I've updated this post after arriving home. For some reason the app on my phone wouldn't function properly which limited my ability to say much or to include the appropriate title.  This update contains more picture and more about our experiences on our tour. 

A day or two in Rome before our Trafalgar Best of Italy your gave us time to settle in after our long journey.

We explored the high street shops and little laneway pizzarias near our hotel. Right across the road was the ancient Roman city wall.

After joining the Trafalgar Best of Italy tour, which started in Rome, we got to see a lot of the city. We went to the Vatican  and toured the museum which is beautiful but the highlight was Michelangelo's masterpiece, Sistine Chapel ceiling. No photos allowed so I've linked it for you. We didn't think we'd be able to see St Peter's Basilica because the Pope was taking a service but our tour guide dawdled and stretched out our time so we got to go in. I'd seen it before and I really wanted Sam to see it so I was very happy when we were allowed inside.​ 

From the Vatican we had a short break before touring the Colosseum. After walking all morning I really needed a the afternoon off but I kept going. Sam was excited to see where the gladiators fought. It's an awesome place.

After all of this time on my feet I was really suffering but, I still had a walking tour of the treasures of Rome to complete. I took some pain killers and struggled on. It was worth it to see the wonderful Trevi fountain with Sam.  Way more crowded than it was eight years ago, we didn't stay long and opted for a gelati from a nearby cafe.

The last time I was there I threw in two coins,  one to come back and the other to find love again. They worked. But I also heard on the tour bus that two coins is to get married! and that worked too, Sam and I having been married in July. Very funny.

When we got back to the hotel I fell on the bed and didn't move until it was time for breakfast the next morning. That day we drove south to the Amalfi coast, stopping at Pompeii for a walking tour. Lot's of people, even though it was past the high season, but I got this shot of an ancient roman road and shop walls on the left. It was a large town and most of it is still uncovered. 

We had some free time at picturesque Positano. We bought presents to take home and had afternoon tea. 

Back at our hotel in Sorrento, we had dinner overlooking the lights of Capri.

We didn't stay in the town of Sorrento but up on hill, so there wasn't an after dinner stroll, but there's always next time. We had a wonderful time in the south of Italy, the next day we headed north.

The next post will have part 2 of our time in Italy, Venice, The Lakes and Tuscany.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dora Bramden writes heart melting, passionate romance.

With ‘The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby', several elements came together to inspire Katrina’s character. As a child, I dreamed of being a ballerina. I was fortunate enough to go to classical ballet classes at a very good school. Each year there was a concert held at the town hall. The Victorian-style theater with balcony seating was very grand.

I can recall how it felt to dance on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Even if I was only a flower on the edge of swan lake I loved the excitement of being backstage, having my makeup done by the older ballerinas and how the precious tulle skirt felt against my legs. I remember the nerves and adrenaline rush when it was my cue to go on stage. I wrote a blog on my website about that time called Memories of Being a Ballet Dancer.

I read a magazine article about a ballerina who’d received a grant to help her in returning to dance for The Australian Ballet company after having a baby, a seed was sewn that matched with my ballet dancing experience. Katrina’s character came to life in my mind, a ballerina who had a baby and is now returning to dancing but the father discovers she’s had his child through the publicity she was given as a grant recipient.

When traveling in Italy I enjoyed the northern lakes so much, dining on stone terraces overlooking a lake while the sunset was so incredibly romantic. While driving to the shops one day,  we went past a car company that I’d never heard of in Australia. I don’t even remember the name of it now, but the idea of an Italian Aristocrat who’d inherited his racing car driver father’s company popped into my mind.

I’d once been a fangirl of Ayrton Senna, the Grand Prix champion and a dashingly handsome young maverick. I was so sad when he died in a crash on the track.

I found inspiration for the daddy for Katrina’s Baby. Alessandro Rinaldo was the son of a racing car driver who had died on the track. He’d become a champion himself following in his father’s footsteps but had promised his mother that he’d never marry while still racing so that he didn’t break a woman’s heart like hers had been if he was killed.

More pieces of the puzzle came together when I discovered that the Grand Prix race held in Melbourne coincided with the Australian Ballet Company season there. Also, another piece is that the Italian world-renowned Ballet company home is the Teatro De Scala in Milan where nearby is also the famous Grand Prix track at Monza.​

​I could now place these two people in each other’s home cities through their work. He and Katrina had met at a society function in Melbourne and later and had a whirlwind romance when she won a place at the La Scala ballet company. So they could be together in Europe they married, but he did it in secret and made a pact with her that they didn’t have children. When she fell pregnant Katrina didn’t expect him to want the baby because when she’d found her birth father he rejected the connection. She had firsthand experience that when men say they don’t want a child, they meant it.

