Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I want that one.

A little unknown fact :


Topsie has a cat. She got it as present from her husband. Her name is Vera.

Not to be outdone, I myself (Susie) have a cat. He was a rescue cat that had been at the pound for six months before I came along. His name is Wang Chung.

Meaning: Our cats names are Vera and Wang.

Conclusion: We’re dedicated… and hilarious.

This dress is dedicated to these amazing creatures.

Vera Wang Bridal Collection Summer 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Shake it up baby now.

An inspiration board for a 1960's Mod style wedding.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Know a good dress maker?

If you do, I have a site for you!
http://www.sovintagepatterns.com/bridalpatterns.html

This site has an amazing collection of vintage wedding dress patterns. The best thing about getting a dress made is that if there's a puffy sleeve or lace bustle that you're not that happy with but love the rest of it, it's not hard to alter it to the most perfect dress for you, without the insane expense of having a retail made to measure dress made.
One of my favourites...
This dress is so beautiful it makes my heart hurt. I know your thinking "that's a lot of tulle", but without making this blog totally Carrie Bradshaw obsessed, guess who thinks that there's no such thing as too much tulle on a single dress...


Sunday, August 22, 2010

No one likes a stinky bride

There are many things we do every day to make ourselves feel beautiful.


We think about the way we look on our wedding day, but how often do we think about how we are going to smell on our wedding day?

Picking a perfume for the big day could be a tricksy business. You could choose to go with something new, because it’s a great excuse to go shopping or get that one you’ve been thinking about for a while. Or you could go for something that is classically you. Either way there are a few tips to make sure that sent lasts all day.

First of all when you’re buying perfume you should know what the difference is between perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette and eau de cologne. The basic difference is the concentration of the aromatic oils and compounds each contains and the lower the concentration the shorter the scent life.

Another great trick which Topsie did for her wedding, is to layer the scent. There are often great gift packs around that include a body wash and body lotion as well as the spray. Using these in conjunction with each other will intensify the smell and increase it’s longevity.

If there is a perfume you’ve been wanting to buy for a long time, but still feel a bit guilty because you already have one or more, here’s a great excuse! On stawberrynet.com you can get amazing bargains. And no one can argue with a bargain! As an example:

Chanel Chance Toilette 50mls retails for over $150, and on StawberryNet you can purchase 100ml Parfum for $146. So double the amount and strength for $4 cheaper and postage is free! I vote yes to that.

I want that one...

Every week we're going to pick an absolutely beautiful dress aimed to take you're breath away. This week:
Pallas Couture


It is my pleasure to introduce you to Edythe by Pallas Couture. Isn’t she lovely, so soft and so romantic. It’s the layers that get me! This dress belongs in an old English garden with rose beds, topiary trees and endless green lawns. I love her!

Pennies or Pounds

My sister and I have been wearing mascara from around age eleven. We both have fair lashes and when asked what we would take to a desert island with us, the number one response will always be mascara. Because of this we have tried a thousand different brands and had a thousand different results.

These are our pennies and pounds picks.

Chanel’s Exceptionnel de Chanel intense volume and curl mascara is by far the best. What can I say, when mascara comes with it’s own instructions it’s got to be good. That may make it sound hard to use, but it’s not, if you follow said instructions the results are truly exceptional. It’s all about the brush. The Chanel brush has six different sides, alternating between the classic mascara brush of three different lengths and three silicone combs. $41.50



My pennies pick is Covergirls Lash Blast. It’s brush has heaps of little silicone bristle and is quite thick making application fast, easy and really effective. The mascara itself is long lasting and still looks great at the end of the day. $15.95

Sunday, August 15, 2010

What's in Season?

 Being a blog about weddings and helping reducing some of those crazy wedding costs, we're introducing a weekly article about flowers in season, because it's always cheaper to get flowers that are in season, than importing them from different climates.

