CATARAH + CARLOS : BEACH CHIC IN MIAMI

When you have fun just looking at wedding photos, then you know actually being there had to be fun. This is my sentiment of Catarah and Carlos' wedding in Miami, Florida this past July. After scrolling through pictures from the bride and groom and their guests via their #cncwedding2014 hash tag, I could see a wedding weekend filled with lots of love, fun, and great times. 

I know Catarah from my days on the Hill at Florida A&M University and she's also a native of my parent's hometown, Green Cove Springs, FL. I'm happy to share her beautiful, beach chic wedding with you today on Chronicles. 

Catarah + Carlos Coleman

Wedding Date: July 26,2014

Location: The Miami Beach Resort and Spa, Miami Beach, FL

Time: 5:30 PM

Colors: Coral, Mint and Gold 

Theme: Beach Chic 

How did you meet your husband?

We met at church!!! We both were new to West Angeles here in Los Angeles and met in the young adult ministry. 

How did he propose?

He proposed at the tail end of our good friend's wedding, right before the single ladies song. I always told him that I never wanted to be asked to marry someone on another persons special day; but this was different. The week before the wedding, the groom's dad died a tragic death during a boating accident. It was a very sad week leading into such a special occasion. What I didn't know at the time that Carlos actually had plans to ask me to marry him the night of the wedding on the beach (we were in Myrtle Beach, SC. However, the bride and groom asked that he made the "big ask" during the reception to bring a bit more happiness to the sad undertone of their recent loss.  

Toward the end of the night, Carlos pulled me to the dance floor and as danced we laughed! All of sudden the song slowed down to one of my favorite songs, At Last. So we begin to dance slow and I closed my eyes. When I opened them we seemed to be the only two people dancing, but thought nothing of it until I saw everyone was just looking at us... and smiling. As I asked Carlos, "why is everyone staring at us"? He looked at me ,stepped away and I saw the microphone in his hand. As he got on the "infamous" one knee, I instantly ran into the nearest corner, covered my face and cried like a baby! LOL....  He said some amazing words and I cried again and said a loud and excited YES!!! He even surprised me and had my parents present. It was a great day!  

 Did you begin wedding planning right away or did you wait some time after the engagement?

LOL... we pretty much knew when and where we wanted within the first month of our engagement. Less than two months we had a wedding planner. 

Did you have a wedding planner? If so, how did your planner help with wedding plans?

YES!!!! She was amazing. I had not one stress of the wedding, she did her job extremely well. She provided us with all of our vendors, kept us on budget, accompanied us on vendor visits, helped with the invitations, decor, timeline, guest list, seating charts, etc. You name it. 

How did you choose your wedding location?Was it your first choice or did you look at other locations?

No, Miami wasn't our first choice. We chose Miami because I am from Florida but actually wanted a destination wedding like Hawaii, but we knew that would be a financial strain for a lot of our family so we decided to keep it stateside in the sunny Miami. We figured it was tropical enough to give us what we wanted and our families could drive there.

Looking at the photos from your #cncwedding2014 hash tag, I could tell that your wedding weekend was a lot of fun. What activities did you plan for your guests for the weekend?

Awe thank you!!!! It was so much fun. Everything started that Thursday and ended on Sunday or early Monday morning. [Note: See Catarah and Carlos' wedding weekend events below, under their wedding vendors]

How did you spend the day getting prepared to walk down the aisle? I absolutely cherished the hours I spent in my suite with my girls, close friends and family. We started make up at 7am that morning. with 8 bridesmaids, 2 moms, 3 hostess we needed every moment. Breakfast for everyone arrived at 9am and later boxed lunches from Panera Bread. Around noon the champagne arrived! Carlos sent his best man to present my gifts (DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL). I sent ALLLLL of my girls to give Carlos a special book of photos from me. Throughout the day there was music, laughing, crying and lots of hugs. I presented my wedding party with their gifts (custom beach towels and robes; they also received "no ugly crying" cloth hankies and wedding jewelry. As the day went on I finished up my vows, started photos and video and finally the moment came to for me put on my dress. 

What special touches did you include to make your wedding personal/memorable? 

I was able to make charms that hung from my bouquet with photos of my loved ones who had passed away. The cell phone charging station kept our guest's phone charged, The special love song performed by Carlos and his groomsmen, our mother son and father daughter dances that started off one way and end another, and Carlos' cigar box inspired grooms cake.  We also had the garter wrapped around a miniature basketball signed by Mr. D. Wade to persuade the men to get out of their seats to catch it, our wedding party intros to (guys) Justin Timberlake's Suit and Tie and (girls) Beyonce's Flawless songs set the tone early. 

What advice would you give to a bride who is planning her Big Day, specifically a bride planning a destination wedding? 

Get help! Even if you are a planner yourself, weddings are time consuming and expensive, having someone to help is a smart option if possible. If you can't hire someone, allow talented friends and family lend a hand. It will save you from lots of stress.