She left Italy and came home to Australia to have her baby. The theme is about father-child relationships. What does it mean to be a Dad, and how far will you go to accept a child into your life or reject it. I personally have a very loving relationship with my Dad,  I could empathize with Katrina's heartache over being denied a father’s love and wanting to protect her child from the pain of rejection, and also with Alessandro who’d unwittingly deprived himself of the gift of fatherhood but strongly wants to make amends.

The scene where Alessandro surprises Katrina mid-pirouette at her rehearsal and confronts her about their child came to me in its entirety, like watching a movie.

The book The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby was born. The working title back then was the Rinaldo Heir. I still like the working title but thought the published title would let people know what the book theme was about more. Which one do you prefer? Perhaps you can think of one that I didn’t.

An excerpt from chapter one.

Alessandro Rinaldo, Italy’s darling F1 champion checked his rear view mirror as he took the premium position at the top of the track on the last corner. The car behind drifted a fraction down the steep incline in a challenge to his lead. Alessandro always succeeded at whatever he set out to do. The other driver knew that but would be ready to take advantage the minute Alessandro gave him a tiny break.

They went deeper into the tight corner. Alessandro focused on the camber of the track, his speed, the distance from the wall. But then, a photo he’d seen of Katrina flashed through his mind. She stood on pointe in a pink tutu holding a baby that had his eyes and his father’s smile. The punch in the chest hit him again. A child he’d never met or even knew existed was as familiar to him as his own face.

He should never have opened his emails. Never read the ballet company donors’ newsletter when preparing for a race. A week ago he’d discovered that his estranged wife had born a child. His child! He’d decided to put the information in his lawyer's hands while he focused on the race, but his will obviously wasn’t strong enough to keep thoughts of her and his child out. His lawyer confirmed that the child was DNA tested shortly after birth, his name was on the birth certificate. Why would she have done this without telling him?

A bitter taste flooded his mouth just as the challenger behind pulled down sharply from the turn in a suicidal attempt to overtake on the inside. Alessandro checked his speed, too slow. The desperate challenger capitalized on Alessandro’s momentary distraction.

If Alessandro moved an inch from the barrier, they would clip wheels, but if he sped up, he could scrape the wall. He must maintain his current position if he wanted to win this race. And he wanted to win this one more than ever. The revelation that he was a father meant he had to keep the promise he’d made. This would be his last year on the circuit.

He hadn’t made this choice. Katrina had gone against their agreement, not to have children. But even if she hadn’t planned it. Not telling him wasn’t fair; they’d made a baby together. She must have been attempting to tell him the last night they were together. God knows he hadn’t made it easy for her. But two years? Not finding a way to tell him in all that time was betrayal, pure and simple. He inhaled deeply and tried to concentrate. I can’t think about that now. I have a race to win.

He pressed the accelerator. Alessandro, formula one world champion, must put this challenge down. No one was going to get the better of him, and definitely not here on the track. But the nearest driver was now beside him and keeping him pinned against the wall. If he pushed in front to take his chances, he’d be gambling with both their lives. Dying or winning was on the table, as it always was during a race, but this time was different. The father in him was young and he’d only known for a week that a child existed, but the impact was high. It demanded survival; squashed the idea of dying.

He took his foot off the gas just enough to keep him in second place, but the challenger was going too fast now, drifting up the track. Fear spiraled though Alessandro and tangled in his gut. 

Braking hard would put the rest of the field behind them into peril but keeping up this speed meant the two of them would lock wheels on a tight curve. Losing control would result in a major disaster. He did the only thing he could to save everyone. He let the beautiful car, which he’d spent a year engineering, drift up into the barrier. 

Metal screamed. In his rear mirror, the cars behind were braking and steering away down the track. The idiot beside him shot ahead. After the pack had past Alessandro pulled his disabled car off the barrier. He‘d thrown the race, his distraction had given the challenger an opportunity. His aching, stiff shoulders slumped.

His tire had a wobble from being pushed against the barrier, and the front guard scrapped it but suddenly dug into it. His back end flipped out and now the front of his car dove into the barrier. The machine lifted briefly and smashed back to the ground before spinning away down the track. The world flashed again and again. I gave the race away, and I’m going to die anyway.

