Bridal gowns & Bridesmaids dresses

Hello Blog Buddies 😊

Yesterday marked nine months to my wedding. Time is flying by and so is my money!

I am currently on the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. My initial idea of a perfect wedding dress was a puffy, glittery, princess ball gown. I blame Cinderella and her friends for this, as I have spent many years (as a kid) watching animated princesses flaunt their perfectly tailored ball gowns. As a little girl, the gowns were so extravagant I could only imagine wearing them to my own wedding. I had been brainwashed since then and it was difficult to shake off the notion.

I started shopping for wedding dresses a few months ago. At the bridal stores I would go straight to the ball gowns. They looked gorgeous however I quickly learned that they were not a true reflection of my style.  A wedding dress must reflect personal style and pay attribute to the brides personality. It must complement the bride in as many ways as possible. It should reflect a timeless beauty as it is a one-time only garment.

After visits to several bridal stores I have a good idea of what I like and what is characteristic of my style and personality. I have familiarised myself with the variety of styles available, I learned about the fabrics I like and what complements my style. I have come to the conclusion that I like a mermaid style dress with straps of some kind as I lack the necessary fatty tissue in the required area for a strapless dress. I like detailed bead work on the dress with a touch of crystals. There is an ongoing debate about an ivory or white dress, but I will let that be a surprise.

The design process for the bridesmaids’ dresses is also underway. We have decided to get the dresses custom-made in order to get the perfect fit and design. Furthermore it allows us to display some of our own creativity in terms of dress design and fabric choices. Our first shopping trip was a successful one; we found an embroidered lace fabric with rhinestones. We all loved the fabric at first glance and decided that it will be used for the bodice of the dress. It is a pale shade of gold with darker rhinestones. We were going to pair the bodice with a coral bottom; however this may change in order to achieve a more elegant look. We have a talented dressmaker/designer, who we are working with to ensure our designs are practical and budget friendly. The design we have chosen is a full length, A-line/princess cut dress with an illusion neckline (see picture below). It is basically a fitted bodice that narrows at the waist with a flowy long length bottom.

The groom and groomsmen’s attire is less complicated. The groomsmen’s suits will be a shade of taupe with white shirts, tan shoes and a matching belt. The plan was to pair this with a coral tie and a matching floral pocket handkerchief, however this is dependent on the bridesmaids’ dresses. The groom is in search of a matt finish cobalt/navy suit. Our many Pinterest and Google searches have shown us that the colour exists, we just need to find it. We have taken into consideration that a navy suit will reflect different shades at different times of the day, depending on the type of light available. We need to make sure that the colours we choose altogether are complementary as we do not want to look like a group of circus moneys.

Shopping for wedding attire is a big deal! I want my wedding retinue to enjoy the experience as much as I do and look good while doing it.

The countdown down has begun! #9months

Love The Bride to be 💕

 

Illusion neckline

 


Sneak peak of embroidered lace with rhinestones

I said Yes!

Dear Blog Buddies.

I have some exciting news!

Exactly a year from today, I will be walking down the aisle in a white dress. Yes! #12 months. The planning has begun and the main game players have been put into place. We have secured a venue, a décor supplier, DJ, videographer and photographer.

Yes I am getting married!

The planning began in September 2016 when my fiancée decided it was time to pop the question. We were in Vietnam with an amazing group of people. Being the Champ that he is, he located one of the highest buildings in Hanoi, Vietnam equipped with a fancy roof top restaurant to go down on one knee. (See pictures attached below).

I said yes! And here we are eight months later…

We decided that our wedding and reception will be an intimate one with 200 of our closest friends and family. In an Indian family this is probably one of the most difficult tasks. If you are Indian, you would know that if we have the same surname or if we grew up in the same area as children, we are considered family or we will find a way to connect you to the family tree. For example, my grandmother’s sister’s secondary school teacher’s daughter who married my grandfather’s cousin’s grandson, (with the same surname as me) now becomes my cousin. We call them 45th cousins. Cousins that become your cousins because your great grandmother knew their great grandfather. So you can imagine the difficulty we face. If I considered all ‘my cousins’ the 200 guests will only be ‘45th cousins’.

I have accepted that planning a wedding will bring about some form of stress and maybe frustration at times. However so far, it has been joyful and exciting, not only for my fiancée and I, but for our parents as well, specifically our mothers.

