Meet The Robinsons

“Advocating for yourself in the context of friendship starts with choosing the right people to be part of your inner circle.” — Kimberly Guilfoyle

After asking my bridesmaids to join me as I marry my best friend, it was time for me to decide where I wanted to go for my bachelorette trip, and book our engagement shoot before moving to Houston in late July. I formed a GroupMe named “Tiffany’s Squad Dolls” to make communication, and planning easier. As I’ve mentioned before, Chris and I had several conversations about what our future would look like in the next couple of years. Couples, if you’re not having these conversations after making a serious commitment, you’re not setting yourself up right for a great future together. Those tough conversations need to be happening during your dating season, not after engagement (or after marriage 😳). Chris knew that I wouldn’t leave my own state of independence without at least being engaged. He knew how serious I was about marriage, and that I wouldn’t just jump into something without feeling that we were doing the right thing. The way our journey worked out had to be nothing but God. So, my Maids of Honor (Heather, Kate and Bre) scheduled a brunch for us shortly after being asked to be in my wedding, to discuss where I wanted to go. Each of them showed up with the notes and research that they had done. When I tell you my MOHs stayed on top of it, they stayed on top of it! I was so impressed with how they stepped in and didn’t fuss or fight me on anything that I wanted. It is so important to have the right people in your wedding. After our great brunch meeting over mimosas, I decided that I wanted to go to the Dominican Republic. After my decision, the ladies went back to the drawing board and looked for more information about DR. They looked for lodging, flights, excursions, etc. Several weeks later, Kate had the best and affordable choice for a group of 6 ladies going to DR. The price we paid for a 7 day stay, with flight and excursions was unheard of. So with that decision, I appointed Kate over the bachelorette trip duties, because she does such an amazing job executing plans. I learned that while working at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with her. When I moved to Houston, she scheduled bi-monthly conference calls with all of us to talk about our agenda, and what cost was expected. We also talked about what other things we would do, and which bridesmaid would be doing what. Heather was the overall organizer, and constantly made sure everything was good. Breanna was over getting us designed shirts and other accessories. Sami was our professional photographer, and Willisa was over the games. I found that when picking these ladies and planning my wedding, I knew the perfect place for them. I knew that planning or organization may not have been some people’s strongest suits, so I delegated tasks or projects appropriately. I truly believe this led to success.

So let me refresh your memory about where we are on my planning timeline. Chris proposed on 5/5/17; I proposed to my girls on 6/4/17; we took our engagement photos on 7/2/17 and I met with my MOHs on 7/9/17. I had to work quickly because Chris and I were going to be on my aunt’s wedding cruise from 7/15 – 7/22/17, then come back and move me from Dallas to Houston on 7/25/17. Whew, talk about a bride who didn’t play about planning her wedding, even with all of the other moving pieces. I was very cognizant about the time and money it took to be in a wedding, so I made sure my ladies knew in advance about everything. With me wanting to go to DR for my bachelorette trip, my ladies were able to plan their finances and time off from work early without any issues. Brides, I know that the wedding planning, and wedding is all about you and your husband, but please be respectful and mindful of the people that have vowed to share your special day. Don’t be selfish and only think about yourself! My bridesmaids will tell you that I constantly thanked them for what they were doing, and gave them several gifts because I knew how much selflessness they were giving to me during this process. Being in someone else’s wedding is a lot, so make sure the communication is always open, and there are no last minute cost surprises. By this time, my bridesmaids knew they were in my wedding, their titles, where we were going for the bachelorette trip, how much it would cost (roughly), and our wedding date. We would discuss later dates of the trip, the exact cost of the trip, and the rooming situation. Everything was coming together nicely, and I have to thank my Squad Dolls for stepping right in and making sure everything ran smoothly.

