When I got the surprise that we were going to Santorini for our honeymoon, I was speechless. I hugged him so tight and tears piled up at 

the corner of my eyes. 

winter was just around the corner. the island was quiet and calm. it almost felt like it was just us two there.

santorini was ours to explore.

I never told anyone this, but Santorini Island was THE place that sparked the wanderlust in me. My urge to travel the world became stronger and I knew I HAD TO visit this ridiculously picture perfect corner of the earth, one day.

Ten years ago, before the era of Instagram existed, I was working my first full-time job as an editorial assistant at Herworld magazine. Among the first few responsibilities I was given by my editor Sakinah, was to handle the travel page, the last two pages of the magazine. I had to collect travel images from people my editor asked me to contact, get their captions to the images shared, and write a short paragraph about the city based on the stories told by the person.

One day, I opened my replied email and downloaded the images. My jaw dropped looking at the pictures this lady had sent me. I saw one breathtaking picture after another. The crispy blue sky, perfectly matched whitewashed and pastel buildings, enchanting cliffs and inky waters. Where on earth is this place? I googled it right away, and knew that I needed to see it with my own eyes.

Fast forward ten years later, two and a half months after the wedding, I couldn't believe the surprise I got. Yusuf initially didn't want to tell me where we were going. Insisted the honeymoon was a surprise and he would only tell me four days before going because he said he asked Vivy and Ajjie and they said I only need four days to pack. I said NOWAY! I need to know right now because I need at least two weeks to plan what I want to pack to where ever it is we were going to go. 

Right after dinner, in the dining area, I pinned him down to the floor and forced him to reveal where he was taking me. When he finally caved and told me, I was speechless. I hugged him so tight and tears piled up at the corner of my eyes. 

After ten minutes of being emotional, my head was already planning what I would be packing on this vacation that I have been dreaming about at the back of my head for the past decade.

Describing Santorini as beautiful would be wrong, describing it as deeply impressive and at times, awe-inspiring would be far more accurate. 

Santorini. Husband. Honeymoon. I knew I needed outfits that were romantic, effortless and comfortable to explore the island in. And with winter just around the corner I knew I wanted to bring some pieces I could layer on like this cute pleated sleeveless top, worn over this white ruffle sleeves blouse. I wore it with these green pants which I got from my mum, which I've made a point to bring with me on all my travels because my memory of these pants were that it was worn by my mum on her travels too. I've labelled them my Travelling Green Pants, hoping that one day it can be passed down to my future daughter too, so she can wear it on her travels, inshAllah! 

Photos by Yusuf Ibrahim (hugsband)

What I Wore:

Scarf - dUCk scarf in Sugar Icing (matte satin silk range)

Top - Olloum ruffle sleeves top

Top - Duchess & Co sleeveless top

Pants - Trussardi cropped pants

Bag - Ferragamo bag

Shoes - Mel & Molly heels (similar version here)

(I swapped back into my flats after this photoshoot hehee)

Just the other day, after coming back from a good friends wedding, Yusuf looked at me and said, he liked our wedding day best. I think he loved the simplicity of that day because it was far from grand and perfect. It was an intimate joint ceremony of only 350 guests, held at my uncles garden. It started at ten in the morning with the solemnisation, continued with Yusuf’s guests coming first, then mine. 

Before I continue, can I just sat that I’m really excited to talk to you guys about my wedding day and its details. If I could rewind time, I would’ve vlogged the process but it all went by so fast and I was too disorganised to do it all during that short period of time. I'm hoping this post can give you a glimpse into our big day and help any of you out there that is planning your big day.

So we all know weddings usually rhymes with expensive, especially in Malaysia. But I truly believe it is still very much possible to have a nice wedding without breaking the bank (or taking up a loan) that very much represents your style and you as a couple together.

Yusuf and I had a tight budget for our wedding because neither of us had time to set aside money as things moved really fast. So I repeated again and again to myself, focus on only the important things and be creative in ways to make it beautiful without causing financial strain. So in this post I’ll share how, with our tight budget, I was still able to have a wedding day that turned out even better than I imagined it to be. What I prioritised, and let go. And how the help of my friends and family MADE OUR WEDDING DAY. 

Here's a glimpse of that day.

So many people made this 

day extra special for me,

in so many ways.

My mum bought a ticket for my elder sister Huda to fly in the morning of the wedding day to surprise me (she lives in Brisbane). I cried when I opened the door at 7am seeing her standing there in the flesh. And my close friend Kim couldn’t fly back because it was too close to her baby's due date. So she was there with me the whole day through this gorgeous bouquet. Thanks for the beautiful gift. My best friend Toots couldn't be there because she had just given birth two days prior but she was present in so many other ways. The amount of help she contributed for the preparation was just priceless. 

