On Thursday, December 12th, 2013 BlackBridalBliss.com hosted its very first Cupcakes, Cocktails & Conversation event at La Femme Suite in Harlem, NY. La Femme Suite, located on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, is a Pole Fitness studio that also offers several spa services. The development of Cupcakes, Cocktails & Conversation began when Bridgette and I discussed having an open, informative, and entertaining forum to discuss our relationships. I know locker room talk and how crass and braggadocious those conversations can be. My platonic relationships have afforded me many opportunities to witness and participate in their version of locker room talk. These are actually the same reasons that caused me to pitch the idea of bringing Cousin Mars to Triple B. Now that I’ve drank the Triple B Kool-Aid and want to bring bliss to everyone, I thought it would be beneficial to panel members (gentlemen) and guests (ladies and gentlemen) to openly discuss the unicorns and pink elephants – Cupcakes, Cocktails & Conversation was born.

The all-male panel consisted of professionals in education, business, healthcare, and media ranging in age from 34 through 37. The venue’s ambience was perfect for the goal of Cupcakes, Cocktails & Conversation. I was confident that the questions I drafted would prompt responses from the audience (90% female), and oh boy was I correct. The evening’s entertainment included a tasteful pole dancing demonstration that caused the jaws of both the men and women to totally drop. Really, we were all astonished. The panelists opened up on a plethora of topics relevant to people of color interested in developing or maintaining healthy romantic relationships.

From left to right: Cousin Mars, panelist Jay and Triple B intern extraordinaire Janee just before the evening's festivities began.

By the end of the evening, it was clear that the event successfully helped to bridge the gap between the sexes. Plus, we all got to munch on cupcakes courtesy of Sydney’s Sweets. We shouldn’t expect to always agree on every topic, but understanding the logic behind the thoughts and actions of our counterparts is a realistic and desired goal of mine. As BlackBridalBliss.com Presents Cupcakes, Cocktails & Conversation continues its tour, I am hopeful that discussing pertinent topics will ultimately assist in increasing successful and healthy relationships involving black women.

Bridgette plans to share her insight with you on this exciting event later in the week. Stay tuned for her post but in the meantime, please share in the comments what cities you want Cupcakes, Cocktails & Conversation to hit next!