Monday, November 30, 2009

GiveAway Ends Tonight

Just a quick reminder that there is still time - until midnight tonight PST - to enter my chocolate cookbook giveaway!



There are a number of ways to enter and you can check it all out by clicking on the giveaway icon on the top right-hand side. I will announce the winner in the next few days.

Good Luck!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I Said "YES" To The Dress!

So like I said in a previous post, this is a GOOD week! I hit and surpassed 100 followers, I am hosting my first giveaway (go and enter if you haven't already), and I BOUGHT MY WEDDING DRESS! OMG!



As you may recall, last week I asked all you great ladies for some assistance in picking a dress among the three that I was hopelessly stuck between. Before I tell you my decision I'll tell you the story of how I came to it - need to maintain the suspense!

I made an appointment to go into the bridal store to check out the dresses again. If you recall, the store had a promotion where if I ordered by Saturday I wouldn't have to pay tax. Well tax is 12% in Vancouver so that adds up. I tried on the first two dresses and another dress that was similar to the third dress I had posted about. There was a clear winner I must say!

To add to this, the dress that I fell for was more or less a new addition to the sample collection. Pearl, the lady helping me out (and I think the store owner) offered me 30% off if I wanted the sample gown! Thats 30% off on top of the 12% savings with no tax! Now that was a deal I couldn't not consider seriously! While I was initially apprehensive about purchasing a sample gown, when I inspected it closely I could totally see that it was a new gown that hadn't been tried on much. The bottom and underneath were super clean, no stains, no dirt, the inner seams looked good, there were no sweat marks or grub of any sort around the underarm area. 

So I took my new dilemma (see a pattern forming?) and came home. I waited for my mom to wake up (we have a 10 hour time difference between Vancouver and Cyprus) and chatted with her about it. I was surprised that she was encouraging me to get the sample! She isn't one who likes having things that others have owned or worn before! Oh what to do...

I went back to the store! I asked to try the dress on again and nitpicked it to death. I even put on a veil to see how that looked. The dress was a size 10 and I needed a 6-8. I asked questions. Lots of questions! About alterations, changes in shape, removing bits, adding other bits, and on it went. Until I was as sure as I could possibly be! And then I said the great big YES! I'll get it! And waaaaay under budget! 

Last night I went for my first fitting! It's so interesting to see the dress take shape on your body as the seamstress pins away! I have an appointment again next week and then probably one more after that, and then the dress and veil will be mine to take back to Cyprus over Christmas. I know I am doing the alterations rather early but my weight doesn't fluctuate much at all so I think I'll be safe.

So while I am considering keeping you ladies in suspense and posting the link to it tomorrow, I figured you might get a tad pissed off if I did that! So without further ado here is where you can see the dress I picked :) 

Monday, November 23, 2009

100 Followers!!! I Think That Warrants a GiveAway!

When I first started this blog, I never imagined that I would gain so much from it! I hoped that people would read my blog, but to gain 100 followers? Never! 



But it has happened! You can't imagine how excited, honored, and humbled I am! I know I am getting soppy, but you guys really inspire me and help me out. And when it comes down to it, we are "strangers" so to speak. But I think our virtual friendship is what lets me express what I want to and gives me the luxury of knowing that you all will give me honest feedback! Sometimes those close to you fear hurting your feelings when it comes to wedding related stuff and don't share their true opinions with you. I love that I have somewhere I can go to get true answers all the time!

So to honor all of you, I am hosting my first giveaway! And what else would it be coming from me...



Yup. You got it! A chocolate cookbook! Chocolate: A collection of over 100 essential recipes.

While I know some of you are not as enamored with chocolate as I am, I thought this was very fitting for my first giveaway! At the end of the day, if you win you can always pass it along to someone else :)

How to enter:

  1. For one entry, leave a comment on this post
  2. For a second entry, become a follower and leave a separate comment to let me know. If you are already a follower just let me know in a separate comment also. 
  3. For a third entry, post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to here and again, let me know in a separate comment.