Highly combustible fuel vapor prickled his nostrils. Metal scraping on metal meant sparks would be flying. His grandfather, his father and now himself all dying the same way. At that moment a strange sense of peace came over him. He resigned himself to his fate, and then he remembered his child. A child he’d never meet. His fists gripped the wheel as, instinctively, he fought to gain control, desperate to live.

The world spun and spun, but the car slowed and eventually stopped turning. He landed on the inside on the race track. A miracle. He unclipped and forced himself to breathe slowly while he waited for the emergency team to arrive and pull him out. He prayed the miracle held and a fire didn’t start before they could get to him. Before he could meet and hold his child. His son.

Edited from a blog that was posted on Romancing the Genres 26th Jan 2019

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

My first objective is to drink a glass of water while I make a cup of tea. I drink my tea sitting up in bed where it's  restful and peaceful.

Next I like to meditate. This is a time where I clear my mind and let my brain waves shift into a receptive place. I like to let what is bothering me come forward and then let it go into a stream to be carried away. I learned to meditate years ago and I am able to make the shift from monkey mind to receptiveness effectively now, but it took practice. I’ll meditate for about 10 to 30 minutes. Once I've let go of distractions, I am able to let creativity rise and new ideas be received into my conscious mind.

I always feel refreshed after meditating and ready to meet the day's challenges. Using my phone, I’ll do a quick check for emails and social media that need responses, then I get up ready to have some breakfast.

After straightening the bed and putting the cushions back, I wrap myself in my new Kimono (which I adore) collect my reading glasses, phone and tea mug and swan out to the kitchen at about 8.30. Depending on how hungry I am, I have one or two pieces of toast topped with something different each day. My favorite toppings are gluten free Vegemite, jam, a poached egg, a slice of cheese or slices of tomato with salt and pepper. I make another cup of tea to have with it.

While I’m eating breakfast I like to watch a couple of YouTube videos. Topics that inspire me are crafting, gardening, home decorating, and story analysis. The channels I’m enjoying most are Olivia’s Romantic Home, Garden Answer, Live Your Style and The Take.

​After breakfast I turn on my computer and while it’s firing up I take a cup of coffee into the garden and water the flowers or just sit and enjoy the view. I bring a glass or water into the office and start work at about 9 to 9.30. If I’m having a low energy day, that can move back to about 10 to 10.30 before I have the brain power to begin working on whatever is most pressing. If I have a blog due, that takes priority. I prefer to write blogs like my books, write a draft and revising some time later on. It doesn’t always happen but that’s what I aim for. 

If I can dive straight into my current WIP I love it. I’ll write for about an hour. I’ll drink a glass of water, shower and get dressed in something comfortable. I brush my hair and teeth and fill another gloass of water to take back to my computer. I begin another session of 1 to 2 hours of writing.  That takes me up to lunch time.

I keep writing on and off for the rest of the day, interspersed with five minutes jobs like washing a load of clothes or vacuuming the bedroom. I have more energy as the day goes on, but this morning routine seems to get me productive and feeling better.

​Noticing what my habits are  gives me the framework for a routine that I can consistently keep to. Also I gain the ability to tweak it a little. Trying to impose a routine has never worked for me. Mindfulness of what I need to be productive has been the basis of  how I structure my day. Awareness provides the ability to grow into making more healthy and productive decisions.

I suppose the takeaway I'm sharing in this blog is that when I consider my needs and not just what I want to accomplish it works. It's a balancing act as are most things in life. The push pull of doing what we need to, opposed to what we want.  Knowing my limits lets me take care of myself while still having productive times in my day. 

While YouTube is inspiring I can feel a little glued to the telly. If that happens, I remember the good feeling I have when working at my computer. After all, a morning routine  has to work for you, not against you.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

Packing was once a dilemma for me but not anymore. I have it down to a fine art. ​I don’t like lugging heavy suitcases and so I always pack light. In past holidays I've taken a lot of clothes so that I'd have options but ended up wearing the same few items over and over again.

I've learned from experience that a couple of items of each type of clothing is all I need. Even though I’m travelling to Italy and Cyprus in October, the weather won’t be freezing but I can expect a cool day here and there so I'll need to be prepared for a range of temperatures.

Due to weight restrictions, I won’t pack anything thick or bulky. Layers of clothing will provide insulation on cool days. Singlet, T-shirt, cotton button shirt, cardigan, scarf. If the sun comes out I can ditch the scarf and cardigan and put on my sun hat. If I’m really hot, a quick trip to the loo and the singlet and T-shirt will be in my bag when I emerge. I like to take a dress as well for going out to dinner and for warmer days.
 
