a diaper cloth and blindfold the guys that will be changing baby’s diaper. Use a baby doll or a teddy bear as a baby and provide a diaper and wipes for each dad to change. The first dad to change the baby’s diaper correctly is the winner.

We will be sure to share more tips on the shower with you very soon.



Happy Planning!

Edible Favors!

When bride’s think about their favors it should reflect both the bride & groom or the theme to your wedding.

I am working with a Fall couple that has the theme of a city, so we are putting together items and snacks that the city is famous for. Times have changed from the small bag or favor with almonds or chocolates.

Be creative…..This Spring I had the pleasure of working with one of my fantastic brides on a wine themed wedding. For the favors the couple made homemade wine jelly for each guest and attached their monogram to each jar.
Maryland lovers…..Last summer one of my couples love Maryland crabs, their favor were crab shaped cookies with a crab shaped cookie cutter and the bride’s mother favor cookie recipe….how neat is that!
Thinking favor…..think food or a snack you will keep your guests talking!

Orchid DIY Centerpiece

DIY Wedding Challenge: Curly willow and orchid centerpieces

I love getting new ideas for just about anything! There are so many people that are trying to cut expenses in every area. While I love real flowers and the excitment and fragrance that they bring to a room, here is a cute idea that may be inexpensive and a great idea for another bride or even for any event!

Enjoy this blog post from a Bride! The link to the original post information is enclosed at the end of this post.

Materials:
• Curly willow tip branches. (These I purchased from Whole Foods)
• Silk flowers... 9 per centerpiece. (Mine were soft touch orchids from Stats)
• Moss
• River rocks... 5 per centerpiece.
• Plaster of Paris
• Small pots to contain your centerpiece. (From Stats, these are actually paper mache.)
• Paint in your wedding colors
• Artistic Wire Ltd - Light brown, 28 gauge.
• Styrofoam discs that fit inside of your pot
• Hot glue sticks
• Tacky glue

Tools:
• Wire cutters
• Hot glue gun
• Small paint brush for detail work

Assembly:
1. Using your hot glue gun, secure the foam disc to the bottom of the pot and let sit for at least 30min to make sure it is attached.

2. Mix up your plaster of Paris following the directions on the container, and fill in the moat like area between the pot and the styrofoam disc. The plaster helps weigh the pot down to prevent the centerpiece from tipping over. Of note, if your styrofoam is not secure to the bottom of the pot, it may float up once your pour the plaster mix. At this point I suggest placing something heavy on the styrofoam to weigh it down until the plaster mix has dried completely.

3. Once your concoction has dried, you can paint your pot! Our main colors were chocolate and orange with accents of red. Hence, we painted the sides of the pot with the accent colors, and also painted the bottom with our names and wedding date so that guests who lived in town could have a souvenir to take home if they so chose. When you are done painting, let the pot dry.

4. Now it is time to insert your curly willow tips into the styrofoam. I find working with curly willow that's been allowed to dry out a day or two is easier to work with as it holds it's shape better and doesn't bend under the weight of the flowers. One of the keys is to remember these are relatively tall centerpieces, so you don't want the branches to be too thick to block guests view of each other. Once the branches are where you want them, secure with hot glue and let the glue dry for at least 30 min.

5. Meanwhile, chose some of your river rocks, and if you so desire, paint them with meaningful words of what being married is to you. For us we chose words like "Love", "Trust", "Honor", "Friendship" and "Cherish".

6. Cover your styrofoam and dried plaster mix with moss. Use your hot glue gun to secure the moss in place. Then place flowers and river rocks as desired around the base of the curly willow branches. Once they are in the spot you like, secure them with your hot glue gun.

7. Pull your flowers off their wire stems. Using your brown artistic wire, secure the blooms to the branches where you desire. The pattern I used was two blooms at the base, three midway, and four higher up the branches for a total of 9. Once they are wired to the branch, glue the wire in place using a dot of hot glue or tacky glue. (Remember the glue will dry clear!)