I will be using random.org to select a winner. The giveaway will remain open all the way through to the end of the month - Monday 30th November, midnight PST. I will announce the winner in the first few days of December. Please make sure I have a way to contact you!

Good luck everyone! And Thanks again! This is an exciting week!

I Have The Best Blogger Pals!

I have been honored with some more awards! You guys are just awesome! Here goes!

Cassie's therapy video is a blogger tag made by the wonderfully talented Erimentha and given to me by the lovely Buhdoop.

The task: fill in 12 likes, 1 love and 8 hates like Cassie in her therapy video. Below, the bolded things are what you MUST include. Also, link it back to Erimentha, and link it on to 3 other blogs you admire!

Abracadabra, Wow!
I like hugs an kisses
I like beautiful, golden beaches
I like puppies
I like gelato
I like spending time with friends
I like chocolate! 
I love being in love
Today I am far too excited about wedding invitations

In some ways, I love everything.
Its less, its less of a thing to like, its less distinct, its less particular
I like things that I like but I love everything
There’s more choice in like
Cos even the worst things have things you love in them
I don’t know what you mean about things I hate...

I hate feeling anxious
I hate when I have trouble falling asleep
I hate that my family is so far away
I hate when people are inconsiderate
I hate constant gloomy weather
I hate unkindness
I hate negativity


So I am going to tag:

I was also honored by one of my newest blog pals Ams at Surviving Long Distance Love - something I can totally relate to!




The rules - list 10 things that make you happy. Then, pass it on to 10 bloggers that make your day a better one!


So here is my happy list:
1. My fiance
2. My family
3. My lovely friends - including my blogger pals!
4. Animals
5. Chocolate!
6. Shopping
7. Warm weather
8. Anything wedding related!
9. Good food
10. Long drives


And I pass this award on to:



Enjoy ladies! Thanks again!


Friday, November 20, 2009

Fridays with Mr. Milk - To Trust Or Not To Trust


If you are wondering what the answer to that question is then you are likely not engaged to be married. To the avid readers of Chocolate Lover's blog, my chosen topic will already make sense. For everyone else, please scroll down to the blog about the dress. Oh please do, because I can't!

See, Chocolate Lover has put her trust in me by inserting a one sentence warning alerting me to keep my eyes off the wedding dress post and to NOT open any of the links. The irony is that when she told me to look at it for the first time in her presence, cautiously of course :), she found me reading the second line out loud, to which she exclaimed "Hey! What are you doing?! Did you not read the first line!!??"

Well. No! I didn't! You see I have the habit of skimming through a document, so I never really read word for word. Instead I focus on things that catch my attention, such as a fancy word I've never seen before. Like Provonia? Is that even right?

Well Ms. Chocolate Lover, if your trust in me is so profound that you would put that kind of sensitive information on your blog with the simple directions for me to keep my eyes off, then allow me to repay you by saying that even if I do accidentally (and I mean that) run into a fancy word alluding to the brand of a dress, you know better than anyone out there that in a week I'll forget it anyway!

Until next Friday this is Mr. Milk signing off.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

First Wedding Nightmare

I have read on a few of your blogs about your first wedding nightmares. I had yet to experience this. That was until last night!




No, it wasn't quite like that! But nothing was how I wanted it. The flowers were wrong, the colors were wrong, the bridesmaid dresses were different, people weren't showing up, it was a mess. And to top it all off, I stopped the ceremony a quarter of the way through and had a fit! Went nutso over all the things that weren't right. OMG! 

Lets just say I was very happy to wake up from that one!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thank You

I just want to say a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to all of you! You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the input, comments, and suggestions about the dresses! Since none of my bridal party or family are here to help with this decision in person, its nice that I have a group of cool women who I can turn to. I really appreciate it! You rock!




Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Finally A Post About The DRESS!

*MR.MILK! READ NO FURTHER! And whatever you do, DO NOT click the links!*

I have my heart set on a Pronovias gown. I love them. They are simple, and elegant, and romantic. I can't really imagine having another dress.



