Not Easily Broken

You're Married. The Honeymoon is over. So, after all of that planning, how do you build a solid marriage and make it work? So many of us get caught up in the planning of a wedding that we don't think about the marriage, and that it takes a lot of WORK!

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of viewing the film Not Easily Broken, which was directed by Bill Duke and based on the novel Not Easily Broken by Bishop T.D. Jakes. Bishop Jakes, pastor of the Potter's House in Dallas Texas, and lead male actor in the film Morris Chesnut served as Executive Producers and I would highly recommend that all married couples go see this film. The film also stars Taraji P. Henson, Eddie Cibrian, Jenifer Lewis, Wood Harris, Kevin Hart, Niecy Nash, Maeve Quinlan, Cannon Jay and a great supporting cast.

This heartwarming film really focuses on the ups and downs of marriage and the challenges it takes to sustain it. Although the film focuses on marriage from a Christian perspective, I believe that all married couples can get something out of this film. When I left the theater I had tears of joys in my eyes and it made me reflect on marriage and the importance of working at it no matter what obstacles come up. Communication, Mutual Respect, Trust, Love & Honesty are the keys to making a marriage work.




Here is a brief SYNOPSIS of the film and please go see it, you won't regret it!

Dave and Clarice Johnson are in their second decade of marriage. Dave’s dreams of major league baseball success were dashed by an injury in college, leading him to a steady but unfulfilling career as the head of a small construction firm. Clarice is basking in the glow of real estate stardom, creating a life that revolves around her rise to the top. She has become blind to Dave’s needs, the most important being his desire to become a father and start a family with her. They face a total disruption in their lives when a car crash seriously injures Clarice, whose meddling mother, Mary, blames Dave for her daughter’s leg injuries and derailed career. Help comes in the form of kind-hearted physical therapist and single mom Julie Sawyer, whose son Bryson is coached by Dave and his pals Brock and Tree in Little League baseball. Though Clarice is helped by Julie’s care, she becomes concerned that her constant criticism of Dave has pushed her husband away--possibly into the arms of the empathetic Julie. Soon Dave and Clarice must face a married couple’s most serious questions: are we really meant to be together, and if we are, how do we fight to keep what we have built as man and wife?

Guest Blogger: The Anti~Diva

Please welcome our Guest Blogger the Anti~Diva. She is a New York City passion, products, and perks guru who will be stopping by from time to time to spread a little of her insight. According to the Anti~Diva: “Being a Diva should never be stereotypical !!” So, without further adieu please welcome our Guest Blogger:


I DEW

Every girl dreams of looking absolutely stunning on their wedding day. However, before the dress, the make-up, before the hair can be done, you need the perfect palette. Say “I Dew” to healthy, glowing, smooth and dewy skin with just a few simple steps and products.





The Beautiful Skin Workout
In my never ending search to find the perfect product for beautiful skin, I learned that achieving creamy and flawless skin is easy and doesn’t need to cost you “an arm & an a leg”. In my travels I came across the best product ever for healthy skin – KNOWLEDGE ! Check out the book, “The Beautiful Skin Workout” by Michelle Copeland, M.D., D.M.D. I promise you it is the best $15.00 you will ever spend on your body.





The rules are simple:

Follow the Ten Commandments of Creamy Skin,

Eliminate lifestyle habits that prevent you from looking your best,

Identify everyday products that are ineffective or outright harmful to skin,

Master the five exercises: Cleanse, Ex foliate, Activate, Moisture, and Protect, and

Design a custom program based on your skin type.



What exactly are the Ten Commandments of Creamy Skin? Now, what kind of Anti~Diva would I be if I left you totally in the dark.

Ten Commandments of Creamy Skin

Thou shalt wear sun protection.

Thou shalt clean your face at least once a day.

Thou shalt not subject yourself to extremes, whether excessive UV exposure, binge drinking, and eating, or wildly fluctuating water temperatures.

Thou shalt treat your body’s skin as well as you do your face.

Thou shalt learn how to ex foliate properly and do it religiously.

Thou shalt eat a healthy balanced diet – and drink a lot of water.

Thou shalt slather on such antioxidants, as vitamins E and C or green tea every day.

Thou shalt not be afraid of pigment-reducing creams; use them daily.

Thou shalt make anti aging creams and serums your new best friends and apply them at least once a day.