Shoes are heavy, so I opt for the lightest ones I can find. But they must have adequate arch support and rubber soles that will absorb impact, so I can walk for longer. I recently updated my sandals at the Homey Ped outlet. It was my lucky day, they had a rare size 11 for my large feet in a sweet style that will go with both pants and dresses.
 
Hair care is minimal when I’m on holiday. Hair ties are my best friend. I will take my favorite shampoo, conditioner and hair brush. I’ll wash my long, curly hair at night and let it dry while I sleep. In the morning I’ll brush it and mold it into a messy chignon with the hair tie. Done.

I have to admit, I really don’t like wearing heavy makeup and it doesn’t do much for my mature skin anyway. A BB cream which is a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen is my preferred go to. A muted pink lipstick is a must for looking put together, other cosmetics will include a palate of eye shadow in neutral colors, blush and mascara. I’ll take makeup remover wipes and a night cream. That will be it.

This week I purchased a tote sized cross body bag from Kmart that is large enough for a nightie and emergency toiletries. I also purchased a smaller cross body bag for day trips. At $15 and $20 AUD they were a bargain.

For entertainment, I’ll be bringing some technology to save weight. I have a new phone with lots of memory so I won’t be taking my Sony camera. That’s one less thing. A selfie stick will be going, for better shots of Sam and I with scenery behind us.

On my first overseas trip, my case was heavy with books. Thank goodness I don't have to lug physical books anymore. My kindle will live in my tote bag. It’s loaded with books from my To-Be-Read-Pile and I can’t wait to open it and dive in on the long flights. A notepad and pen will be useful for making notes of anything inspiring. A travel diary is essential so I can record all the things we did each day.
​
Regarding medicines, I have an authority letter from the doctor for my many medications that keep me alive. A large bag will be needed to carry the month’s supply but that okay. No medicine, no Dora, no holiday. ​

All I need to do now is go through my checklist and make sure I have everything packed that I want to take.

The Checklist
Clothing
2 pair socks
4  underpants
2 long pants made of stretch material
2 singlets
1 T-shirt
2 cotton shirts
1 dress
1 cardigans
1 scarf
2 nighties
1 kimono style dressing gown
1 pair slippers
1 pair sandals
1 pair runners
bathers
Bathroom
Makeup bag with foundation, blush, eye shadow palette, mascara, lipstick, small pot night cream.
Makeup remover wipes
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Shampoo and Conditioner
Hair Brush
Hair ties
Accessories
1 umbrella
Sun hat
Scarf
Faux gold earrings and necklace
Large, cross-body tote bag
Small cross-body bag for day trips
​Selfie stick
Carry On Essentials
Passport and Wallet
Phone
Kindle
Notepad and pen
Medicine

If I’ve forgotten anything please let me know in the comments below. Is there anything you always travel with that makes your holiday less fuss and more fun?
 
Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

In 2011, I threw two coins into the Trevi fountain, one so I'd come back to Rome and another so I'd find love. Guess what, it worked. This year I'm going to Italy with my new husband. 

Although Sam has Italian heritage he's never been to Italy. So this trip is two fold. It's our honeymoon but also for him to connect with his Italian culture.  

I've never met a person who traveled to Italy and said they didn't love it. The country is so beautiful, north, midlands and south, each area has a distinct charm. So I'm thrilled to be travelling to nearly all the places I've been before and adding some new destinations as well. But the flight from Australia to Europe is far too long for us, so we are breaking it up. 

We're booked with Emirates to have overnight stopovers in both Singapore and Dubai before landing in Rome. Hopefully, this will mean we have no more than two eight hour flights and one six hour flight to get us to Rome. 

Our travel agent arranged it so that we will have a couple of days in Rome to acclimatize and get to know parts  where the tour bus doesn't' go. ​

Two day's after  we arrive we'll joining a thirteen day Best of Italy, Trafalgar Tour, that will take us south through Cassino,  to, Sorrento and Capri and Pompeii. We head north through Assisi, Verona and Venice and turn west to Milan, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and then begin our journey back south through  Pisa, Florence and San Gimignano and finish back in Rome.

​Even after covering so much of the county we have yet to visit the island where Sam's parents were born.

