Royal Wedding Advice: 10 Tips for the Perfect Wedding (Guest Post)
Passionista Principle: Trip over love and you can get up. Fall in love and you fall forever.
The Royal Wedding of Prince Wiliam to fab commoner Kate Middleton is upon us. Someone asked me yesterday if I cared. It’s not that I care, but yes, I am participating because it’s fun. Watching the royal wedding is like watching the Superbowl. It is an amusing distraction.
Today, the wedding day, I was a part of the ultimate wedding tailgate. TLC invited me in my official capacity as you Lifestyle Passionista to broadcast my love advice vlog from the Times Square VIP Royal Wedding Watching Party. Yeah, I wore my (sexy) wedding guest gown and tiara. Photos soon. It was a blast.
Meanwhile, if for whatever reason you don’t have the royal budget at your disposal, below find the top 10 tips from wedding pros for the nuptials of your dreams. Thanks to diamond distributor Whiteflash.com for the heads up.
Your wedding is your big day, and you want everything to be perfect. But from flowers to cake to hair and makeup, there are so many details and decisions that go into planning a wedding that many brides (and grooms) can feel overwhelmed.
Below, wedding industry pros share their tips for a perfect, foolproof wedding. So whether you are planning an Old World ball complete with a chamber ensemble and carriage ride, or a picnic-style beach party, these wedding industry experts will help you perfect every detail of that special day.
Jenna Lyons, Creative Director, and Tom Mora, Head of Wedding Design, J. Crew, Wedding Dresses
1. Strapless wedding gowns have been de rigueur for several years now, with brides who are getting married in a synagogue or church opting for a simple wrap for more modest coverage during the ceremony. But a strapless dress has to fit perfectly to be a comfortable, flattering wedding day option. It
Read More »Online Dating Safety Tips: Find Internet Love Safely, Passionistas!
Passionista Principle: Trying to make somebody fall in love with you is about as pointless as trying to control who you fall in love with.
Recently there was a shakeup in the world of internet love. Top dating site Match.com was sued by a member who was sexually assaulted by a man she met online in her quest for a relationship. Now, to be fair, anyone that we meet can turn out to be a nutcase.
To the victim’s credit, she sued Match.com but not for money or personal damages. She sued Match to incorporate a better screening process for members, searching names against the sexual offender database. Recently Match announced that they would make the changes. Unfortunately it took a terrible situation for this to come to pass.
I have friends who have met guys on Plenty of Fish and OK Cupid. However, I have really heard some Craigslist, Blackplanet and Plenty of Fish dating horror stories. A friend of a friend was chatting it up for weeks with someone who turned out to be an overseas scammer. He was not the race or gender that his profile painted him to be. The friend only became aware of the scam when the potential date asked for money to handle a phoney emergency. Yeesh.
A paid site does not guarantee safety, nothing does, but adding a slight barrier to entry reduces the number of crazies just a little bit. Something to consider. Maybe consider trying E-harmony, Chemistry, Match.com or one of the ethnic or religious sites that appeal to your group such as J-Date, Christian Singles or Black People Meet.
The guy who assaulted the Match.com victim had 7 previous cases of reported sexual assault. Seven! We would never blame the victim but a simple google search could have possibly brought this information to her attention. Nothing is 100% and a google search assumes that the person is using their real name which may not be the case. However, it can’t hurt.
Also, special note: Names are not the only thing that you can search. Please do searches of email addresses and phone numbers that you are given.
You have no guarantee that the person on the other end of the interwebs is the photo that you’re looking at. The person can be in another country or even in prison. Not to scare you or anything. For that reason I recommend have a phone conversation before meeting any online date in person. Block your cell phone number with universal blocking code *67 or set up a temporary google voice number to protect yourself.
There’s a free iPhone app that I recommend named “Are they really single?” In many cases that is a damn good question. Nobody wants to date a player. You can pay a fee within the application for a full background search including criminal records and previous aliases.
What do they have to hide? Nuff said.
Dating websites like Smingle.com, Chemistry.com and Match.com have built in games and other ways to play with and get to know potential love partners within the safety of the site. Put them to good use and pay attention for potential red flags.
This is a good rue of thumb for blind dates period.
You would think this goes without saying but I’m just putting it out there.
The woman assaulted in the story above was attacked in her own home on her second date with the Match.com guy. Be wary about bringing new folks home so soon.
Don’t forget to check out the recent Match.com study on love, sex, dating and relationships called “Single in America” for news you can use.
I wish you love, love, love and soon, hopefully you will be taking down your online profile. Have fun!
Teen Diaries Online Radio: Abiola's Teen Dating Advice Blitz (AUDIO)
Passionista Principle: Love yourself first.
This time though the love advice is for teen girls instead of the boys. This was so much fun. Check it out!
Dating in NYC: Abiola on BBC Radio with Matchmaker Suzanne Oshima (AUDIO)
Passionista Principle: The best pick up line is a great smile.
even said that understanding dating and relationships in NYC kicked her butt and sent her running back to LA.
This week on my BBC Radio show segment “New York Talks” on Up All Night, Five Live I brought in my girl Matchmaker Suzanne Oshima. Suzanne was seen most likely on the Bravo TV series, “Pregnant in Heels.” Remember when that crazy couple had a focus group to choose their son’s name? The matchmaker at the table was Suzanne. We talk love, relationships, weaves and the best and worst pick up lines.
- My BBC Radio Interview with Nathan Hale Williams;
- Funky Interview with Bootsy Collins;
- Ludacris and the Safe Sex Movement;
- Does Buying Condoms Make Him Think You’re A Slut;
- Dating Site Chemistry.com Review and
- How to Get Out of the Friend Zone.