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson

“The best thing about memories is making them.” — Anonymous

I had been following Jaren for a while when he started his photography business. I remember that he was taking photos on the side while working his 9-5, but eventually went into photography full time. I was so proud of him for stepping out on faith to do something different. I actually met Jaren through our Greek circles in Dallas, Texas. It was a small group of us that would get together for holidays and kickbacks. With all of my family being in Baytown, it was good to find a group of people to hang out with, without worrying about anything going wrong. I would see him post about his business when I was single, and I would comment jokingly (at that time) saying that I would book him when my husband found me. I was dead serious about that! I was just speaking it into existence. I know Jaren remembers me always commenting under his posts lol. Moving forward to after my proposal, I immediately reached out to Jaren to get our engagement photos scheduled. It ended up being destiny because Chris actually knew Jaren from his Alpha circle when they both lived in Oklahoma. Chris had been following Jaren’s journey as well and providing encouragement. We wanted to take our photos in Dallas, since that’s where we met for the first time and where I was living at that time. We have so many reasons why we do certain things throughout our engagement/wedding. We booked them for 7/2/17 at the Fair Grounds. After booking my photos, I had to make sure I made a hair appointment to check something off on my list of to dos. I didn’t really know any make-up artists in Dallas, because I usually did my own make-up, so he sent me some referrals. I ended up booking Desiree Phillips Pro Makeup Artist. She was so sweet and easy to work with. Everything was falling into place as we prayed it would, and it was time to find our outfits that would make this shoot all about our love story. We did 3 outfits, with one of those being our Greek paraphernalia. We wanted to make this moment special, so Chris booked us a hotel stay for that weekend at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Downtown. It was truly a weekend of love and celebration. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were reliving taking our engagement photoshoot. It was so much fun and didn’t seem like a task at all. Jaren is very professional and really cares about his craft. We loved our photos so much that we ended up hiring him to be one of our photographers for our wedding. We booked him almost a year in advance because we knew June would be a very busy month. Chris and I believe in supporting African American businesses, so Jaren was the right choice for this special moment in our life together. I don’t put my name on many people, but if you’re looking for a photographer and makeup artist in Dallas, Texas that work well together, book these two talented beings. Thank you Jaren and Desiree Phillips Pro Makeup Artist for making our engagement photoshoot a day to remember forever, and something we will be able to share with our children. Every year, we sit down, look through the pictures, get the social media “Memories” reminders and just reminisce about the fun that we had taking our pictures in Dallas.

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson

“Friends bring happiness, my squad brings the wine!” — Anonymous

As promised, I said that I would share my journey of wedding planning: what I learned and what I would do differently. Before the proposal, Chris and I already had several conversations about who would be in our wedding (plus or minus a few). He knew that I wanted something intimate with a few people. I knew that I would be moving to Houston soon, so we hired our planner right away at the end of May. I also wanted to ask the girls to be in my wedding before I got busy with moving away from Dallas where they all were. The girls already knew that they would be in the wedding, but they didn’t know what role each would be playing. Looking back in hindsight to that night, I should have made a change right then. However against my better judgment, I decided to proceed as planned, thinking things would get better. That was a BIG mistake! Always follow your gut instincts! Ok, I’ll move on lol.

Heather mentioned to me several times after the engagement in May that I could do the bridal proposals at her house, if I didn’t have anything else planned. Heather being Heather, she got the ball rolling by sending a message in the Bridesmaids GroupMe and checking to see if everyone was available on June 4th. She told them that we would be having a wine and cheese night celebrating my proposal before I moved to Houston. Heather was the only one that knew that I would be doing the proposals that night. I sent them individually personalized cards with our pictures from the engagement that stated “I can’t wait to celebrate my love with you at The Wagemanns.”

In the meantime, I explored Pinterest for ideas about Proposal Boxes, put my creative juices to work and made some cute personalized boxes with goodies. I got the empty boxes and fillers from Michael’s. Because I have a giving personality, I kept buying things that I saw to add to the boxes because I wanted them to be perfect. I ended up putting in each box: a ring pop; a “I found my guy but I still need my girls” flask from Things Remembered; a personalized wine glass from Etsy; scented lotions and also stress lotions from Bath & Body Works. I also pampered them beyond the proposal boxes and throughout the wedding. When Chris (who was in charge of finances) started giving me side eyes, I knew I had done enough lol. I can truly say that I spoiled my bridesmaids because I knew how much commitment, if accepted, would be expected.

