DIY wedding bouquet

 

With NiNi's wedding coming up, I went to the nearby flower farm along High Street Road to look for some flowers to make a trial wedding bouquet for her. Classy and beautiful flowers like peonies and hydrangeas are usually a lot of brides' choices but its expensive as its often imported from overseas.

The flower shop did not sell it anyways.

Hence, NiNi and I decided to settle on a bouquet that is simple, elegant and pretty yet not expensive.

My motto is always to keep it simpleish, pretty and cheap. Cheap that it's affordable but not to the point where it looks cheap.

I chose an arrangement of peach roses and baby pink carnations coupled with a few wax flowers to suit NiNi's pastel wedding theme. For 10 roses, it cost $8. For 2 batches of carnation was $8 ($4 each) and only $3 for the wax (lets out a strange smell similar to wax smell hence, its name) flowers.

So, all in all, I spent $19 and the below bouquet which is about RM60+. I reckon, it's pretty affordable and for my first attempt, I must say, the bouquet looks rather fetching. 

Below is just a simple explanation on how to go about making one's own DIY wedding bouquet. If you require more step by step instructions, just Youtube 'DIY wedding bouquets' and you'll find many  easy-to-follow clips. 

#1 Remove all leaves and thorns from stem

#2 Set a rose as the middle focus and placed carnations around it

#3 Next row, alternate one or two carnations for each rose placed in the arrangement and insert wax flowers as fillers in between gaps

#4 Once satisfied with overall flower arrangement, tie it up with a cord

#5 Don't forget to snip of the stems to a suitable length and wrap with satin ribbon

DIY wedding centrepiece

Mr. C told me not to hijack Miss Cutesie's wedding plans and not to get ahead of myself. Especially if it's not in line with her wishes. She is after all, the bride-to-be. ;p

I just hope I can do a nice, beautiful and satisfying arrangement.

I guess I was excited (and she seemed to share my excitement, too unless she was just being polite) that I thought she was giving me free reign of table centerpiece arrangements. Guess I was mistaken. LOL.

Anyways, I told her that I am here to assist her in anyway she needs. It's going to be HER special day and she'll have a certain idea of what she wants or would love to have. She won't have time to run around to get things done on that day itself. And as a good friend, it is my role to assist her and not BE the bridezilla.

That being said, I still went ahead and tried my hand to see what I could come up with. 

Pink oh pink

Yesterday at lunch time, I drove to Knox City to check out some flowers from the Fruits and Vege shop. Looking towards pinkish sort of theme, I bought a few cheap flowers to experiment with. 

10 hot pink roses for $4. 2 stocks of light pink and purple ish (possibly fuschia) flowers for $3 and those tiny sort of flower for $4. Total damage was only $11. If it didn't turn out well, I can just use it to 'flowerfy' my house! :)

 

My lunch yesterday at Breadtop; buns and mocha

And the night saw me 'playing' with flowers. I guess if I Googled or Youtube more on table arrangements, something awesome and doable will come up. However, this was just me, trying my hand at whatever flowers I had and seeing what I could come up with.

It was a bit tough 'cos I realised I didn't have many things to compliment the flowers or add on to the sparse looking table top. I didn't set a theme except to think of pink and hence, it showed. As you can see from the below pictures, looks pretty empty.

I think getting loose flower petals to throw around the top of table top would add so much more soft, romantic feel covering the empty looking table. Did a mock table number with guest names' design.

#1 a vase of flower with two frames, one of table number and the other picture of the couple with two tealights

 

#2 Ferrero Rochere placed about (perhaps, stick heart shape papers atop mamogram with the couple's initials)

#3 Change of flower arrangements; roses with paper doily wrapped about vase

#4 How about a tree with ornament or adorned with lovey cutesie stuff with different sorts of flowers

MORE WEDDING TABLE CENTERPIECE IDEAS

Idea #1 Love for all seasons

I did think of a four seasons themed table centerpiece. Each table would be arranged accordingly to the season or any elements/objects that represents that season. So, say if it's winter theme, the table top would be filled with white feathers either with light blue or dark blue ones to represent snow and wintry look. There'll be a a few vases or glasses of flowers in it.

Spring table could be filled with colourful, vibrant colours to give the happy, cheery Spring has arrived feel. You get the gist of it.

Idea #2 Individual themed tables

I was trying to get an idea what the couple have in common or likes to do together but my friend sounded rather clueless. Lol. And this idea just popped into my mind and I thought it'll be interesting. 

'Cos my friend's fiancé's parents place have all sort of interesting ornaments. So, I said, 'why not make each table a theme of it's own?' Scatter flower petals around the table top and put a few cutesie ornaments ie teddy bears, or star wars character or any cartoon or adorable ornament as part of the centerpiece.