Break Up Gift Bag for Your Bestie featuring Goddess Bedtime Stories
Passionista Principle: A break up is like a broken mirror. It’s better to leave it broken than hurt yourself to fix it!
After the pizza, after the cookie dough ice cream, here’s what you need to build the ultimate Break Up Gift Bag.
? Breakup Giftbag Necessity #1: Erotica, $16.95. ?
Goddess Bedtime Stories: 21 Tales to Keep You Up All Night is an anthology of erotica edited by Jennifer Jolicoer. In her day job, Jennifer Jolicoeur is also the founder of Athena’s Home Novelties. I hit it off with her company right away as anything with a goddess name has me written all over it. After all, Athena is the name of of the heroine Maya’s best friend in my debut novel Dare.? Breakup Giftbag Necessity #2: The Condom Tote Bag, $50.00. ?
A gift basket is just too sad. A plain paper bag is just too tacky. A Tiffany Blue box is just too registry. So what do you put your “So sorry you broke up” novelty goodies in? A Safety First: Condom Tote Bag, of course!
And we LOVE that this fits right in with our safe sex mission.
? Breakup Giftbag Necessity #3: The Vibrator ?
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| Mascara Vibrator from Athena’s Home Novelties! |
? Breakup Giftbag Necessity #4: Heavenly Hair Products, $18.00 ?
? Breakup Giftbag Necessity #5: Pillar Candle, $22.00 ?
Mother's Day Passionista Gift Basket Ideas from PartyLite (PHOTOS)
Passionista Principle: “A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” ~Tenneva Jordan
Mother’s Day is May 8th this year, and if your Mommy is as fabulous as mine then you want to get her something really sweet and heartfelt. And even if your Mama’s a bitch goddess then I’m sure you still wanna get her something nice. She’s your mother after all, right?
[Check out my mom's Curry Channa Recipe.]
A gift basket is a cool Mother’s Day gift idea because you can personalize it just for your mom. Don’t just order a generic gift basket from 1-800-flowers. Go to a flower shop and buy an empty basket then add jewelry, candy, a very sweet personalized note of gratitude for your mother and perhaps an item from below.
I inherited my sweet tooth from my mother so I know that she’ll love this first item. This is not just chocolate, or not just dep chocolate, but a mix for a Breathtaking Deep Chocolate Brownie Mix. Yum.
If your mom likes natural, the GloLite Sea Salt Driftwood Pillar Candle is great for her to “discover the glow within.” Simply lovely. And when this candle is lit it’s absolutely gorgeous.
If you’re buying a Mother’s Day gift for your wife or a woman you’re intimate with, here’s a hot gift basket idea. Forbidden Fruits sexy Apple Allure candle. You might buy some gorgeous lingerie and include this candle. But then that’s really a gift for yourself, isn’t it?
- My BBC Radio Interview with Nathan Hale Williams;
- Funky Interview with Bootsy Collins;
- Ludacris and the Safe Sex Movement;
- Does Buying Condoms Make Him Think You’re A Slut;
- Dating Site Chemistry.com Review and
- How to Get Out of the Friend Zone.
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| Mis Padres! |
DivaScribe UK Magazine Interview: Talking Life & Media with Abiola
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| DivaScribe Magazine Faith Evans cover with Abiola Abrams inset photo. |
Passionista Principle: “Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one’s own sunshine.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| DivaScribe Magazine: Photo by Joseph C. Carey |
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| DivaScribe Magazine |
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| DivaScribe Magazine; Photo by Joseph C. Carey |
Here in the states you can buy DivaScribe Magazine at any Barnes and Noble bookstore, so be sure to pick it up. DivaScribe is a new Conde Naste publication sold throughout Europe, Africa and the US, aimed at global women of the diaspora.
Abiola, the Lifestyle Passionista, is a woman of many attributes, a broadcaster, writer, and media producer who
Read More »
How to Increase Fertility: 9 Secrets for Trying to Get Pregnant Right Now (GUEST POST)
Passionista Post: “The phrase ‘working mother’ is redundant.” ~Jane Sellman
Nine10 Fertility Secrets by Olivia of the “Trying to Conceive” Blog
Most internet-savvy women who are trying to get pregnant quickly find a lot of info on how to boost their odds. Fertility is not something most people are terribly interested in, or know a lot about, before they are trying to make a baby. When my husband and I decided to try for our first baby, we were pretty clueless. Sure, we knew that having intercourse during ovulation is the ticket to pregnancy, and that eating well and taking folic acid
were good ideas.
Fertility Tip #1. A man
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Americans vs. the British On My Fun BBC Radio Show Broadcast (AUDIO)
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| Abiola Abrams broadcasting from New York City. |
Passionista Principle: “Try not to become a (wo)man of success, but rather try to become a (wo)man of value.” ~Albert Einstein
. Luckily I was broadcasting from my comfy New York City midtown studio and we managed to distract people for an hour from the stress and despair. Once we established that the late great Dame Elizabeth Taylor was actually British and not American at all, we then spent the rest of the show in a madcap battle about Brits who people think are American like Jerry Springer and Hugh Laurie and Americans who people think are British.Listen in!
- My BBC Radio Interview with Nathan Hale Williams;
- Funky Interview with Bootsy Collins;
- Ludacris and the Safe Sex Movement;
- Does Buying Condoms Make Him Think You’re A Slut;
- Dating Site Chemistry.com Review and
- How to Get Out of the Friend Zone.
About the Site
Hey Rockstar!
This is my addictive lifestyle blog all about living with passion! You'll find my weekly web TV series, minisode videos, vlogs and your handbook to the scandalous life. I cover love, sex, dating and relationships with a healthy dose of bombshell cooking, fashion, celebrity exclusives and travel.Passionista Partners
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