Serra`s Bridal Lounge

WISH ME LUCK!

2010-06-25T09:52:00.002+03:00

I`M GETTING MARRIED 2MORROW!!!!!!
WISH ME LUCK!
I DON`T NEED NO RAIN.
GOD, PLEASE!
I NEED SUNSHINE.

xoxo,
Serra.

Lenox

2010-06-14T11:24:00.001+03:00

I finally got my fine drinkware, yay!! :)

~Serra

Mother-of-the-Bride

2010-06-14T08:11:00.002+03:00

This is what my mom is gonna wear on my wedding.
How`s the sketch look?

~Serra

Let the Countdown begin!

2010-06-14T08:04:00.004+03:00

I have been stressed out the last couple of weeks,
but I`m feeling so much better these days.
OMG! I`m gonna get married in two weeks!
Just two weeks!

Wish me Luck you guys!

~Serra

WEDDING INVITATIONS

2010-05-23T09:50:00.002+03:00

I know this is a weird angle & a weird snapshot, but still..
How do they look?

It's our wedding invitations!!!

Our Engagement Party Favors

2010-05-12T20:52:00.003+03:00

Premium chocolate bar!
Notice the personalized wrap with our pic.
Like it?

Catch-Up

2010-04-28T23:54:00.017+03:00

My face started cracking up.

Isn`t it great?!?!

I started seeing stress-related acne on my forehead so I went to a dermatologist. She gave me some medicine both for my face and my body. I promised myself that I won`t freak out this time. I`m just not that surprised anymore. I`m still praying that I don`t have a major disease -thank God- other than some dizziness and acne.

I went to a pharmacy the other day and couldn`t find one of the prescriptions the doc prescribed. So instead, I bought these:

Why? No reason! I just couldn`t get out of the store without buying anything. This happens to me occasionally, but I don`t think it hurts anybody. I really liked the lip balm. Pomegranate: yummyyy!! ;)

I bought this tray for my new home. The couch we`re gonna buy for our living room is in blue and beige color. I can picture myself having a plate of microwave-cooked dish on this tray and eating it in front of the TV. Why microwave-cooked? Coz I don`t think I`ll be doing any cooking in the early days of our marriage. Hope my boyfriend won`t mind it. ;P

~Serra

Dizziness.. Dizzii.. Dizz.. ZZzzZz..

2010-04-21T12:46:00.005+03:00

Alright, I`m back!

I`m not feeling all relaxed and excited but sometimes feeling OK is enough.

I don`t wanna bore you with my medical condition.

I feel fine. I BETTER BE! :)

We made the deal with our music vendor. At least we have something checked off from our list.

~Serra

DIZZINESS

2010-04-16T14:31:00.006+03:00

I wish I had good news, but I don`t.

I have been feeling dizzy since Tuesday evening. At first, I didn`t think it was a biggie. Now, I`m really concerned about my health. It started 3 days ago and never stopped since then. I went to a neurologist yesterday. She did a couple tests; I cannot recall all of them. In the end, she basically asked me to close my eyes when I was standing up. Nothing happened when my eyes were open. That`s a good thing. But when I closed my eyes, the doc barely held me before I fall. ;(

I freaked out and started crying. I dunno what is happening to me -and why- even though the doc said I am suffering from "dizziness." I checked out a couple of webpages and saw that it is a common sickness. What frustrated me most was that I read about a person who has been suffering from this illness for 17 years. Can you believe that? 17 years!!!!!!!!! Some of them had it 4-5 years, 2 months, 3 days... It varies..

I have it since Tuesday, and I already freaked out. I`m scared to take a shower all by myself. I cannot close my eyes when I am not sitting. For instance, I wanted to stand up to go to the bathroom, and my cousins barely held me before I faced the floor yesterday. It sucks really bad. I dunno how to deal with it. I`m thankful for not having a worse sickness but I also want it to go away and never come back.

I gave blood this morning for a detailed testing. We`ll get the results in the evening. I`m gonna see the doc at 6 p.m. today. Hope she`ll have good news.

There were a lot of articles about dizziness on the Internet. Causes, symptoms, reasons, I scanned everything. I even read that it might be a symptom of Multiple Sclerosis. That is exactly why I`m feeling a burning in my stomach. Yeah, I`m freaking out. I hope that`s not it. {The doc said she didn`t observe any neurological disorders. Hope she`s right.}

I know I have a tendency of worrying about this kinda stuff more than I should. But what would you do? I`m supposed to get married in 2.5 months (less than that). And I feel like the dizziness is not gonna leave me alone for a while. I know there are a lot of different reasons why people feel dizzy and disoriented. I`m the kinda person who always expects the worst is gonna happen.

