Going Vintage in Jakarta

I almost fell out of my chair (well, my couch) when I laid my eyes on these amazing engagement photos of Nani and Didi posted on Indonesia-based Axioo Photography's blog. I am seriously at a loss for words (well not really but you get my point). I adore Nani's outfits, especially her polka dot dress with the red flowers in her hair. I am amazed at all the locations they picked out (did they hire a location scout?!). Finally, I am blown away by Axioo's skill - the poses, the colours, the lighting. Simply stunning. Some of you know that I'm indifferent when it comes to engagement sessions (i.e. they're not on my must-have list). However, I think these might make me a convert.

To see more photos from Nani and Didi's engagement session, click here. Thank you Axioo for letting me share these.

A B.C. Wedding on Rock `n Roll Bride

Image by E/A Photography via Rock 'n Roll Bride

How adorable is this photo? For all you B.C. brides out there looking for some inspiration, jump over to Rock 'n Roll Bride to see this whimsical wedding held at Kopje Regional Park in Okanagan.

Vendor Beware: Update

The Toronto Star posted a follow-up today to its Saturday article. Click here to read.

Previous Post: Vendor Beware

Vendor Beware!

via The Toronto Star

The above article appeared on the front page of this past Saturday's Toronto Star. The pictured couple, along with several others, were allegedly left high and dry by a Mississauga-based decorator, Affairs With Flair, when it claimed bankruptcy and 'backed out' of its contracts days, in some cases even hours, before their clients' weddings. The kicker? This decorator was still demanding payments from clients while it was emailing others to let them know they were 'bankrupt.' According to the Toronto Star, The Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada has no record of Affairs With Flair filing for bankruptcy. Outrageous. I really feel for all those couples out there who paid this company hundreds, even thousands, of dollars and were left with nothing on their special day.

After reading this article, I contacted Alison of Toronto-based A Hot Pink Petticoat for her advice on how other couples can avoid this vendor nightmare. Here are Alison's comments:

• First off, if a vendor is aggressive, almost forceful, about getting your 50% deposit up front, then walk away. Receiving emails along the lines of "pay your balance or else" is a huge sign to just cut your losses and run!

• Like we hear all the time, if the prices are too good to be true, they are. This vendor was offering decor at prices that undercut their competitors by too much. Reputable vendors will not under price their value as much as this vendor did.

• Make sure your contract is air-tight. That is, make sure it states that if the vendor does not provide the services as per the contract, that you will be reimbursed 100% of payments already made.
  

• Ask your other vendors about vendors you have yet to hire. If someone had asked me about this vendor, I would have told them how there has been some talk in the industry questioning this vendors' ethics.

Alison also recommends those individuals looking to hire a decorator to read this article, 7 Questions to Ask Your Decorator, written by professional decorator, Vivian of Vivian's Decor & Designs.

A big thank you to Alison for sharing her wise advice with us. I would just add that if you are in the beginning stages of your wedding planning, you may want to consider hiring a event planner or an event co-ordinator. I know that this is an expense that many couples cannot afford especially in these economic times but the benefit of having someone 'in the know', who can guide you towards reputable vendors, may save you a lot of heartache and money in the long run. Finally, elaborating on Alison's comment above, make sure you read all your vendors' contracts. Legal contacts can be daunting sometimes and as easy as it is to just sign and file away, step up to the plate and read the contracts. You'll find that often times, it's in plain English disguised in 'legal font.' And don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't understand a provision. After all, it's YOUR money and YOUR big day on the line here!

If you are or were a client of Affairs with Flair, I encourage you to contact the author of the Toronto Star article, Nick Kyonka at nkyonka@thestar.ca.

Christine & Greg Say "I Do" Rockabilly Style

I remember first coming across Christine's wedding blog, My Wedding Rocks, and immediately bookmarking it. Her first blog entry stated that she was planning a "rock & roll wedding with a little touch of outlaw country." Her wedding mantra combined with her sassy profile pic (see below) were indications that her wedding was going to be FUN. From their photos, it looks like Christine and Greg did not disappoint. Christine was kind enough to allow me to share with you photo candy from her big day.

Christine and Greg's ceremony and reception were held at the Olde Gahanna Sanctuary, a former Peace Lutheran Church (built in 1895) turned community centre, located in the Columbus, Ohio area. When I asked Christine about her venue, this is what she had to say, "There are beautiful stained glass windows everywhere and it has an old school charm to it. For the price, I couldn't beat it. I was allowed to bring in my own food and alcohol. That really helped keep my costs down."

Christine wore a gorgeous fit to flair Melissa Sweet replica while Greg donned a custom-made jacket made by the legendary Manuel who has designed clothing for Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones and even the King of Rock n' Roll himself, Elvis.


A few months before the wedding, Christine and Greg purchased a 1954 Chevy Bel Air which made for a great photo prop.

Christine, with the help of her mother-in-law and bridesmaids, made the wedding bouquets. They had purchased the flowers in bulk beforehand from two local florists. I love how the pink pops against Christine's dress.

Christine and Greg had these VIP lanyards made for their bridal party.

Christine DIYed her centrepieces. She purchased annuals from a local hardware store and planted them in glass vases she purchased from the Dollar General! The centrepieces were placed atop records, keeping with the rock n' roll theme. The guest favours, customized guitar picks, were scattered around the centrepieces.


