Wednesday 30 April 2014

A Healthy Bride

I am very lucky that I don't have to watch my weight or what I eat too much as, let's face it, it's not that much fun! But since I got engaged, I've started to over think that I will need to fit into a beautiful wedding dress & look amazing as there will be 65 sets of eyes staring at me as I walk down the aisle! 
(Eek scary thought - note to self; don't fall over!!!!!!!)

Due to my over thinking, I've become really interested in finding healthier options of my favourite foods. I'm obviously not trying to lose weight as I am rather petite, but I want to look healthy & glowing when the day comes!

One food group that I absolutely adore is CARBS!!!!! I mean people surely can't live without carbs, I don't know how they can do it because they just make every meal so damn tasty :) My absolute fave is pasta! I could eat pasta every night if someone let me - thankfully they don't! So, I don't want to never eat pasta again but I thought 'hmmm… what can I have that is the same sort of thing but a lot healthier?!' 

So, as usual, I went to google & started researching different ingredients & healthier options. 

(For the record, I'm not saying that every bride needs to watch what they eat, it's just what I wish to do)


Here's some ideas for that healthier alternative;

1. No more spaghetti, have 'courgetti'

For me, this is genius! It looks pretty similar to spaghetti, tastes really good & is also really filling as courgettes are quite chunky! I found this recipe when reading Lady Smart's blog & I'm so happy that I did :) It was actually so easy to make & I also added in some prawns so that it wasn't all veg!









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2. Stuffed crusts? Nah, stuffed aubergine!! 

I always find that aubergine is really filling as it's quite a 'meaty' vegetable, if that makes sense. Because it's filling, I can eat this recipe for my dinner without any carbs & still feel full all evening which is amazing as sometimes when you're trying to be healthy, you get hungry only a few hours later!

 For my stuffed aubergines, I filled them with;

 lamb mince
onions
chilli
tomatoes
courgettes
feta
mushrooms

They were absolutely delicious & I'm definitely going to be adding this recipe to the (small) list of meals I can cook :)







3. Stir fry not fry up!

I am a massive lover of a stir fry as you can just fill it with pretty much anything & everything. It's really good for using all of that left over veg in the fridge! You can either go super healthy with just veg or if you want to add something a bit more filling then you can add some rice noodles or gluten free noodles as they're slightly better for you :)





4. Bacon aubergine rolls

I only tried making these the other week with MelKate & they were a real success. They were a little bit fiddly to start with but once we got into a routine then they were easier to put together! I also saw this idea on Lady Smart's blog & thought "mmmm aubergine" once again :)

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5. Lasagne (Aubergine style)

I first tried this dish in the French Alps in a little restaurant on the side of a mountain and thought it was absolutely a-ma-zing! Lasagne is just such a comfort food & is perfect when it's a little chilly outside. So I thought, I've used aubergine as a pasta before so why can't I do it with lasagne?! Rather than using your standard lasagne sheets just replace them for slice aubergine instead :)


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As you can tell, there's definitely been a lot of aubergine involved in this post! There isn't really a specific reason for this other than that it's really tasty & can be used in so many different ways!

Hopefully this has given some ideas for all you carb lovers out there :D

Thank you for reading

Love,

Dainty Bride xx



(Pictures on this blog post are property of DaintyBride unless stated otherwise with an asterisk *. Any images marked with an asterisk * are sourced from the internet & are believed to be public domain & have no rights affiliated with DaintyBride)

Sunday 27 April 2014

The Wedding Dress

I could literally spend hours & hours looking at different wedding dresses online so I decided to do a top 10 of different styles for all you brides to be :) 

Most of these dresses are really expensive as they are designed by some amazing designers but I always find looking at these is a good idea even if you can't fit them into your budget as you can get so many ideas of what you want!!

(These aren't in a particular order)




1. Pronovias - 'Lacinne' (2014 collection)




This tulle wedding dress has silver & mother-of-pearl embroidery. It has a beautiful v-neck as well as a bow at the front of the skirt. I absolutely love this style! It looks so elegant & classy :)







2. Naomi Neoh - 'Fleur' (Secret Garden Collection)




This dress is stunning! It is definitely one of my top 3 dresses! This dress is inspired by the 1950's classic styles that were worn by Audrey Hepburn. This dress is also perfect for those brides who want a change of outfit for the evening as the reverse french lace jacket can be removed as well as the sash which will give the dress a completely different look! Talk about a multi-tasking dress :)








3. Naomi Neoh - 'Clementine' (Secret Garden Collection)




This dress is quite similar to number 2 in the skirt as it's very flowy (is that even a word?)  & the main difference being that there isn't a full lace top. This dress would be perfect for a summer wedding as it looks really cooling & easy going. It may also be suitable for those who are going abroad as the material looks lighter than others I've seen.






4. Naomi Neoh - 'Beatrix' (Love Letters Collection)






This bridal gown is so sophisticated & elegant that it makes me want to cry! This dress is inspired by the 1930's which is obvious by the vintage detailing on the back of the dress. This isn't a dress i'd have even considered for myself but it just makes you want to try it on!!!






5. Vera Wang - 'Josephine' (Autumn 2012 Collection)



This dress isn't your typical bridal gown as, well, let's all state the obvious… it's black!! For some reason, I still think its gorgeous & just so different but in a good way. The low back makes the dress really sexy & sophisticated yet from the front it looks really fairytale-esque. It almost reminds me of a disney bridal dress! I feel like this dress is for those who want to shock & don't like the "traditional" route :)






6. Coast  - 'Serene Maxi Dress'




This wedding dress is one for all us budgeters out there :) I stumbled across this beauty on Coast's website & just thought it was so clean, simple & most of all, affordable!! 
It's really feminine & graceful in the design & will really flatter a bride with the waist being defined.





