The Ultimate Resource for Before and After "I do"
MAGAZINE Vol. 14
Key Looks From
BRIDAL FASHION WEEK Exclusive: Singer Kierra Sheard & Jordan Kelly's
"I DO" LOVE STORY
+ PLANNING INSPIRATION FORTHE Big Day
Serving Love
Up Close with Newlywed Tennis Star
SLOANE STEPHENS B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
1
Say “I Do” To The Perfect Venue
Located just outside the metro-Atlanta area in Duluth, Georgia, TPC Sugarloaf is the perfect backdrop for your big day. Our delightfully landscaped property, overlooking a private lake and the golf course’s 18th green, makes for an idyllic setting for ceremonies and receptions. After the “I do’s”, we invite you and your guests to our 60,000 square-foot clubhouse to celebrate the night away. With a variety of event spaces, you have the flexibility to customize the setup and flow of your cocktail hour and reception, creating your perfect day. From booking to coordinating details, our friendly and professional wedding specialists are here to ensure that your special day is everything that you have imagined!
To begin planning your perfect day, contact: Amelia DiFranco AmeliaDiFranco@pgatourtpc.com | Phone: 470-799-1294. 2
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
Follow us on social media:
Instagram @tpcsugarloafevents Facebook TPC Sugarloaf Weddings & Events
TABLE OF CONTENTS
106
SUMMER 2022
Cover Story
A PERFECT MATCH Up Close with Newlywed Tennis Star Sloane Stephens
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
3
Volume 14 Mary Chatman Editor-in-Chief Scott Chatman Chief Financial Officer Candice Davie Associate Editor Dara Adams Fashion Editor Carly Totten Deputy Copy Editor Amber Spence Sales Associate Toneka Royal Columnist
70
Gospel Singer Kierra Sheard-Kelly
and Jordan Kelly share their love story
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jomuelle Anicet B. Gandy Stephanie Kilson-Thomas Abby Ayeh Concepcion and Aziz Wilkinson Mecca and Alduan Tartt Aisha and David Frisbey Shannon SG Jarrett Design, Art Direction & Production Mary Chatman Publisher
126
Growing Better Together Conception and Aziz Wilkinson
4
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
Published by BLACK BRIDETM 320 Town Center Avenue Suite C-11 Suwanee, GA 30024 Copyright © 2022 Black Bride. All rights reserved.
First Comes Love:
Then Comes Marriage:
Health & Beauty
Real Engagements
Real Weddings
10
Beauty Report
14
Summer Beauty Guide for Women of Color in 2022
38
Shape Up for Summer
21
Yolanda and LaDarrell
70
Salt Lake City, UT
25
Detroit, MI
Ashleé and Pat
76
Atlanta, GA
29
Ayisha and Andrae Pompton Plains, NJ
Leisa and Antonio Washington, DC
33
Kierra and Jordan
82
Simone and Devin Grapevine, TX
Taylor and Andrew Chattanooga, TN
88
Time to Revamp Your Beauty Product Lineup
Yolanda and Brandon Atlanta, GA
94
Loren and Rollin Baltimore, MD
100
Krystle Joshua Port Antonio, Jamaica
In Every Issue
Planning
7
Editor’s Letter
8
Our Favorite Things
20
Real Engagements
58
Bridal Fashion Trend Report
70
Real Weddings
124
After the Aisle
Travel
40
Vintage Glam
44
Vogue Italia
48
The Bridal Experience
52
Understanding the Bridal Suite Concept of Event Design 136 Collection of Fine During Wedding Vendors Planning
132
Destination Wedding Guide: Hot Tips for Planning Your Summer Destination Wedding
Resource Guide
FOR MORE, SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TODAY Everything you need to plan your dream wedding: Inspiration • Real Weddings • Fine Vendors
GET SOCIAL WITH US! /blackbride1998
@blackbride1998
/blackbride
/blackbride
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
5
UNFORGETTABLE WEDDINGS AND PRIVATE EVENTS 4 0 4 9 9 5 75 5 0 | WA L D O R FA S TO R I A AT L A N TA .CO M 3 376 P E AC H T R E E R D N E , AT L A N TA , G A 3 0 3 2 6 6
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
DEAR BRIDES, First and foremost, if you are a bride-to-be, congratulations on your engagement! Summer is here! Although we can’t yet declare that we’re on the other side of the pandemic, I can say that weddings are back, and it is a very busy season. According to the Wedding Report, this year is expected to see roughly 2.5 million weddings. Our Bridal Suite Collective is comprised of wedding industry top-notch vendors, and just as the report suggests, they’re booked and busy. Over the last two years, traditional wedding planning had to pivot. The cost of weddings has gone up, which includes everything from florals to the paper for your stationery and more. But don’t worry, you’ve got this! Whether it’s an intimate wedding party of 10 or an exuberant group of 300 guests, there is so much creativity and love that goes into wedding planning. Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life. You never want to look back 10 years from now and think, “I wish I had…” Remember, above all the pretty, a wedding is a commitment between two people. Planning your wedding celebration should be fun and memorable for all the right reasons, not stressful and demanding.
For more inspiration and wedding vendor information, visit our website at www.BlackBride.com, follow us on Instagram @BlackBride1998. Email us at hello@blackbride.com and let us know what you think of the summer issue.
As we plan each issue, we’ve always taken who should grace our cover seriously. The women we feature should have depth and substance to them, with a regard for the culture. That’s why I’m delighted that tennis star Sloane Stephens, a force on and off the court, is our summer cover girl. Interviewed by Associate Editor Candice Davie, Sloane shares her love story and how she met her now-husband, former U.S. National Team forward Jozy Altidore who recently signed with Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution. In this issue, we present to you the 2023 bridal fashion trends straight from the runways during New York Bridal Fashion Week in March. Be sure to check out the “Bridal Fashion Trend Report” curated by our Fashion Editor, Dara Adams. As you flip through the pages of this issue, we hope you are inspired by the real love stories we’ve curated and find inspiration to help you plan your dream wedding. We honor the amazing wedding and event vendors who help bring wedding visions to life, especially now in this season of change in the world. Above all else, happy wedding planning! May this season and this issue bring you joy.
Mary
Mary Chatman Editor-in-Chief
CHECK OUT OUR EDITORS’ TOP PICKS FOR THE SEASON
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
7
Real Engagements How real couples knew they were the "one" for each other
20
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
21
6 8 B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | S u m m e r 2 0 2 1 6 8 B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
Real Weddings See how real brides made their “Big Day” truly the day of their dreams.
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
69
116
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
117
124
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2
After THE AISLE Lessons Learned in Love and Life with Your Spouse
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M
125
The
BRIDAL SUITE Search our Fine Vendor Collective for all your wedding vendors.
Visit blackbride.com/vendors 140
B L AC K B R I D E .CO M | Su m m e r 2 0 2 2