Everybody says it`s psychological and due to stress. My family thinks it is all about me being picky about everything, especially the wedding. The doc diagnosed me with dizziness and told me it is probably stress-related. But who knows? We haven`t got the medical results yet.

I guess I should be doing some thinking and self-calming rather than talking. Keep me in your prayers, would you?

~Serra

Wedding Invitations

2010-04-13T16:00:00.001+03:00

I`m in desperate need of help!
I cannot find invitations as good as this one.
What am I supposed to do now?
Do you know any websites (or addresses) that I can find

different,
unique and
elegant

Wedding Invitations?
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Serra

BRIDE & GROOM

2010-04-12T09:15:00.007+03:00

I wonder what they are...

Oh! :)))

~Serra

p.s. Should`ve taken the pics with my camera. This is the best I could get with my Iphone. Sorry guys..

OBJECTION!

2010-04-09T15:33:00.002+03:00

I need a dress for my traditional bachelorette party (aka KINA). Since no boys are allowed to attend, I told my mom that I can wear anything I want. But she freaked out when I showed her this picture. My mom doesn`t want me to wear something like this.

"Don`t worry mom! It`s too much cleavage for me, I know!" :) I just love Gisele in this pic. And oh, the dress.. It is divinely beautiful and SEXY!

I booked the place for the party. It`s gonna be 3 days before my wedding.
I want to buy a gorgeous strapless dress and big earrings.
No time for chit chat, I need to work on my bellydance moves.

~Serra

CATERING

2010-04-08T21:30:00.015+03:00

Hey guys!

Remember I told you about my Söz ceremony here.. Well, we were about 40 ~ 45 people at the ceremony. We wanted to cook (not me, of course. only my mom & my sis) but it was going to be very time-consuming. So, I started off sending e-mails to different caterers. One of them offered a delicious menu. Their office is pretty close to where I live, so it was a blast for me. If something went wrong, they could easily head back and get what was missing. Thank God, nothing bad happened. If you`re living in Turkey and looking for a caterer for your event, feel free to e-mail me. I would love to give you my insights and the caterer`s contact info.

I think the pictures DO speak for themselves.

My cousin Ebrar, after finishing up her raspberry cake.
Look at her smile.
Yeah, the cake was that good!

~Serra

Microwaveable Feet Warmers

2010-04-07T09:32:00.005+03:00

I found a website.

They sell a lot of unique stuff.
I might actually try buying some products.

And they do international shipping, yay! ;)

BuldumBuldum is kinda the Turkish version Charles and Marie.

You might wanna check it out!

I got this a while ago:

Microwaveable Feet Warmers

I`m saving it for the next winter. For my home. ;)

~Serra

Wedding Inspirations

2010-04-06T21:45:00.007+03:00

I found out some websites. Wedding planners, event designers, photographers... They all seem to like blogging like I do. I also searched for real brides who go through the very same things every other bride do. I added a lot of links to my page, so please check them out for wedding inspirations! ;)

~Serra

Bon Appétit!

2010-04-06T21:35:00.010+03:00

Tortellini Ai Formaggi

~Serra

Not a ring pillow, but a ring tray!

2010-04-05T14:00:00.027+03:00

Söz is a traditional ceremony celebrated before the actual engagement party here in Turkey. It is all about celebrating the couple`s commitment. Families gather up and bride & groom-to-be wear their rings, which are carried in a tray. Mine was the one below. It is embellished with ribbons and swarovski crystals just for the occasion. {p.s.Söz means promise}

"Who`s gonna carry your tray?" is a common question in Turkey.
My cousin Kübra carried my tray, by the way.
She was a lot more nervious than I was.

I`m actually thinking about displaying this tray! -without the ribbons & stuff-
It might look good in my living room. Don`t you think? ;)

~Serra

p.S. the tealight & its` holder has nothing to do with the tray. :))

MY ENGAGEMENT PARTY INVITATIONS

2010-04-02T17:05:00.013+03:00

Check out this website if you want to have professional calligraphy services for your engagement party or wedding invitations.