I had tried on a few of their dresses over the summer and had thought I had decided on one. But being the indecisive me that I am and wanting to check out the 2010 collection, I decided that going in to try some more dresses would be a wise decision. WRONG! Now I am just plain confused, surprise surprise. So I want to put this out there to my blogger pals and see what you think. I will be posting the links to the pictures of the dresses, as Mr. Milk frequents this blog, and he is not to see the dress till its time.

1. First Dress

I love how romantic this dress is! My only concern is the way the material is bunched at on side. While it looks soft and flowy in the picture, it is more stiff in real life. The bodice of this dress is gorgeous! You can click here to see a picture of how the dress looks from the back 

2. Second Dress

Again I love how romantic and elegant this dress is. I think the top is beautiful. If I were to buy this gown, I would have the pleated layer on the bottom removed, I think it doesn't suit the rest of the dress. I asked at the store and was told this can be done. Try to picture it without if you can. 

3. Third Dress

This is the dress I tried on in the summer and thought would be the one. Now looking at it, I think it is a little plain and also more expensive than the other two. Here is a view of the dress from the back.  I think the back is what really made me fall for it

Sorry for all the links and clicking ladies. All opinions welcome!



Monday, November 16, 2009

Look What Came In The Mail!

I waited all day for UPS to ring the door bell. And finally, at around 3pm they did!



What was in it you ask? Lets see...



Just teasing!



Yup! It's our envelopes and metallic pearl pocket-folds from Cards and Pockets!



Can't wait to get these going!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday's with Mr. Milk - Weather Permitting


Being the kind of person that never takes anything for granted, and coupled with my "plan B" approach, I feel that I need to discuss a very important ingredient to a successful wedding. Weather.You may be wondering why that's a concern. Beautiful island, 320 days of sunshine per year, nicely warm in September but not uncomfortably warm.... So why am I worried?

Global warming.

I do NOT intent to jinx my own wedding, but I do want to discuss plan B. This year September was not that great and you never know with the recent climate changes what's in store for 2010. At the moment we are planning to hold our dinner reception outside in the Olive Courtyard. A beautiful setting of marble stone flooring with rows of olive trees overlooking the Mediterranean sea. For us to be able to hold our dinner there we need to secure a minimum of 40 rooms, the ones that surround the courtyard, so that we can keep the music playing until late. Contrary to our parent's opinion, Chocolate Lover and I expect that we'll have that number of guests actually staying at the hotel. After all, most of our friends'  remarks upon hearing the low rate we secured were "there's no chance in hell we are missing out on an opportunity to spend the night at Aphrodite Hills!".

But back to the weather thing... Simply put, if mother nature does not cooperate we can move indoors in the adjacent banquet room. I'm guessing we can make that call a couple of days ahead of time based on the weather forecast (yeah good luck with that!) but at least it's an option. Thankfully the hotel's kitchen staff will all be engaged with our wedding so they can't book a second venue for the night, hence the availability of the banquet room.

To all of you reading. Close your eyes. Think of a beautiful outdoorsy setting overlooking the Mediterranean. Repeat after me: "Sunshine. Clear Skies. Sunshine. Clear Skies."

Thank you for the good vibes.

Until next Friday, this is Mr. Milk signing off.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I Won! Woo Hoo!

I was the lucky winner of the Stamp Yourself Happy GiveAway hosted by The Professional Bridesmaid and Barbara Kua Calligraphy! This is the first time I win one of these giveaways!

The giveaway was for a customized rubber stamp in the beautiful font of your choosing. This is the one I loved:



Here's what we'll be getting, a stamp like the one pictured.




Since Mr. Milk and I are currently renting and don't consider this a permanent address, I asked Barbara if we could write something else on our stamp. She was super sweet and responsive to my emails and requests, and I can't wait to get this stamp. She is also currently offering 10% off some of her products if you mention the Stamp Yourself Happy GiveAway, so go check her site out!

Here's what we went for



We figured we could use this to sign cards, notes, letters etc.

