PURPLE

Zimmermann dress/ Chanel earrings / House of Harlow rings / Cartier bracelet / Christian Louboutin "Maggie" Pumps / Lux By The Style Net clutch / Nail polish - Dior "Frou Frou"/
Hair by Annie Johnson

Last week DF and I had our pre-wedding/engagement photo shoot. Typically, Asian brides and grooms often have a full on whole day pre shoot where the bride changes into several wedding gowns and the groom in a formal suit. I would've loved to do that as well but since we are going to have time for photos after our ceremony, I figured a casual and fun photo shoot around Sydney CBD would be perfect for us. DF and I are city dwellers, we love the vibrant feel of city life and of course, being close to pretty much everything. 

I don't usually have my hair done but this time for the shoot, I made an exception and booked a hair stylist. She is super talented and I absolutely love the waterfall twist she did for me. For the 2 hour photo shoot, I chose to wear a cream embellished full tulle skirt by Alice & Olivia and then changed into a purple print Zimmermann dress. Our viewing session is this Saturday atnd I cannot wait to see the photos!!!

The pre-shoot wrapped up at around 5:30pm which gave us just enough time to drive to Mrs Macquarie's Chair for some photos and watch the sunset. This is one of our favourite spots because it has a stunning panoramic view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, with a lot less tourist traffic. DF and I had a lot of fun playing around with the balloons we blew up in the morning for the photo shoot. DF is still a newbie when it comes to photography so some of the photos came out quite dark (I think the proper term is 'underexposed'?). I attempted to edit the photos with Photoshop to make them brighter but I am hopeless at it. If you see any odd shadows/random dark marks in a photo, that may very well be the result of my terrible Photoshop skill >_<.

A sunny day in mint

 Sal Y Limon bangle / Storets top / Tiffany & Co bracelet / ASOS skirt / Prada bag

I saw this gorgeous crochet mint skirt on ASOS a few months before my Europe trip and originally passed as I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. A couple of weeks later, the skirt went on sale, I took it as a sign and went for it. On my second day in Florence, it was sunny and quite warm so I took the opportunity to wear the skirt for the first time. The material is light, comfortable length and I absolutely love the crochet flower pattern!!

Peplum

River Island peplum top(here)/Black pants(similar here)/Louis Vuitton ballerinas/Prada Saffiano lux tote (similar here)/Kenneth Jay Lane elephant bangle

This was meant to be posted 8 months ago but I've been so busy with work and wedding planning since I returned to Sydney that left no time for blogging. DF and I took many photos while we were in Florence (last October), including some amazing views of Florence from the top of the Duomo that I'd love to share but unfortunately they were saved in my external USB which malfunctioned in the last week of our Europe trip and we have not been able to retrieve the photos from it since.These are one of the few photos I managed to upload to Flickr before my external broken down.

Milano

As a part of our trip, DF and I spent 8 days in three Italian cities: Milan, Florence and Rome. We were constantly on the go as 8 days were really short for 3 cities and it gave us just enough time to see the main tourist attractions. Our first stop in Italy was Milan. For the very first time, we voted against flying and gave the overnight train (operated by Thello) a go as we would be able to sleep on the train and arrive in Milan early the next morning to make the most of our day. We got a private double sleeper just for the two of us so we definitely felt safer and comfortable even though Thello trains are fairly old.

 I have been to Rome and Florence before but this was my first time in Milan. DF and I took the iconic red City Sightseeing bus around the city as we only had 1 day in Milan and hopped off at the Duomo ('Cathedral'), the most oustanding architectural building in Milan. I have seen it in photos but as I was standing there, I could not help but repeating "wow" over and over. The white marble facade with thousands of spires are amazing and the space inside the Duomo is equally impressive. I especially love the spectacularly large stained-glass windows behind the choir in the back. And of course, we took the lift up to the roof where DF and I enjoyed a panoramic view of the city and some very cute over-sized blue snails sculptures.

We briefly visited the beautiful shopping mall next door to the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. The mall itself is grand with such elegant architecture, stunning glass dome and beautiful shop fronts. I also managed to get something that I have been wanting for while at La Rinascente which I will reveal very soon =)

 ZARA lace top / ZARA peplum skirt / Forever New coat / Louis Vuitton ballerinas / Prada Saffiano lux tote / Tiffany & Co. bracelet / Follie Follie clover rings

From Paris with love

After 9 hours on the plane from Curacao to Amsterdam, six hours layover and another 1 hour flight, we arrived in Paris last Saturday afternoon. Coming from hot weather, the cold and rainy weather in Paris along with my jet lag left me with just enough energy to drag myself to the hotel and jump straight into bed. My second day in Paris was better than I could have hoped for. Clear sky and no rain!! I've been to Paris before but this is DF's first time so we decided to revisit all the main attractions and also go off the beaten paths which I have not had a chance to do before. I didn't think I'd need to use the thick coats that I originally packed in anticipation for the trip in January but now I am so glad that I did! It has been raining here almost everyday and I find it to be even colder than Paris in December. I guess being an over-packer pays off at times =).  

We have been venturing out and about non-stop since we got to Paris and I am enjoying every second of it. I am also super excited to try out the new Nikon D5100 camera that we finally decided to purchase a couple of days ago. DF and I have always been interested in photography but never really had the time or opportunity to practice. Since we are traveling quite often now, we decided to start learning by investing in a middle range camera that allows us to have some creativity even after we move pass our current 'beginners' phase.

There are so many things that I love about this city, no amount of words can describe it and even though nothing beats being here in person to see with your own eyes, I will leave you with some photos to imagine (if you have not been to Paris before) or relive the experience (if you have been). 

Paris surely holds a special place in my heart, I feel so at ease walking and admiring Parisian streets. The beauty of the city never ceases to amaze me and I feel so happy to finally be able to experience it with the one I love.

 Forever New coat 

Dress from Storets

Prada sunnies

Prada bag

House of Harlow rings

Louis Vuitton Tutti Lucky charm bracelet

Louis Vuitton ballerinas