~Serra

p.S. I put the smiley to cover up our last name. Looks good though. ;)

Back with pics!

2010-03-31T15:26:00.020+03:00

Just finished reading the above.
Wedding Season is a fun and entertaining book with lots of love!

I missed my daily life in the U.S. I used to pick up a couple magazines right next to the checkout counters when I hit Giant Eagle or Walmart. In Turkey, D&R has all kinds of tabloids from People to Us magazine. I purchased In Touch Weekly; it is about $3 in the US. Here we pay around $12,5 for the very same magazine. It`s insane!

Last weekend, we went out for brunch with my fiancé and saw this!
Look at it! Who doesn`t luv nature, ha? ;)

This is the most interesting bus stop I`ve ever seen. Türk Telekom is really pushing us to use our land lines, -which we never do these days. They use the "Nothing like home" theme here and convert the bus stop into a living room with a huge sofa and a table with a "phone" on it.

I found this book in a bookstore and literally grabbed it `coz the cover looked extremely intriguing. I started reading it last night, and boy I tell you, it does have some pretty naughty material inside. ;) It`s kind of an erotica, but it is definitely NOT like porn. It does have a classy touch. I`ll tell you more when I`m finished with In Bed With.

~Serra

No title at all! :)

2010-03-30T22:05:00.003+03:00

Maybe I should publish daily posts.
Maybe I should add more pics.
Maybe I should...

Uggh!.

If only I could close my eyes and realize it was my wedding day! How awesome would that be!!!! :))

That way I wouldn't have to worry about the caterers, the dress, the furniture, home appliances, No-thing!

I wish I could enjoy that hussle.
Sometimes I do, mostly I don't!

Everyone keeps saying that I'm gonna miss these days. I hope you're all wrong! :) I luv having a fiancé; no doubt about that! But I DO wanna care less about the details. Hope that happens soon. ;)

Anyways.. This is my first entry using my Iphone blogger app. It's the lite version. So if I enjoy its convenience, I'm gonna purchase the whole thing.

See ya!

~Serra

PRONOVIAS: OVERRATED!

2010-03-25T17:50:00.029+02:00

A lot of the girls I know had worn Pronovias wedding dresses. I wanted to be a part of that team, and eventually booked an appointment at their store.

Last week, we made that visit! I was expecting a lot more than they offered. Don`t get me wrong! We were greeted very nicely and taken to our own dressing room, which was a plus for Pronovias because no other place I went before offered that kind of privacy. My sis started drinking Turkish coffee whilst I tried on the dresses I chose from the booklet.

If you want a strapless, simple & elegant wedding dress, you should directly go to Pronovias. But if you don`t, do not waste your time there. I think I tried on 3 or 4 dresses, which would look perfectly fine for a regular girl (a girl who do not wear scarf). But for me, it was a NO-NO! They could only offer me a bolero and couldn`t do anything with the veil. I know a lot of people might object this but I think Pronovias is "OVERRATED!!" At least the 2010 catalogue didn`t have any beautiful wedding gowns for me.

Özgül Haute Couture: I have a couple of friends who bought their dresses from here. They looked great in them! But when I went to the store myself, I couldn`t find a thing! Nope, that`s not entirely true. Yes, I have found one. Only one dress that costs about 10,000 Turkish Liras. What about that?! I can actually fly to Newyork with that money and buy a designer wedding gown and come back with a little more money left in my pocket. I`m telling you; Özgül Haute Couture is way too expensive.

Privenuptia: The lady who serviced me was quite nice. She tried to help me as much as she can but there weren`t a lot of options for me. Why on earth there aren`t a lot of mermaid-style wedding gowns this year? Is it outdated? I don`t care if it is not IN this year, or whatever. Anyways... If you want a puffy wedding dress, you should visit Privenuptia.

First Lady Couture: There weren`t a lot of dresses to choose from since they generally do tailor-made wedding gowns. It was the first time I have been there, so I had no idea about their work. It is gonna be my wedding dress, SO I just can`t choose it from a catalogue and expect it to be my dream dress. I didn`t wanna risk it. That`s why I said NO to this one either.

Hüsniye Moda Evi: Didn`t like it. The girl came into the dressing room with wet wipes to clean (?!) my armpits! She said they do it all the time but no other place did such an insulting act. How rude!

