Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner [Paperback]

Harriette Cole (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805021426 | ISBN-13: 978-0805021424 | Publication Date: November 15, 1995

Created specifically for African Americans, Jumping the Broom presents everything you need to know to plan a wedding that is an expression of personal style and heritage. You'll find rich historical material, a comprehensive resource guide, a 16-page full-color African-American wedding album, more than a dozen original dress designs, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This gorgeous book is not merely a wedding guide, but a celebration of African-American culture. -- Billboard magazine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Harriette Cole spent eleven years as an editor at Essence magazine before founding Profundities, Inc., an image-development and production company. Her nationally syndicated advice column, “Sense & Sensitivity,” reaches more than twelve million readers, and her advice about African American weddings has been featured on Oprah, the Today Show, and NPR. She counts among her clients Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and Erykah Badu. She lives in New York City.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (November 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805021426
• ISBN-13: 978-0805021424
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,127,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate source for African-American wedding planning., November 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner (Paperback)

When my fiance and I began talking about our wedding, we both wanted to incorporate a traditional ritual commemorating our african-american heritage. We had both heard about the "Jumping the Broom" ritual, but neither of us had ever witnessed it or read any information (other than Alex Haley's "Roots") I found this book at a black memorabilia shop. It was marvelous, not only for the information of the ritual, but also as a wedding planner and marriage preparation guide. I highly recommend this book as REQUIRED reading for any African-American couple contemplating marriage.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Historical, May 18, 2000

By 

Ms. M. L. Williams "marciawilliams2" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner (Paperback)

This book had lovely pictures and the text on African American History was interesting, but what it lacked was information on how to actually plan a ceremony. When and how do you jump the broom, what words can you use, what are your guest doing while you jump the broom. It left me still searching for information. Hopefully the follow up is better.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Afrocentric wedding book., August 13, 1997

By 

R. Byrd "byrdie" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner (Hardcover)

This book calls itself a wedding planner, but I don't recall too many sections that actually required the reader to ponder what they wanted, or for actually getting organized within certain sections.

What this book suceeded at is suggested by it's title: I really wanted to use a broom in our wedding ceremony by the time I'd finished this book.

Sadly, not much else in the book suited me. It assumes a wedding where everyone involved is black, where there's a close community full of older friend and relatives, and where Afrocentric items are readily available or where you're willing to do mail-order and thus not get to bargain-hunt.

For me, this book was only good for inspiration which, while nice, is less than what the title prepared me for.