The Avowed Podcast // Interactive Mini Episode: Art & Norm Mixdown

The Avowed Podcast // Interactive Mini Episode: Art & Norm Mixdown

A special interactive mini episode about relationship tools! Jasmine shares a nugget of relationship wisdom from jeweler Mariele Ivy, previously on episode eleven "A Touch of Stardust" and talks about contrasting personalities, and the tools we develop to relate to one another. Tell us about your own relationship tools at jasminerlilly.com/wise-words for a chance to appear on a future episode of The Avowed Podcast!

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The Bridechilla Podcast // Catalyst Wedding Magazine

The Bridechilla Podcast // Catalyst Wedding Magazine

The Bridechilla Podcast is hosted by comedian, author, and your virtual bridesmaid, Aleisha McCormack. Each week, Aleisha shares her tell-it-like-it-is view and unique take on wedding wisdom to help Bridechillas and Groomchillas ditch the pressures and obligations that we sometimes feel during the journey and have fun planning this awesome day. Interviewing the leading wedding bloggers, planners, and experts, The Bridechilla Podcast is all about empowering couples to plan the wedding that they want.

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The ARQ Wedding Guide // Understanding & Incorporating Jewish Customs

The ARQ Wedding Guide // Understanding & Incorporating Jewish Customs

Jewish tradition teaches that a wedding celebrates the creation of a new world, a new beginning that may change the meaning of everything that has come before. We love the endless possibilities to be inspired by and to build upon ancient Jewish wedding rituals.

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Real Couples // High Line Engagement: Nina + George

Real Couples // High Line Engagement: Nina + George

Samantha had us meet her at the High Line at the perfect time: just before the morning crowd and runners. She and her assistant put us at ease because we were both anxious about having our photos taken, and they reassured us that we were going to be 'natural' rather than posed. We were anxious about how the morning would pan out, but to our pleasant surprise and relief we had the most amazing time walking the High Line with Samantha and her assistant. A year later I still remember how we both felt at the end of that photo shoot—relaxed and completely at ease and completely in love! We are so glad we picked Samantha to do our engagement shoot. She is an incredibly talented photographer who is creative and someone who I would highly recommend to anyone. We cherish her photographs and displayed them at our wedding, and they grace the walls in our home.

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Real Couples // Mehndi, Nikah, and Shaadi Ceremonies: Saleha + Sameer

Real Couples // Mehndi, Nikah, and Shaadi Ceremonies: Saleha + Sameer

These two had a very traditional two-day celebration filled with modern elements, so much color, and love. On the first day they hosted the Mehndi Ceremony and Nikah Ceremony. The Mehndi Ceremony is when the bride gets her hands and feet painted in henna. The patterns are completed with intricate details, and she sports them for the rest of the ceremonies. The Nikah Ceremony is the traditional signing of the marriage contract. The couple repeats the word qabul, which means "I accept" in Arabic three times to demonstrate they are freely marrying each other. The Shaddi Ceremony is the actual wedding day. They held a huge reception and at the end of the night performed the traditional giving away of the bride. The bride's family walks them to their get away car and reflects on the joining of their new families. 

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Woke Wednesday // Meet Erika Swift

Woke Wednesday // Meet Erika Swift

We spoke with Erika Swift, the owner of J&E Designs and The Bridal Loft in Phoenix, Arizona, about her experience growing up in a predominantly white community and finding her voice in the wedding industry to advocate for couples of color. 

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Real Couples // College Sweethearts: Elena + Frandy

Real Couples // College Sweethearts: Elena + Frandy

"We have been together for five years. We met in college on an Alternative Spring Break trip to Alabama to work with Habitat For Humanity. We spent the week helping to rebuild a house, and during the process we developed a connection. In the summer of 2016 we got married, and since we were college sweethearts we decided to have our wedding on the campus. It was a beautiful day that we will remember always."

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The Avowed Podcast // Episode 11: Folie À Deux The Madness Of Two

The Avowed Podcast // Episode 11: Folie À Deux The Madness Of Two

Jasmine speaks with wedding planner Erica Greenwold, owner of Folie à Deux Events in North Carolina about humanitarian efforts in the wedding industry, creating a ceremony and reception that reflect your personal beliefs, and creating a totally rad wedding in 5 months on a five thousand dollar budget. Cover Photo by Ashley Posthuma

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Real Couples // Rooftop Cree Wedding: Onowa + Paul

Real Couples // Rooftop Cree Wedding: Onowa + Paul

Their wedding was not just centered on Onowa and Paul's love for each other, but on their love of each other's family, friends, and community. Their wedding started with a Cree smudging ceremony and a beautiful musical performance, followed by promises made to each other, and an exchanging of rings. Onowa, Paul, and Onowa's youngest daughters then shared what they were each bringing to the marriage, which brought looks of tenderness as well as lots of laughter. Both Onowa and Paul wore items that reflected their cultures; Onowa wore a beaded hair piece with her veil, and Paul wore a traditional Maori necklace and tie with Maori designs.

