collection 3
EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO THE WEDDING OF REAL HOUSEWIVES STAR
EVA MARCILLE plus, lifestyles and parties of the rich, famous to INSPIRE you! PASTORS JOHN GRAY AND AVENTER GRAY SHARE THEIR TOP MARRIAGE TIPS.
www.INIJE.com Info@inije. c o m | 6 7 8 - 9 0 0 - 0 6 3 3
THE B COLLECTIVE
1
2
THE B COLLECTIVE
IN THIS ISSUE
�� �� ��� ��� ��� ���
B I R T H D AY PA R T I E S BABY SHOWERS SOCIAL EVENTS ENGAGEMENTS
ST YLED SHOOTS
REAL WEDDINGS
MECCA GAMBLE PHOTOGRAPHY
FROM THE EDITOR
W
ow. One year. We certainly expected to still be here after one year, but we did not intend to encounter all of the challenges that we faced in the first year. However, like any organization or business, growth comes from grime and if art imitates life, then the art of the magazine is reflective of the life it represents. The journey of one year is much like the journey of the beauty that graces our cover- Eva Marcille Sterling. We came to know and love her as a Top Model and we have fallen more in love with her as she travels down the aisle to join in holy matrimony with the love of her life. Her walk down the runway has taken her all over the world, but she shares with her why this path has become the most special. While we celebrate one beginning, we applaud the “new beginning” of a highly inspirational couple, Pastor John and Aventer Gray, whose lives are anything but ordinary and their wedding renewal at year eight reflected this very fact.
They turned a familiar Atlanta venue into a rose gold infinite wonderland and seek to remind us all why there is power in the ability to recharge and renew. In our first year of publication, we have certainly been energized by the beauty and brains of high profile couples, their adorable children, booming businesses; but we remain inspired by your real life love stories, the miracle births, the rise to the top success stories and how you continue to inspire those around you everyday. Yes, we started out with the goal that you would “be inspired”, but we are confident that collectively, we do our very best work. As we continue into our second year, and as you graciously enjoy the pages ahead, may you embrace everything that makes us different while freely celebrating everything that makes us the same. Eliana Baucicault, Editor in Chief
THE B COLLECTIVE 3
@BCOLLECTIVEMAG
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Eliana Baucicault
ART DIRECTOR
Irene Hardy ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Mark Adams CONTRIBUTORS
April Davenport Skyy Sandifer Nikki Thomas Nkechi Afiesimama Ashley Walker Crystal Cranmore Modern Mold Agency
COPYEDITING
April Davenport BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Amanda Burris BRAND STRATEGIST
Sugar Taylor ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR IN CHIEF
Danielle Kloboucher PUBLISHER
The B Collective Atlanta, Georgia
cover credits
THE GORGEOUS SUPER MODEL Eva
Marcille PHOTOGRAPHER Stanlo Photography VIDEOGRAPHER Ynot Images STYLIST Vainglorious Brides THEBCOLLECTIVE.CO
4
THE B COLLECTIVE
THE B COLLECTIVE
5
26
THE B COLLECTIVE
balancing the catwalk of life
STANLO PHOTOGRAPHY
F
rom the catwalk to down the aisle and everything else in between…our top model Eva Marcille is literally setting new paths on how to have it all. “You have to work your a&& off for everything you have.” Simple words of advice from a woman who is learning to manage various new roles with the biggest of them being a new wife. Just months after landing a Georgia peach as the newest Atlanta Housewife, Eva also took on the role of planning the wedding of her dreams to the man she says truly makes her complete and helps her forget about the million and one things that she has going on. “It’s so refreshing after a long day of work to come home and be around someone that loves you for who you truly are. A lot of times we feel we need to be what society says a wife or woman should be. And when we get into a relationship we tend to change even more to fit into a box, but the true you will always seep out that box. So when you find someone who loves you, flaws and all that’s who you should be with. And that’s what I’ve found in Michael. He let’s me be me.” After finding her Prince Charming, it was only right that she had a fairytale wedding to match and she enlisted the best of the best to ensure that her big day went off without a hitch. Her advice to brides: “Get a proper wedding planner! My wedding planner Eliana Baucicault is hands down the best thing outside of my groom. “ Her advice for future brides didn’t stop there. While having the best planner to lead your big day is important, Eva also shared that having the right people beside you as you say “I Do” is just as vital. “Girls you know your friends. Your friends are not going to be any different on your wedding day than they were on your last birthday and on that last girls trip. Make sure that you have people around you that not only
support you, but also your union. When it was time for me to select my bridesmaids. it was important for me that the people that stood before me when I vowed before God, would be the same people that I could rely on when it gets really hard. I wanted people around me who truly root for the union and not just for the cuteness of the day.” And while Eva says she had the best group of people standing by her side on her big day, it was her kids that she says truly stole the show. “There was no way that I could not involve them because they are in every aspect of our lives. It was also important to me that they were involved because this was not just the union between Eva and Michael, but between our kids and us as well.” That special family bond is what Eva says sealed the deal for her and Michael. “I remember the day he chose to step up to the plate. It was such a big day for me and it was at that moment that I knew he was who I’m supposed to spend the rest of this life’s journey with.” As we sat in tears listening to how her fairytale came to be, we couldn’t help but wonder what every woman must think, Budding career, husband, and kids, how do you manage it all? “Having a career and obtaining success is great and all, but what’s an empire without a family to live in it. One of the things that I like to emphasize in my story of black love is that as much as money and success and bringing my family lineage to a new plateau is important, it’s even more important to me that the real stuff doesn’t fail…the love, the consistency, the kindness, the compassion. If you have all of those things, that stand the test of finances and economics, you’ve found something big in life.” Powerful words of advice and the true keys we also agree will help you unlock the path to your own fairytale destiny. Story by Brittany Sharp, Modern Mold Agency
THE B COLLECTIVE
27
DRESS: SARAH JASSIR COUTURE
28
THE B COLLECTIVE
THE B COLLECTIVE
29
DANNI DAVINCHI
38
THE B COLLECTIVE
B IR THDAY PAR T IES
THE B COLLECTIVE
39