All in all, first and foremost, the bride-to-be has to set a theme first. Once that's done, then it'll be easier to get ideas and work around it. If not, it's pictures after pictures and 1001 ideas with the sky being the limit.

Might try out more ideas this weekend. We shall see...

Banana Cake

 

After my Sydney visit, I've been itching to try my hand at baking this banana cake after obtaining the recipe from my sister's friend, Lorna. I've heard my sister rave about her friend's banana cake for awhile now and for my sister to go on and on about it, it's gotta be good. Not because my sister has exquisite food palate nor because she is a food critic but mainly due to her aversion to bananas. 

You see, for the longest time ever I've known my sister, she's never fancied the taste of bananas. When I was at her friend's house in Sydney, I was fortunate to have a taste of this delectable morsel. The cake was moist and heavenly. One piece alone was not enough. And trust me, it was good. Lol.

And I, too dislike banana. So, for both of us to like this cake, it really means it is that good.

So, on my off day, I made yummilicious banana cake. Mr. C enjoyed it more than my Sugi and butter cake. Success! Can't wait to bake this again...

 

 

RECIPE : Seafood Marinara

Last Friday, Mr. C and I had Seafood Marinara. Earlier on in the week, as we shopped at Woolworths, I came across the above leaflet. That's what I like about grocery shopping here in Australia. Every week, Coles and Woolworths will have leaflet with recommended dishes to cook accompanied by the easy-to-follow recipes. Not only are the recipes easy to follow, you can buy the ingredients for a low cost too!

Step 1 : Heat oil in frying pan and stir fry the marinara mix for about 3-5 minutes the set aside.

Marinara mix is made up of slices of fish fillets, squid, prawns and mussels and can be bought at any Coles and Woolworths. We bought it that week for AUD7.90/kg which was a steal! If you don't have this where you shop, you can just buy it separately and combine fry it.

Step 2 : Simmer pasta sauce in the same pan for about 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced and sauce slightly thickens.

Step 3 : Whilst stir frying the Marinara Mix or rather whilst simmering the pasta sauce in pot, fill a different pot with water and bring to boil.

Add a table spoon of salt and a drizzle of Olive Oil into boiling water and then add in your pasta. You can use Spaghetti or Fetuccine or even short ones like the elbows and ribbons. I used Linguini that night. Boil pasta in water for about 7-10minutes or till pasta has soften to the required texture. Often times, the package comes with instructions as different pasta with varying textures require different amount of boiling time.

Step 4 : After simmering the pasta sauce for about 20 minutes or till liquid thickens, add in the cooked Marinara Mix to sauce and simmer about two minutes.

Step 5 : Once sauce and pasta is ready, serve it on the plate. You can add brocolli or commonly used, basil leaves for garnishing.

... and Voila!

Ingredients were easy to buy and at a reasonable price too. Preparation time takes 5 minutes whilst cooking time takes about 30minutes.

This was how we spent our Friday evening; indoors with rose scented tealight lit candles followed by many episodes of Season 2's Royal Pains. :)

Wedding ideas : Decorations and inspirations!

More posts on wedding ideas!! There are just TOO many to incorporate into one wedding! And with a budget constraint, it makes my life of planning my 'special' day even more difficult!!

Nevertheless, I shall persevere!

#1 I love the out-of-norm concept...

#2 Simple, sweet and quaint!

#3 LOVE this idea.. the heartshaped pin, which I might do for mine.

#4 Do you know how hard it is to find the 'right' wedding favour??!

#5 Definitely doing this if I can find Mr. C and my initials for a 'reasonable' price.

Then again, reasonable is very subjective to each individual's definition,

#6 I really love the quirky and creative themes of wedding out of Malaysia.

#7 <3 birdcages concept too but it's pricey...

#8 This is possible ONLY if you have 50 guests and not 400 over.

# 9 Similar to my photobooth concept!!

#10 Aaahhh.. the joys of being in love and marrying one's love...

#11 'Love is sweet' theme is so apt!

#12 So which am I going for? Cute theme? Sweet theme? Goingkookies theme?

#13 Loving the 'L,O,V,E' Scrabble idea.

#14 Tell me that you can resist all the charm and thoughts put into each ideas...

#15 Because I can't!!

#16 Interesting cos they mash Red and Blue together!

I should consider meshing Blue and Red like the about #16 picture, seeing how the banquet hall is going to be red and gold (doubt a Chinese restaurant would ever change their deco to Blue and Silver - funeral bearing colours or rather, Christmas) and my theme is going to be blue and silver as blue is my favourite colour.

Am thinking of incorporating #2, #3 and #5 whilst adding a little 'me' in it. Would love to do #8 but it's going to be too much effort for 400 over guests and I doubt Malaysians know how to appreciate hand made stuff. #9 is already in place for my photobooth, if that plan eventuates.

The rest are muses and inspirations.

What's your favourite or rather, if it is YOUR special day, what would you do??!