away till June 1.......

ciao ciao

I will be away from the blog till June 1.
Promise to post little mixtapes when I get back : )

off to the italian countryside for a small wedding celebration with our friends and family.

little honeymoon adventures in Italy

PARMA

Visiting Parma, makes for an ideal day trip, as it is only an hour and a half from Milan. Located in the Emilia-Romagna region, this elegant little city is made up of delightful cobble stone streets, making it easy to explore by foot. It is the land of prosciutto and parmagiano and birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi but also happens to be the home of two of my favorite perfumes, Parma violetta di parma and Aqua di Parma. (purchasing a bottle of the little sweet, Violetta di Parma, is a must)


SIGHTS

Duomo of Parma, where you will find one of Correggio's fresco masterpiece
La Collezione Borsari 1870 (The Borsari Perfume Museum) where the famous, Violetta di Parma is manufactured.
Via Trento 30A, (39-0521) 771011, fax (39-0521) 272953, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. On weekends, call ahead; free.
Orto Botanico, is located in the historical center, about a 10 minute walk from Piazza Garibaldi. This is a gardens is a must for nature lovers, for more information go here. Address: Via Farnini, 90, Cost: Free Hours: Open Monday-Friday 8:30 -2:30 and Saturday 8:30 - Noon

Duomo of Parma

Orto Botanico

This Dixie band wandered around the garden playing wonderful jazz tunes, mentally transporting me from Italy to New Orleans, it was fantastic! all I needed was a beniet, cafe and the ny times, my ideal Sunday.

Sorelle Picchi Trattoria & Salumria

EATS
Sorella Picchi, Via Farini, 27, a delicatessen-style restaurant, food shop in the front with tables in the back, only open midday. It's a great way to experience a Saturday or Sunday leisurely family lunch, Italian style. Prepare yourself for a feast! Here are some of my food recommendations:
First and most importantly, the vino. Order a bottle of, Lambrusco, a red sparkling wine from Parma, that is served chilled. For your appetizer, try a plate of, Affettati Misti, this is a mix of coppa, procsuitto, culatello, salami di felino, salami di culatello and a plate of parmagiano. For your Primi, try Tortelli di Magro and for your seconds, you can't go wrong with the Osso Bucco. My mouth is watering as I write this..........
*on your way out make sure you purchase some food goodies at the deli.

Sunday flea market on via Farini

Turquoise beaded necklace, 25 euros that I purchased from, Regali del Mare

SHOPPING
Parma Color Viola
here you can purchase the little coveted bottle of Violetta di Parma and if your like me and love love love violets, this is your place. They have everything VIOLET!
Regali del Mare,
beautiful jewelry made of inspired by the sea
Greenery, natural interior design
Adriana Rosi ,beautiful table and house hold items
Rossana Campanini, Via Quingenti, 44 San Prospero, beautiful ceramics

SLEEP
Palace Maria Luigia
Tabiano Castello

MORE INFO.
Parma Tourism
How to get to Parma

{all photos by deirdre quinn}

Flower Spotlight: Saipua

What better way to end the week then with a post featuring pretty little blossoms.......

Sarah, the ever so sweet little lady behind these magical creation runs a little flower shop called, Saipua, located in Red Hook Brooklyn. Not only does she make some the most beautiful and unique flower arrangements but she also creates handmade soaps! who knew! Anyway, she was kind enough to share with me a wedding she worked on last weekend at the beautiful Wave Hill estate, located in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson river, can we say romantic? for more on this location go here.

bringing nature in from the estates gardens, the bride assigned different birds to label each table and then the name cards corresponded

images via Saipua

a little photobooth photographer........

As promised, here is the information about our photographers assistant, Jerome Jakubiec.
He is located in New York City and has recently launched a website dedicated to photo booth shots here. Also, check out his beautiful fashion photography here. He can be hired for photo booth sessions, a great option if the photographer your have your heart set on doesn't offer this element.........

little honeymoon adventures in Italy

PORTOFINO

photographs by deirdre quinn

Portofino, is a beautiful and exclusive little seaside village, located in the Liguria region. Most know it as the seaside resort for the rich and famous but there's more to it then the people. The nature alone is enough to attract the numerous visitors it does each year. The village is surrounded by enchanting hillside gardens, with a network of paths and trails to explore, eventually leading to the very top for a spectacular view of the Mediterranean, an experience not to be missed.

