Everyone I know just simply gets extremely excited when they hear of someone who is about to get married, tie the knot, jump the broom.
Marriage is the oldest union known to man–the first contractual agreement that was made by two people, ordained by God. As it is read in the scripture–the Bible, “This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one will be called Woman, Because from man she was taken.” Genesis 2:23. Adam in essence recited poetry once being presented to his woman, his wife, the mother of all living today.
Since then marriage has evolved in so many ways. It has become a controversial topic of who should get married, and when one can get married, and who should be doing the choosing. The wedding itself today has superseded the actual union itself between the two people causing couples to try to outdo or keep up with fairy tale fantasies that simply do not exist, without paying a hefty price and finding out otherwise.
WBM Concierge team had the honor and pleasure of working with one magnificent couple this past year when they contacted us to produce their wedding, with our team of elite vendors. The groom, Keith Hawkins did the calling, he had read an article and contacted me, and wanted to know what can I do to help him plan his wedding. I was over the moon. I quickly called a meeting and contacted the appropriate vendors that would execute their needs. Our vendor’s list is truly premier in every sense of the word. Our team has the mindset of “Have passport will travel.” And come they did. Far and near. While we used a local wedding planning company Isen Productions, Enrique, and Israel, officiant Leticia Carrazana, and DJ Shao. Our florist, and designer, Florence Croizer, founder of Les Fleurs de Ninon, and co-founder of the Wedding District, flew from France, as well as the filmmaker Remi the half of the husband and wife duo of Diana Studio.
So the goal of Keith and Yolanda was simply to commit to each other surrounded by love, and people who loved them that would protect their union.
They selected to do a destination wedding because they are avid travelers and wanted to share a travel experience with an intimate group of people they knew would feel comfortable traveling.
They were very particular about every single detail of the wedding that would set the tone of their nuptials, and it started with their invitation which they acquired through Tiffany’s in New York City. The staff at Tiffany’s provided us with the most amazing services–Hilaree Fahra and Robin Harleston. They educated them on paper quality, font selection and the art of paper presentation.
Please note that your invite sends a specific message to your invited guests.
Full name: Yolanda Hawkins (nee Glover) & Keith Hawkins
Occupation: Yolanda – Human Resources, Keith – Controller
Cultural background: Yolanda – African-American, Keith – African-American
How did you meet: Match.com
What does love mean to you:
Yolanda – Love is kind, gentle, forgiving, sweet, generous, joyful, understanding, and complicated. When you find a life-partner you find that missing link, something that is bigger than anything you could have asked or imagined – you find overflowing joy and God’s promise fulfilled.
What does family mean to you?
Keith – A partner in life to share food, fun, travels, and troubles. It means those that are closest to you that you can count on. Family in my opinion doesn’t need to be related by blood.
Yolanda – Family means having someone to love and someone to love me.
What are 7 points you would share with couples planning their wedding:
- Make sure you search the internet for what you like but be realistic about what things cost.
- Make a budget and stick to it.
- Be open and flexible when change is necessary. Have an alternate plan for everything.
- Have a point person that can speak for you when things go wrong (and they will) so that you can enjoy your wedding and reception. This is not the wedding planner or Day of Event Coordinators.
- Ignore rude people, including family. Block out the negative energy and difficult people.
- There is never enough time to do everything on the day of the wedding.
- Have a full rehearsal before the wedding.
- Understand the process and timing of what is required of you
What was the most important thing to you both when planning your wedding – That the guest enjoyed themselves and that we had a day filled with joy and happy memories.
At the end of it all, this love story was being marinated for a lifetime… and our photographer Jan Freire documented what will be a best seller for the Hawkins.