See Catarah and Carlos' beautiful wedding trailer below:

Catarah and Carlos from CuratedHue on Vimeo.

WEDDING VENDORS

Planner/Consultant: Jessica Campbell Events 

Photographer: Brian Wagoner/wedding  and David Sutta/ engagement 

Videographer: Darryl Campbell 

Hair: Shek Hair  - Shekeila Parson

Make-Up: Tasheba Johnson

Bridal Salon: Winnie Couture Beverly Hills 

Bridesmaids Attire: David's Bridal 

Groom and Groomsmen Attire: Groom/custom tux by Rochester Big and Tall ; groomsmen/ Hollywood Suits

Cake: Southern Girl Desserts

DJ: DJ Money D

Wedding Venue: The Miami Beach Resort and Spa 

Reception Venue: same

Flowers: Petal Productions

Lighting: Evoga Event Production

Tuxedos:guys wore suits

Stationery: Princess K Creations (Invitations) 

Favors: Clementine Weddings 

Transportation: Miami Limo Coach

Wedding Weekend Events

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COMING UP ON CHRONICLES: CATARAH + CARLOS

Are you ready for some Coleman love? See the beautiful, beach chic wedding of Catarah and Carlos tomorrow for Chronicles first Wedding Wednesday feature of 2015. 

[Photo credit: David Sutta]

THE SINGLE LIFE: TAKING INVENTORY

Hello everyone :-) Welcome to the end of another week. I hope that it was a good week for you. As I mentioned, I would be sharing a post with you today. Here is a question for you: Do you take inventory of your single life?

As we go through our day-to-day lives, we are often focused on taking care of things such as work, church, family, etc...and sometimes we may overlook taking care of ourselves. When we do finally get a moment to take care of ourselves, we often concentrate on getting pampered or hanging out with friends, which are both great and should be done, but do we ever take the time to take care of something that we may not realize is in desperate need of attention: our singleness? 

I know the thoughts may be, "Take care of my singleness? I'm reminded of it everyday" or "My singleness needs attention? Tell that to my family and friends who keep asking me why I'm single." 

In this case, I mean paying attention to more than just your status as a single person, but caring for your life as a single person. I believe that sometimes this is why some singles have questions about their lives as it pertains to marriage. Have you really taken stock of your singleness? Are you putting the cart (marriage) before the horse (singleness)? Are you placing more emphasis on finding a mate, than pursuing your goals and dreams? These are just a few things that I think will be helpful in taking care of and appreciating our single lives.

I know that Chronicles is dedicated to encouraging single women who desire to be married, but I believe that if we aren't cultivating our single lives, we won't be adequately prepared to take the next step to marriage. 

This weekend, or at some point, take some time out for you and take stock of your single life. You may be amazed at what you may need to add to, re-stock or remove from your inventory. Below are questions to help you get started. Be sure to print out the questions so you can begin your inventory. Also, pass this on any singles that you know.

SINGLENESS INVENTORY:

-If I could describe my single life in one word, it would be:

-Are there things that I need to work on as a single person? If so, list them/it.

-Do I ever take a moment to just be with  me? If so, what are the benefits? If not, why?

-Do I spend time with the Lord? If yes, what are the benefits? If no, why?

-Do I ever take inventory of my single life? If yes, how has it helped cultivate my single life? If no, why not?

-Am I allowing anything to influence my views on singleness (i.e. what I watch, who I hang around, what I listen to)?

-Who do I allow to define my singleness? [Note: Sometimes we allow others to define our single lives, mainly, when we should get married. What do you say about your single life? Not just about marriage, about anything?]

-Do I live my single life according to what the world says or what God (the Word) says? 

-Does my singleness revolve around finding a man? If yes, explain. If no, explain.

-Am I involved in any activities (hobby, my community, exercise, etc...) If so, what are the benefits? If not, what activity would I like to become involved in?

-How am I serving God? 

-Do I hang around like-minded people?

-Am I willing to let go of any toxic people in my life? If yes, how will I do it? If no, why?

-Am I currently in a relationship that I know is not healthy for me? If no, what are some things that I do to help discern unhealthy relationships? If yes, why?

-Am I inviting sin into my life (i.e. gossiping, lying, sleeping with someone who is not my husband, etc...)?

-Do I have hopes, dreams, and goals? If yes, list them. If no, why not?

-Am I pursuing my hopes, dreams, and goals? If yes, what steps did I take to get there? :-) If no, why not?

APPLICATION:

Make a decision to accomplish one thing that you have not taken care of in your inventory above. (Some things take longer than others, but taking the first step is what counts.)

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for the gift of singleness. Thank you for allowing me this time to serve You, take care of myself, and use this time to grow into the person that You would have me to be. Lord, help me to pay attention to, and take inventory of my single life when it is needed. I want to honor You and appreciate this time that You have carved out specifically for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

HELPFUL SCRIPTURES:

1 Corinthians 7:32-34; Psalm 1:1-3, Matthew 11:28-30; Philippians 4:6-6; Philippians 4:11

Have an awesome weekend :-)