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 Our slice of this happy little city :)

second-time bride: white dresses

Can a second-time bride wear white?  According to modern etiquette, anything goes.

I actually quite like the idea of non-traditional white or ivory dresses for encore brides.  But I personally think veils and long white wedding gowns look ridiculous on divorcées and older brides... in a mutton dressed as lamb sort of way.  It's not good.

From the second Robert slipped Jackie onto my finger,  I knew I wouldn't be going the traditional bridal route. I've done the white dress and veil and now I want to wear something that reflects my style and who I am as a woman, wife and bride.

For about 10 seconds, I entertained the thought of a vintage tiara and a knee-length 50's inspired a-line dress in ivory, but it was too bridal and seemed reserved for a demure type of bride that just doesn't exist post-divorce and close to forty.

Taking inspiration from Gibraltar's most famous bride and groom, I could go mod with a minidress and white boots or platform sandals.  The 60's are my style muse and I can totally get onboard with this idea, but if I don't pull it off 100%, it'll end up looking costumey and result in deep, lifelong wedding photo regret.  Ill conceived and poorly executed wedding themes are a modern tragedy... I won't be cruel enough to post links, but take my word for it ;-)

Or I could go with an elegant, slightly slinky bombshell-inspired dress in white or ivory.  While I like the idea of a non-traditional white or ivory dress, I'm not sure I see myself wearing one. 

My grandmother chose my first wedding dress... a cheap, scratchy meringue from David's Bridal.  It smelled like fish, and the veil was decorated with rhinestones and faux pearls that photographed like bugs caught in a mosquito net!  I looked ridiculous.  I looked like me dressed up in a bride costume.  It's been 14 years and still hate that dress!

Wedding gowns are a racket anyway.  The price-tag on that horrible David's Bridal meringue wasn't exactly cheap but it was definitely built not to last.  The stitching was sloppy and coming apart, the beading was substandard, and the fabric was embarrassingly third-rate.  For the same amount of money, I could've had my pick of designer dresses that looked amazing, felt amazing, and could've been worn time and time again.

This time, screw the wedding industry! I want a stunning designer dress that I'll wear again and again because I love it so much that I cannot bear not to wear it again.

Here are my top choices for ivory and white wedding dresses for me as a second-time bride...

This one is from Alexander McQueen and it's the most wedding-y of the bunch.  I can't see myself rewearing it, but it's an Alexander McQueen and I can totally see myself wearing it in Gibraltar with my Christian Louboutins and a hand-tied bouquet of red roses to match those beautiful red soles!

This one is by the Italian label Fairly, which doesn't have the pedigree I'd like, but there's something about this one.  It looks like something Marilyn Monroe would've worn to one of her weddings... and that counts for something ;-)

 

 Be still my beating heart!  It's a Gucci...  need I say more?

This is a no-name dress that has that 60's vibe I was talking about, but also a high possibility of regret...

This one is from a label called, "Snob Inside."  Apropos? I'd need to do something about those faux pearls,  like tear them off and burn them, but the hemline of this dress is very sexy and makes me want to dance the tango.  If only it came in red...

And finally, here's an actual vintage 1960's shift dress.  I love the idea of getting married in vintage, but trying to find a vintage dress in London over the course of one weekend is cutting it a bit too close for my taste.  Maybe I'll be able to talk Robert into a vintage dress-vow renewal-handfasting after we've fled Denmark ;-)

gin & elderflower cocktail

This gin and elderflower cocktail is another popular choice on our balcony this summer!

1 shot gin

1 shot apple juice

2 t elderflower cordial

lime

ice

We use Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire gin.  The botanicals in your gin will affect the taste of the cocktail, so use a good quality gin!

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add the vodka, Cointreau, a shot or so of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Shake the heck out of it.  Strain it into a martini glass, top it off with a bit more cranberry juice and another squeeze of lime.  - See more at: http://www.sageandsimple.com/#sthash.yZp74OyR.dpuf

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add the gin, apple juice, cordial, and a squeeze of lime. Shake it well, then strain it into a martini glass, and garnish it with a slice of lime... or not.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add the vodka, Cointreau, a shot or so of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Shake the heck out of it.  Strain it into a martini glass, top it off with a bit more cranberry juice and another squeeze of lime.  - See more at: http://www.sageandsimple.com/#sthash.yZp74OyR.dpuf

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add the vodka, Cointreau, a shot or so of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Shake the heck out of it.  Strain it into a martini glass, top it off with a bit more cranberry juice and another squeeze of lime.  - See more at: http://www.sageandsimple.com/#sthash.yZp74OyR.dpuf

I make my own elderflower cordial, but once my homemade stash runs out, it's available in nearly every grocery store here in Denmark.  I don't recall ever hearing of elderflower cordial when I lived in the States, but I've heard it's available at IKEA, and I suspect you might also be able to find it at Whole Foods. 

I promise you this cocktail is totally worth the hassle of tracking down the cordial...