Fab You Bliss Weddings: Acqua Hair Design

Today...we are going to do something fun! It's called "Blogging Around the World" where I will be joining nineteen uber talented and absolutely fabulous bloggers to devote each of our blog posts today to images shot during a styled shoot. It is sort of a treasure hunt, if you will, where you will visit each one of the participating blogs to see another brilliant image from the shoot along with some fun tid bits, advice or inspiration.

Here are some words from the lovely Alicia at The Charity Wedding who helped organize the shoot and this Blog Around the World. Thank you Alicia for all your hard work!

Hello Lovelies! I am Alicia from The Charity Wedding and I am excited to present another round of Blog Around the World with some of my favorite wedding bloggers! I recently helped organized a styled shoot using the theme of a Vintage Desert Safari. Each blogger will be showcasing a photo from the shoot and sharing some tips, advice, or just some pretty-eye candy for you to enjoy! Be sure to visit all the blogs to make sure you catch all the goodness! Thanks so much to all of the participants!

Here's the order of today's blog around the world. I've added each blogger's Twitter handle as well so you can be sure to follow their fabulousness.

1. Bubble Rock Studios (New Zealand) 9:00am EST @stephbubble
2. Cap Classique (UK, South Africa) 9:15am EST @capclassique
3. The Unreal Bride (India) 9:30am EST @unrealbride
4. Brancoprata(Portugal)9:45am EST @brancoprata
5. Bijoux Bride (UK) 10:00am EST @bijouxbride
6. Bridal Musings (UK) 10:15am EST @BridalMusings
7. The Oceanside Bride (US) 10:30am EST @OceansideBride
8. Hey Gorgeous(US) 10:45am EST @heygorgblog
9. Sparkle and Hay (US) 11:00am EST @sparkleandhay
10. Wedding Pickle (US) 11:15am EST @weddingpickle
11. The Perfect Palette (US) 11:30am EST @perfectpalette
12. Oh Lovely Day (US) 12:00pm EST @oh_lovely_day
13. La Petite Coquin (US) 12:15pm EST @lapetitecoquin
14. Brenda’s Wedding Blog (US) 12:30pm EST @weddingsites
15. Fab You Bliss (US) 12:45pm EST @fabyoubliss
16. Landlocked Bride (US) 1:00pm EST @LandlockedBride
17. Bow Ties and Bliss (US) 1:15pm EST @bowtiesandbliss
18. A Paper Proposal (US) 1:30pm EST @apaperproposal
19. Engaged and Inspired (US) 1:45 pm EST @EngagedInspired
20. The Charity Wedding (US) 2:00pm EST @charitywedding

Credits:

Location: Out of Africa Wildlife Park and Along the Verde River, Camp Verde, A
Coordination & Concept: Alicia French of The Charity Wedding
Event Design: KD Event Designs
Photography: Fancy Fin Photography
Bouquet: Glamorous Occasions
Cake & pastries: Kick Ass Kakes
Invitations, Menu, Dessert Toppers and Hang Tags Wedding Girl
Model: Dahlee
Makeup Artist: Sabrina Sweet Makeup
Hair Artist: Erin McDonald of Aveda Red 115 Salon
Gown: La Belle Reve
Jewelry: Genevieve
Cupcakes: handmade by Alicia

________________________________________________________

I chose to feature the image above as it reminded me of my trip to Africa last year to photograph one of my dear friend's wedding. People tend to look quizzically at me when they hear this because not many people from the US go to Africa to get married. But actually my friend was born there, in Zimbabwe, and it had always been her dream to get married there. And she did...I have the proof ;-)

Anyhow, besides the gorgeous country, amazing people and beautiful animals we saw on many of our game drives, (Giraffes in particular...hence the featured image), the food was absolutely out of this world! One of my favorite dishes was a delightful, savory dish called Stuffed Gem Squash which the bride selected as one of their reception menu choices. And guess what...I have a recipe for you.

FYI...Gem Squash may be hard to find in the US, so other than growing them yourself, (which we are going to do next year), you can substitute with Acorn Squash.