Thou shalt not smoke.



This book promises to take you from Alligator skin to Creamy skin in just 8 weeks. I have a classroom fully of raging hormone teenagers that can attest to improving their skin by following only some of the commandments, some of the time ! Imagine if they actually stuck to the plan.

My regimen for healthy skin:

Drink at least 2 gallons of water daily.

Remove make-up with Clinique’s “Take the day off Cleansing Balm” make-up remover.

Cleanse (various cleansers, depending on the area & what my skin needs) However, I never wash my face with bar soap – too harsh !

Moisturize with Clinique’s “Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion” twice per day.

Moisturize the body using Soft and Beautiful Skin Body Butter Cream (winter) and Body Oil Gel (summer).

Use UV protection ( usually SPF 30 or 45)

Ex foliate bi-weekly

See your dermatologist.

Finally, the one sure way to say “ I Dew” ….DO NOT HAVE A FACIAL IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE BIG DAY !!!



Mwah ~ TTFN,

The A.D.

Tis the Season to Holiday Party!

December is here, which means that invitations have been rolling in for holiday parties, dinners, lunches and gatherings. This time of year is always nice to gather with friends and family to reminisce and remember good times and to be with the people we most cherish. If you are planning on attempting your own soiree this holiday season here are a few ideas for you to make your event extra special!
If you celebrate Christmas:Turn the tables on the standard red and green color scheme and go all white! Using a momochromatic scheme will aloow you to give the feeling of frosty snowfall indoors without the temperature drop. Add hints and splashes reds, greens and silvers or if you want a little more fun add in pinks, yellows, golds and muted or bright blues. For added fun have your guests dress in all white as well and have a man-made snowfall for right after dessert and just before coffee!








If you celebrate Hanukkah:
Grab the potato pancakes and add some spice to them! Mix up up the latkes by using sweet potatoes, svaory veggies like zuchinni and squash to make these wonderful treats. Incorprate the number 8 into your party such as having 8 dishes or course if you want to go all out for the night. If you want to have more than a few spirits at your event vodka cocktails and hypnotic will stay with the traditional blue and white color pallate.




If you celebrate Kwanaza:
Kick of this holiday right with a countdwon from Christmas into Kwanzaa before the 7 day celebration begins. Another way to clebrate would be to invite family and friends over for a lavish dinner party and share stories, memories and maybe even a slide show or two of great times. If you want to change the mood have an array of candles set up to offer a warm inviting glow to the place. For a togetherness party such as this family style dishes are reccommended instead of individually plated fare.

HOW to HANDLE the LAST DAYS...

So, your BIG DAY is almost here. You are in double-digits and have 99 days or less to go until your wedding. When it gets down to cruch time, many bride-to-be's become fantic, stressed out, and can even turn into Bridezilla. Here are some great tips to handle the LAST DAYS leading up until your wedding:


1. If you have not done so, consider hiring a wedding coordinator for the day of. They can help you stay stress free and avoid any poetential pitfalls that could occur on the big day. You will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and focus on your soon-to-be husband, family and friends.





2. Start an exerecise regiment like bellydance, yoga or even walking. It will help you relax, release tension and help your overall health and well being.





3. Enjoy lucnch or dinner with your bridesmaids and pamper your self with a spa treatment, manicure and pedicure before the big day!




4. Plan something fun for just you and your finace' not related to the wedding. Planning a wedding can lead to stress for both of you, and doing an activity not related to the wedding will give you an opportunity to focus on one another.





5. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, practice relaxation and breathing techniques. You will be surprised how much inhaling and exhaling can help calm you down!

How Much Is It??

Ah yes! That pertinent question that always seems to cause red faces, stressed nerves, and eventually empty pockets. Setting and creating a budget for your event or wedding can be a difficult thing. If you are like me you have an amount that you'd like the event to cost but if you go over budget oh well and if it comes in under budget, kudos to you!

When we initially sit down with clients to discuss their budget we often have to give them harsh realitites of how much things will actually cost them in the end. It seems that while they are throwing out ideas and fantasizing about their day they are completly shutting out the fact that they have to pay for all of the glamour and probably have a bill or two to pay on the side. What many clients don't remember is that once you make the budget, you have to stick with it until the actual event. When it gets nearer to the date many couples come up short with funds and that is the time when the largest and most important aspects you can't skimp on need to be paid (i.e. the final venue payment, transportation, flowers, etc.).