We're booked on Air Italia, from Rome to Catania in Sicily and will stay the night in Catania before making our way to Milazzo by train and taxi the following day. From the port, we'll take a  ferry  to Lipari, one of the volcanic Aeolian islands.

Now a popular holiday resort with restaurants and plenty to do, our focus will also be discovering the places that Sam's family lived and worked. We are staying at Casa Papiro, in Canneto for four nights. After that we'll do the travel in reverse back to Rome.
​

Cyprus is our next destination. Sam's best man has a house on Cyprus, and have invited us to spend a week there. We'll take a Ryan air flight from Rome's Ciampino airport to Paphos. Our host will pick us up and be our tour guide while we are there. I'm excited to experience the Cyprian culture the way you can when staying with a local. Also I've heard so much about the beauty of this Greek island and  I'm sure it will be amazing.

We fly home to Melbourne, Australia with Emirates and reverse our stopovers in Dubai and Singapore. We've included enough time for sightseeing at our stopovers on the way home. I'm hoping to see a bit of Singapore because I've never been there before. In particular the botanic gardens are at the top of my list.

While writing this blog post I'm made aware of how happy I'll be to get back home and how ecstatic I'll be, that I got to experience such a wonderful honeymoon/holiday.

Have you been to any of these places? Comment and let me know if you have any tips to share. What did you like most? What was your trip highlight? Did you ever throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain? 

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest

As much as we would have loved having a video of our wedding, we didn't have the budget. But we loved the idea of watching our photos in way that tells a story. I'd been playing around with Movie Maker before and decided to give it a try. I am thrilled with the results. In this blog, I uploaded a shortened YouTube version to show you what is possible.

​Using the tabs in Movie Maker, I  loaded our photos into a project and played around adding animation, transition effects and soundtrack. The result was a video slide show that lets us relive the wonderful experience of our wedding day. Keep reading to see how I did it.

y​It was easy to add photos to Microsoft Movie Maker and later music. I've circled the function taps on the home screen that walk you through the process. Just do it in order and they'll load perfectly. If you want to change the order, it's easy to click and drag a photo to a new position.

Once you have loaded all your photo's and chosen how many seconds you want each image to play for, you can add a sound track from your computer music files.

​In the Video Tools tab you can find functions for adding transitions and animating the photos. It's easy using the functions on the top of the screen. Individual photos can be clicked and the function plays when you hover the mouse over it to give a preview of the effect. If you click on the drop-down box you'll find another big list of extra animation options including zooming in or out. I decided to choose different animations to suit individual photos but chose the same transition function for the whole video which unifies it.

​Below is a short two and a half minute video I made to show you what can be done. I've used copyright free music so I can post it on my blog, but the music for our personal use video/slideshow is uploaded from my computer library.

Another option is to combine photo's with short video clips that friends and family share with you of your wedding day. I've recently discovered that my sister-in-law has our service recorded on her phone. Once I get a copy of it I will insert it that into our video using the easy upload video tab in Movie Maker. So there will be then be a mix of photo's and video making up the story of our wedding day. I will alter the soundtrack volume down for that section so you can hear our voices. So far I'm delighted with how this turned out and have given copies  to our wedding party. 

It's a great option for anyone who was married and doesn't have a video of the day. If you were married back in the day's before digital photography, scan your photos at your local photo shop or Officeworks and then you'll have the digital files to create a video like mine.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
Follow Dora on Instagram Facebook and Pinterest
​

​

When deciding which DIYs to take on, I needed to be strategic and also consider the time I'd have the day before and on the day to get it all done.  I wanted to have personal involvement with creating our special day . Making some of the things myself was how I achieved it. Read on to find out what I DIYd and how I did it.

1. Making a bouquet.
I knew I could make the bouquets myself, if I went with simple posies tied with satin ribbon. I found inspiration on Pinterest and watched YouTube videos on how to make them so that when it came time to act, I had a plan in place.

What you'll need
Florist wire on a roll or pre cut lengths of wire.
Rolls of 1 inch wide ribbon in the colors you desire I used one roll per bouquet
Lace of choice
Florist's pins for attaching lace.
Per Bouquet,Three bunches of flowers of choice.
For all three, 1 bunch of greenery

The flowers I used in the bouquets were:
The bridal bouquet
1 branch of eucalyptus, separated into about 5 stems
5 white peonies and 1 pink,
10 white roses
1 multi flowered stem  of white chrysanthemums

Each bridesmaids bouquet contained 
I branch of eucalyptus separated into about 5 stems
5 pink peonies
10 blush pink rose stems
1 multi flowered stem of white chrysanthemums

Method used for all  bouquets
I began with a center flower and kept adding in a circle around it. Holding the bouquet in my left hand and adding flowers with my right, letting the flowers sit at an angle as the bouquet grew. I Alternated the flowers and eucalyptus stems as I went. To make the classic dome shape, I placed the flowers lower near the edge. The stems will make a fan underneath below where you are gripping them. That's okay. Tie them off tightly with florist wire. 