1. My Bridal Make-Up

If you follow me on my Instagram stories, you will know I do the same type of make up everyday, doesn’t matter for what occasion and it’s a more natural look. I did not want to risk looking like anyone other than myself on that day. I almost wanted to just do my own make-up, but closer to the wedding date, I knew I didn’t have the skills to do it well enough that it could stay on the whole day under our hot and humid weather. I had someone in mind, but I also knew she would most likely be busy because it was so last minute to ask, and I assumed she would also be out of my price range. She was my teacher who taught me all I know about how to wear make up on my face today (I had a class with her last year when we had our Olloum team building session at the office). She is Noriana, the face designer. I waited till two weeks before the wedding to get the courage to just ask her hoping that a miracle would happen. And it did. First, she said she was available, then second she said because it was her birthday month, she was giving a discount to all her client. PRAISE THE LORD. I knew I was in safe hands that day. I felt so at peace after this was settled. 

Also, there is only one other MUA I would recommend. If you want to look your best self and not overly made up, contact Joey (+60162201232). I've worked with her ever since my magazine days ten years ago and she charges A LOT less than the average cost for bridal makeup. I highly recommend her. Less is more!

2. Florist & Photography

Ya'll know I LOVE my flowers, and I am just as picky with my flower arrangement as I am with my makeup. My best friend toots knew this so she recommended a florist she knew that was very talented and her charges are really reasonable, lifesaver. Same florist that did my surprise bridal shower. I was SO HAPPY she agreed to do our wedding and even wanted to do more if she could. I've always wanted to have a huge wreath, and fate had it that she wanted to try to create one too, seen in the picture above. Will forever be grateful to her for making my flower dreams come true. Please do contact Sher if you're looking for a florist for any event. Truly, she is so nice and accommodating.

Another one of my passion is photography so this was a very hard choice to make. I did not have a huge budget for this so I looked at who I have worked with in the past, and decided on who I was most comfortable with. Don't choose one based on social media followers. Decide what are the images you want to remember from that day, and see which photographers work displays that in their portfolio. I love moments. And wedding photography is such a personal thing to me, so I have to be comfortable with him/her. Fortunately, Syahmie is a good friend of my colleague and his soon to-be wife was also an intern at the office. So I was very much comfortable with him. So grateful to him for shooting beyond the hours he was hired for and managing to capture moments I want to look back on. 

3. Skipping Traditions

I think it's important to have the support of your family if you're going to do this. Yusuf and I skipped lots of traditions; merisik, tunang, bersanding, renjis, wearing innai and dulang hantarans. As things moved really fast with us, it made sense to skip the traditional sequence of things. We were each others fiancé the minute we agreed to get married, with approvals from our family and best friends. No ring was involved, nor did we have an event where our families discussed details of the wedding.  Yusuf’s father lives abroad as he’s a diplomat so I didn’t even meet him till the morning of the wedding. Thankfully though, I did manage to meet his mum prior to this day. She came along with Yusuf's brother and grandmother to meet my mum and I here in KL.

We also skipped giving each other dulang hantarans because I knew this would be an extra thing on Yusuf's plate. Usually families will help out with this, but I knew he would have to do it on his own because his mum is unwell, and lives in another state. And I figured the money spent to get those gifts could be put elsewhere to more important things like getting home things once we've moved in together. Don't worry though, I told him I'm coming back to claim my gifts once he starts making millions. I'm guessing next month. Wishful thinking, hahaa. I've given him links to Net-A-Porter and Vestiaire. 

Basically, we really wanted to keep things basic and simple as possible so that things could move as fast and smoothly as possible.

something new,

something borrowed

I love that my wedding outfits were a mix of something new and something borrowed from my best friends. It felt so meaningful to wear something of theirs on such a special and significant day, and, it helped me save on getting things I would have had to spend more on. 

4. DIY Decor & Details

There’s no secret to this really. If you’re on a budget but still want to have beautiful details at your wedding, you have to DIY. This is when Pinterest came in very handy.

And don't try to do too many things. Limit yourself to at most three areas or things you want to DIY. For me, I knew I wanted to have a seating area which served also as the backdrop for photos that wasn’t so conventional. So I got the caterer to bring an extra small tent and got them to drape it with white cloth. Then, the night before I brought my living room chesterfield sofa and pillows and placed it under the sheer white drapes to add a touch of cosy. Keep in mind, DIY can also end up costing you a lot, so try using items you already have around your house or can borrow from your friends or family. 

