When Web designer Victoria Cantave became engaged to Earl Fleary, naturally the Hempstead native headed straight to the Internet to begin planning her nuptials. The first stop:
chocolatebrides.com, a Web site devoted to black women headed down the aisle.
She wasn't disappointed. She found her wedding and reception venue (The Watermill in Smithtown), her floral arrangements (the Atlantic Florals in Freeport) and a place to rent the groomsmen's tuxedos (800-Tuxedos, formerly of Baldwin) through the Web site's lively chat room.
One "chocolate bride" from Los Angeles even sent Cantave-Fleary, 32, the exact aisle runner she'd been searching for but couldn't find.
Chocolatebrides.com is devoted to connecting women of color with the resources they need to prepare for their special day. What makes it unique among the hundreds of wedding sites are the personal recommendations and passion other brides-to-be take in helping one another prepare.
"What I couldn't replicate from the other sites is the real sisterly feeling that I got at chocolatebrides," said Cantave-Fleary, who got engaged in 2004 and married this February.
The brainchild of New York City KISS-FM radio personality Kesha Monk and her husband, Eugene Myrick, chocolate brides.com was created in 2004 after Monk had difficulty finding images of darker-skinned brides in magazines and Web sites while preparing for her wedding in 2003.
"Unfortunately, mainstream media could not tell me where to go to get my hair braided, to find a makeup artist or the right questions to ask a photographer about lighting for darker complexions, or where to find a Caribbean black cake. There just isn't that resource for brides of color," explains Monk, the great-niece of jazz impresario Thelonious Monk.
Monk talked about her own wedding plans on her radio show and the station's message board. The concept evolved from there.
Among the site's features are: Motivation, which offers a range of tips, from wedding dresses for the full-figured bride to reining in wedding expenses; Bridal Spotlight, which showcases a bride's wedding; the Music Room, where R&B love songs can be sampled; and the Video Page and Photo Gallery, where brides share information on photographers and videographers. A resource guide lists the contact information of suppliers by state, city and service category. The site is supported by advertisers and free for users.
Chocolatebrides.com has attracted women as far away as the Netherlands, Kenya, Nigeria, Canada and the Bahamas, and it received 8.2 million hits in May, up from its monthly average of 7 million, said Myrick.
In May, Monk and Myrick expanded the franchise with an 80-page glossy, four-color magazine of the same name. It features photos of and advice from real "chocolate brides" -- not just models -- of all hues and sizes along with a wedding plan timeline, honeymoon destination information, and fashion and beauty tips. Published quarterly, single copies of the magazine cost $4.99, while an annual subscription is $12. The next issue is scheduled for this month.
"If you want advice, recommendations and support, what better way to receive that than to connect with other brides who are going down the same path as you are?" explains Monk.
