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.......

a little alberta ferretti on my mind..........

image via brides magazine uk

images via browns

Anne's post on the film, Stealing Beauty, featured a photo of the bohemian beauty, Liv Tyler, in a ultra romantic dress, which she wore in the films party scene at the fabulous Italian Villa. The dress has always been one of my favorites (not to mention the toscana galla) but I haven't a clue who designed it? do you?

Anyway, the dress had me thinking, about the Italian designer, Alberta Ferretti, best known for her beautiful, flowing chiffon layered dresses, a style similar to the dress Liv wore in the film. Her ultra-feminine style is best displayed in her simple but unique bridal collection.

Click on the country nearest you, for store location that carries her bridal collection

United States
England
Italy

more on photographer Anna Kuperberg

The talented San Fransisco based photographer, Anna Kuperberg, has been kind enough to send along some more photos of the beautiful winter wedding from yesterdays post.
This wedding took place at the Four Seasons Resort at Whistler Mountain.
I have a special fondness for this hotel and location, as it was our honeymoon spot. I highly recommend it.........

to see more details of this wedding go here

a little upcoming wedding photographer......

photographed by Anna Kuperberg

If this isn't a little winter bride then I don't know what is....I absolutely adore it! It was taken by San Francisco based wedding photographer, Anna Kuperberg, who won 1st place in last months PDN Top Knots contest , which by the way is a great resource for up and coming wedding photography..........

To view more of her beautiful work check out her website here
she also has a fabulous blog....

little honeymoon adventures in Italy...........

I was recently in contact with the lovely and ever so sweet, Anne, creator of the blog, Perfect Bound, about her upcoming honeymoon travels to Italy. She has a great trip planned, and Milano being one of her stops, I thought I'd share a little list of my favorite places from the city I am now happy to call home.
Also, since Italy tends to be a very popular honeymoon spot, I plan to dedicate every Wednesday's post to a new location. So hold tight, there's more to come........

MILAN

"torta con fragoline di bosco" from, Pasticceria Ronchi, Via Sacco, 5
photographed by deirdre quinn

(note click on the highlighted bold names below for more information)

PLACES
Duomo, take in the view of milan with the gargoyles on the roof terrace of the duomo.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, just a few steps away from the duomo is the grand entry to the galleria, where you can join in the hustle and bustle for some shopping....
and a few steps away, is the Italian department store, La Rinascente
Santa Maria delle Grazia, is the home of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper", make your reservations a month in advance, for a quick and I mean quick glimpse,(they literally shuffle you thru like cattle) of the fading masterpiece.......
Basilicia di sant'ambrogio
Castello Sforzesco
Teatro alla Scalla
Parco Sempione
Giardini Pubblici


SPA
After a long morning of sight seeing and shopping, take the afternoon off, for a little spa treatment, roman bath style at Terme Milano.
My girlfriends took me here for my bachelorette day, it was so much fun and truly relaxing.
And if your looking for the ultimate high end, luxury spa treatments, and have room in your budget, check out Habits Culti or The Bulgari Hotel

ART
Pinacoteca di brera
PAC
Triennale di milano
Galleria Carla Sozzani at Corso Como 10
Gio Marconi
Go Gallery

off the beaten track hip art scene in Lambrate
galleria zero
francesca minini
galleria klerkx
prometeo gallery
and cross over to Isola for an aperitivo at Frida Cafe

EATS
Rita, located in Navigli neighborhood, is the place for weekend brunch. Typically, an Italian style breakfast is a light fare of cafe and brioche, so if your craving a little, American style brunch, this is definetly your place. For all my fellow new yorker readers, they even serve bagels!
L'Incoronate, is one of my favorite little hip lunch spots. It's a great place to recharge after a morning of shopping at Corso Como 10 and High Tech
Consolare ristorante, is one of the best restaurants (aside from my mother in-law's kitchen) located in artsy neighborhood of Brera. My absolute favorite dishes primo piatto is pasta con le vongole
and for secondo piatto scampi alla griglia
I should inform my lovely readers, I am a HUGE foodie...the plates above will not disappoint.

