Utterly Engaged } The 1st Online Wedding & Bridal Magazine. Inspiring Brides with Style.

This post is for you ladies who have boldly agreed to stand by your friend/sister/cousin/co-worker, as a bridesmaid or maid of honor. If you’ve been involved with the wedding planning, you know it’s easy for the bride to get caught up in all the details and get stressed out. So it’s your job to plan a relaxing spa outing for her and her girlfriends before the wedding!

In United Kingdom and Ireland, instead of a bachelorette party, the bridal party throws the bride-to-be a hen party! But we know a trip to the spa can get pricey. So to help all you girls out there who have to host a hen party spa for your bride-to-be, we’d like to introduce you to Spabreaks.com! They’re the premier online Spa experience booking service on the Internet with the best selection of quality UK & European health spa, detox & pamper breaks plus exclusive Special Offers! They guarantee the lowest price for both overnight spa breaks and day spa packages at venues thoughout the UK (England, Scotland, Wales), Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Europe & The Rest of the World.

If you’re hosting a hen night for a bride who’s into fitness and leisure, she would love the Spa Day Fitness Package. As you might expect from a spa in one of the most notoriously glamorous parts of London, the Aquilla Health and Fitness Club at the Rembrandt Hotel in Knightsbridge is equipped with a gym, pool, single-sex sauna and steam rooms, Jacuzzi and yoga and pilates classes. It has everything to make you feel like a fitness goddess, alongside a range of Decleor treatments including aromatherapy and massages, facials, body treatments, spray tans and Jessica nail care to make sure you leave looking and feeling positively expensive.

The Rembrandt

And if you have a crew of girls who insist on going overseas, you can opt for Vincci Selección Estrella del Mar located in the heart of the Costa del Sol in Spain, in the area known as “Elviria–Las Chapas”, regarded as one of the town’s most desirable spots and near what is surely the best beach on this part of the coast. With packages that include bed & breakfast and beauty packages like body peeling and skin hydration treatments, hydromassage bath, and local massages, your bride and the girls will thank you for weeks for this amazing trip!

Vincci Selección Estrella del Mar

There are lots more great spa packages at affordable rates on Spabreaks.com. Go on and claim that title as the best hen party planner ever!

This sponsored post is brought to you by Spabreaks.com

Last week, we strolled along San Francisco with our real couple Kelly and Joel. Today, Brian and Erica’s e-session has us falling for Chicago. Their photographer Summer Osborn of Summer Jean Photography is good friends with the groom and did a wonderful job capturing the city chic couple in the Windy City. Congrats, Erica and Brian!

via Two Bright Lights

image via katespade

Whether you’re planning your destination wedding or your honeymoon, or traveling to attend a friend’s wedding, let’s face it, flying isn’t cheap. But there are ways around it. Here are 7 tips that will save you money on international flights, compiled by Vayama.com:

1. Travel Midweek

International travel deals are entirely based on availability and since most people travel over the weekend (Friday & Saturday); you will find the cheapest international airfare deals if you travel midweek, usually departing and returning on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

2. Spend Saturday Night

Business travelers fly home on the weekend, so most discounted international airfare deals require a Saturday night stay.  So be prepared to spend Saturday at your destination.

3. Don’t book too Early or Too Late

When it comes to cheap international airfares, you have to follow the Goldilocks rule: Don’t book too early or too late. We all know that an international ticket booked with less than 3 days notice will be very expensive, but it will also be pricy if you book too far in advance. Most airlines start competing for passengers around three to four months before departure; this is known as the “Goldilocks Zone”.  Search for your international airfare about three to five months out and you will be in the best position to hit the international airfare deal jackpot.

4. Fly Trough the Side Door

If your desired destination is sold out or too expensive, try flying out of a secondary international airport (Boston vs JFK or San Francisco vs Los Angeles). The same works with your destination airports; If London is sold out or too expensive, try Brussels, Amsterdam or even Stuttgart. You can use the savings to book a low cost inter Europe flight to London or you can jump on the Eurostar train from Paris or Brussels.

5. Fly Seasonally

Most budget travelers never fly during high season. They take advantage of the lower airfares and decent weather during the ‘shoulder season’.  Europe’s fall shoulder season starts around September 15th and extends until the middle of November. It’s spring shoulder season starts in mid February and extends until the end of April. For the cheapest deals to New Zealand and Australia, fly in mid August, their fall and winters are quite mild and still allow you to enjoy the many outdoor adventures available Down Under. For Asia, fly from late September through November to get the lowest airfare deals. South America’s low season is anytime it’s not Christmas, New Year’s, Carnival or a school holiday.

6. Use the Multiple Flights Function

Vayama has a ‘multiple flights’ function on it’s ‘find a flight’ box. It’s a good idea to use it because it may be cheaper to fly into one city and return from another (for example; New York to London, returning from Amsterdam).  Play around with different combinations and save.

7. Add a Stopover and Save

Direct flights (those with one stop) are also cheaper than nonstop flights, particularly when you fly long haul. For example the fares for a New York to Johannesburg flight will be cheaper on airlines that add a stopover (usually in Europe, Africa or the Middle East) versus the nonstop option from New York. The same applies to long haul flights to Asia. One stop in Seoul or Taipei could shave hundreds of dollars off an India trip when compared to nonstop flights.

So there you have it. Now you can travel smart and still have money to get yourself some souvenirs.

Happy Lunar New Year! In honor of my Chinese heritage, I wanted to share this modern take on the traditional Chinese Cheong-sam (or Qi Pao) dress by NE-TIGER, one of China’s fastest-growing fashion houses. Inspired by the Tang Dynasty, he updated a traditional design and turned it into something so beautiful and new. I love the silhouette of the blue dress and all the unique Chinese details he’s infused in his designs. Bold, striking and beautiful!

xoxo, Henny V.

It’s DIY Friday! We wanted to repost one of favorite DIY feature in our January issue. Chocolate “countdown” cookies! Created especially for Utterly Engaged from food stylist Diana of Casa de Perrin and stylist, Alicia Buszczak. They’re super easy to do and super cute too.

INGREDIENTS

Butter - 6 tablespoons
Unsweetened chocolate - 1 1/2 inch squares
Milk - 6 tablespoons
Baking soda - 1/3 teaspoon
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Egg (beaten) - 1
Flour - 1 1/8 cups
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

RECIPE

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt chocolate over hot water.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add chocolate and egg and mix thoroughly.  Set aside.
Sift flour, measure, and whisk in baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Combine alternately with milk to the first mixture.
Add vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
Roll dough out on slightly floured surface until it is 1/4” thick.
Use enough plastic wrap to cover the rolled out dough, and gently press typography blocks to make imprints.
Remove plastic wrap and use a large enough cookie-cutter to separate each cookie.
Using a spatula, place individual cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Once cookies are cooled they may be iced and decorated to perfection!

Wrap them up to fit your wedding style and give them as favors to your guests. Love it!

Remember how we promised to show you more images from our magazine? Want to see more?

Well head over to Facebook and “like” our Facebook page to see more amazing images from this editorial shoot. Happy Friday to you!

Credits: Concept, Design, Props & Rentals from Casa de Perrin
Custom Linens & Styling Alicia Buszczak / Photography  Studio Castillero