​Wrap the stems tightly with ribbon starting at the top and leaving a length free. Wind down the stems (this brings them back together)  stopping a couple of inches before you get to the bottom and then wind back up to the top. Using the length left free at the beginning, tie it off and make a bow .  Using sharp kitchen scissors or secateurs, snip the stems even at the bottom and place in a vase with an inch of water covering the stems but not wetting the ribbon and or lace. ​

On my bride's bouquet I pinned on lace that matched the lace on my wedding cake and guest book. I made the bouquets the day before and stored them overnight in a cool room (the laundry in my house) with enough water to wet the stems but not come high enough to reach the ribbon. 
About an hour before I left for the ceremony I emptied the water from the vase and patted the end of the stems with paper towel. We didn't have any drips and the flowers lasted very well. They were put in water after the reception and kept well in vases for the next week.

2. Decorating the cake.
Although making the cake would have been too big a challenge, I saved money (and got the cake I wanted) by decorating it myself. Cake decorating has been an interest on mine since I was a teenager so I felt confident enough to take this on. Again I got an idea of what I'd like from the DIYers best friend, Pinterest.

The gold acrylic Mr and Mrs sign was purchased cheaply from Ebay. This one was only ten dollars plus postage. I hot glued a bamboo chopstick to the stake for extra height and then wrapped the join with ribbon to make sure it stayed put. 

I found the silk faux peonies I wanted at Kaisercraft. I trimmed the green petals away and the darkest pink outer petals then I popped them off their stems and hot glued them to stiff plastic drinking straws that I'd cut in half. This allowed me to push the straws into the cake and keep the flowers secure. I added the hydrangea florets from my stash to fill in the spaces between the peonies using toothpicks to anchor them into the cake.

Some time ago, I bought a length of beautiful cream lace from a vintage fair to use as inspiration for my wedding. I wasn't sure how I'd use it, but I ended up having enough to use on the flowers, the guest book and to wrap around the two tiers of the butter cream cake.

​I had toothpicks on hand to secure it at the back with some florets but didn't need them. The lace stuck to the buttercream easily. I added a gold non toxic washi tape to the base of each tier so that it would tie in with the gold sign on top.

3. Blinging up vases.
​When we were at the reception tasting night there were samples of decorations for the tables. We were enchanted with a setting that included three small vases set around a central tall crystal candle holder.

The table center pieces we chose were included in our package but the flowers would have been extra. But I had an idea for blinging milk bottles from Kmart to hold our flowers.​  

I cut a single line of bling from the tape and hot glued it to the neck of each bottle. 

My girlfriend did the floral arrangements in the vases I created with Kmart milk bottles, bling ribbon and stickers and hot glue. The bottles cost $5Aus for a pack of six.

Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo of the tables set up but my girlfriend sent me this picture of the vases with flowers arranged ready to be taken to the wedding reception. We chose the flowers together, they included blush pink edged roses, white chrysanthemums and eucalyptus.

It cost a lot less than if we'd paid the price quoted for a florist to do them. I was very fortunate to have a friend who volunteered to set them up and she purchased the flowers for Sam and I as a gift.

Having such beautiful fresh flowers on the table really added elegance to room.  

To help out, I've hyperlinked the items I used in my DIY's, where I could find them. But they are Australian sites. For other countries, you should be able to source similar items from your local online retailers.

​(I also created a guest book which I posted in an earlier blog. Link to that is here if you'd like to see how I made that.) I used the same lace on this book that I also used on the cake and the bridal bouquet which helped link the ivory lace, navy and pink theme. 

​Comment and let me know if you're planning DIYs for your wedding or if already married,  what you made for your wedding. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have as to how I made any of these DIYs. Thanks for stopping by to read the blog.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.
The Scottish Billionaire’s Secret Lover
The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby
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In my romance writing dad inspires my heroes. They hear the call to action that fatherhood requires and are sensible of the responsibility that it carries. Angus, from 'The Scottish Billionaire's Secret Lover', is a father in waiting. He has the welfare of orphans at the center of all he does and is a father figure to a little boy in need of surgery to repair disfigurement. He thinks he needs an aristocratic, arranged marriage but subconsciously he really wants a wife who possesses a nurturing heart, with whom he can make the family he always wanted.

