Certified Coordinated Bride Keisha
Journal Entry #2
Will you be my Bridesmaid?
If you know me personally, you know that I am constantly moving in a million different directions at once, I am in almost every organization imaginable, and I am constantly giving all that I can to anyone I can just because my heart is so big! With that being said, there are a lot of people who are in my life, some who have entered for a season, some who have taught me a lesson and provided reason, but there are six special women who I know will be here for a lifetime. When La’bre and I got engaged, there was no question of who I would ask to stand by my side on one of the most important days of my life. Each of these women hold a very special place in my heart and I trust them with helping us with this wedding process. Even with all the people around me on a regular basis, it is not hard to recognize those who are REAL and TRUE and will have your back whether you are right or wrong. To me, these ladies are more than my friends (and they are truly my FRIENDS) but they are my sisters in life, in love, in Christ, and beyond! Each of them has displayed a measureless amount of love, loyalty and dedication to our wedding and for this I am forever grateful to each of them!
Once the list was set, I knew that I wanted to do something extra special to ask them to take part in this joyous occasion! As Bride and planner extraordinaire all in one, I definitely had to pull out all the stops for my girls and planned a super posh “ Be My Bridesmaid Brunch” on September 20, 2015. I asked them all to find their prettiest shade of pink to wear and to meet me at 220 Merrill Restaurant in Birmingham, MI at 4:30pm. When they arrived they were greeted by not only my smiling face, but they each received a beautiful box with their name on it filled with many goodies to express my love and gratitude for them being willing to take this journey with me. The box contained: A personalized champagne glass to be used at the wedding, a mini bottle of champagne, the nail polish I want them to wear on the special day, a T-shirt, a personalized notebook, a compact mirror, a personalized picture frame with a picture of the two of us, and a special gift that represented how we met and what they meant to me. I am definitely a DIY Bride and I personally made almost every single item in their boxes which I feel gave it a much more personal touch! I gave them hand written note cards expressing my love and gratitude to them and I thanked them profusely for being brave enough to step up to the plate (I kid because everyone has thought that I would be a bridezilla, but I am nothing like that at all!)
The restaurant provided us an intimate setting where we laughed, cried, planned, and enjoyed bottomless mimosas and brunch until we were stuffed! Everything turned out exactly like I hoped it would and I am so elated to be taking this journey with them! So with all of this being said I am so very happy to introduce you all to the #StokesLoveStory Bridal Party!
Matron of Honor: ShaTonia Chapman
Shatonia and I have known each other the shortest amount of time, but time truly knows no boundaries. From the moment we met, we immediately clicked and I knew that she would play an extremely important role in my life. We met through a Christian organization and I couldn’t have asked for a more dedicated, loving, and supportive friend! No matter what I have going on good or bad, she is there offering a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, and her heartfelt support without being asked! In addition she is the married woman out of our bunch and the love that she and her husband share is so encouraging! She has given me a wealth of advice that I will truly cherish in our days to come!
Maid of Honor: Nathifa Riley
Nathifa and I have been friends since high school so she has experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly in my life and she is still here! She is my very best friend, my confidant, one of my biggest supporters and my sister for life! We have grown into successful young women together and I can honestly say that my life would not be the same if she were not in it. I admire her strength, her wisdom, and her grace! I love her more than words could ever express and I can’t wait to see what the future will bring for us both!
Maid of Honor: Januari Street
There are some people who come into your life who you truly can’t live without! Words can never express the love I have for this woman. To say that she is loyal, strong, resilient, and selfless wound be an extreme understatement. We have experiences many highs and lows and every in between imaginable together and this experience would never be the same without her! She gives so much of herself to everyone and I want her to know how much I appreciate her for everything that she does and has done to contribute to our wedding planning process and to my life overall. I could go on and on about how much of a great person she is, but for now I will just say that I love her and I am more than happy to be taking this important step in my life with her right by my side!
Bridesmaid: Tia Posey
Tia and I met my sophomore year in college and while our first encounter is one that will go down in the history books, our friendship is one that will last until the end of time! Over the years she has provided me with a listening ear, an open heart, and more laughter than I could ever handle. Her spirit is genuine, and her friendship is pure and unconditional. If ever I need anything, she has been there for me and I have given the same in return. She is one of the closest friends I have ever had and I am so happy to be taking this walk with her side by side.
Bridesmaid: Ellen Porter
Ellen and I have known each other the longest, literally all of our lives! She is my God-sister and he mother and my mother have been friends since before we were born. If you are looking for someone who epitomizes style and grace, this is the woman for you. She is one of a kind, and will give you her very last if you needed it to survive. No matter what, she is there for me if ever I am in need to provide sound advice, genuine support and unconditional love, and I love her for that! I haven’t met anyone else in this worked like her, and I am so very blessed to have her in my wedding, but most importantly in my life!
Bridesmaid: Jaazmine Parker
Without Jaaz, none of this would be possible! She is the friend who slyly invited me to the dinner where I met La’Bre! While I never would have thought that after that meeting we would be where we are today, but I don’t know what life would be like if we weren’t. Because the two of them worked together she has given me some sound advice and words of encouragement on how to deal with La’bre and his antics which has helped me out a lot! She is hardworking, supportive, funny, and a bona fide true friend! We met just about three years ago and clicked immediately! If I ever need someone to cheer me up, listen to one of my bridal rants, or to keep me on a straight and narrow path she is the one to call! In her I know that I will always have a true friend.
I also have two very beautiful Junior Bridesmaids as well! They are my 14 year old nieces Daji and London and I have had the pleasure of watching them both grow up to be extremely beautiful young ladies. They both have straight A’s in school, they excel in their extra curricular activities and they mean the world to me! There is no way imaginable that I couldn’t have them play such an intricate part in my special day and I am thankful that they too said YES!
Being a Bride-to-be has taught me so much about love, life, and friendships, and I have honestly found some of my very best friends throughout this process. There have been so many people who have come and gone even in this short time who I thought would be with me from start to finish and beyond, but these girls have shown me that they are dedicated to not only helping be get down the aisle but to my life as a whole. Those who haven’t been present during this journey have definitely opened my eyes and I will never be able to express my gratitude to these 8 ladies (Juniors included) ever in life! Thank you all so much for sharing in this journey with me, I love you more than you will ever know!!
With love,
Keisha