And behold! You have a unique centerpiece made for approximately $32 each.


Centerpieces in action at the event:

http://www.projectwedding.com/wedding-ideas/diy-wedding-challenge-curly-willow-and-orchid-centerpieces

New Look for your Guest Book

We’ve all seen the traditional guest book where each guest signs his or her name on a line, recorded for posterity, and end up being rarely to be viewed. For the couple that would like to try something a little different. It’s okay to be creative and do something unique that reflect you both!

Wishing Tree
A wishing tree is a fun décor piece that can be customized to match your wedding colors. Guests simply write a special message or wish for you on small cards with ribbon affixed to them. The wishes are then hung from the tree and then removed after the wedding and placed into a scrapbook!

Photo Booth Guest Book
For a fun and interactive activity, have guests take pictures in the photo booth and place supplies on the tables for guests to then adhere to a scrapbook with a special message! These pictures get more fun as the night goes on!

Art for Your Home
Instead of having guests sign a matted picture of the two of you, why not change things up a bit and create a custom art piece for your home? Use a historic picture of the venue where the wedding reception was held and guests signed their names around it. A map of the city where the two of you met or were married, a painting of a place that has special significance for you, a family crest, etc – the possibilities are endless for what you could have matted and signed in lieu of a traditional guest book.

Engagement Album Guest Book
You are likely to have an engagement shoot captured by your wedding photographer prior to the big day. Some photographers offer an engagement album that can also double as your guest book with lots of space left around the pictures for guests to sign their name or leave you a little message. Best of all, the book itself becomes a wonderful coffee table décor piece in your new home together where you can smile at the pictures of the two of you while also reading your guests’ special words to you.

DIY Signs to Guide your Guests

If you have venue that it may be a challenge to get to in the car and/or on feet, think about extra signage to help your guests find their way.

I have two brides so far this year that their receptions are on a college campus. As many of you know it can be challenging to locate the correct building on a large campus such as John Hopkins University. However we are planning to DIY a few things to keep the expenses down and help lead the guests in the right direction.

I found a post by a previous bride and her DIY tutorial. All the details are listed below and also a link to the original blog post. Enjoy and share this blog with someone else who you may think want to save.

If your ceremony or reception location is challenging to get to although the turn-by-turn directions on the back of the map you may have included in the invitations were received. There may be a few guests that will forget this information, GPS is great but may not work in all areas that you are traveling in. Here is a quick DIY project that will help you with some simple signs to help your guests find their way.

Supplies Needed:

1. 12″ unfinished wooden plaque
2. Indoor/Outdoor satin finish spray paint in Ivory
3. Martha Stewart Crafts rub-on alphabet decals
4. Cricut Cuttables adhesive vinyl in black (not pictured)

How they are made:

1. After laying down a few sheets of newspaper outdoors to protect the grass, apply three coats of spray paint to each wooden plaque, allowing a few minutes of drying time between coats. (TIP: Disposable gloves are a great idea!
2. Allow the paint to fully dry for about an hour. Using a light colored pencil and a straight edge; sketch a faint guide line where your letters will be placed.
3. Position a decal on the plaque with the ink side down. Apply by rubbing all over the surface of the decal with the included craft stick, using a good amount of pressure. To ensure a clean transfer, make sure to rub over all of the little detailed areas, and especially the edges of each letter. Slowly peel back the acetate backing. If you notice that parts of the decal have not transferred, lay the acetate back down and keep rubbing. Repeat for all letters.

4. Using adhesive-backed black vinyl, free-hand an arrow shape in Sharpie on the paper backing. Then cut it out with a craft knife and adhered it to the plaque. The nice thing is that the vinyl is repositionable, meaning that the arrow can later be changed to point in a different direction and the sign can be used again.

A small screw with a loop on the back of the sign with ribbon will allow you to tie the signs to the a sign that is already in place such as a stop sign. Add a stake to the back and this sign can be placed in the ground along the route.

Original Post