HONEYMOON ESCAPADE WITH TRAFALGAR

4 countries. 7 Cities. 6 days.

Who would have thought we could travel 2,200km from Netherlands to Germany to Switzerland upto France on our honeymoon?! This was made possible with our 6 days traveling with Trafalgar! My husband & I stayed in France for 9 additional days so we can also explore on our own, try new cafes & well-known boulangerie!

Seeing the dashboard mileage of our brand new Mercedes Benz first-class coach with free WIFI filled us with so much awe! Yes, we were such lucky passengers! 

The European Highlights tour was such a crazy surreal experience we can never do on our own.

Thanks to Trafalgar European Highlights tour, we were able to do everything in a whirlwind! It's like having a fast pass card and VIP lane everywhere. Do take advantage of their optional tours too at special prices so you can make the best out of your limited vacation time.

Kudos to Nuno, our Trafalgar Driver & Annerieke, our Trafalgar Travel Director who brought us border to border in the fastest yet safest way possible.

So much memories warm my heart from the scenic canal cruise to the cheese & clog-making factory in Amsterdam to learning cuckoo clock making & eating the famous black forest cake in Germany!

Switzerland is by far my favorite part of the trip from ascending Mount Pilatus via cable car to witnessing the majestic Rhine Falls to appreciating the historic facts of the dying lion monument commemorating the massacre of the Swiss Guards in 1792!

                    

Everything was breathtaking in Switzerland that I'd definitely retire here!

Just look at the amazing view, way better than a postcard.

My husband & I even had a picnic here indulging on the freshest sashimi & parisian macarons.

It was a truly a moment to remember.

The Eiffel Tower & Versailles Palace & Gardens in France were the perfect way to end our trip with so much love & royalty all over. It was indeed a dream come true to visit these places with my husband!

This was my 3rd time with Trafalgar & my husband's 1st! So much friends were made & cultures learned as the seat rotation in the bus helped us break the ice with each other. 

The farewell dinner was truly memorable and it was with a heavy heart that we had to say our goodbyes to new found friends & return home to work again to save for another Trafalgar trip that lasts a lifetime!

Can't wait to travel the world again and make more memories that last a lifetime!

Oh and don't forget to visit our favorite bakeshop in France, The French Bastards!

They sell mouthwatering pastries and coffee that always make you order a 2nd or even a 3rd serving.

Trust me, this is so legit---Bastards definitely make it butter!

So fresh, so buttery, so French!

And of course, don't leave Switzerland without a Swiss watch if you love Rolex, Omega or a Patek Philippe. But if luxury watches are not your thing, bring home the famous Lindt Swiss chocolates!!!

    When you think you've seen the world, just blink, and open your eyes again.

There's just so much more unbelievable sights to see and visit!

Oh, I just love traveling because I get immersed into a beautiful world of unknowns.

Getting lost in train stations, missing bus stops, mispronouncing & misunderstanding foreign languages. Every moment is simply an experience to remember!

But if you prefer everything to be taken cared of from hotel bookings to restaurant reservations,

Then Trafalgar Travel is the way to go----They make travel matter!

As I have been travelling with Trafalgar, I can give you $100 savings if you haven't travelled with Trafalgar or their sister brands like Luxury Gold, Insight Vacations, Costsaver or Contiki before. Feel free to email or contact me at sophie_ng567@yahoo.com for the referral or discount code or send me a message via my socials posted below.

Til the next style secrets,

 SOPHIEsticated 

For brand collaborations, you can email me at

sophie_ng567@yahoo.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophieng567

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophie_ng567

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophie_ng567/

HOW TO BE A ROYAL BRIDE? BRIDE SHARES IT ALL.

Today marks my 2nd month as a married person.

And I couldn't be happier in making this life-long decision.

Yes, I'm glad I chose the right partner from the sunniest to the stormiest of my days!

So now, I'd like to thank my suppliers who have given me the royal treatment. 

I have never felt this radiant and gorgeous despite my sleepless nights.

Of course, I was nervous with all the nitty-gritty details running around my head.

Hands down to my ever reliable Make-up Artist Ara Ambrosio of Chroma by Ara

and hairstylist Claire Reyes of Clara Akcesora for making me a vision in white!

Check out how my dream hairstyle came to life with the help of Claire Reyes. I just love my bespoke Phalaene Orchid Hairpins with pearl studs all over my hair. It's such a statement look that I don't think any bride has ever sported this look. I definitely felt stunning as I entered the church ceremony.

My Ecuadorian bridal bouquet was made by The Arleen Blossom "DangwaFlorist".

From the church decorations to my entourage bouquets upto my reception styling, Dangwa Florist was there to magically transform my venues into a whole new level.

The Devil will always be in the tiniest of details, and of course the most important decision of every bride is her wedding dress (aside from her groom)! Oh, I just felt like a Royal Bride because of Alex Rivera of Royal Brides MNL. His creations are hands down what I wanted.