Considering all the elements of planning a wedding, my fiancée and I are definitely having a great time putting some of our best skills to work. I have a great love for décor, craft and creativity. Thus deciding on a theme, colours and matching decorative items and ideas is bringing me great joy. My fiancée who is equally excited, is a manager in a finance team. His task is to ensure that I, I mean we, do not blow the budget. One of his other tasks is to continuously remind me that I'm not Kim Kardashian and that I cannot get Versace or Balmain to design my wedding gown. Fortunately he draws up excel sheets as we go along, so when the Kardashian tendencies show themselves, he exorcises them with a quick view of the budget. We’re a great team!

We have chosen a modern rustic theme for the wedding and reception. It is a combination of nature and/or natural elements put together to create a nature-like ambience. We are planning a garden wedding with an indoor reception. The venue we have chosen is ideal for this and for the theme we have chosen. It is surrounded by trees; two lawns of green grass, a little garden walk way and a glimpse of the ocean. Shade of coral, gold and white are the selected colours. In keeping with the modern rustic theme, we are going to make use of natural flowers, glass jars and warm lighting. We have collected a variety of glass jars and I have a few DIY ideas up my sleeves. If all goes well, we will be making our own centerpieces.

Our wedding attire has not been selected as we are still gathering ideas and styles. If time permits, my next post will include details about this, our retinue and an update on the planning.

The wedding bells have begun to ring!

Love
Verusha

My Boyfriend has a new lady in his Life...

My Boyfriend has a new lady in his life and we’re battling for position of number one gal! She’s sometimes referred to as the first wife but I can assure you that I’ll be the one with the ring on my finger! She’s mean and beastly, yet seems to attract the attention of all the boys. She’s rowdy and unruly if you get on her bad side and creates an eyeball wherever she goes. We are currently in a love triangle and I do not like it!

She can be identified by the following features:

Name:                  Ford Focus ST

Model:                  2010

Color:                    Orange (with just the right amount of sparkle)

Horse power:       181 kW

Torque:                 320Nm

Registration:        Reinald-ZN

That is about all the information I can give you without confusing myself with the lingo. Decat, downpipe, intercooler, light poles, top end, bust ups and dyno are all familiar words to me. However I cannot use them in a sentence as well as my boyfriend and his friends do. Sometimes, listening to their conversations about cars is like watching a movie dubbed in Mandarin.

I cannot explain the relationship between a man and his beloved car. Neither can I explain the big eyed, zone-out, dumbstruck look when he hears the roar of a performance car ready to show-off her dance moves. If I had to guess I would say that the experience is similar to what women feel when we see an amazing pair of shoes that screams ‘buy me, buy me’!
With all that said, I must admit that I do enjoy having the beastly beauty around. My boyfriend enjoys her just as much… actually a whole more! I have accepted her as part of our relationship, purely because she is now a fancy accessory and her orange glow adds the perfect hue to my selfies .We have shared many exciting times together. Selfies were taken, bust up were done and memories were made. The fiery lady has also been to a few events (Thanks to the Durban ST Crew) and she got to shake what her mama gave her!

This post is dedicated to my dear Boyfriend, who celebrates his birthday today. Considering his attachment to this SECOND love I have included her as part of the celebration.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY My Sweet!  I wish you many years of Love, happiness, health (stop drinking all that coke), wealth and amazing sport cars!

Love
Your number one gal

Happy Birthday :)

Her first day.

Out and about with some friends.

ST bond.

ST Breakfast Run.



Looking awesome at the ST Breakfast Run.

ST Charity Run.

Looking awesome at the ST charity Run.





The last time I wrote here was at the beginning of this year. As I like to finish what I’ve started, I though it appropriate to write a piece on Life as a form of reflection for 2014. I’m not really going to discuss my journey through 2014 but rather I’m going to share some of the things that got me through 2014 and Life in general.

Verusha, on Life!

Life…is quite a jam-packed, heavily loaded word. Very often it’s followed by a heavy sigh. Some even says it’s a…

Well, whatever it is we all have to deal with it, try to define it, face it, put up with it and sometimes love it!

Below are a few words that describe the way in which I choose to go about Life:

Control/Balance

EVERYTHING requires balance! I always try to find a balance in everything thing that I do. I strive for emotional, spiritual and financial balance. I also try to eat a balanced diet (I think!). To be clear I’m not the perfect human being with my Ying & Yang perfectly positioned, however I do try. I express my emotions freely but I never allow them to take over. I take full advantage of quiet time to ensure the universe and I are on the same page. Financially, well I think we’re all clowns trying to perform the same balancing act… unless you’re Bill Gates.

