- See more at: http://blogtimenow.com/blogging/automatically-redirect-blogger-blog-another-blog-website/#sthash.VW1d2FQI.dpuf

Friday 29 April 2011

The Royal Wedding

What a beautiful wedding! I think I cried more today watching Catherine and William get married than I did on my own day! Seeing the hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets waving their flags was awe inspiring.



But let's get down to business...the dress!



I was hoping all along that Kate would wear McQueen and she didn't disappoint! Sarah Burton has most definitely put herself on the map now and I couldn't be happier. I'm in love with the fabulous lace applique bodice inspired by Grace Kelly's wedding gown. 



Kate's tiara was her 'something borrowed' from the Queen, a 1936 diamond 'halo' tiara by Cartier and her stunning pear-shaped diamond earrings were a gift from her parents designed by Robinson Pelham.

 





You just know that wherever they are Diana and Alexander McQueen are toasting the happy couple with champagne.

Thursday 28 April 2011

Royal Wedding Gowns

On the Eve of the Royal Wedding tomorrow I thought I would share some of the spectacular royal wedding gowns over the years.

Which is your favourite?

For me it will always be Princess Grace of Monaco followed closely by Princess Mary of Denmark as she was an ordinary Aussie girl who married her Prince, a real life fairy tale!

Princess Grace of Monaco

Diana Princess of Wales

Princess Mary of Denmark



Princess Victoria of Sweden

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands



Princess Anne



Princess Margaret

Queen Elizabeth

Countess Sophie of Wessex

Sarah Ferguson



Wednesday 27 April 2011

Friends Weddings

Today I have two guest bloggers. First up Sarah Pylas from Grenglish shares memories from her wedding day last year in London.


Our wedding day, well,  it felt like the final piece of the puzzle. Our relationship was great and we had Zachy already but getting married completed the circle and I definitely felt more safe and secure in our little family after that.  The wedding day itself was lovely, only 30 people.  We did it at Marylebone Registry Office, where all the rock stars go hehehe, and then had a reception at The Landmark Hotel.  It was perfect, no big fuss on the day but I didn't feel I needed any of that.  I loved our wedding day, really was just perfect.  



And now Alexa from Alexandria in Qatar, I've only known Alexa for a little under a year but we clicked immediately over our love of shoes, handbags and cocktails. Alexa is married to the very talented photographer Mark Arnold who also has a brilliant blog!


I had always heard women refer to their wedding day as, 'the best day of my life' but for some reason, I was convinced that my wedding day would not live up to the expectation.  How could it?  All that planning, time, effort and stress culminating in one flawless evening?  I didn't want to expect too much for fear of being disappointed but in short, my wedding day was absolutely perfect and I would not have changed a single thing.   
I don't know if my wedding was different from others but from the start, my (now) husband and I knew exactly what we wanted and we both played an equal role in its planning; having a fiance who was as concerned about the flower arrangements, escort cards, napkin colour and cake layer flavours was a blessing when you needed help deciding but a real pain if you couldn't agree on the same thing!  Everything, bar my dress and his suit, was a joint effort from start to finish and I can honestly say that we planned (and pulled off) the best party we have ever hosted.  From our own design invitations to the glorious September weather, our expertly executed (and well practised) first dance, vintage teapot table arrangements (thanks to months of scouring ebay), perfectly cooked coconut shrimp, Beef Wellington, ice cream sandwiches and the well-received basket of flip flops we set out for sore feet - everything went down without a hitch.   
One of the highlights of the evening had to be when the amazing band we hired began to play 'Bad Romance' by Lady Gaga and every single person in the room got up on their feet and onto the dance floor, the energy was unbelievable.  I just stood in the middle of it all and thought, 'this is my wedding, and it's awesome'.


Tuesday 26 April 2011

Country Wedding

I can't stop looking at these photos. How amazingly beautiful does this wedding look?

 A communal table for 100...I've never seen anything like that - GENIUS!



I love the relaxed feel of the reception, it's not structured or overdone but so elegant and chic at the same time. I think the yellow fabric used here ties in so well with nature as the backdrop.


Brilliant idea of using one color as the central theme and having different styles of dress for the bridal party, again relaxed and elegant.


Saving on paper and printing costs! Adore!


The centre pieces look like they've just been plucked from the garden, simply stunning.

*Images via Style Me Pretty

Today I've been daydreaming about becoming a wedding planner. I think it would be such a wonderful job to create a beautiful day for couples but I think I'd be too scared of the bridezilla's!



Monday 25 April 2011

Making an Entrance

I have watched this clip on You Tube a thousand times. It always makes me smile and I always cry when the groom enters!



I also found some other gems on You Tube today for your viewing pleasure!



I can totally imagine Lady Sadie and Mr D doing some kind of routine like this on her wedding day!