It was a chance encounter with the gifted Alex Rivera at SM Megatrade Hall which made me decide right there and then that he would be making my church gown and reception gown. His designs were marvelous and enchanting---fully beaded with intricate designs, just the way I like it! 

I felt like a goddess on my wedding day! My wedding's success wouldn't be possible without the help of my ever so accommodating make-up artist, hairstylist, gown designer, cake supplier, invitation supplier, shoe designer and of course the professional team behind THE RULE OF THIRDS PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY for my ahhhhh-mazing photos & videos.

Until now, I'm gushing over my gowns. 

Thanks to my lovely suppliers for making my dream wedding come true. 

I'm very much attracted with the shoe designs of Kara Zapatos Bridal. Their designs are so sophisticated, modern yet sexy. Believe it or not, their shoes are surprisingly comfortable that I was able to survive more than 12 hours of walks & pictorials. With my petite size, I chose to wear a 4" block heels with 1" platform wrapped in a crystal embellished finish to elongate and define my physique. Kara Zapatos crew was very nice enough to assist me in my shoe designing process with additional free stones and free engraving on my shoe insole as well. 

I didn't go with the classic white car. Yes, I rode our personal monster vehicle so I can conveniently sit with my long trail. It was definitely hard to go up & down with my mermaid gowns! But thankfully my photographers & videographers made everything feel like a breeze. 

My heart was already pounding so fast as I was standing in front of Santuario de San Jose's Church door. I did one big 'Breathe in & breathe out' moment. I walked down the aisle while the organist played "Beautiful in White". I walked slowly to avoid any falls and so I can savor my bridal walk to the groom.

I just love the customized beaded gold design of initials V & S on all our ceremony essentials. Yes, I love to bring out the sparkle in everything. The beaded wedding cord with the couple's initials, the arrhae, the decorated bible sleeve with Bible and candles were from Claire Reyes of Clara Akcesora . Everything was just so beautifully crafted with love.

There were so many guests impressed with our sliding invitations from ArtsyCraft. It was just so elegant and a creative way to send a wedding invite. I just love unique and stylish pieces. I didn't want to stick with the classic plain invites nor the traditional Chinese invitations. Just imagine that as you pull out the invite, the bride slowly walks to her groom as you unfold the invite. So cool, right?! Get ArtsyCraft. You won't regret it. It's quality at its best!

I'd like to thank Roz Jewelry too for my 'V' shaped 7-stone wedding ring. I just love how it perfects my engagement ring like there's a crown on top as I wore it together. Mika and her sister were just so nice and friendly to give me the best "V" shaped ring possible. I wanted it to be V because V obviously reminds me of Vince, my husband.

Finally, our love and our marriage were sealed with a kiss.

I almost fell to the ground with this jaw-dropping 'kiss your wife' moment! 

Luckily, my husband was so strong so there's no need to worry of being let go.

The groom's suit was also created by Alex Rivera of Royal Brides MNL . 

Oh, my husband looked extra dashing on our wedding day.

We had our wedding reception at Yu Lei @ Okada Manila Hotel. Everything was just 5-star from the food to the service to the accommodations. Special thanks to Christian Cutangco for his superb assistance from our layout planning stage to the food tasting menu selection upto our wedding reception day. We wouldn't have done it without his help and the amazing staff of Yu Lei.

My second gown was made by Alex Rivera of Royal Brides MNL as well.

I wore a semi-long trail champagne gown as my reception look.

Yes, I am one proud Royal Bride of Alex Rivera!

Every guest of mine was just asking me who the designer was!

All eyes were on me and my gown and I definitely felt like a Hollywood Star on a Red Carpet.

Our LED Supplier with Lights and Sounds was from SweetXavier Events. They were very easy to talk to and everything was strategically located. Our SDE Photos and Videos looked gorgeous as it was flashed on the LED Wall.

To make our wedding sweeter, our cake was deliciously made by the talented Ciello Villarin of Cielo's Bakery. I just love how she created the "Pearl" cake I wanted. I was simply a happy bride after all.

Finally, I would like to thank Absolutely Knot Events Kimmy & Allison who have been very detail-oriented with us. Thank you Ms. Kimmy for hosting so well and helping us with all the other vacant positions. Thank you also Allison for walking us through the many questions in our head. We wouldn't have done it without you both and your team. Cheers!

We ended our night with an intimate dance while rose petals were falling all over. I enjoyed

every moment of our wedding and I hope I was able to coach all the other brides out there. Remember, all things will fall into place as long as you have your groom right beside you from the stormiest to the sunniest of days. There's no bridezilla if your groom is just around the corner holding your hand every step of the way. So grooms, help out too!

Til the next style secrets,

 SOPHIEsticated 

For brand collaborations, you can email me at

sophie_ng567@yahoo.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophieng567

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophie_ng567

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophie_ng567/