Jean M Blog

Where are they now? We catch up with 2009 Bride Search Winners, Johnika and Darrell!

Johnika and Darrell have been busy since their wedding last summer! We caught up with the happy couple between working hard on doctoral program applications (Johnika) and a new job (Darrell) to find out what they’ve been up to since saying “I do.”

Johnika’s favorite memory of her wedding day was getting ready. “I was so excited and anxious that when I think back on the day, it was the calmest time,” she says. “My mother surprised me by getting a luxury suite in a new hotel on the Potomac Waterfront. Just thinking about it gives me goose bumps because the morning was very calm and peaceful.”

“Watching my wife walk down the aisle is my favorite wedding memory,” says Darrell. “It was such a mind opening experience to realize that I was marrying my first love. When were announced husband and wife it was a relief but also joy because I knew I was blessed with an opportunity to spend the rest of my life with Johnika.”

The couple says they’re loving having wedding mementos displayed in their home, like the vases from their sand ceremony and their memorial candle. They have a framed copy of their wedding invitation on display (“Everyone loved our invitations!” says Johnika) and also their photo signature mat with their engagement photo.

The couple went on a honeymoon cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Martin and Haiti, and won the honeymoon game on board!

 

Darrell surprised Johnika with tickets to see The Wiz on Broadway for her birthday.

 

At the door of their first home together.

 

It was good to hear from you, Johnika and Darrell!

Update on Bride Search Winner Michele's wedding plans!

We've just heard from Michele, our 2010 Bride Search Winner, and her wedding is coming along beautifully. Here are her latest accomplishments, plans and dreams — I hope they inspire you for YOUR wedding planning!

"The design and quality of our save the dates were phenomenal! I had no intention of sending out save the dates, but I am so glad the team at Jean M convinced me to. We received countless compliments on them. The red envelope we mailed them in was a classy finishing touch. Now I'm so excited to have our wedding invitations in our hands! We are almost done finalizing the wording for the different parts of the invitation.

 

"I'm also excited about the peacock feather design Jean M designed for us. It will be on everything from our invitations to our unity candle to our cocktail napkins. It was really important for me to have peacock feathers incorporated into our wedding. On the day Carl proposed to me, I was walking along a trail in a beautiful sculpture park, looking for Carl. Beautiful peacocks roamed freely along the trail and I will never forget their vibrant colored feathers...it was truly magical.

"With only three months to go before our big day, Carl and I are working on the church ceremony and will be meeting with our singer and organist to pick out music. We are also deciding which friends and family members will be reading for us during the ceremony.

"We've also just met with our florist, and that meeting painted a beautiful picture in my mind of what my wedding day will look like! The flower shop is owned by Carl's cousin Joe. I am giving Carl all the credit for picking out the flowers — he used to work at the flower shop in high school and college. He chose Black Magic roses for the boutonniere and bridesmaid bouquets because they're the flowers he always sends me on Valentine's Day. My bouquet will be made of vanilla roses, vanilla peonies and vanilla hydrangeas. The centerpieces will have tall, antique silver candelabra adorned with vanilla flowers with a few Black Magic roses. The candles will be lit and strands of crystals will be draped from the flowers. That sounds like true "Old Hollywood Glamour" if you ask me!

"We do have one money-saving tip for other brides: We're eliminating the champagne filled glasses at each place setting for the toast. We decided to let our guests use their drinks of choice from the cocktail hour for the toasting. We saved $300 by doing this — and every penny counts!"

Thanks for the update, Michele! We'll be sharing more details from her wedding as her big day gets closer.

 

Enjoy!

Find out all about the wedding of our 2009 Bride Search Winners, Johnika and Darrell!

Johnika and Darrell were married this summer in a stylish ceremony overlooking Baltimore Harbor. It was a meaningful event that reflected their faith, their love for one another and their love for their family and friends.

 

All the bright and daring colors Johnika loves were featured in the celebration: coral, orange, azalea pink, yellow and gold hues. She started the whole event off with a bold look — a Jean M "Jade" invitation in a fuchsia pocket accented with orange ribbon and ink. The custom monogram their friend created for the couple made its first appearance on the paper seal and the invitation inside. It was also featured prominently throughout the wedding, from the invitations to place cards to their custom engraved, acrylic cake top.

 

The bridesmaids were visions, dressed in azalea pink gowns and carrying brightly colored bouquets of roses....

 

...and the colorful flowers were carried through to the corsages worn by other attendants and special guests.

 

Even the men got in on the stylish action with azalea pink vests and ties!

 

I had a wonderful time at their wedding and was touched by the love and happiness that was evident in the couple and all their guests. What an honor to be a part of such a wonderful celebration!

 

Read more about Johnika's and Darrell's wedding and see more photos on our website now!

 

Enjoy!

Get some hints about our Bride Search Winner's wedding plans!

Michele and Carl, our 2010 Bride Search Winners, just had their one-on-one consultation and we had a lovely time planning, dreaming and brainstorming ideas for their April 2010 wedding!

We pored over invitation styles and paper colors...

...and ceremony accessories and reception accessories until our heads were spinning!

And then we began making decisions. 

Michele's classy style and her clear vision of her elegant, glamorous, "Old Hollywood" theme made it easy to narrow down the items that would be perfect for her day. Here's just a few of the things that will "star" at the wedding...

Michele LOVED our "grace" invitation, but asked us to add a few exclusive, personal details — she's thinking about an aqua, cream and champagne shimmer combination (oh-so-chic). Stay tuned to see the final look!

Michele imagined elegant wedding toasts with these unique, cylindrical flutes.  We can envision them, too!

Her color scheme will be carried through to the last detail — even the photo albums!

We'll be adding some fresh, new items sure to add glamour and sparkle to Michele and Carl's DAZZLING wedding...keep checking back for their final decisions and to see how the whole look comes together!

Enjoy!

Introducing…the 2010 Jean M Bride Search Winner!

I’m excited and thrilled to announce the winner of the 2010 Jean M Bride Search Contest:

Michele DelAversano!

                                              

                                                      

 

We knew Michele was our Jean M bride when she told us that her style is classy and glamorous — and that she wants the help of Jean M to create a wedding that captures the true essence of her love for Carl. Michele and Carl are stylish people who like different things and their creative minds started working when they saw the customizable invitations and accessories from Jean M. Michele is excited about creating little details that will make her wedding memorable. We can’t wait to meet with them to choose invitations and accessories that display their unique personalities!

 

                     

 

 

Thanks to each and every one of you who entered the contest. We loved reading about your plans, your dreams and your ideas! You can still read about the other entrants on our Facebook page and get ideas for your own wedding.

~ Jean