This week:
Ranunculus
It tis’ the season for the absolutely beautiful ranunculus (ra-nun-kew-lus) flower. The name Ranunculus is Latin for "little frog," this probably refers to many species being found near water, like frogs. I think that is a little cute.
The ranunculus is a large genus of about 400 plants, a family that includes the buttercup, anemone, larkspur, delphinium, hellebore, clematis, monkshood and columbine.
Some Ranunculus have 4 or 5 petals, which look more like a buttercup or even a poppy and others have numerous petals that overlap and fold in on each other.What make the ranunculus so special are the soft, delicate petals that seem to never end. They are a truly romantic flower, which comes in a stunning array of colour variations. The rununculus looks gorgeous in a bunch alone or teamed with peonies which also share a similar shape and that look of an infinite number of soft petals.










How amazing would it be to have Carrie's Wedding shoes...

Pretty amazing.... And you can!
I don’t care how copy cat it is, it’s just straight up cool to have Carrie’s wedding shoes. And for $158.06(AUS) from http://www.salemanoloblahnik.com/ , when they usually go for over $1200, why not?







If you don’t what to mimic to closely you could go for the pretty in pink, purple or even black.

Topsie here... excited about shoes.

Election Day Birthday Bash

Susie here.
For the last couple of years I've not made a big deal out of my birthdays. Mostly because they haven't been significant numbers. But this year I've decided to make somewhat of a deal about it. Mostly so I can decorate. It's going to be on Saturday, which is also the all important Election Day, and is themed accordingly. I've made the below inspiration board to give Topsie and I something to work off.

Once the party is all happening we'll get back to you with a couple of images on how we turned this into a real life event.

As a hilarious side note... When I told our Mum that I was having an Election Party, she misheard this for an Erection Party. When I corrected her she returned with "with you either could have been possible"!!! 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Agie and Alanna are getting married!

Two of the coolest cats ever are getting married and both Cassie (Topsie) and I (Susie) are beside ourselves. We couldn't happier for them. This is why the wedding business is going to be awesome to work in... True Love... As opposed to the Christain Slater movie "True Romance".
We wish you both all the best and offer our services to you for free!
Love!

Monday, August 9, 2010

I think this is working cass...

Topsie and Susie is the collaboration between sisters Cassie Nguyen and Jemma Dickson. It is as yet undefined what the entire blog/endeavour will entail, but what we do know is that we love weddings, parties and pretty things in general. We want to take this passion into a realm of everyday life. We want a chance to help people who need a hand figuring out what they want and how to achieve that. Whether it’s a wedding, a lounge room or a cod shaped Christmas cake we want to be a place to look at for ideas, inspiration and organisation.


Jemma! (SUSIE) I studied a bachelor of visual arts at The University of Sydney, Sydney College of the Arts, majoring in Jellewery and Object design. I have a passion for making and thinking in 3D. I have a nostalgic style. I like a vinnies bargain or a market score and recently have discovered the dazzling heights of auction buys. I like things with a past or a history and using those items in a setting where they are still recognised as treasures. I have a love for textiles and collect fabric for a reason still to be discovered.

Cassie! (TOPSIE) My interest in design and my appreciation of visual qualities was born from my obsession with magazines. I love the shiny pages that burst with colour and beauty, whether it's a fashion magazine, an interior magazine or a wedding magazine. During the 12 months of organising my wedding I procured more than 50 wedding magazines. I have a habit of collecting, I have close to 1000 bouncy balls, over 500 Schleich toy animals, and funnily enough every Vogue that has been printed Australia and the UK for the last 4 years. I give birth to my first baby in May, but prior to this I had been working with people with disabilities for 7 years. I believe this has given me a skill for interpreting people's ideas, even when they're not sure what they are. I love the finer points to any visual scene, and believe that a composition is made or broken with small details.

Why the business is called Topsie and Susie? When we were little our Grandpa nicknamed us Topsie and Susie. We found out later in life that this was more than likely due to the fact that Grandpa couldn’t remember our actual names. So when we decided to start this adventure, down dream come true road, we wondered whether Cassie and Jemma was a catchy enough name to bring us the gold bullion that we crave. Opinion poll says no. So after much back and forth our pseudonyms were decided on as the better option. It just has a better ring to it.

When it comes to planning we envisage being able to help at different stages, for different people. We want our level of involvement to be determined by the needs of the couple. if it's simply the idea for a cool bonbonniere, or everything from the venue to the colour of the grooms shoe laces, we want to offer a service that makes an important event a unique and tailored occassion.