I’M A DIVA ON A BUDGET! Glam ideas under $1000
PREMIERE ISSUE SUMMER 2009
eal R WEDDINGS 10 Couples share their big day
BEAUTIFUL HAIR & MAKEUP IDEAS
Sylish
MEET THE MOST TALENTED BAY AREA VENDORS Florists, Caterers, Photographers and
Wedding Planners
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inside Wedding Ceremony Site Selection Shop for your Wedding Gown like a Pro How to Find the Best Wedding Vendors How to Drop at Least One Dress Size Before Your Wedding
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Dear Mocha Bride Readers,
elcome to our premiere issue of Mocha Bride. This is an exciting time in your life as you prepare to walk down the aisle, and we are overjoyed to be there with you! We will support one another in this exhilarating journey together. As the only bridal magazine for women of color in the Bay Area, we are prepared to meet your unique needs. We have sought out the top vendors in the area to provide you with the freshest styles and deals. When you read through this issue and see your dream dress, the bride in the photo will reflect you, your heritage and your style. In addition, Mocha Bride will provide you with the information to buy your dream dress from the local vendors. A Mocha Bride reader has the inside information and connection to make her dream wedding a reality! Mocha Bride is a culmination of a dream for the founder, Mrs. Jasmine Shields-Webster. During what should have been an exciting time in her life, the wedding planning process, Jasmine found herself uninspired by not seeing any brides of color in the bridal magazines. Thus the idea for Mocha Bride was formed. Ever since, we have been motivated to create a magazine to meet your needs. We look forward to provide you with the best resources in our quarterly magazine and on our website so that you are inspired to make your dream wedding come true! Best Wishes, Jasmine Shields-Webster and Pamela Neher Editors in Chief
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W edding Planner
Wedding Ceremony Site selection
Pick the perfect location for the heart of your wedding
O
ne of your first wedding planning decisions will be to select your ceremony site/venue and your weddings officiate. Since the ceremony is the heart of any wedding, it should set the tone for the entire day.
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wedding ceremony can be held anywhere from a church to your reception site to a judge’s chambers to a remote mountaintop. Whether you’re starting your search from scratch or you have an affiliation with a particular church or synagogue, you need to check on some details before deciding to hold your ceremony there: Is it available for the date and time you want? If
there are any weddings or other services booked for that day, how will that affect your event? Is it large enough to hold your guests? Is there adequate parking? Does the wedding officiate have any requirements you’re unwilling to satisfy, such as couples counseling classes? Do you like the wedding officiate and feel that he or she is the person you want to join you in marriage? If not, can you bring in someone you’re more comfortable with? Does the location have any restrictions concerning music or photography? Will the ceremony site provide any services, such as pew decorations or aisle runners? Who is responsible for cleaning up the ceremony site afterwards? What are the costs involved? Many sites are free or available for a small donation, but others may charge a fee or require a permit. Officiates may expect a donation (often in the $100 to $250 range). Services such as clean-up and parking may cost extra. When can your florist start setting up any pew or altar arrangements? Will the ceremony site be available for a rehearsal at the time you want to schedule it (generally the evening before the ceremony)?
W edding Planner Choosing the Right
Ceremony Site
Think carefully about every aspect of your
ceremony site to make sure it won’t create problems or regrets. Will an August ceremony in an un-air-conditioned church lead to sweaty guests and fainting bridesmaids? If you hold it in a botanical garden or other public spot, will the presence of strangers bother you? Will exchanging vows with the sunset as a backdrop mean poorly lit photographs? Consider all of the variables before committing (to the site that is!).
Some clergy members resent what they
perceive as “church-shopping” and won’t agree to perform ceremonies for couples who aren’t part of their congregations, so don’t assume you’ll be able to use the prettiest church or synagogue in town if you’re not already associated with it.