The night was finally here, and I was so nervous. For a second, I totally understood why Chris was so anxious the night that he asked me to marry him. When all of the ladies arrived, I asked each lady individually if she would stand with me when I marry the Man of my dreams. I made it clear how important the day would be for Chris and I, and if they didn’t think they could handle that moment, they were free to leave. They all said YES and that they would be honored! Minus a few hiccups, the night overall was full of love, laughter, and plenty of wine. At that moment, our date was set, our planner was hired, I had my girls, and we had recent plans to talk about my bachelorette trip. Chris actually picked our wedding date 06.08, because we met through Greek life. During the planning process, I wasn’t secretive, but was extremely transparent with all of my ladies so that they would have my vision and know exactly what I wanted! My ladies made my wedding planning stress-free and peaceful. My wedding was so planned and organized! I was honestly so impressed at how well things turned out! I can’t wait to share more of my process in my next blog posts.

If I could give any advice to brides when picking the women that will be standing next to you on your day, I would tell you to choose them beyond your years of knowing them. This day is deeper than that! I knew a lot of women longer than some of my bridesmaids, but at this very moment, we were not close enough for them to be in my wedding. So many brides feel that they have to ask certain people to be in their wedding, but in all honesty, this is YOUR WEDDING and YOUR DECISION. The women standing next to you should genuinely care about you and your husband. Know their strengths and weakness! I knew what my bridesmaids were best at doing, and it made it easy for me when I gave them their roles.

XOXO – The Now Mrs. Robinson

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson

“God will bring the right person into your life at the right time. Always believe that! If they are not there, God isn’t finished yet!” — Shannon L. Alder

Chris and I have always been vocal about what we wanted out of our relationship. With him being a divorcee, I knew that he wasn’t scared of marriage, that at some point he would be ready, and that he would step out on faith this time. I just didn’t know when. I, on the other hand, had always wanted to be married, but realized that the men that I came across were not the one. Thank God that I never forced anyone to marry me out of convenience, nor because I saw someone else do it, and not as an attempt to “make” them the one. It was clear that my proposal delayed didn’t mean denied.

It was time for the girls (Kate, Sami, Heather & I) to get together again for happy hour after work. We had been so busy that the months had just flown by. Before we knew it, it was almost Cinco de Mayo?!?! Heather suggested that we go after work to Pappasitos. The plan worked out perfectly because we were all available for Cinco de Mayo. Leading up to the proposal and being myself, I had been fussing at Heather for having that beautiful ring on her finger, but not having her nails done since her wedding in March. She told me “Fine Tiffany, I’ll go get my nails done but only if you go with me,” so we went together on that Thursday, the day before the Friday proposal. I was on the fence about getting my hair done on Saturday because I had a busy schedule. Chris told me that I should get it done during the week after work one evening, so that I could rest on Saturday afternoon after my morning Chapter Meeting. I decided to get it done on Wednesday instead. Little did I know, Heather and Chris secretly had me doing the things that I wanted done before being proposed to (hair and nails).

All during the day of the proposal, Heather and I looked at the clock at work and were ready to go. Hey, it was Friday and Cinco de Mayo, so surely we deserved to leave early, or so I thought! Finally 4 PM comes around and all of the Senior Leadership had left, so I thought that this was the perfect time to sneak out. I walked around the office and I couldn’t find Heather anywhere, so I went to the restroom. I opened the door and screamed, “Heather, it’s time to go.” She came out of the restroom looking shocked that I had found her. (Later, I found out that she was stalling because everyone wasn’t at the proposal spot lol!) We walked back into the office and grabbed our things. Her car was in the shop, so we carpooled to Pappasitos and she mentioned that Jacob (her husband) would be picking her up later. As we were driving to Pappasitos, Sami sent a group text saying that there was a 40 minute wait, and that they would be at Pappadeaux on the patio drinking and waiting for our table to be ready.