What you guys think?

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

One Step Closer

I am excited to be writing this post! As some of you already know Mr. Milk and I have recently been working on our invitations. We've been looking at colors, fonts, wording, paper, envelopes, monograms, ribbons, you name it we've looked into it! You can read about what Mr. Milk was up to a few weeks ago

So without further ado, here it is:



Hahahahaha. Just kidding! Mr. Milk found this while browsing for invitation wording and we thought it was HILARIOUS! Not sure where he found it so no source (let me know if you know).

So back to being serious. We have debated over what items to purchase. Mr. Milk has some good connections in the printing business due to his work, and we are fortunate to be able to use these connections for our invitations. We have decided that we want pocket-fold invitations. We can get the paper for the invitation, inserts, and mats from the printer, so all we needed was the pocket-folds and envelopes.

So over the weekend we made the purchase. I found a wonderful site called Cards and Pockets a while back and bookmarked them in my favorites! I encourage you to check them out as they are also offering 25% off their entire site until November 15th! I even ordered a sample set with the colors I wanted for only $10 with free shipping. I highly recommend doing this. We were able to play around with these and get an idea of the inserts we wanted, the sizes and so on. 



I ordered them in pearl metallic cause I just love the metallic papers. Our invitation mats will be a tiffany blue. Neither of us was keen on the European Envelope, so even though the other style only comes in cream and white, we opted for those. I can't wait to get them! I know its only the outside but it means we are closer to making them happen! Stay tuned for more to come on the invitations!

How are you invites/stationary coming along?

Monday, November 9, 2009

Customized Map GiveAway!!

The Relentless Bride has teamed up with PaperCake Designs over on Weddzilla and are giving away a customized map for your venue.

Click on the link to find out more information: Wedzilla and PaperCake Design

There are several ways to enter and it is open to everyone, everywhere.

Peer Love

Love starting off the week this way! I check my blog over the weekend to find that I am the recipiant of two new awards!

First award comes from Stacey over at Thoughts of The All Consumed Bride! If you haven't already checked out her blog, go over there and do so.



The rules are you need to list 5 things you are obsessed with and then pass the award onto five of the fabulous blogs you read
  1. Blogging and Reading Blogs - I love both! Its been tons of fun having my own blog but I've also really enjoyed reading all of your blogs and seeing what you guys are up to. It feels like I am starting to have some awesome friends.

  2. Weddings - Clearly this is an obsession. Particularly seeing how many wedding blogs I follow! I will be in such withdrawal when the wedding is over!

  3. Internet - It has been my source of so much info, inspiration, and when Mr. Milk and I were long distance, our way to keep in touch.

  4. Eating - Those of you who have been around for a while know I am a total foodie! I love food, especially dessert!

  5. TV - I watch too much TV. I know this. But there is nothing I can do about it (or want to).

I am passing this award on to some of the blogs I have been obsessing over since I started blogging

Katerina at Girl With a Ring
LauraLou at Lucky In Love
Christina at Christina Loves Jon

The second award came from Lillian at Nuflaiir. She has two blogs going at the same time, both wedding related, and one's in Portuguese! She passed this award on from her Portuguese blog.


"Your Blog is Super Cute!"

The rules for this one are simple. Pass the award to 10 other bloggers and leave them a message to let them know. I pass this on to the following great bloggers/blogs:

Melissa at Lovely Little Life

I also just want to thank all my readers and followers. You guys are the best! Thanks for all the comments and input, and I thoroughly enjoy reading all of your blogs!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Friday's with Mr. Milk - What THE MAN Will Wear


I never thought I'd be discussing what suit to wear this soon, but Chocolate Lover has been keeping me busy looking at a gazzilion bridesmaid dresses over the past two weekends so this way I'll have a chance to balance things out a little bit. 


I always wanted a Boss suit but never found the courage to spend that kind of cash for a work suit. I have custom tailored suits from China, I bought Zara, Mexx, and other brands unknown even to the company itself, but I've never owned a brand name suit before. See, the worst thing a man can do is try on a Boss suit when his budget is destined for Zara. It's like driving a BMW and buying a Mitsubishi. Good luck being happy after that!