Ingredients

3 gem squash, cut in half and seeds removed
2 tablespoons corn oil
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
0.5 kg (1 lb) tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
100 grams (4 oz) aubergine (egg plant), chopped
salt and pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
watercress sprig to garnish

Method

1. Cook the gem squash in boiling salted water until just tender – about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and arrange these rings in a large ovenproof dish.
2. Place the oil, onion and garlic in a frying pan and sauté for about 10 minutes until soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, breadcrumbs, parsley, mixed herbs, aubergine and seasoning, blend thoroughly and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Divide the mixture between the gem squash halves; sprinkle each with a little cheese. Place under a moderate grill to lightly brown the cheese and heat through.
5. Garnish with the watercress.

Enjoy! And, if you do end up making this dish or using it in your African/Safari themed wedding...please come back and share with us your thoughts.

Have a Fab You Bliss Wednesday!

xoxo

Stephanie

PS...don't forget to check out the other blogs listed above :-) Next up is # 16 Landlocked Bride posting at 1:00pm EST

Ahhhh, LAKE TAHOE...my home away from home. I lived there for many years throughout college and after so when this wedding came in I was overjoyed, not to mention the images are from the amazingly talented Melissa Dunstan at Melissa Dunstan Photography and that just made this feature even sweeter!

Stephanie and Eugene were married last August at Zephyr Cove Resort, a beautiful and historic site on the Nevada shores of South Lake Tahoe. Zephyr Cove is a fantastic resort offering all the year round activities you can imagine from paddle wheel boat cruises, water craft rentals, para sailing, beach activities, fishing and horse back riding in the summer to boating and snowmobiling in the winter, and of course year round lodging and dinning.

Stephanie's gorgeous Mon Cheri Bridal gown looked quite lovely on her and absolutely perfect for the setting. Her hair was done by Acqua Hair Design and she carried a gorgeous bouquet of Burgundy and gold Calla Lilies while her attendants, wearing strapless, light yellow sundresses with beach ready flip-flops, walked down the isle holding bright arrangements of yellow and orange Gerber Daisies nestled among large pink Carnations. And Eugene's guys looked very casual and ready for some beach wedding fun in their Khaki pants and orange button downed shirts, while Eugene opted for a bit dressier look with black slacks and a white shirt.

And let's not forget their cute Boston Terrier with his adorable bow tie. I'm swooning over how cute that is and you know how much I love me some doggies! Also, check out their save the date card. It's a ticket with a tear off section showing a map of the lake on it...yes, swooning again. I just LOVE everything about this wedding!

Photographer: Melissa Dunstan Photography

Hair Stylist: Acqua Hair Design

Reception Venue: Zephyr Cove Resort

Dress Store: David's Bridal,Mon Cheri Bridal

Cake Designer: Katie Cakes Tahoe

Jewelry: Christopher Diamonds

Officiant: Rev. J.B. McIntyre

Speaking of Lake Tahoe, as I mentioned, I lived there for a while and so did my sister. She still lives there with her husband and BC and I are going to visit them there next week! I'm so excited!!! We tried going this past winter, but with our schedules it just wasn't possible. Summer on the lake is probably my most favorite time anyhow. And Pupp-awg is going to love it too! Only thing is, her long hair is not really great for the heat so I'm...GULP...taking her in for a hair cut this morning. I swear guys...I feel like an over-protective mother as I've been really nervous about this. She's my little girl after all and you hear all kinds of stories about what groomers do, so I'm kind of worried. Should I be? I just hate leaving her without knowing the people with her care. But the place I'm taking her has received many good reviews so I'm hoping for the best. So...we'll see.

Aaaaggg...I'm still so nervous! Anyone else feel this way about their dogs or am I just a silly dog crazy lunatic?

Here's Pupp-awg this morning. Isn't she so pretty, posing all perfect, right?

...yeah, only for a second. The 8 month old puppy doesn't like to sit still for long!

Happy Thursday to you all! And to all my blogger friends, if I don't get a chance to stop by your pages today to leave you some love, it's because I'm probably frantically stalking the groomers shop like an obsessed Paparazzo to make sure my baby is okay ;-) Do they make pills for this?

xoxo

Stephanie