Heather and I got there and started walking to the Pappadeaux patio. I see Sami and Kate waving at me all excited. I felt so important and happy to see my girls. A proposal had never crossed my mind lol! So as Heather and I were walking towards the patio I yell, “OMG they’re sitting where Chris and I had our first date.” Heather was speed walking in front of me and I didn’t think she heard me, so I repeated myself as I was going up the stairs. “Y’all this is where Chris and I had our first date.” Before I could finish my sentence, Chris came out from hiding and walked out of the patio section where Kate and Sami were sitting. I SCREAMED “OMG” SO LOUDLY that I know that my grandmother in Heaven heard me lol. I thought that Chris was in Houston getting ready to go to happy hour with Brandon. We talked to each other via text ALL DAY when he was in and out of his “meetings!” I didn’t pick up on the fact that he was really on his way to Dallas. I was so surprised and then start wondering how the hell did they get me!! (Ok ok back to the story.) Chris started walking towards me and I kept asking him “what are you doing here?” He never answered me but just leaned over and gave me a kiss. I could tell that he was nervous about something. Then, Bre and Willisa (two of my line sisters) walked out of the patio section!! I was TOO DONE!!!

I started to realize what was going on at that point. Chris started telling me about how much he loved me and that he loved the way that I love his daughter. He told me that he appreciated the way that I care about the wellbeing of his soul and that no woman has ever done that other than the ones in his family. He said more but I couldn’t remember it all. I do know that he spoke directly from his soul and I felt EVERY WORD! In that moment, I got even more confirmation that God had made this man just for me. After he proposed and I said YES, I hugged and kissed him, then hugged my girls, and then I started cussing lol! If you know me, you know that I’m a private eye and much doesn’t get by me. For the first time in my life, I was surprised and I knew nothing about the planning. They got me GOOD and made it the best day of my life thus far. I couldn’t believe that I was about to become someone’s wife.

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson

May you always know my little one you were wished for, longed for, prayed for and wanted. I love you. — Anonymous

This journey to motherhood has been an experience that I will never forget. A year and a half ago, I found out that I would need to have surgery to remove 13 fibroids (B)ecause 2 were the size of an infant’s head. After getting those removed and being told that my age and health may hinder me getting pregnant, I needed to think about the option of freezing my eggs. I was determined to try getting pregnant as a new wife on my own, the natural way. I attended the Wonder Woman event at The Fort Bend Church on November 2, 2018. They had a Prayer Wall for us. My sister/Soror/Young Adult Ministry Partner In Crime, Delesa, told me to put my prayer for conception (O)n the Prayer Wall and leave it in God’s hands. She was going to do the same since she and her husband were looking to conceive their second child. Little did we know, we were both already pregnant and would later became the Pregnant Wives Club at the church LOL. Almost a couple of months pass and it’s time for me to go to the doctor. It was a (Y)ear after my surgery to the exact date that I found out that I was pregnant. It was such a stressful journey, but so glad that I listened to Delesa and so glad that God continues to show grace and mercy. God has truly answered our prayers and allowed us to conceive our first child together. Our hearts are beyond full and words can’t express our gratitude and love for Baby Robinson💙. We wanted to have an intimate Gender Reveal with my parents and my Bonus Daughter, Crystal. If you know my husband and I, you know we love to reveal our blessings with our closest loved ones first, before telling the world. We did simple decorations so that we would have memories of what this day looked like, and something that we can share with Baby Robinson. Thank you so much Heather for finding out the gender, keeping it a secret from us, putting up with Chris trying to bribe you, ordering the balloon and for your part in our special day. We cherish your friendship. If you’re currently reading this blog, you will be the first to know outside of our immediate family the gender of the baby. Thank you to everyone who continues to support and walk with us along this path. For your prayers, encouraging words, and sweet messages today and other days, we’re so blessed to share this all with you. If you’ve caught the clues, you know we’re having a Baby….

Writer: Mrs. Robinson
Editor: Mr. Robinson