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.......

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