But this is my wedding, emmm I mean OUR wedding. I hate wasting a perfectly good suit for a single ocassion so what I would like to do is make sure I buy a suit that will be elegant enought to be worn on my wedding day, and toned down enough to be worn at a formal dinner without making others feel that royalty is expected to arrive any moment now.

Boss. Bose. BMW.

Those are my favourite brands. In the quest to acquire all B's, September 25th will be my excuse for the first one. I already have a Bose system. BMW.... hmmm, what excuse can I think of to work on that one?

Until next Friday, this is Mr. Milk signing off.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Home Made Apple Pie - Greek Style

I love apples. And they are everywhere this time of year. We were in our little groccery store the other day and there were a ton of locally grown apples. So I got some to make my favorite apple pie. Its a simple recipe but a little labor intensive in assembly. And since Mr. Milk has been away on business, I figured it would be nice for him to come home to some yummy baked goods! So here it goes.

Ingredients:

5-6 medium apples (I picked fuji cause they are my fav)
1 cup sugar plus 2 tbsp
2 tsp ground cinammon
1 cup vegetable oil (I use corn oil)
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
lots of flour! (around 6 cups I would say but have more)

Process:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees


Peel the apples. Take a box grater and use the large grating surface to grate the apples.


Grate as close to the cores as possible


Sprinkle apples with 1.5 tsps sugar and 1 tsp cinammon and stir. Set aside.


In a seperate bowl mix together 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, baking powder, vanilla, vegetable oil.


Start to add the flour. The goal is to get a consistency that is thicker than regular cake batter. You want it to pull away from the sides as you mix it.


Pour 3/4 of the batter into the baking dish


Continue to add flour to the remaining batter until it turns into a ball of dough (like pizza dough)



Pour the apple mixture over the cake batter layer. The apples will probably have released some liquid so try to avoid adding that.


Take the box grater and using the largest grating surface again, grate the ball of dough over the apple mixture.


Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinammon and bake for about one hour.



And Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Awesome Videographer

We have been talking about a videographer for our wedding these last couple of weeks. Initially neither I nor Mr. Milk thought it was necessary to have one. But after much thought and input from others (including all of you) we are going for it. We are going to try and find something cheap just so we can get the raw footage. Mr. Milk feels like he can put something nice together himself if he has that.


source

I came across a videographer by the name of Ray Roman over at BloggerBrides. He filmed the wedding of the editor of Get Married Magazine. Check out these awesome videos!



They look so in love and such a fun couple!



Wonder if Mr. Milk can pull something like this off with the right footage!

Are you having a videographer to document your big day?

Monday, November 2, 2009

Hunt for the Perfect Bridesmaid Dress

Ok ladies (and any men that would like to contribute), I am rallying up the troops to ask for advice! 

This past weekend Mr. Milk was sweet enough to drive me all over Vancouver (and then some) so that I could check out bridesmaids dresses. He was such a sport I have to say. In a world full of women, he came along, waited patiently, helped me pick out options. and offered his opinion. It was definitely a productive weekend. 

So I started out on a mad hunt for this dress by Alyce Designs:





It was one of the first bridesmaids dresses that I really liked. I can't believe how difficult it was to find! The only thing I could find was the color swatch for their chiffon dresses. But sadly, no dress. So then the lady helping me find something similar came up with these:



This dress was beautiful. It's one of those dresses that flatters most body types. I would even buy it as a regular dress to wear out!



I fell in love with the color combo of this Alfred Angelo dress! Unfortunately it wasn't very flattering. The ruching at the hips makes them look bigger than what they are. I liked the colors so much I tried the dress on a few times just to make sure. 

So then we came home and I did some more research online. And I found this:





I think this is my favorite. It also comes in the colors I am interested in! 

I am now putting it out there for my blogger pals to offer up any advice, suggestions, opinions? What do you all think? Which do you prefer?