Before you dive into purchasing things and committing to every cute and spectacular idea you see, take a moment to write out all of the things you may need for the event. Once you have made the list estimate how much you want to spend on each line item. Don't forget to do your research on prices in your area or in the area that your event is being held. Always remember to include shipping, tax and gratuity where needed, most people leave these things out and get stressed when they go over budget due to miscalculations.

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

When it comes to a bride choosing her special ladies in waiting it is often an easy task. You may be a bride that can rattle off 5 names at the drop of a hat. Other brides are not so lucky, debating and deliberating over who these special picks will be. Some worry that family members feelings will be hurt and friends will see how "unimportant" they are, which isn't true. A bride must remember a few things when making a big decision like this.



Card by cafepress.com



1. How many people do you want in your bridal party and is this number flexible? You have to see how many attendants you an afford to have in your wedding and make sure the groom can match that number.
2. Have you promised a spot to someone before making your final decision? Sometimes in the excitement of taking about weddings, brides want all of their girlfriends to be their bridesmaids until they make out the list and want to import a few family members as well.
3. Will the people you are choosing be reliable and supportive of your wedding? This is an important question because you need your bridesmaids to assist you when you need them to, show for fittings and meetings and support you and you future husband in making your day special.
4. Will your bridesmaids be accommodating but also know when to give an opinion? You will want your bridesmaids to wear a dress of your choosing so to help the process be as painless a possible you will want to have maids that are accommodating to your requests, as long as they are outlandish. It's also good to have maids that will give you opinions on things and be able to give them with tact and compassion.
5. Make sure that your special girls are available to be your bridesmaid. This not only includes the actual day of the wedding but also let them know that they will have fittings, rehearsals, showers and monetary obligations that they will be agreeing to.So what's the big deal about choosing your bridesmaids?
6. If you wind up choosing a mismatched group of people they may not get along or work well together, leaving you to hear about the arguments and catty comments. This is a special time for you as a bride and should be a happy occasion so really consider personalities, personal situations, and lifestyles when choosing your bridesmaids.

Wedding Bell Blues

A frazzled bride is very easy to find especially if it is the month of her wedding! Last minute changes, non responsive guests, family fiascoes and paying the final deposits to almost every vendor you have recruited can be a hassle, heartache and make you break the bank. If you are a bride and you have hit the point of no return on the stress meter here are a few ways that you can decompress without your fiancee and friends thinking you should be committed.




Sleep Tight

Create a firm stop time when all wedding talk ceases for the day. This will allow you to step away from the details that can be a pain and keep you up all hours of the night. A suggestion would be to stop at least 2 hours before your bedtime so that you can unwind, breathe and calm yourself for some much needed sleep. Many times when stress is piled on sleep is the first thing that is avoided. Try some calming tunes like jazz or a babbling brook to help you unwind and slip into dreamland.






From time to time we all feel that if we want something done right we need to do it ourselves, but in the case of impending nuptials and a rapidly depleting time schedule we could be our own worst enemy. Many brides find that within weeks of their big day the to-do list that they have gets longer rather than shorter. This is a good time to enlist your arsenal of bridesmaids. Yes they did commit to being your bridesmaid and support you through this special time so why not include them on a few tasks to complete too. Simple things such as picking up the guestbook or grabbing the flower girls shoes from the store shouldn't put them out too much.



Hitting the gym for some cardio, taking a kickboxing class or even running can take the edge of and reduce your stress level. In addition to kicking stresses but you can also get yours into shape for the big day while you're at it. Working out releases endorphins and boost your mood, it is also a great way to leave some of that aggression behind before facing families or fiancees.


Even though he is your soon to be husband don't forget that he is the cutie pie you swooned over before he put the ring on your finger. Don't forget to spend time with your soon-to-be by having a date night or do an activity that is totally non-wedding related. Make these times with your finacee completely void of wedding talk and just enjoy each others company. Another way to de-stress call your friends (throw in some that have nothing to do with your wedding too) and go out, it would be fabulous to get a group of friends together for dinner and a movie, shopping and brunch, or drinks and Sex and the City DVD's.

Did You Know?