S
hopping Establish a budget
Try to spend no more than 5% of your total wedding budget on a wedding gown and wedding accessories (veil, shoes, jewelry and so on). Wedding dresses can go for as little as $200 to $300; most brides spend about $700. Couture wedding gowns are likely to fetch $2,500 and more. And, don’t forget to factor in the cost of alterations like shortening the hem, or adjusting the bodice and sleeves. Prices vary, depending on the complexity of what you need done. Be sure to get an estimate upfront.
Shop For your Wedding Gown like a Pro How to find the Gown of your Dreams
W
hen it comes to clothing purchases, the wedding gown is in a class of its own. No other garment is as “it has to be perfect” as this one, and it’s probably the finest and most expensive item of clothing you’ll ever buy. Exciting? Yes. Scary? Not if you use these tips:
Start early
Ideally, you should begin shopping nine months before your wedding day. This time frame will allow for a stress-free pace and is very important if you’re buying a custom-made wedding gown (as opposed to an off-the-rack one), which may take several months to produce and require at least three fittings for alterations when it arrives. Only have a few months? Most bridal salons can fulfill rush orders, usually for a fee.
Make an appointment
At a bridal salon, or a department store with an in-house bridal boutique, like Gesinee’s Bridal, doing so will get you one-on-one attention from a sales consultant who can pull the right styles for your body type, help get you into the gowns and give you her undivided attention.
Plan your salon visits wisely
Most appointments last about an hour. Avoid feeling rushed by limiting yourself to trying on just five gowns per salon trip. Try not to go on a Saturday afternoon, because the bridal shop will be mobbed, and don’t go during your lunch hour or you may feel pressured by the need to get back to work.
Love the fit and feel
Comfort is important—your wedding dress should look and feel good on your body. Make sure you can breathe easily and move around in your wedding gown—raise your arms up above your head, sit down, boogie a little. Do you feel constricted? Another way to decide if this is the dress: Designers and brides swear you’ll have an immediate, in-your-gut feeling when you see yourself in the mirror.
Read the fine print
You’ve heard the horror stories (the bridal salon that mysteriously goes out of business, the wedding dress that doesn’t arrive on time), and that’s why you need to have all the details of the sale outlined in a contract. You’ll have some recourse if the terms of the contract aren’t properly executed. Make sure it includes: a dress description (style number, manufacturer, color and size); deposit and balance amounts; special requests (like removing the train); alterations info and estimated cost; the store’s cancellation policy; and the anticipated delivery date.
Pay up
S
hopping
A 50% deposit is standard. Pay with a credit card—if you are wrongfully charged, your credit card company will go after the store and (if everything checks out) you won’t be held responsible. Bring it home You should plan to pick up your wedding gown no sooner than one week before your wedding date—it will be safer at the shop than at your home. Then, you can get really excited. You’re going to look amazing!
Dress Do’s
• Try on styles you think you’d never wear. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. • Think“classic”and“timeless.”A gown that’s too trendy is bound to look
outdated, or goofy, in photographs 20 years from now. • For feedback, bring only one or two people whose opinions you trust. • Bring the jewelry you plan to wear so that you can see how it works with the necklines of the dresses you like. • At fittings, wear proper under-garments and heels similar in height to the ones you’ll wear with your dress.
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edding Planner
Wedding Vendors Finding the best wedding vendors in your price range can be challenging, but organization and hard work can pay off.
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Ask your friends what vendors they recommend from their weddings. Word of mouth is very important!
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Consult online websites from third parties, such as projectwedding.com or yelp.com, where you can search for wedding vendors by price range.
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Before setting up an appointment with the vendor, ask them to send over a price list. Many vendors will resist but it is very important to insist on obtaining a price list or wwat least a price range so that you will not waste your (or the vendor’s) time. Meet with the vendor in person and decide
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10 YR BOND 4.81% 0.00
whether their professionalism and personalities match your own. You will be working with them a lot so it’s best to work with someone you like.
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Be nice to your vendors and they will work hard for you.
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Ask for references from past brides for each vendor, and ask those references about the reliability and quality of the vendor.
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Consider hiring a wedding planner to help. They know a lot of vendors and can tell you which ones are reliable and of high quality. The time and money saved is well worth the investment.