As you can imagine music was a major part of this rock star couple's big day. The couple had one of their favourite bands, Blackberry Smoke, play at their wedding (if only I could get Oasis or Coldplay to play at mine....sorry, daydreaming). Apparently they bought the house down as they blew a fuse! Local band Rosie also performed turning this wedding into a rockin' concert!


I asked Christine her favourite par to the day and this was her response:
It has to be walking down the aisle with my father and seeing Greg at the alter with tears streaming down his face. It was so emotional and special and sweet. I knew I was marrying the man of my dreams! The whole day was incredible and it felt so amazing to have all of the people we love the most help us celebrate our day.

The bridesmaids wore black halter 50's swing-style dress which were purchased from Trashy Diva.

I love this picture. To me it sums up how sassy Greg & Christine are and how much fun they and their bridal party had.

Thank you Christine & Greg for sharing your photos with us and congratulations!! To see more details from this rockabilly wedding, visit Christine's wedding blog. Christine also writes a music blog, check it out at Hell on High Heels.

All images by Sharon Elaine via My Wedding Rocks.

A Cooking Weekend

Happy Monday! Hope you all had great weekends.

After my crazy weekend in La La land last weekend, all I wanted to do this weekend was to be a homebody. So I decided to clean, blog, catch up on So You Think You Can Dance (I was rooting for Jeanine!) and cook. And boy did I cook. When the BF is not in town, I find it hard to cook just for myself on a daily basis. So I've taken to cooking in big batches on the weekends, saving half of what I make for the week ahead, and freezing the other half so I can have it later on in the month (otherwise I'll be eating my big vat of chili for 5 days straight). The BF also benefits from my cooking marathons as it means he doesn't have to heat up a Lean Cuisine. The BF doesn't really cook (he's a mean BBQer though) so he often relies on the culinary skills of Stouffer's. Not that I'm a Lean Cuisine hater as I've been known to nuke a few for lunch at work. However, it's just not right to have them almost EVERYDAY. Sorry BF - I outed you. The BF says he likes the portion sizes. I can't argue with him there. So for the BF, I now portion out what I make a la Lean Cuisine and freeze them in those handy Glad containers.

So what did I make this weekend?

I've always wanted to try my hand at stew. So I headed over to Suzie Foods to see if she had a recipe. Suzie Foods' motto is "Healthy Eating. Cheap and Easy" - so I often find awesome recipes on this blog. (Plus Suzie is a friend and I've sampled her many yummy dishes.) Lucky for me, Suzie's stew recipe was passed down to her by her Granny, so I knew the end result (if I didn't screw up) would be delice.

Here's a picture of the final product. It's pretty tasty if I say so myself. Check out Granny's Stew recipe here. If you're a fellow novice cook like me, peruse Suzie Foods for some great recipes. If you're not into cooking or don't have the time and happen live in L.A., you might want to check out Suzie Prepared Foods. FYI - Suzie's Mac n Cheese is to DIE for!

Next up, lasagna. When I first started making lasagna, I followed Emeril's Lasagna Recipe. I still use it today but when I'm short on time I use store-bought tomato sauce instead of making it from scratch. This weekend I tried making a 'healthier' version by using ground turkey (instead of pork, beef and veal - all so yummy) and using less cheese than called for. Verdict? Not bad, definitely yummy, but I prefer the original. Can't mess with the BAM!

Finally, I made Chicken Stir-Fry. This is my go-to meal. I started making it in university because it's quick, easy, cheap and tastes great. Over the years, my chicken stir-fry has seen many variations - different veggies, different seasonings but the constant has always been: chicken breast marinated in garlic, soy sauce, and ginger, stir-fried with onions, green peppers, more garlic, more ginger, more soy sauce, some hot sauce, and served on rice. Do you have a go-to meal?
Whew! That was quite a cooking weekend. I don't think my next one will happen for awhile but when it does I already know I'll going to try out recipes from this cookbook that my cousin gave me:

Anyone try this cookbook yet? Or any of Padma Lakshmi's cookbooks?

P.S. Come back later today to see photo candy from one rockin' wedding!

P.P.S Did anyone see Julie & Julia?

Congratulations to Cheap Wife!

Just wanted to congratulate Laura, better known as Cheap Wife and her now husband! They got married today in Seattle. Enjoy your honeymoon Laura and looking forward to your recaps!

Frocks Sale!!

If you live in Vancouver or Calgary....

Frugal Friday: Tidbits from the Interwebs

I'm still not up to full blogging speed but couldn't let you down on Frugal Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

$10 off any Amazon Magazine Subscription - Enter code MAGSAVER

Amazon sent me this code since I had purchased 5 subscriptions to Real Simple from them! I won't be using it so go ahead. I'm not sure if it's a one time use only....but give it a whirl, you never know.

White Toronto - Bridesmaids Event

Aldo Shoes - Free Shipping

The Red Eye...

from LAX to YYZ always sucks. Came home, slept for an hour then went into work. Completely, utterly smashed. Hope you all had a lovely weekend (a long one for some of us Canadians). Blogging will resume later this week once I've had a chance to catch up with your shenanigans! BTW - I love Bill Clinton. Just had to throw that one out there.