Alessandro, from 'The  Italian Billionaire's Secret Baby', was a boy when he lost his father in a racing car accident. Determined not to put a child of his through the same ordeal he refuses to have children while pursuing the same career but he discovers he has a toddler son. He immediately wants to step up and be a hands on father, but he has to understand what that really takes in order to win a place in his son's life and the heart of his estranged wife.  

Dad showed me what it is to be a father who takes that responsibility to heart. He loves his children and supports them to the best of his ability. This Father’s Day, it’s my pleasure to have dad for Sunday dinner. My sister and husband will join us and it looks like my kids will be coming too, as they usually do on Sundays to see their grandad. It will be a roast, probably lamb, which is an Australian staple, with apple sponge and ice-cream for dessert. Dad will be the guest of honor and I can’t express how lucky that makes me feel.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.

​When Sam and I decided to move our wedding forward so that we could travel later in the year it meant we’d be having a winter wedding. We found that although we wouldn’t have the advantages of longer days and warm weather that you have with a spring wedding, it provided us with significant benefits.

1. The price per head, that reception venues charge, is cheaper in the winter. Also, keep an eye out for an added winter discount. Many reception venues advertise price reductions to attract bookings during, the slow months of the year. We saved almost a third on the cost of the reception at Ballara Receptions and were given exactly the same service and quality of food that we would have had in the spring time.

2. Finding a venue that suits you with dates available is much more likely in the winter. Spring weddings for popular venues are usually booked eighteen months to two years in advance but winter weddings are obviously much less in demand.

3. There are no worries about if it will rain and ruin a garden wedding. It probably will rain in the winter, so have a lovely chapel or beautifully decorated space organised to marry in. We chose a venue that had a chapel attached which came decorated with white flower garlands and urns as part of the hire price. I loved the gazebo effect of where we were married.

​4. The days are shorter but you get gorgeous twilight photography opportunities. We had a skilled photographer, Peter Layton, take our wedding photos which I'm also using in this post.  So far as taking photos outside, on our day it did rain on and off but we were able to gets lots of good shots between showers. I got sprinkled with light rain when Sam and I were having our photos taken after the ceremony but you’d never know from the photos. 

5. Winter wonderland charm for your white wedding. In Australia, winter is in the middle of the year so we often have Christmas in July, I took it a step further and had a wedding in July. On Pintrest I saw a picture of a bride wearing a white fur stole and decided that's how I wanted to stay warm. I also really like the lacework of the bare branches on the trees at this time of year.

6. You can savor a hot meal when it’s cold outside. We had hot appetizers, entrees, main meals and hot puddings for dessert. The food at our reception was delicious. Our guests raved about how good the food was. The quality was exactly the same as if we’d paid the high season price and we got to enjoy our hot meal more because of the cooler weather in winter. 

​7. Choosing the desired celebrant, photographer and DJ/master of ceremonies, and singer for the ceremony is easier as they are less booked up in the winter.  I have a post on making our wedding plans and who we used and I'll link it here.

​Extra Tips

Flowers
You can still get lovely flowers in the winter. There are flowers grown in hot houses or shipped in from warmer climates available. It's even possible to put a bouquet together the day before the wedding, like I did. Your florist will be able to advise you.

Time of Ceremony
Plan to wed earlier in the day. We had chosen a lovely venue whose staff were experienced with winter weddings. They were able to advise us what time to plan the ceremony in relation to the daylight hours we would have, how long it would take for photos. They had a warm reception foyer where our guests were served canapes  during that in-between time. On the day, it was perfect timing.

If I had my time over, I would still choose a romantic winter wedding. 

​Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance.

Some of you may have read the post about our honeymoon over on Romancing the Genre's blog where I'm a contributor on the first Thursday of the month.  This week's blog is a re-post for my regular readers but with a video and some photos not seen before. Besides that there are extra details about what we did. Starting with the following little story.