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What is Documentary-Style Wedding Photography? // 10 Awesome Candid Wedding Moments by Corey Torpie

What is Documentary-Style Wedding Photography? // 10 Awesome Candid Wedding Moments by Corey Torpie

Queens-based wedding photographer Corey Torpie is the real deal. She studied photojournalism in school and has been honing the craft of documentary-style photography for eight years as a professional photographer while teaching courses in the darkroom. And there’s something really different about the images she creates — something captivating about the subtle moments she seems to capture so effortlessly. And those moments are like segues into an unfolding story, one that the viewer can begin to imagine without even knowing the couples in the photos.

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Autostraddle Stories // Coming Out and Coming Up Short

Autostraddle Stories // Coming Out and Coming Up Short

When I was 14, I stayed up late watching chick flicks, crying, and desperately hoping I could have a love that would set me free. Yes, I know, this is an unfortunately stereotypical story of a pubescent teenage girl pining for a relationship. I believed the best way to achieve happiness was through a happy monogamous relationship. Unfortunately, I had no idea (and still don’t know) what that looked like. After much trial and error, I later discovered being in a relationship and feeling free, without a healthy foundation, isn’t that simple.

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Real Couples // A Day in the Life of Lovers: Bonnie + Vince

Real Couples // A Day in the Life of Lovers: Bonnie + Vince

This session melts my heart for a few reasons. First of all, I had the opportunity to really get to know a friend from school and meet her boyfriend—something that wouldn’t have happened otherwise if we didn’t all share a passion for photography. At our initial meeting, they began to explain how different they both are but how great their relationship works. They both agreed that once I saw their apartment, everything would make sense. And it did.

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"It Only Happens Once!" // Sales Tactics Used to Get You to Say "Yes" to the Dress

 "It Only Happens Once!" // Sales Tactics Used to Get You to Say "Yes" to the Dress

A phrase I heard repeatedly when I worked as a bridal consultant was, “it only happens once!” Bridal consultants and guests frequently used this phrase when a bride thought twice about a purchase.

For example, let’s say a bride was trying to decide whether or not she should wear a veil. A bridal consultant could then reply with, “It’s your wedding, it only happens once! You’ll only be wearing the veil a short time, and it’ll make such an impact.” In this case, the bridal consultant is appealing to a bride's emotional desire to both look fantastic on her wedding day and to plan a successful and memorable party. This sales tactic is often times effective, as the desire to plan the perfect wedding is the fuel that keeps the wedding industry alive.

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Woke Wednesday // Meet Houston Photographer Tomayia Colvin

Woke Wednesday // Meet Houston Photographer Tomayia Colvin

Tomayia Colvin, a portrait photographer and educator in Houston, is a well-known leader and activist in our community. She is a children's book author, a doctoral student in the field of educational leadership, and she works with conferences to connect them with talented and diverse speakers and educators.

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The Avowed Podcast // Episode : The Hunt for Extraordinary Love

The Avowed Podcast // Episode : The Hunt for Extraordinary Love

Jasmine speaks with Nate Bailey, the vision and voice behind The Loveumentary Podcast, about navigating the emotional landscape of your partner, developing your marital skill set, and bypassing unnecessary wedding planning arguments with a unique rating system. 

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Real Couples // Rooftop Engagement: Brandon + Traci

Real Couples // Rooftop Engagement: Brandon + Traci

"Brandon proposed on March 15, 2016. It was a Tuesday at 5:30 pm to be exact! (laughs) He got my best friend to lure me to the Sheraton rooftop in downtown Columbia. Right before I walked to the bar, he popped out of the stairwell, got everyone's attention, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!!!"

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How to Make the Most of a Rainy Day Wedding // Advice from Vivian Chen's Couples

How to Make the Most of a Rainy Day Wedding // Advice from Vivian Chen's Couples

Vivian Chen considers herself a "rainy day photographer" because she loves the unexpected delights and the sense of adventure that rain brings on a wedding day. If you think you may have rain on your wedding day, find tips, encouragement, photo inspiration, and advice from three couples who have been there below.

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Real Couples // A Garden Wedding & Board Games: Mahsino + Graham

Real Couples // A Garden Wedding & Board Games: Mahsino + Graham

These two bonded online with their shared love of laser tag. They wanted a intimate ceremony with a family-style dinner and games. Being chill and artistic, it was important for them to have their wedding reflect them as a couple. Mahsino designed the invites and baked the cakes. The ceremony was held at Parsons Garden and was short and sweet. The reception at Bastille Cafe was spent laughing under the twinkle lights and passing delicious food around the table. The night ended with fun games like Uno. 

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