Control goes hand-in-hand with balance.

Obedience

I don’t always get what I want and sometimes that’s very difficult to accept. However I do believe that everything happens for a reason, whether I like it or not! Thus I’ve learned to be obedient to the way in which my Life plays out. I always try to give my 110% and learn something from every experience.

Faith/Trust

My mind plays tricks on me sometimes! If it can’t see, hear, smell, taste or touch things it has difficulty excepting that these things exists. As a result it tries to convince me that such things don’t exist and that they will never exist. In response I banish such convictions with my sword of faith and armor of trust.

So those are my wise words of wisdom. You can choose to use or abuse it!

Below I have added a few quotes that I’ve read, liked, adopted and applied to my life. I’ve also included a few of my favourite “Verusha’s Life” pictures and a collage of words that I think guide my Life!

Happy Living Peeps




Winter 2013, China




Great Wall of China, Beijing


Trick Eye Museum, Korea


 

Bloukrans Bungy, South Africa


 

Words, Words, Words!

It's a New Year!

It’s that time again, to make resolutions and start afresh!

To unwrap the new you and show them who’s the best!

It’s 2014, there’s no time to rest!

Yeah! Yeah! I know I’m late but it’s only 15 days into the New Year and I’ve only just found the time to write. 2014 has brought along a few new activities and responsibilities on my side thus threatening my writing time. However I’m not complaining considering the frustratingly excessive amount of time I had on my hands in 2013.

Many of the plans I had had for 2013 sort of found their way out of my hands and eventually fell to the ground, leaving me with very little control over the entire situation. Thus I had a lot of time on my hands but nothing to get my hands on. Fortunately, for myself and the people around me I’m somewhat of a positive thinker (or that’s what I like to believe). I found a little consolation in the phrase ‘your twenties are for self-discovery’ and sometimes welcomed my unplanned plans with opened arms, at other times I punched it in the face and hoped to beat it to death. In the end I won! It was a difficult fight but I won!

I was forced to work with what I had and to adapt as I went along. I learned a lot about myself along the way and spent many hours baking, decorating (cards, gift boxes, book covers) and writing (all served as therapy). During this time I also started my first blog, which I’m very proud of. I learned to drive and got my first car.

I’m quite certain that 2014 has a lot more in store for me and I’m excited! I’m most excited about the fact that I can make a fresh start. It's like getting a crisp, white sheet of paper at the end of your exam to correct all the scratches you've made. It’s a second chance, every year! You gotta love that!

My goal for 2014 is to work harder and give my 110% in everything I do…and maybe read a few classics. Books I’ve read last year include This Way Up by Paige Nick, The Boy Who Could See Demons by Carolyn Jess-Cooke and Drug Muled by Joanne Joseph.

May 2014 bring all that you've worked for ;)

Verusha Naidoo On Why She Chose China

Hi Guys

I apologise for the late blog post. I’ve been having some computer issues for the past few days. However all is back on track and we’re ready to roll….all the way to China!

In September last year I travelled to China for the first time to teach English as a second language. Before I left I was interviewed by a South African news writer, who later wrote a newspaper article on my decisions for choosing China. Below you will find the interview questions and answers as well as a link to the newspaper article.

______________________________________________________________________________

Verusha Naidoo On Why She Chose China?

Why china?

I want a unique traditional and cultural experience and I think China remains loyal to both of these things.

How long will you be away for?

Five months

What will you be doing?

I will be teaching English as a foreign language to Engineering students.

Where in China are you going?

Shenyang, Liaoning Province. It’s found on the Northeast of China

What do you hope to achieve?

Great teaching experience, personal growth, the ability to speak a little Chinese.

China and SA are strong trade partners; do you think more young people should do what you are doing? And why?

Anyone should grab an opportunity to travel. It can open door you didn’t know were there.

Why are you going?

To locate my undiscovered doors (she laughs). There are several reasons; I want to know what’s out there, I love adventure, I want to prove to myself I can survive and be independent in a foreign country and the challenge of this made me want it even more.

What would you like the Chinese people to learn about SA?

I would love for them to learn about the beauty of our diversity.

What will you miss the most about SA?

The comfort and familiarity and most definitely the food!

Would you like to learn mandarin? It is probably the language of the future.

I’d love to but that might take a few years.

What did you study?

I did a BA in Drama and Psychology and Honours in Drama: Directing and Education. I’m also a CELTA (Cambridge English Language Teaching to Adults) graduate.