APERITIVO (*my ultimate favorites)
a little bubbly at the end of your day is the italian way ( i can't believe i just made a silly rhyme)
why not try a Aperol Spritz? this is a typical aperitivo drink made with aperol, prosecco, splash of selzter and a slice of orange on the rocks.....it's DELISH!
you can practice saying this "Io prendo un aperol spritz per favore" I swear, after having a couple of these, you'll start to think your fluent in the language.......
below are of our regular low key hangouts
Cantine Isola
* this is one of the best hidden wine bars in milan, it mostly attracts musicians, artists and writer types
Pescheria da Claudia
* stop in here for an apertivo of fresh mix of fish and a glass of prosecco.
Cape Town
Mono
*if I'm homesick for Brooklyn this is a good replacement, vibe is an artsy crowd
Mom Cafe
Atomic Bar

SHOPPING

high end designer shops such as Prada and Dolce & Gabanna, can be found venturing down the little quaint cobblestone street, Via Spiga and just around the corner on Via Monte Napoleone, you will find the likes of Alberta Ferretti, Marni, Missoni, Valentino etc......
Here are some of my favorite shops scattered around Milan's city center
Aspesi
Lusia Beccaria
Pupi Solari via Piazza Tommaseo, 2
Laura Urbinati
Muji
Corso Como 10
Isola Show Room (everything you see here is handmade, jewellery, t-shirts, art work etc...)
Lingottino Gioielli, Coroso Magenta, 52
Camper
Maison Martin Margiela
Miu Miu
Sermoneta Gloves
Car Shoe, Via Della Spiga, 1
Frip, Corso Di Porta Ticinese, 16 * edgy 80's style store, its worth a look see

HOTELS
$$$$$
The Principe Di Savoia
Four Seasons
The Gray Hotel
$$$
Antica Locanda dei mercanti
Antica Locanda Solferino
$$
Del Sole Hotel
Hotel Speronari

FOODS & SWEETS
Wagner Market
Piazza Wagner 2
If your a foodie, then this is a must!
Here you will see the inner workings of an Italian market, from the fish guy to fresh produce, it's a true experience and testament to Italian's care for food in their everyday lives.

Chocolat Gelateria
For some delicious gelato, they even have such a flavors as dark chocolate with hot peppers! yikes or yum!

Pasticceria Ronchi Via Sacco, 5
This pasticceria is one of my neighborhood favorites, it has some of the best little cakes and treats. If you don't believe me, check out the opening photograph, hellooooo.....please scroll up to the top

Corregio Pasticceria
Via Correggio, 14
sugar covered violets or roses anyone? the most delicious handmade sweets see here

.......little italian dresses

image via Luisa Becceria

...tucked away in the tiny cobblestone streets of Brera, an arty, bohemian neighborhood of Milan, you can find designer,
Luisa Becceria's little jewel of a store
I spoke about her in one of my very first posts here, while I was shopping around for my wedding dress and thought I share a little update to show you a few highlights from her 2008 winter collection.....

images via Luisa Becceria

I'm loving the violet, silver and gold frosted tone color palette! don't get me wrong, I loved my wedding dress but I would have been just as delighted to wear the long and flowing violet one!

for all those unique brides around the globe, looking for something a little different, Luisa's romantic, delicate, little frocks can also be found
at selected stores here

little blossom place cards.........

Sometimes, little buds and votive candles are all you need to make your table beautiful as ever.....
Don't get me wrong, I love a large flower arrangements anytime but sometimes less is more and the results of a simple and chic table setting can have the same impact when its done right. Here is a sweet idea to add flower accents to your table without going over the top or over budget.

this would also work great with pansies, mini daffodils or even a fresh sprig of lavender!

(Image via martha stewart living)

(old clipping of mine, so I don't know which issue)

a little sugar on top.........

Want little fresh flowers displayed on your wedding cake but are concerned about the chemicals and pesticides that could come with it? Try using sugar flowers as a beautiful and safe alternative........

images from the sugar flower shop

The Sugar Flower Shop, located in the town of Red Hook, in the beautiful Hudson Valley upstate New York, can customize any sugar flower your little heart desires. Remember you don't have to spend oodles of money to have a fabulous looking cake. Maybe have a simple, delicious little cake made by your favorite baker and leave the decorating up to you!
And most importantly, they even deliver small sugar flower arrangements within the U.S!

here's a little cake sketch for a sugared pansy cake..... how sweet that would that be!

illustrated by deirdre quinn

a little floral designer in williamsburg, brklyn........