As I was getting ready to on our wedding day, my sister asked if I'd told the B and B we were staying at that it was our honeymoon. When she heard I hadn't, she said I should make sure they know because they might do something a bit special for us. I sent them a text confirming our accommodation and expressing how much I was looking forward to spending our honeymoon  with them. The owners made an extra effort to make the rooms romantic. ​

​On Monday, we arrived at Carlyle House in the afternoon. The Victorian facade, with gables and verandas, was decorated with iron lace that set the tone for our romantic honeymoon. The owners greeted us and showed us through the ornate entrance hall to our suite. Carlyle House had once been a doctor's residence and we were staying in what had once been the consulting rooms, now converted into a lovely lounge, bedroom and en-suite. Named The Tokay suite it would be our base for the next four nights.

​On entering we were greeted with a white MR & MRS sign sitting on the fireplace and rose petals scattered on the hearth area. On the king size bed was a tray with champagne and chocolates and a little dish of blueberries and strawberries. After the romance of our wedding, our honeymoon suite didn’t disappoint.
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An extra piece of information, The Tokay suite with a lounge room was the same price as rooms that only had a bedroom and en-suite. For what we had it was very reasonable. 

The first evening we went to one of the pubs for dinner and enjoyed well-prepared staples. It was crowded in the pub and we enjoyed noticing who else was dining there.

​We began exploring the wine district on Tuesday. After a walk up and down the shops in the main street, and a drive around the town of Rutherglen, we had lunch at DeBortoli.  Sam and I couldn’t stop talking about how delicious our meal was. The glass wall of Tulleries Restaurant looks onto a formal and elegant courtyard. A center fountain focal surrounded by artistic plot plant displays which added elegance to our dining experience.

During our morning walk, I wandered into a second hand bookshop and picked up some light reading for our stay. Of course I chose something romantic. Being a Jane Austen fan, I couldn't resist a fan fiction novel of Pride and Prejudice from Mr Darcy's point of view. There were two to choose from by different authors. I chose this one because I enjoyed the writing style of the first few pages best. Every day I looked forward to dipping into Amanda Grange's world of 'Mr Darcy's Diary'.  Once or twice I didn't agree with what Amanda thought he say or think that but most of the time I was right there with her. It was fascinating being inside his thoughts about his world and his opinions of Elizabeth and the comical characters like Mr Collins.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a country drive to Corowa (a nearby town on the Murray River) and walked the shopping district. We noted that a few wineries on way and made plans to return in a day or two. We headed to another pub for dinner and recognized a group of two couples that had been dining where we were the night before. They nodded to us and we smiled at them.
 
We decided to go for a drive farther afield on Wednesday. We lunched at Beechworth, a town renowned for its bakery.  I'm a Coeliac so I couldn’t eat there, but we found a cafe that had a GF frittata on the menu. We enjoyed browsing the many boutiques and gift shops.  For dinner, we had a booking at the renowned Taste Restaurant in Rutherglen.

While savoring our entree at a table close to the front window, who should walk in? The same group of four that we’d dined with the last two nights. We took a look at each other and started to laugh. “Hello again,’ we said. They stopped and talked to us for a while about where each of us was staying and what we’d been doing. It turned out they had also been to Beechworth that day for lunch and that they had lunch reservations at the same winery as us for the following day. 
 
Thursday morning we did some wine tasting at Warrabilla Wines because we’d enjoyed drinking their Shiraz with our meal the night before. 

​We left with a box of Shiraz and then went on to the Terrace Restaurant at All Saints for our lunch. We were enjoying our main meal when our new friends came in and it was like a party. We had so much fun talking all about our holiday week in Rutherglen and discovered that we were all leaving to go home the next day. I also found out that one of the couples owns the Newsagent that I’d been going to for about 20 years!

​We visited the cellar for tasting after lunch and bought another box of wine. Sam is feeling very happy at this point but I'd kept a keen eye on how many drinks I'd had,  so I drove after lunch.

​We left after breakfast on Friday for the drive home, stopping at Glenrowan to visit the Ned Kelly (Famous Aussie Bush-ranger) attractions. 
 
I found a lovely antique shop called Mr Morgan Store with lots of girly things for the Shabby Chic side of me to enjoy. The following video of the delightful shop is an added extra for this blog.

We stopped for lunch with my cousins, who live an hour down the road toward Melbourne. It was a special time catching up with them. Now we're back home. I've been totally pampered and have enjoyed making many happy memories during our Wedding and Honeymoon. I’m still basking in the glow of it all.

In extra news, Sam and I are going for another longer honeymoon to romantic Italy and Cyprus later this year. I'm now in organizing mode for that exciting holiday. Of course there will be blogs to follow about what we are going to do there and travel blogs on our return.

Dora Bramden writes heart-melting, passionate romance