New Zealand in my mind

We are not going to leave for our honeymoon until the end of October but it's hard not to think about it. I want to start a honeymoon wish list now so that I will be prepared when I'll have to pack :)

This Tory Burch dress is coming with me!

My Stockholm

Several friends who got married recently recommended taking a pre-wedding trip somewhere to relax and unwind a month or so before the wedding day, so Rob and I were happy to follow their suggestion and took a short trip to Stockholm. 

We both really liked the city and these are the things we would recommend:

1. Gamla Stan: this is probably the most peculiar and authentic of all the islands Stockholm is built on.  By the way, did you know that Stockholm is made of 14 islands? This certainly makes the city one of the most intriguing I have ever visited. Gamla Stan is the old part of the city, and like any old part of any city, it is the most interesting one. Here you will enjoy the narrowest streets with the most colourful and beautiful buildings. The main square, Stortorget, is simply a gem. 

2. Another island I really loved is Djurgarden. This used to be a royal hunting ground and now that it's open to everybody it is the city's greenest space and the most visited one on sunny Sundays. Here you'll have to visit the Skansen, a lovely open-air museum and definitely the Vasamuseet, a must in Stockholm. I rarely get impressed, I must say, but this left me speechless! While wandering around the park, take a break in the most lovely cafe' serving the most delicious homemade cakes: Bla Porten.

3. Visit as many tube stations as you can. They all have some art hidden on the platforms. I loved the white and blue cave at T-Centralen.

4. For some authentic Swedish food head to Nalen. I believe I had the best salmon in my entire life there. And speaking of restaurants, you must book a table at the super cool Gondolen. A tip: book a table as late as you can if you visit Stockholm in summer and you'll get the most romantic and amazing sun-set view. Our table was booked for 9.30pm and the sun was about to set.

I am sure there is more that I could recommend but this is it for now. I'll probably go back and tell you more...

You Are Invited

As promised, here are some pictures of our wedding invites.

Since we got engaged I knew I would design our wedding invitations. And what a responsibility that is! I first looked for inspiration and then played around with a dozen of styles. I knew I wanted something simple but fun, elegant but not stuffy. I love polka dots and I should have known that I would end up using them. As for the colours, gray had to be one option since our Save the Date cards were all white and gray and I wanted to do something in line with that as I love gray in general, I think it's such an understated, classy and simply lovely colour. I even contemplated the idea of having a monochrome invite but somehow I felt that I needed a splash of colour. As I don't really have a colour theme for the wedding, I thought green would be the best choice as it naturally appears in the flower arrangements. With time, I have discovered that green will be the colour of the night anyway: My mum will be in green and as far as I understand half of the girls will be wearing green too! 

The design was then letterpress printed on a vintage Heidelberg press on a thick (425gsm) Saunders 100% cotton paper by the lovely people at Blush Publishing who did an amazing job, I think.

Final touches were the customised stamps from the Royal Mail and the beautiful calligraphy work by njw.

So, you are the judges. Do you like them? 

Have you designed your wedding invitations? Did you feel the pressure? I'd love to hear your stories.

Such a Lovely Touch

Now that all my guests (well, I have heard from 90% of them) have received their invites, I can finally reveal some pictures. 

A month ago, while stressing over things at work (I am sure!), I received this lovely picture from the ever so nice and super professional people at Blush showing my wedding invites on the press.

I thought it was such a lovely touch and I can't speak highly enough of these people. I had a blast designing my wedding invites and am definitely going to use Blush again. Thank you guys!

More pics of the invites coming up.

RED Valentino

On Saturday Rob and I headed to Westfield for some good shopping. I hadn't been there in a while and was pleased to see some new shops. The one that really blew me away was certainly RED Valentino. The collection is so sweet and girlie and I would have loved to splash some money on a dress but unfortunately they didn't have anything in my size.

These are the three dresses I selected:

The Brickhouse

I have been wanting to write a post about this place since the moment I booked a table; however, now that we have been, I am not quite sure I'll be able to write too many positive things about it.

To celebrate Rob's birthday I booked a table at The Brickhouse expecting a nice four-course meal and some good burlesque entertainment. After all these people have entertained the Arctic Monkeys! The Brickhouse is located in the ever so bustling Brick Lane; a welcoming red velvet curtain is the first thing you spot when you arrive and our taxi driver didn't fail to mention his excitement for "old style places", another word for brothels, I suspect. 

Inside the Brickhouse is anything but old style; minimalistic, black and white furniture and a very modern cocktail bar with a wide range of cocktails are there to make you feel at home. 

When I booked, I asked for a nice table, specifying that we were celebrating a birthday. They took my request quite literally and we were seated in the front row, right below the stage. This meant that Rob was quite the centre of attraction and touched and sung to from the performers. And I am not quite sure he liked that. 