How will you use your drama background as a teaching tool?

There are many fun and creative methods in drama that aid the cognitive process. My aim is to incorporate some of these into teaching English as a second language, in order to make it fun, exciting and engaging. 

What are the 3 things you won't be leaving Durban without?

My GHD, A hug from my boyfriend and my laptop.

Considering you are vegetarian, do you think you will encounter any challenges? How will you deal with it?

Yes, Definitely! I think I’m in for a Fear Factor-like experience. However this is all part of the challenge and I’ll have to take it as it comes. To be honest I’m actually excited to see what’s on offer.

Have you researched how many South Africans are going to China and why?

No I have not. However I do believe there is a handful of South Africans scattered around China doing business or studying medicine.

Why did you choose China? Not Nigeria or India?

China is the world’s most populated country. They produce almost all of our goods and their Chinese symbols are known all around the world. I want to explore the intricate details around how they deal with overpopulation, mass production and learning Chinese symbols. 

Did you research what the nightlife is like in China?

No I haven’t.  However I have been speaking to a few teachers who are already in China. They seem to spend their nights going out to dinner with other teachers or exploring the city.

Are you going to china to find something? Maybe yourself or for the cultural experience?

No. Not anything specific. However I do know that I will be enlightened and I will grow from the experience, whether it’s good or bad.

When you get back what will you do?

The plan is to start a language/drama school when I get back, but that’s not set in stone.

How will you keep in touch whilst you are away?

Facebook, e-mail and skype

Who will you be teaching? What institute?

Engineering students at Shenyang Institute of Technology

Are there any restrictions?

None that I know off.

How did you get in?
I was researching Teaching in China for a few months when I came across a vacancy that offered most of what I was looking for. I sent through all the necessary documents and within a few days I got reply saying that they were interested in hiring me. After several e-mails with the school and some of their teachers, I decided to accept the offer.
 
Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’ll miss you all!

_____________________________________________________________________________________

To view the article click on the link below: 

http://www.thenewage.co.za/mobi/Detail.aspx?NewsID=63423&CatID=1008

Next week I’ll be adding a new page to my blog which documents the five months I spent in China.

I hope you’re excited!

Peace & Love

Verusha :)

I wish I could...

If you could have one skill what would it be?

I would love to be able to draw or sketch. I know this may sound like a simple skill but if you see my attempts at drawing Santa or even a dog, you'll understand.

I believe I'm a good decorator and I'm able to create pretty pictures in my head but when it comes to putting pen to paper, it feels as if my fingers are detached from my hands and are destines for a different path.  All I want, is to be able to draw simple pictures that I could use when decorating on paper. For some reason I like pencil drawn images. They seem to give the work a personal, authentic touch.

When I was 13 I had a pen pal in Germany. We wrote letters to each other monthly, informing each other about the differences between South African and German culture as well as the differences between the two countries. Eventually e-mail and Facebook came along and all this stopped…Sigh! The good old days!

My pen pal’s letters were often decorated with hand drawn images and these always made the letters even more exciting. However I was a little jealous of his drawing and decorating abilities. His hand drawn images were always neat with no mistakes or scratches. They were simple clean hand drawn images and I wanted to be able to do this.

So I tried…to recreate his images, but mine never looked as cool! I tried following You Tube videos on ‘how to draw’ as well using grids to make drawing easier but following the dots seemed to be the only method that proved to be successful…oh and tracing, but anyone could trace.

Thus I starting experimenting with stickers (which I used to collect at the time), embellishments and coloured paper in order to compensate for my lack of drawing skills. I found that I was quite good at decorating using the above mentioned paraphernalia and today it is one of my favourite hobbies.  

There are days when I still wish I could draw and I still try. However tracing picture gives me the best satisfaction. I think I’m a perfectionist when it comes to creative creations as I really do not like it when lines are out of place or if a spot was missed when adding colour. When I draw I have to deal with the former and the fact that it looks like something a kindergartener drew. When I trace everything is perfect and I’m happy. Hence I shall stick to what gives the best results!

Below are some of my creations I traced and decorated. If you did not know about my inability to draw, could I have fooled you?

Peace
Verusha ;)




Gift book (embellishments, foil art & craft paper) 

Decorated gift box (purple crepe paper, green felt & crystals)




Bday card (foil art & bubble stickers)



My daily diary (picture of my bf & magazine cut outs)



Gift book (foil art, craft paper & craystals)

Back cover