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Bride of the Year 2008

Eric & Keyana

Welcome to our blog! The date's been set and we're getting married on July 26, 2008! We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for us. We feel truly blessed. Over the next few weeks we’ll be blogging about our whole Bride of the Year 2008 experience. If you want to know more about our wedding details, you can visit our wedding website for more updates. We’re happy to take you along with us on our journey, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

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August 4, 2008

I Do…You May Kiss Your Bride

Well Bridal Guide readers, we did it!!! The wedding was everything Keyana and I expected. Keyana was so beautiful in her Mon Cheri Bridal gown, and yes, I was crying when she came down the aisle. I must admit that I was also looking good in my Jean Yves tux.

Walking up the aisle after our I do's

Here’s a quick rundown of our big day:

The Ceremony & Reception

Our wedding even brought out famous celebrities, such as P. Diddy, to Central Park. OK...OK…he was really there to spend some time in the park with his family, but we did let him know that there would be seats for him and his family if they wanted to get out of the NYC heat. Tavern on the Green went over and beyond to make the day unforgettable. They took care of everything, allowing us to relax and enjoy the ceremony and reception. The staff was unbelievable. Nicole Slifko and Julie Koven helped us throughout the process of planning the ceremony and reception.

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Posted by Eric & Keyana Gray at 10:55 a.m. | Comments (2)

July 31, 2008

I Now Pronounce You...

Hi everyone! Lori here from the "Here Comes the Wedding" blog to share some pictures of the big Bride of the Year wedding. This past Saturday Keyana and Eric finally said their "I do's" at Tavern on the Green, and home design editor Aimée Morgan and I were lucky enough to attend. We snapped a few behind-the-scenes photos just for you. Check them out:

When I arrived at Keyana's bridal suite at the Grand Hyatt, she was in the middle of getting prepped by her bridesmaids. She didn't look the least bit nervous as everyone moved around her.

Keyana's wedding dress had a few wrinkles, so it had to be steamed.

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Posted by Lori at 3:35 p.m. | Comments (2)

July 23, 2008

Return to New York

I know it's been a while since you've heard from our awesome couple, but with the wedding this weekend (I know, time just flew) they've been a little busy with last-minute preparations. So, I'm here to give you a behind-the-scenes look at their last photo shoot. Without further ado, here's your sneak peak at their photo spread for our November/December issue:

After a hectic 24 hours (including a thunderstorm in New York that delayed their arrival), Keyana and Eric arrived at the downtown Manhattan loft for their photo shoot. Here, Keyana and BG art director Mary Cate Godfrey go over the day's schedule.

Makeup artist Giovanni Giuntoli preps Keyana for her close-up.

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Posted by Lori at 5:23 p.m. | Comments (0)

June 6, 2008

Fun Idea

Here’s a fun idea for wedding centerpieces: Incorporate your engagement pictures as part of the centerpiece. Using your pictures helps make your wedding more personal and gives guests that may not know both of you that well a look into your life together. It can also be a great conversational piece for those at the table who would most likely not be talking. Be creative and have fun—it’s your day!

Posted by Keyana at 12:31 p.m. | Comments (1)

June 2, 2008

The Perfect Stamp

To me this is another little detail that often gets overlooked. The stamps you use on your wedding invitations and on the return envelopes should not look like you’re about to read a postcard from someone on vacation. Many people don’t realize that the USPS offers wedding stamps that are much more attractive than the standard-issue stamps everyone gets. You can find them at shop.usps.com. The smallest details always get overlooked, so take some time out for the things that you think no one will notice. The small things make all the difference.

Posted by Keyana at 11:05 a.m. | Comments (0)

May 30, 2008

Personal Touch

When planning your wedding you can get bombarded by more advice than you can handle, but the bottom line is you have to make your wedding personal. This is your day, so make it reflect you, and not your friends, mother-in-law, mom or the latest celebrity wedding you saw plastered all over the TV. Your wedding should reflect you and your groom's personalities. The key is in the details—the small things that reflect who you are.

We have this idea to attach little silver charms that have a "G" or “Love” to almost everything. Then we would like to use similar silver charms that have the same monogram on all our party favors. We want to carry the theme of our monogram throughout our wedding. We feel it ties everything together and reflects who we are to everyone. Find a theme that fits your personality and go with it.