Banu Hatipoğlu: I think she is a great designer with a big vision. She came up with different kinds of things when I asked her about the veil & the hair issue. However, I didn`t like her boutique`s layout. Maybe there was construction going on at that time, I dunno.. But there wasn`t a proper dressing room.

I went to a couple more stores but I don`t want to mention all of them.
It`s enough for now.

My last stop was Vakko Wedding. I tried on Manuel Mota`s Tamara wedding gown. My cousin Kübra told me that I didn`t even need any makeup on when I wore that dress. {I would probably wear a strapless wedding gown if I were to not wear scarf.} Coz it looks fabulous!

I might go to the bridal store that I hope we`ll get my gown from. My mum and my mother-in-law are gonna come with me. Wait for the news on Monday!
Please wish me LUCK!

~Serra

Me, my adventure & I

2010-03-18T23:10:00.063+02:00

With 4 months left to saying the magical words: "I DO!" I started off my wedding gown tryouts a couple days ago. I went to 6 different stores at Bağdat Street. Two of them realllyyyyyyyy blew my mind!

I want to talk about every store I've been to and give you some insights.
But that`s for later!

First of, I want to point out a couple of things.

If you are a conservative Muslim (meaning you wear scarf & you wanna cover your hair in your wedding day, too) you certainly do not have limited choices. You can probably pick up any wedding dress at most of the bridal stores and have them alter it for you. Or if you don`t like the idea of having to share the same dress with some other people, you can ask for a new design, completely for yourself! Surely that costs more money (depending on the place you go), but if you can afford it, I say you go for it!

On the other hand, if you adore designer wedding gowns, they are probably the ones you cannot get. I wanted to try some wedding gowns at Beyaz Butik.
I called the store to make an appointment, but they've told me that they do not prepare any kinds of extras. They can only offer you a bolero to let you cover your arms and shoulders, that`s it! I asked them: "what about the hair?" They said that`s something that I should figure out. But the lady on the phone seemed really caring & kind. Since Beyaz Butik mostly have strapless wedding dresses, going down to their store seemed stupid, so I passed that idea!

If you still insist on wearing a designer gown, you might print out the pictures off of the Internet and bring them to different boutiques where they can make you the same dress just like the way you want it. However, you can end up looking like douchebag if you are working with a lousy tailor.
What a pessimistic person I have become! No, no.. I`m just saying it... :)

I called Vakko Wedding, too. They are the busiest store amongst the rest `coz they were booked the whole week. That`s why I am going to the designers` heaven next week. We`ll see how it goes.

Other than Bağdat Street, I strolled down Nişantaşı to find great-quality wedding gowns, but that was another disappointment.

This time it was all my fault! If you follow my tweets on twitter, you already know the deal. If you don`t, don`t worry I`ll tell ya! ;)

Yesterday, me & my sis took the bus to go to Nişantaşı and that`s where it started happening! I began to have my crazy, ass-kicking menstrual cramps on the way. I even had my Midol menstrual complete pills with me!
But silly that I am, I happened to have no water with me! We couldn`t get off the bus, and I suffered on the way like 45 minutes. I took the pills right after we took off the bus but they -the pills- took effect in half an hour. LUCKY ME!

We started walking fast on Valikonağı Street and found Figen Bağzıbağlı`s boutique. I had an appointment at 11 a.m., and they were all waiting for us.
I went in there with a suffering face. (Imagine your worst menstrual cramps, where you just want to be alone in your bed under the blanket with your hot water bottle. Then image you cannot get into that bed, you cannot even lie down! Think about it.. you gotta wear a dress while you have all that pain.
It is "the" best dress you are probably going to wear in your whole life. Assume that you should make a reasonable judgment with that butt-kicking pain inside yourself. Could you do that?) You get the idea, right? ;)

I had appointments at 4 different bridal boutiques and had no energy to go on. I only picked up 2 dresses and tried them on in 5 mins. I couldn`t think clearly and suffered SO BAD! I didn`t want to miss my chances though. So, me and my sis came up with the idea that we should stay at a hotel that night and have a rest. We did what we needed at that moment and booked a room at Ramada Plaza. My cousin Kubra joined us. We three girls had so much fun. A lot of gossiping done, many foods have been consumed, as well as the drinks.. :))

It was going pretty good. I rescheduled all my appointments; I had a comfy bed to sleep on. Then, it happened! That moment my sister`s retainer decided to create a problem for our girls night. We had to find out an orthodontist on the Internet and take a cab to the doctor`s office during the rush hour. We waited about an hour for the other patients, and then the doctor fixed my sister`s retainer in one minute. It took her exactly a minute to fix it! We didn`t complain because another incident was about to happen. I`m talking about the cab driver. He had some quarrel with another driver but we calmed him down. But if you ask my sis, I did the exact opposite. OBJECTION! :) I just wanted him to "shut up and drive!" (Oh, I just recalled Rihanna`s song; that was a good one! Shut up and drive! Not good as the song "HARD" on her latest Rated-R album though. HARD is my favorite these days.)