Sunday 24 April 2011

Our Wedding Day


I love a good wedding, always have, always will. This Friday Prince William and Catherine Middleton will marry in what is sure to be the wedding of the century! I can not wait! So this week I decided that my blog is going to be all about weddings. And where better to start than my own wedding day.


I think anyone who knows me well would assume that I would have had the monumental bridezilla's about me. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I like to be the centre of attention, however, contrary to popular belief I happened to be one of the most relaxed brides to be because....I had my amazing Mum organize the whole wedding!


At the time Mr D and I were living in Melbourne and being both from Sydney we wanted to get married in our home town. I had never actually dreamed about having a big wedding but once we were engaged and Mr D said he wanted to get married at his school chapel the wedding got a life of it's own and what started out as an intimate ceremony and reception turned into an event for 140 guests. 


Thankfully, Mum and I have the exact same taste when it comes to pretty much everything in life so I put all my trust in her to design a beautiful wedding that had a vintage and classic feel and nothing too OTT so I wouldn't look back in 20 years and regret anything! 





Really the only thing that I was in charge of was my dress. I had made a few appointments at bridal stores in Melbourne and hated the whole experience - too many bridezilla's in one room squeezing themselves into sample dresses! I flew to Sydney and Mum and I visited a few bridal boutiques but still I couldn't find my dream dress. Enter my Sister and a costume designer for the Australian Ballet. My amazing sister, designed my dress and through people I knew in Melbourne I was introduced to Alexis George a young costume designer working for the Australian Ballet. Alexis agreed to make my dress while also working full-time at the ballet. It took her five months but the result was really breathtaking, I have never felt so beautiful in all my life and will treasure my dress forever.




The morning of the wedding was one of the most happy and exciting days of my life. As I've said before I adore all things Chanel and my amazing Mum had managed to score the Head Makeup Artist for Chanel in Sydney to do our makeup, seriously I was in makeup heaven! Not only that but Mum being Mum wouldn't stop until I had a hairdresser who had worked in TV and Movies to do my hair. If there is one day to feel like a star it's your wedding day! I was surrounded by my closest girlfriends and my family and I couldn't have asked for anything more. 




My wedding day was everything I had wanted it to be. Walking down the aisle with my Dad was heaven and a memory I will treasure forever. Standing opposite Mr D and reciting our vows was pure magic and it felt like no one else existed but the two of us for those few moments.



I've been told by a few guests that our reception was the best they had ever been to and that made me so very happy. I wanted my reception to not only look beautiful but to feel like a big party. I had both a DJ and a live band and I spent most of the night on the dance floor with my friends and family and I guess the only bad thing about it all was it felt like it was all over too quickly.






We had organized a big bus to ferry the guests from the Chapel to the reception and back into town and from what I hear the bus ride home was party central with my brilliant brother in law taking the microphone and doing an impromptu karaoke performance!








Marriage to me is not about religion or faith it is about the joining of two people who love each other enough to stand in front of their friends and families and commit to each other for life. I wish that the gay friends in my life could have the same opportunity given to straight people and I hope I'm around to see the day when there is marriage equality.

My wedding day was an absolute blast, it was everything I wanted it to be and I will be forever thankful to my wonderful parents for organizing such a beautiful event. But what is most important is not the day itself but the life you carve together as a couple. 

You have your ups and downs but through all the curve balls life has thrown at us I am forever grateful that I get to wake up every morning to my best friend, a man who is so incredibly funny, kind and smart and has definitely made me a better person.




Thursday 21 April 2011

Happy Easter


Three years ago, I had a brand spanking new baby and Mr D, Lady Sadie and I set out on a road trip from Melbourne to country NSW to spend Easter with Mr D's family. It was Lady Sadie's first big road trip and being a little over 2 weeks old we were slightly concerned how we were going to cope with the 5 hour drive. But my little princess was an absolute trooper and slept the whole way until we were about 15 minutes outside of town when she awoke screaming for some milk!

It was a really fun weekend, Lady Sadie was cooed and ahhed over by her great uncles and her grandparents and it was a truly Australian long weekend, out in the country, drinking beers in the back yard and eating a yummy home cooked roast.

That was the last Easter I celebrated as two months later we moved to the Middle East where Jesus isn't that popular!

So this weekend, I'll be thinking of our family and friends who will be celebrating with BBQ's, roasts, lots of beer and wine and dreaming of the crispy crackling on the pork roast!

I've found some beautiful decorating ideas for Easter and for a really funny Easter read please have a look at one of my favorite blogs Grenglish.

Happy Easter everyone and next week it's going to be all about the Royal Wedding!

x







Tuesday 19 April 2011

The Deer Hunter

My friend Alexa has a brilliant apartment on The Pearl here in Doha. One of my favorite pieces in her apartment his her cardboard deer head. It's fun and quirky and I want one! When I started doing my research into these deer heads, I found a plethora of different styles and patterns...even a fuchsia moose head! Here are my faves!

The Original - Available here

Available here

Available here 
Available here