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If the wedding vendor has done a good job, consider tipping them appropriately. Also, being a good reference for a vendor will help out other brides.
GOLD 623.70 — $0.90
CRUDE OIL 71.76 — $1.34
Directory of Big Easy progress Yellow Pages shows a city battered but recovering
from three to over four full pages, while ‘Antique Dealers’ is thinner. “Everything is housing right now. Nothing else matters,” said window installer Sam Criscione, owner of Classic Vue Exteriors Inc.
POUND .5282 =$1.00
Report: Finances worry women
TIPS FOR THE WISE Making the call
By Rukmini Callimachi
Call volumes to a sample of contractors were measured in the months following Hurricane Katrina.
The Associated Press
On a recent hot day, the new phone book landed with a thud on the stoop of a house that one year ago lay under water, a notable sign of normalcy. The phone book’s arrival is a mark of progress here, but it’s also a window into how much has changed. With nearly half the city’s population gone, two swollen books have shrunk to one, following a decision by the phone book’s editors to fold the white pages into the rest of the book. Meanwhile, the Yellow Pages now include far larger ads for contractors, electricians,
EURO .7822 =$1.00
W edding Planner
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2006
How to Find the Best
Make a list of all types of vendors you will need for your wedding, and set an initial budget for each. This will change later based on each vendors pricing.
MONEY
amNY.com/money DOW JONES 11,297.90 — 41.94
Change from August 2005 in monthly call volume to a sample of contractors with ads in “The Real Yellow Pages”
Although American women are increasingly better educated and likely to have careers, they’re still uncertain about their financial futures, a study released Tuesday said. When asked “How secure do you feel financially?” just 10% of women respondents said they felt extremely secure, the survey found. Fifty-seven percent said they felt somewhat secure, and 33% said they didn’t feel secure at all. “It was the most eyeopening aspect of the study,” said Mark A. Zesbaugh, president and chief executive of Allianz Life, one of the sponsors of the study “Women, Money and Power.” (AP)
Cheaper isn’t always better. Look for the highest 700 percent
Selected categories Windows Electric Garage doors Tile
quality vendor available in your price range. Frederick Chambers hands out Yellow Pages phone books at a distribution center in Chalmette, La. This year’s edition is strikingly thinner than pre-Katrina books. (AP) Be realistic when setting your budget for each roofers and others crucial to 42% from 541 individual still don’t have electricity, vendor. the focus is on making businesses to 316. the city’s rebuilding. If you need to cut your budget, consider using silk “Every single thing that whole what was destroyed. The new edition reflects people who need help re- people need to rebuild their Businesses that help people flowers in instead of fresh, limit the open bar to just wine pairing their homes, but lives is literally in that do that are seeing a spike don’t have time to fuss with book,” said BellSouth Corp. sales and are now representandads.beer and consider having your wedding in the their hair — the “Contrac- district sales manager Gay- ed with larger, splashier tors-General” section jump- la Meilleur, who worked on People need to buy matwinter or on a Friday tresses to replace their soggy ed from six to 14 pages and the phone book. 600 500 400 300 200 100
0
-100
A S
2005
“Roof Contractors” from 15 to 32, while listings under “Beauty Salons” declined
Which is exactly the point: In a city in tatters, where a majority of homes
ones, but they can’t afford to do so with antiques: The ‘Furniture’ heading leaped
O N D J
F
M A
2006
NOTE: Tracking levels vary from one category to another; The size and placement of an advertiser’s ad impacts individual advertiser’s call volumes.
SOURCE: BellSouth Corp.