You can bring nature and a more earthy feel into your home by changing just the accessories and a few decor points in your home! Our homes are our own personal signatures we establish in life, each one as unique as our voices and penmanship. In this day in age being green is a concept that has a large following and will most likely be here to stay so why not bring that green nature feeling inside for awhile? How can you bring something so vast as nature into your home you ask? It's not very difficult at all and can be easy enough for even the most low maintenance person that wants to connect a little further with mother earth.

Outdoor Elements

Bringing in some scenic elements such as a waterfall or setting up stones or shells in glass vases around to give the feel of a natural setting is a good way to start. Setting up a small area for plants either hanging or potted can give the feel of outdoors. Another way is to have fake branches in a tall floor vase displayed in a rooms corner or a whole fake tree can give you that indoor garden appeal.

Destination Wedding Hair & Make-Up: What's a Girl to Do?

So you are a destination wedding bride. You are marrying the man of your dreams in an exoctic location but wait...what are you supposed to do about your hair and make-up? This is a question that gets asked a lot among destination wedding brides. Destination Wedding photo courtesy of Haskins Photography in Tampa Florida.

Don't worry, because there are plenty of options for destination wedding brides and although you may want to fly in your regular stylists and make-up artists from home the majority of destination brides do not have the budget to do that.

Option One:

If you are having a resort wedding, most of the resorts in the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico have made it easy for destination wedding brides. All of these full service resorts have their own salons with hairstylists and make-up artists on the property. Make sure you call ahead to book your appointment before you arrive at the resort.

Option Two:

If you don't want to use the resort's salon, you can always find local hair and make-up artists, which is what we did for Landra's upcoming wedding in Jamaica. Do searches on line and look in the local yelllow pages for your particular destination. In Landra's case the internet and Jamaican Yellow pages were extremely helpful! We found a local stylist that we are using for Landra and her bridal party in Jamaica that does airbrush make-up, lashes, extensions for hair, basically the works! Make sure you book in advance and bring pictures for your stylist of the look you are going for. If possible, arrive to your destination early enough so you can have a trial a day or two before the wedding.


Option Three:

You can always opt to do you hair and make-up yourself or have someone in your bridal party do it. If you are going to do your own make-up have a hair and make-up trial in your home location so that you can purchase the products. For make-up we would higly recommend MAC because they have a huge line of cosmetics in their stores and online and it is very easy to schedule a make-up trial with them in one of their locations.

But what if you want airbrush make-up which is the latest trend but you can't find anyone in your location that does it? Buy your own airbrush kit and do it yourself. You can buy an airbrush kit for a resonable price from Luminess Air, and it even comes with an instructional video.

With a little planning and effort, you can have beautiful hair and make-up for your unique destination wedding no matter where it is!

Did You Know?

EVENTistas not only blogs about weddings, but we also blog about interior design projects and ideas for couples and their new home or apartment! Most of the time new couples that get hitched will move into their new 'nest' after their big day. This is where couples sometimes struggle over the "yours, mine and ours" concept. Merging two styles is never easy and trying to determine what stays and what goes can be a headache for the new couple.Here are a few tips to get started if you are about to combine all the his and hers worldy possesions into one cozy home.



Tip # 1 - Make at least one or two items off limits to get rid of. This helps especially when you (men) see your things being tossed in boxes and shipped out faster than a Netflix video!


Tip # 2 - Try not to make this too feminie or too masucline because this will make it seem like your other half doesn't live there. Compromise on colors, textures, and themes.


Tip # 3 - Don't over do it. I am all for balance in a room and having both parties be comfortable but when you are trying to combine too many things into one space; items get lost, and the feel of the room becomes over crowded.


Tip # 4 - Learn when to let go. Just like that old tshirt you've had since your freshman year of college some of your belongings are way past expiration date. Some things just can't be salvaged like milk crates being used as seating, old shopping bags that you may need to use at any given time, or any items that fall into the I-don't-know-what-it-is-but-I-may-need-it category


Tip # 5 - Collectibles. There is a neverending list of things that people collect and even more reasons why they started collecting that specific thing. Here's how to handle it: depending on what kind of collection it is it may be something that can be displayed in your home (depending on size). If the collector is content with having their collection stored away, you may want to try packaging it carefully and moving it to the basement or attic. This way the collector still has their stuff and its out of the way.


If you have more questions or need more tips email us at myeventistas@yahoo.com