7. Sassi Holford - 'Bluebell' 




The detail on this dress is beautiful with the bodice of mini-flower appliquĂ© which gives it texture & makes it stand out! I also think its a dress that almost matches the 'fairytale wedding dress' that some of us always dreamed of :) & the satin ribbon gives the dress some more shape as well. You could even change the ribbon to suit your colour theme.

8. BHS - 'Grace'




This dress is definitely another dress that you can get with a small budget & with it being from BHS, it's easily accessible. The lace detail at the top really reminds me of the wedding dress that Princess Kate wore at her wedding. It doesn't look as well fitted as some of the more expensive dresses but I feel that you can always go to a dress fitter & ask them to fit it properly once you've bought it!



9. Maggie Sottero - 'Dalton'


This dress is absolutely beautiful! The lace makes it so classy yet because it's fitted I feel like it looks really sexy as well. The lace is all sequinned which would be amazing if the sun came out as you would sparkle all day long :)





10. Maggie Sottero - 'Marianne'



This dress isn't usually a style that I like but I feel like rather than it being a harsh mermaid effect, its more subtle and elegant. I love how it has a light pink colour running through it as well so its not completely white! 





So there you have it :) a list of 10 wedding dress styles! All beautiful in different ways :) 

Thank you for reading

Love,

Dainty Bride xx







(All the pictures on this blog post are not property of DaintyBride. All images are sourced from the internet & are believed to be public domain & have no rights affiliated with DaintyBride)

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Tea & Cake

There's nothing better than going for some tea & cake in a cute little cafe on a miserable morning :) definitely cheers me up that's for sure!! This Tuesday my mum & I went to a little place in 'Bingham' called 'The Picture Cafe.' I've only ever been once before with my fiancĂ© & we felt that it was quite a find with so many different options on the menu as well as being really cute so I thought i'd show my mum this new treasure :)

Here are some pictures of our morning out;

(ps. My pictures definitely don't do it justice but there are some really nice ones on their website!)



The front of the cafe where you can sit outside when it's beautifully sunny!



The inside of the cafe is really cool, modern yet quite vintage too! There's also lots of pictures - hence the name 'The Picture Cafe'








Excuse the lamp reflection in this one, I just LOVED this quote! If you know me, you'll understand why :) 

"Nobody plans to fail… they just fail to plan"



The menu is amazing, there's so much to choose from & they also cater for gluten free people as well which is always nice as I have a friend who is gluten free & always struggles to find something on a menu!



They also had a good selection of teas including some rather unusual ones (& I love 'tea pigs') 















I love the way this place is kitted out, it's all so convenient with everything to hand & also fits in so well with the rest of the decor!


I love this cup with the name of the cafe on it :)


Mmmmm peppermint tea!






As well as the menu, they also had a board of specials & food for you to choose at the counter which is always my downfall as I see cake & want it!!





Chocolate & caramel crispy cake



Bakewell slice



Me & my tea :)






Mamma Franklin :)


We had such a lovely morning relaxing here & having a beverage!

Thank you for reading

Love,

Dainty Bride xx



(Pictures on this blog post are property of DaintyBride unless stated otherwise with an asterisk *. Any images marked with an asterisk * are sourced from the internet & are believed to be public domain & have no rights affiliated with DaintyBride)





Sunday 20 April 2014

Your Photographer

It's time to start thinking about the photographer that you want 

(that's if you want one)

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This can be a really tricky task as you want to make sure they have what you want in mind & are going to produce some amazing pictures of the day you'll never want to forget!

You don't have to choose your photographer as early as I am (I'm getting married next September) but I just felt that once I'd researched a lot of photographers, I wanted to have it all booked so that I didn't have something to worry about closer to the time. Maybe that's just my inner organised freak coming out :)

My fiancĂ© and I hadn't even discussed a photographer before going to a wedding fayre at Norwood Park in Southwell as we have a family friend who is a photographer so we always thought we'd use him. However, after going to the wedding fayre and meeting a photographer we felt that we'd rather have someone who does it for a living as they will know what to do & what shots to get & it'll be one less thing to stress about on the day!

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Anyway, enough of the blabbing… 

Here's a few photographers that I researched on the internet


They all looked beautiful & also quite different in styles but in the end we chose to go with a lady called Helen King. She was the photographer that we originally met at Norwood Park Wedding Fayre & we just loved all the photos that we'd seen & the style that she shoots - You should definitely check her out!

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1. Decide if you would like a photographer

(It can be quite a large expense)

2. Decide what sort of style you'd like the pictures to be shot in

3. Go onto google & research plenty of photographers in & around your area. You can also go to plenty of wedding fayres where you'll be able to meet & chat to the photographers yourself to get a better idea of what they're like!

4. Get in touch with them ASAP! Like the venue, they get booked up pretty quickly so you don't want to be disappointed

5. Pay a deposit to secure your desired photographer

Once you've booked your photographer you will get the chance to meet up with them for a meeting to discuss what you want & what they can offer (you may also get to have some coffee & cake!! Delicious.) This is the chance for you to explain exactly what you want in terms of style. For example if you wanted something a lot more casual with them just taking shots of people talking & enjoying themselves or if you wanted something more formal & structured with them asking specific people to come into a picture & making people stand in specific places! Whatever you want, they'll be happy to do - with their own ideas as well obviously :)

Thanks for reading

Love,
Dainty Bride xx






(Pictures on this blog post are property of DaintyBride unless stated otherwise with an asterisk *. Any images marked with an asterisk * are sourced from the internet & are believed to be public domain & have no rights affiliated with DaintyBride)