AP
B e Linked
D resses Jasmine Shields & Daniel Webster
July 19, 2008 ACCOMODATIONS Hearst Hotel BRIDAL GOWN Bethany’s Bridal BRIDESMAIDS ATTIRE Bethany’s Bridal GROOMS SUIT Men’s Couture CAKE Cakes by Betty CATERING Chever’s Cafe DECORE & RENTALS Apple Rental FLORIST K&T Flowers HAIR Sherry’s Salon INVITATON Lovely Invites MAKEUP Styles by She PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Vic Photography RECEPTION VENUE Marritta RINGS Ray’s Jewelers TRANSPORTATON VIP VIDEOGRAPHER Special Moments WEDDING PLANNER Valentine Thompson
I
t is rare to meet a couple who can say that they have been best friends since junior high. However, that is precisely when and where the newly married Webster’s began their close bond. Although their friendship did not develop into a relationship until many years later, it is clear that they have a deep love and understanding of one another which innocently began in the school hallway of an Oakland junior high school. The wedding took place on July 19, 2008 at Stockton California’s own Marritta golf course. Set at twilight, it was truly a family affair as the 150 guests watched the groom’s brother officiate the ceremony. Not only did the bride look exquisite in her gown, but the guests looked fabulous in all white as the sun dipped into the horizon, illuminating them with the sunset. After the local string quartet Montalvo played as the bridal party filed out, the guests meandered over to enjoy an exquisite meal under twinkle lights and the starry sky. The
How to Drop at Least
One Dress Size
Before Your Wedding
I
t’s a woman’s worst nightmare. You’ve finally found the man of your dreams, gone through the frustration of planning a wedding and then you realize all of the bridal showers and celebrations have caused you to put on weight. Your big day is fast approaching and you’re terrified that you won’t fit into that dream wedding gown you’ve bought. Follow this simple approach to help you meet your goal and ease your wedding day anxiety
delectable food was catered by Chever’s Cafe. Guests enjoyed themselves to the fullest as they ate, drank local wines, and danced to a live band. Every last detail was lovingly orchestrated by the bride and her coordinator Valentine Thompson. The unique favors, the delicious cake from Cakes by Betty, and the floral arrangements by K&T Flowers, reflected the color scheme and complemented the natural setting. No detail went unnoticed by the guests, as every last one left with a smile on their face.
WATER, WATER, WATER Hydration is critical. While the benefits are countless, this is one of the hardest things to implement into your daily routine. Water lowers body fat, flushes cellulite, improves digestion, gets rid of dark circles under the eyes, and makes you feel full. These are just a few of the benefits of drinking the required 2.5 liters/quarts of water per day. Break the amounts down into manageable amounts: Keep a bottle of water beside your bed. Before you go to sleep drink 1/2 the bottle (Note: this will most likely increase the need to urinate during the night) and as soon as you wake up (before your feet touch the floor) drink the remaining 1/2 bottle. Before each meal drink a half a bottle of water. Carry water with you and sip it throughout the day and, as you progress, simply imagine your groom seeing you for the first time in your wedding gown and watching his jaw drop in speechless silence.
GO FOR A WALK EVERYDAY Start with a 10 minute walk; you can always increase later after it becomes routine. It’s enough to gently boost your metabolism and keep you active. Eat 6 meals a day. Don’t panic, it’s easier than it sounds. Every 3-4 hours from the time you wake up, eat a little something. Your digestive system is far more efficient at handling a series of small meals than it is at tackling one large meal. For example, you could eat at 7am, 10 am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm and 10 pm. Limit the size of your meal portions (meat, veggies, and carbohydrates) to no larger and no thicker than the palm of your hand.
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Include a protein, a carbohydrate and a vegetable or fruit in each meal. Here is a sample daily meal plan to get you started: Choose one day a week as your reward day and eat whatever you
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want and as much as you want. Whether you like pasta, cookies, ice cream, or chocolate. Don’t worry, you won’t gain fat if you do this because for the past six days your body has been used to eating “clean” food. On the seventh day your body thinks you are going to do the same and when you don’t, it gets fooled and eliminates the effects of the “junk” food. In essence, you are tricking your body on your reward day but you must eat cleanly on the following day. These simple techniques will not only help you quickly, safely and effectively lose at least one dress size, but they will also help you feel more energetic, vibrant and healthy (not to mention the positive effects they will have on your skin texture and overall appearance). Stay on track and you’ll be amazed at your results. Eat well, drink plenty of water