Then we went to Angelo’s Ristorante for excellent Italian food which  Richard got to order with a silly Italian accent – good fun.  For appetizers we had Formaggio di Capra e Rosti di Patate Croccante and Camembert. The main event was Ravioli alla Pizzaiola and Tagliatelle con Vedura e Zafferano.

For desert we went to Stardust which has a cute and crafty gift shop downstairs and a pretty cafe upstairs. Picked up the ring at left from the gift shop. Under £4 and a bit of fun. Upstairs, it’s a shame there weren’t more people there – the couches are the kind you sink into and the coffee and lemon cake were yummy. It seems like a perfect spot for students to camp out in with laptops and to just hang out.

I then attempted to recreate the artwork on the wall of Stardust, a photograph of a sculpture just outside.  It is a 2008 sculpture called Seachange by Laura Johnston.  It is meant to recall the hull of a ship and the shipbuilding heritage of the area as it transforms into something new. [Part of the Sunderland City Centre Public Art Trail]

Unfortunately it was raining so we didn’t want to spend too much time attempting to get the shot. You can see my few attempts on flickr.

I got distracted from the original mission of recreating the photo in the cafe because I loved the trees being reflected in the steel:

Seachange sculpture in Sunderland

To get out of the rain we headed into Primark and picked up some cheap and cheerful shiny, pretty things – a sparkly bracelet for £2 and some pillar candles for £1.75 each. The little charge you get from picking something up for £2 and £10 is really the same and lasts about the same amount of time (and £100 doesn’t really last ten times as long) – it’s a good thing to remember. We then stopped off at Richard’s to pick up the cute and stinky Florence and set off for Hartlepool.

I am a terrible navigator. Hopefully this will change when I learn how to drive. After a number of phone calls to Kev to set us back in the right direction we had a nice relaxed evening with some gewurztraminer from Chile via Morrisons and a quick sweet and sour chickeny bits with rice dish a la Kev.

Mostly it’s just the two of us but it was nice to have company too.  It’s easy to forget when you get into you routine.

Had fun playing with it the only thing that pissed me off about it was that there is still a difference in price between buying a gadget here vs. in the US. It is called Active Life Outdoor Challenge in the US and is a bit cheaper for the exact same game and mat. The only differences as far as I know are the box artwork and the ratings systems used in the US vs. Europe.

Artwork:

UK edition features visuals of a whole family – mom, dad and a boy and girl.  Boy and girl are playing – parents are on the couch behind them. The mom has a evry traditional crossed-legs pose. The U.S. version features only a boy.

The evolution of the artwork in the 2 regions via  Extreme Challenge (the next game from this series) UK version has a whole family again but this time mom is moving rather than having her legs crossed. The U.S. version now features a boy and girl and still not targeting adults.

Wii Family Trainer

Wii Active Life

So far, two rings and a pair of earrings….

The spelling is jewellery in the UK.  There’s a nice wikipedia article on American and British English spelling differences.

When I was a kid growing up  in Brooklyn I liked the British u added to colour and labour. I found it aesthetically pleasing or something. I wrote colour on a spelling test which was marked wrong. Being a nerd I brought in a dictionary and pointed out to my teacher that it was an acceptable alternate spelling.

I had called a consignment shop that was supposed to have wedding gowns. When I told them my size they said don’t bother coming in. Bridal Garden told me they have a handful in my size.

After brunch at a nearby Le Pain Quotidien. I walked over with a few friends. Gina pointed us to the section that had dresses in my size. We pulled off about ten dresses for me to try on. At the second or third one I tried on my friends heard me say ooooh. It fit perfectly when I put it on. This is the dress I am buying, it will have some slight alterations done to it but I AM DONE!

We also found a veil by Henry Roth. No, I had never heard the name before but the thing is beautiful and also a headpiece by Nelson D’Leon. The dress is Lorry Couture, which I can’t find any information about online….but if fits perfectly so who cares.

The shop sells dresses, veils, tiaras and little flower sculptures you can add to hair arrangements of people in the bridal party. I really like the fact that at least the large chunk of change getting spent for one day is going to help needy children as opposed to just the purchase of something I will wear once in my life.

I called Bill to tell him about my excitement. He got all depressed saying that he had hoped I would be his one female friend who would not lose her mind when it was time to do wedding planning and get really into stupid surrounding hoopla….Button I was sharing shopping excitement with you not wedding excitement and I AM DONE. This was not long, prolonged and miserable as it could have been.

I highly recommend The Bridal Garden if you are shopping for a wedding dress in the NYC area.

I didn’t get there super-early. My mom talked to some folks who had made there way from North Carolina and had been waiting since about 2 AM. Doors opened at 8:00. We got there about 9:30. There were plenty of dresses. Some of them were really gorgeous. Prices ranged from $250 (for dresses that cost about 900-1000) to $699. Some famous designers are in the mix.

Brides come with teams in matching silly hats and t-shirts. Though from what I’ve read about Boston it’s definitely not as crazy. Teams in NYC were happily trading gowns.

Here’s the thing – if you are not a size 10 or under it may not be worth your time. There are tons of amazing dresses for skinny folks…I am generally a size 10-14 (with broad shoulders). In theory bridal gowns should be one size up. I found that I could not close anything under a 16. Was trying on the few 16 and 18s I could find. My mom pointed out the ridiculousness of bridal gown sizes going up in number, at the time when you should feel your most attractive…There were also a couple of size 24s that were kind of ugly.

Also, if you do go take water and maybe snacks with you – wedding dresses are heavy so it is a workout to try them on for a few hours…staying hydrating is probably a good idea to keep you from getting irritated during what should be a happy, fun time.

Looking for any recommendations (NY based preferrable) for affordable wedding gowns that are not backless…in larger sizes.

Update: Wedding Dress Shopping Is Done