SIGHTS
The town square, a symbol of Portofino surrounded by colored houses and love boat size yachts that fill the marina.
Church and Castle of St. George tucked up on the hillside and a little bit further up you will find, Brown Castle immersed in magnificent fairytale gardens with a sea-side views.
to see panorama views of Portofino go here

For nature lovers, you my want to spend the day strolling or hiking find out more here

ACTIVITIES
Diving
Mountain Biking
Trekking

photograph via Hotel Splendido, the romantic "La Terrazza"

EATS

Splendido's La Terrazza

SLEEP
Hotel San Giorgio,located in Portofino
Grand Hotel Miramare, located in Santa Margherita
Hotel Splendido & Splendido Mare, located in Portofino
a ultra luxurious top of the line honeymoon this is your place.....
Imperiale Palace Hotel, located in Santa Margherita

HOW TO GET THERE
TRAIN: From Milan/Florence and Rome, to the railway stations of Rapallo and Santa Margherita and then by taxi or bus to Portofino. Click here to review train timetables from Trenitalia.
PLANE: Genoa Airport
DAY TRIP: unless your making a big splurge, you'll probably be visiting Portifino just for the day. The nearest town is Santa Margherita, an old fashion seaside town It has a wide range of resorts and hotels, that have ferries to take you to and from Portofino. For more information go here

little party hats.......

little party hats added to the fun on the dance floor at our wedding.......as you can see the guests loved it!
as I'm writing this, I'm having visions of a beautiful masquerade party...............
Anyone getting married around Halloween or maybe thinking of having a black and white themed party like, truman capote's legendary masked ball?

think beautiful venetian masks......

sneak peek......

here's a sneak peek at next Mondays post, "little party hats"........
We had way too much fun with this.....note, father of the bride in pink sequence cowboy hat, classic.

okie dokie, I'm off to Barcelona for the weekend, first time visiting the city can't wait! Any brides out there planning a honeymoon in Spain? let me know..........

little photobooth snaps..........

give your guests a little extra fun having a photo booth set up. Think, old school prom picture style.....
I choose to have the photo booth set up in the front room of the venue near one of the bars and the outside balcony; this way, when people went to refresh their drinks or stepped outside for a cigarette, they could easily have their photo taken. It worked but not for all, sadly, we were all too busy dancing up a storm in the theater room. It's not a bad thing we were too busy dancing but just wish we had taken more advantage of it. The last thing on my mind that day was passing the word around that there was a photo booth. A piece advice to brides to be out there thinking of having a photo booth set up, designate someone other then you photographer, (who is too busy capturing the beautiful day), to inform your guests......
I think our photographer, Dorothee of Belathee Photography, and her assistant did a fabulous job, don't you think? (unfortunately, I do not recall the assistants name but I will find out b/c he was great)

oh and don't forget props, hats etc. We had party hats which my cousins introduced at the beginning of the dance party, it was a hit! I will posting party hat photos from our wedding next week, stay tuned.........

little honeymoon adventures in Italy

it's little honeymoon Wednesday!
little insider tips for those choosing Italy as a honeymoon destination. Here's an "off the beaten path" day trip if your thinking of spending extended time in Milan............................Enjoy!

BERGAMO

Bergamo, is a little town in the Lombardy region, 45 minutes north of Milano. It's a great day trip if your travels bring you to Milano. The town has two centers, upper city, "Città alta", medieval walled city on a hilltop and the lower city, "Città bassa", serves as the modern city center of Bergamo, which are connected by a cable car and roads.

SITES
II Palazzzo della Ragion (città alta)
Piazza Vecchia (città alta) located in the heart of the old city this is the perfect spot for an aperitivo at the historic, Caffe del Tasso.
Santa Maria Maggiore (città alta)
Duomo, Torre del Comume (città alta)

little insider tip: In Citta Alta, you can go even higher. Go to Colle Aperto, following Via Colleoni and going out of the city walls and take the other cable car to San Vigilio hill. At the cable car ticket office you will be able to find leaflets about itineraries on the area. Beautiful strolls in this area and views of Bergamo Alta are promised.

ART
Galleria d'arte moderna e contemporanea (città bassa)
Accademia Carrara (città bassa)
Museo d'arte sacra Fondazione Adriano Bernareggi (città bassa)

SHOPPING
Berne, via borfuro 6 (città bassa)
designer clothing aspesi, paul smith, vivienne westwood etc...

EATS
Trattoria La Colombina, Via Borgo Canale, 12, tele. 035.261402 (città alta)
(this is a hidden, romantic, gem of a restaurant, is my absolute favorite! it won't disappoint, call ahead and reserve a table on the vine covered terrace with views of the beautiful valley)
Colleoni Dell'Angelo Located in piazza vecchia (see photo above)(città alta)

SLEEP
Hotel Piazza Vecchia (città alta)
Hotel San Lorenzo (città alta)

SWEETS
Polenta e Osei is a Lombardian dish of polenta topped with little chocolate birds. Layers of spongecake and apricot jam make up the usual filling and the dome-shaped cake is then covered in rolled yellow fondant before being coated with sugar. Dainty little chocolate bird decorations adorn the top. Very pretty to look at and you will find them displayed in the bakery windows.

HELPFUL INFO
Train schedule from Milano stazione centrale, runs hourly, look at schedule here
Tourist info here

little jewelry treasures........

images via lang antiques

some little jewels for the big day.... I adore any piece of vintage jewelry, like the estruscan bangle and victorian cluster ring, found here

photo via bergdorf goodman

image via style.com

a little lady could only dream of dripping in Parisian jeweler, Lydia Courteille vintaged inspired jewels. This mosaic butterfly ring is on my "if i had million dollars" wish list.......