Anyways...

We had a painful but at the same time an adventurous day & night.
The next day (TODAY), we went to Esin Arıcan Haute Couture, and I tried on some dresses. I couldn`t find a wedding dress but I found a sexy mermaid-style gown for my Bachelorette Party. I haven`t decided on the color yet; I`m considering a grenadine red for now.

I found the store where I had my senior prom dress. I looked at their demos, and didn`t like any of them. I still love my prom dress, and I know they did a great job 6 years ago but that was in the past. The shop seemed like the owner didn`t go anywhere further with her business. So I`m never going back there, that`s for sure!

I found this place called ROZE on the Internet and went there, too. I didn`t like their demos; the laces looked really cheap. The fabrics seemed simple and not elegant. On top of that, the saleswoman was extremely friendly. I mean it was much more than we needed, and it felt cheeky. Sorry to say that, but yes! that`s how we felt it was like!

Our last stop at Nişantaşı was pretty different than the other boutiques. The guy was probably gay. What a sentence, ha? Pretty straight-forward, actually. Not "exactly straight" but.. :P OK! No stupid gay jokes around here.. I don`t care about other people`s sexual preferences, so him being (or at least looking) gay didn`t bother me at all. As soon as I started telling him what I wanted for my dress, he began to draw it on a paper. The result was not bad. His skull-shaped ring influenced me so much more than his design. I was gonna ask him where he got it but I felt that might be inappropriate. If anyone is interested, I might give you his contact info. He might be good at his job. The person who referred him to me said that he used to work under Cemil İpekçi. Guys gathering up together!
I wonder why he left...

Oh, I almost forgot! Some people told me to go to stores in Fatih. Maybe I`ll do that, too. Don`t know yet! But I have a feeling that I might actually have found the two unique places that can give me my dream wedding dress.
God, you gotta help me out here! :)

My only concern is the veil and the hair. I already know what type of dress I want to wear, how much lace and silk I want, and the length of my tail.. But when it comes to where to have my veil and how to cover the hair, I`m totally lost! I don`t want to cover it with a turban and then put the veil on my head.
I think it does make the ladies look repelling. I call that look "KELOĞLAN"
You know what I mean... It`s like you have the veil on the head but there`s no hair to support that look. U know? Don`t get me wrong. I`m sure a lot of people like that, but I`m DEFINITELY not into it.

What should be the best solution?

*I don`t want to wear turban.
*I don`t want to show off my hair.
*I do want a perfect veil.
*And I do want something modern that blends in with my dress.

Give me some advice, please!

~Serra

p.S. I`m gonna talk about the other bridal stores (Pronovias, etc.) in detail later, but I can assure you that if you live in the Anatolian side, you do not need to bother going to European for more options. `Coz Bagdat Street rocks! ;)

Dearly Beloved

2010-03-16T18:38:00.005+02:00

If someone would've told me that one day I will create a blog about bridal stuff, I would probably laugh my a** off! But, here's the deal you guys..

I'm getting married, and I am liking it!

I have only 4 months left until the big day. (Less than 4 months actually!!) So, my weekly schedules are completely full.

I have to select the home appliances, find the perfect furniture for our new home, choose a gorgeous wedding gown, decide on the China patterns, etc. Then there is the actual wedding. Choosing the place, booking the date, looking for a DJ, finding the best caterers... It does take a great deal of effort!

To tell you the truth, it did bother me at first. But my lovely fiancé never let me down. He's a great helper with this stuff. Hell yes, I'm the boss (not really! :P) when it comes to the wedding and everything that`s related to our home. But I do care about his priorities, too. It`s a God-given chance that he admires my good taste. ;)

I know I should be humble here. But, oh well, this is going to be my big day.
Isn`t it?* ;)

C ya, for now!

~Serra

p.S. *(just wanted to spoil myself for my first post. Never gonna happen again!)