The food was ok. Nothing amazing but fine. My favourite course was the appetiser; I chose a lovely chicory, walnut, stilton and pear salad. My main course, a broad bean, peas and mushroom risotto was acceptable but not great, while the pannacotta was a big disappointment. On a positive side, I really appreciated the rasberry palate cleanser and the cocktails were divine.

While dining we were entertained by Lady Beau Peep and The League of the Extraordinaire. While I enjoyed some parts of the show, I don't mind saying that this wasn't the best burlesque show I have been to. One part of the show even annoyed me, in fact, it bothered Rob too: one of the performers was dressed in a sado maso red mask and black latex trousers and was chained. I really don't like that kind of stuff and I couldn't see the connection with burlesque. Thankfully, his part didn't last long. 

Overall we had a pleasant night out and it was nice to dress up and celebrate Rob's birthday out. However, I am not sure I would recommend the Brickhouse to my friends. There are better similar places in town. 

Heading home I had a thought: how long do you think it would take to try every single restaurant in London? If only I had the time and money...

Two Things

My birthday is not for a while but there is no harm in starting a birthday wish list now, right?
Two things I'd love to receive:

These super sweet ballerinas by Tory Burch.
And this amazing bag by Stella. I really need another black bag :)

Taking notes, people?

W London

Last Sunday Rob and I went with some friends to the new and glamorous W Hotel in Leicester Square and loved it.

The atmosphere is very cool and groovy. The hall is full of glittery disco balls and the lounge is very welcoming. The drinks were delicious, one round wasn't enough! 

The hotel also has a fabulous spa and my friend Steph and I are planning a girlie, pre-wedding evening together there. Can't wait!

Machiavelli

Last week I tried Machiavelli for lunch with my friend Lucia and we both loved it. Machiavelli opened just a month ago in Long Acre, very close to my office, and I have been meaning to go since the day it opened.The interiors attracted my attention and I had a feeling that the food would be good too.

The cafe' is on two floors. We were seated downstairs in a lovely off-cream and very relaxing room. The food was simply delicious; we had a trio of bruschette and then we shared a mouth-watering prawn lasagna and a very good squid fregola pasta.

Machiavelli is certainly not a cheap option for lunch but I will definitely go again, perhaps for another girlie catch-up.

The Kooples

Don't you just love The Kooples?

A must have for me that I hope to add to my collection soon is this amazingly neo-romantic skull top.

Opinion

I am window shopping exhausted! Rob and I wandered around London all day today looking for a few things, one of these being a dress I could wear at my parents' Welcome Aperitivo party the night before the wedding (yes, I am still looking!). 

I saw this little number and personally like it, it makes me think a lot of my parents' garden in Spring with all the cherry trees in blossom. Rob, however, didn't like it as much as me, so I am asking you: do you like it? Should I buy it? Do you think it would be a nice thing to wear for a bride-to-be? I am thinking to accessorise it with a white flower in my hair and glittery black shoes.  Need your opinion. Thanks!

It's Getting Real

Last weekend I celebrated my hen party in London with a very nice bunch of girlfriends. This, more than the civil ceremony, made me realise that it's getting real, Rob and I are getting married in a month!

My friends organised a wonderful weekend together and I couldn't have asked for a better hen party. It was lovely, it was fun, it was tasteful, exactly what I wanted. 

We started the celebration with an Afternoon Teaser at the Volupte. While enjoying a traditional high tea with sandwiches, champagne, scones, meringues and more we were entertained by some talented burlesque performers. I think we all agreed that Amber Topaz was the best, although Matt Ricardo the magician was incredibly funny and my friend Ambra even said that she could marry a man like him. 

The show lasted about two hours. We then jumped into our taxis and headed to My Chelsea Hotel, a very girlie boutique hotel in the heart of Chelsea where we had a beauty and spa themed bridal shower. I was treated with luxurious gifts from Liberty and Penhaligons (Thank you friends!) and received a facial with peeling and mask. It was very relaxing and so much fun.

The hotel was very cute, very small and perfect for our purpose. We spent a couple of hours chatting, sipping tea and relaxing in my room. We then got ready for dinner and headed to the hotel bar where we enjoyed Cosmopolitan and Mojito cocktails.

We ended the evening with a nice meal at the hotel restaurant with more chats and laughs. 

I am so very lucky: I had the perfect hen party with the perfect company and went to bed so full of joy and touched. Sunday morning we all had breakfast together and then it was time to say goodbye and see you soon in June in Italy for the big day!

Thank you all for making my hen party a day I'll never forget! I love you all!

Fancy denim

Ever thought a denim dress could be so classy? I love it!

Oh My...!

How cool are these Marc Jacobs sandals??! Want them!