.....researching for new florists, I stumbled upon a williamsburg, brklyn (a little shout out to my old neighborhood) based floral designer,
Nicolette Camille Floral Design
I adore her style! its right up my alley, soft, romantic and unique.....
You can also find her featured on design*sponge

photographed by tara donne

photographed by nicolette camille

photographed by tony yang

a little bubbly champagne vs. sparkling prosecco........

a little glass of the bubbly is a wedding must but how do you keep your guests glasses flowing, without breaking the bank?

image via wikipedia

While champagne, the product produced within the Champagne region of France, is the classic drink to serve, it can also make a dent in your wedding budget. So, if your looking for a nice alternative, budget friendly drink to serve, try Prosecco, a sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy. Here in Italy, it is considered the "everyday drink", very popular during aperitivo hour. I would recommend, Aneri Prosecco, which can be found in the states via Palm Bay International Fine Wines and Spirits
bottle of aneri prosecco
image via palm bay international wine and spirits

little west village urban garden wedding............

a little list and inspiration for those planning, a small new york wedding.....

(1st column)
flower arrangements: saipua
invitations: bird and banner
ring: anthony nak
(2nd column)
purple dress: luisa beccaria
(3rd column)
little secret nyc garden for wedding ceremony: jefferson market
(4th column)
cream lace and satin dress: luisa beccaria
(5th column)
gold ginko necklace: erica weiner jewelry
little treats from: payard
reception venue: 632 hudson
earrings: anthony nak

This post is filled with little ideas to have a small chic, urban, garden wedding in new york's west village. Ceremony can be held outside here at the Jefferson Market Garden, located at 6th ave btw 9th & 10 street and after guests can walk to the reception at 632 Hudson venue located on hudson btw horatio & jane street.
Even though my inspiration above applies to new york vendors, I hope it can inspire other brides around the globe..........
Enjoy ! let me know what you think

little notes and invites.......

These past couple of days I have been busy working on little note cards.........
Here's a sample of our thank you notes, I decided to take an element from the wedding favor design, to create postcard size notes. sweet & simple.

illustration by deirdre quinn

I also thought I would share a wedding shower invite that recently illustrated and designed for a friend....
(sorry for the white outs, looks much better with out it)

little priceless gifts..........

Thought I would share this little special wedding gift we received today from our friends in Spain. It's a bound book by, Album Digital of photographs from our wedding. I have to say, I have been so impressed with the creative and personal gifts we've received but this one is absolutely priceless!
Also, in an older posts, I spoke about a digital book design company called, Mac&Cheese, this is another great option not to mention chic and stylized one, for archiving those precious moments.........

a little special musical guest........

belathee photography

Another detail to make your wedding little more unique, is having a special musical guest. We were lucky to have good friends of ours, Au Revior Simone, play a little concert at our wedding. We had them play 4 songs just after the cake and then it was back to the full on dance party.....

If your planning having a dj or playing music via ipod, which are a lot cheaper then hiring a full on band, having a little musical guest play a couple of songs can be a nice balance and addition to your cocktail hour. A great way to find musicians, is to look at your local bars\restaurants and small music venues. There you will find musicians that are not going to break the bank. Maybe you would like to have jazz trio or string quartet or maybe even something a bit more out there, like a klezmer band. Last summer, my husband and I attended a country wedding here in northern Italy, where the bride and groom walked in a procession with all the guest from the church to the venue, led by a klezmer band. It was fantastic and really set the tone for the party.

Here are some of my favorite little restaurants and bars in the nyc/brklyn area that have live music weekly........
it's a great way to sample potential musicians you are considering to hire for your big day.
Moto, williamsburg brklyn
Barbès, park slope brklyn
Pete's Candy Store, williamsburg, brklyn
The Antique Garage, nyc
Cafe Steinhof, park slope brklyn

check out the little list of musiciansThe Mad Jazz Hatters, brklyn
Baby Soda Jazzz Band, brklyn
Klezmer band, brklyn
The Blue Viper's of Brooklyn
The Moonlighters, brklyn
Delta Dreambox, brklyn
The Slavic Soul Party, brklyn