Posted by Keyana at 10:09 a.m. | Comments (0)

May 28, 2008

Eye Makeup 101

OK ladies, I’m completely clueless when it comes to makeup. I’ve been doing my makeup the same way for the last…well, that’s not important. The point is I could use a serious makeover for the wedding. So I went in search of some tips on applying makeup for your wedding and found some great tips on the Mary Kay site. It walks you through the process of how to do your eyes and lips based on your personal eye and lip shape. Although there are some of us who will have to do our own makeup, it’s very important to do a trial run with someone who does this professionally, i.e. the mall or your local beauty salon where you can get tips for the big day. And Ladies, please, please practice applying your makeup. If you don’t want to do this, assign someone in the wedding party to do it for you. Let them do a few practice runs so you look as though you had it professionally done for you big day.

Posted by Keyana at 2:05 p.m. | Comments (0)

May 20, 2008

Good News

On Mother's Day, Eric finally received a kidney transplant! He's doing great and is already back home recuperating. We wish Eric all the best for a speedy recovery.

If you'd like to send the couple a message, just comment below or visit their wedding website.

Posted by Lori at 2:12 p.m. | Comments (0)

May 12, 2008

Falling for New York City

We just returned from our Mon Cheri Bridals and Jean Yves (contest sponsors) photo shoot in New York City. This was our first trip to New York—what a way to experience the BIG CITY. We arrived at the Grand Hyatt NYC (just a short walk from Times Square) at about 10 a.m., which was a little early for check-in, so we stored our luggage at the hotel and decided to pass the time by walking around Manhattan. We noticed that in order to walk through the streets you must possess a certain disposition, or you will get stepped on. This was after getting pushed by an elderly woman with a cane and elbowed countless times by others walking along the sidewalks.

We decided to take a taxi to Central Park and visit Tavern on the Green, the location of our wedding ceremony and reception. If you have never ridden in a taxi through the streets of New York City, believe me, it is an adventure. Maybe it was our driver, but the last time I experienced a ride like that I was at an amusement park. After sliding around the back seat for about 15 minutes, we arrived at Central Park. It was as expected: people sitting in the grass reading, playing and sleeping. There were people jogging and cycling around the park and others walking their dogs. We arrived at Tavern on the Green and took a tour of the facilities. It is a beautiful place for a wedding.

After taking another roller coaster ride, oops…I mean taxi ride, back to the hotel, we checked in. The Grand Hyatt gave us a luxurious suite that overlooked downtown. After getting some food we toured the city a little more, walking to Times Square and other nearby tourist attractions (Grand Central Terminal, Empire State Building). We went back to the hotel to get some rest for the photo shoot the next day.

The photo shoot took place in the Presidential Suite at the Grand Hyatt. We had the opportunity to get photographed by Shannon Greer. He is a genius with the camera. Giovanni Giuntoli, the makeup artist, was amazing. Keyana’s makeup was flawless. He even made me look good on camera. The stylist, Ionia Dunn Lee, is so talented. The entire staff was so kind. They treated us like we were celebrities. They took pictures of us in various tuxedos and wedding gowns. I was amazed how little direction Keyana needed. It was as if she had modeled before. She was beautiful. Overall, the photo shoot went great, except for our embarrassing fall in front of the Grand Hyatt’s entrance:

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Posted by Eric at 10:32 a.m. | Comments (3)

May 1, 2008

Who came up with idea of wedding favors?

I get that they're a polite gesture to thank people for coming to your wedding, but do I honestly need a cookie with your monogram on it? I feel bad saying this knowing how much thought goes into planning a wedding, but it seems as if most favors are left on the table or trashed as soon as you get home. With this in mind I started to think of favor alternatives. Since we are having a wedding out of town, our biggest issue will be getting a travel-friendly gift that everyone can take home to remember our Big Day. Most of our guests are flying into New York, so we need favors that will pass through security and aren’t your everyday monogrammed food. We haven’t come up with anything insanely original, so we may need a little help…

HELP!!!!! WE NEED IDEAS!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Eric at 11:32 a.m. | Comments (3)