You can also find decor rental services in KL. I rented some carpets and chairs from Something Borrowed by Nawal. My mum was the one who knew about her because she's friends with the owners mum. Her prices are really reasonable so that worked out really well for us. I went to her warehouse and she has basically everything under the sun that you can think of that you may want to use for your wedding. So you can contact her to see what you can rent that will compliment the look you want for your wedding. 

5. Food and Dessert

There's lots to talk about with food; caterer, dessert table, and last but not least, the WEDDING CAKE and favours.

CATERER

Basically 70% of the budget went to the caterer. Good food is something guests will remember. Ideally, I wanted a western menu, (just to give our guests something a little different from the norm) similar to the one I ordered for my mum on her wedding day, catered by the restaurant CopperbyFav. But I knew it made more sense budget wise to serve local dishes, and keeping in mind Yusuf's side of the family were more traditional.

The caterer we hired was the same one my mum hired for my sisters wedding more than ten years ago. I highly recommend them (Sajian D'Hidang 0192331727). I opted for the Kampung menu because I love their daging salai. 

DESSERT TABLE

Okay, now let's talk dessert. What would I have done without my good friend Aishah, from That Last Slice. She literally took the load off my mum for the dessert table. Of course, I initially wanted my mum to do the desserts as I love everything she makes, but I also knew she already had a lot on her plate. So in came That Last Slice to the rescue. Everyone was raving about how delicious the cakes, macarons and tarts were. THANK YOU SO MUCH AISHAH.

She has always been the next best thing to my mums desserts for me.

I also really wanted local desserts, and my favourite is goreng pisang (fried banana fritters). So my mum (God bless her) created our own goreng pisang stall by getting a few part-time helpers to fry them fresh at one corner of the garden. I loved that guests had them hot and fresh to eat whenever they felt like some. Best part was, it was my favourite home-made recipe that my mum makes with sesame seed. And, my sister got an apam balik stall which is always a crowd favourite. (Contact Faiz at +601123214876)

WEDDING CAKE AND FAVOURS

Thankfully my mum is the cake artisan for Gateauxlicious, so of course she made our wedding cake. I was clear on the design I wanted. Modern Luxe.  And the door gifts (seen on the right here), we made them together, my mum and I. I've always loved edible door gifts so we made decorated sugar cookies together, starting three weeks before the wedding. We packed them individually and it was so beautiful.

Btw, I just wanted to share that, if having a wedding cake is not within your budget as they cost quite a lot, consider making your own. Check out this Naked Wedding Cake that is very do able.

6. Wedding Outfits

This was literally the first thing I thought about as soon as I knew I was soon to be wed. Okay who am I kidding, I knew what I wanted to wear years before I was even ready to get married again lol. Truth - I prepared what I wanted to wear before I knew the kind of man I wanted to marry.

First up, my nikah/solemnisation outfit. The Modern Kebaya by Nurita Harith.

I fell in love with it right away (saw it online on FV's website a year ago) because I knew I could wear the flowy bell sleeve top again after the wedding. And I have used it more than three times already, once on our honeymoon. My best friend's convinced me to add some lace detailing's and a veil. At first, I was so adamant to do without it, but I'm glad I listened to them because it all looked seamlessly beautiful together.

Right after that, we changed into this stunning gold songket ensemble. To be honest, my initial plan was just two outfits, the Kebaya and then the Pants reception outfit. But Yusuf wanted to do something for his mum and grandma. He knew they wanted to see him get married in the full traditional Malaysian wedding outfit, so he asked if we could try and fit that in. I was worried I couldn't pull of a songket because I've never been the traditional kind but I was on board to do something for Mama and Opah.

So a month before the wedding we were scrambling to figure out where to get a nice songket without having to spend too much. THANKFULLY, best friend Toots quickly offered I wear her wedding songket that was impeccably made by Rizalman. And it fit me like a glove, phewhhhh. And thankfully too, Yusuf fit into her husbands songket. This was one of my special something borrowed. In fact I almost wore her wedding nikah dress too because she really wanted to see me get married in it but by the time she found it, it was too late.

Now, the main reception outfit that I had dreamt of wearing for many years. The Pants outfit by Nurita Harith.

Ahh, I loved it so so so so soooooo much. 

About four years ago, I had an idea that I wanted to wear pants for my next wedding. I found an amazing reference picture and saved it ever since. It was modern, uber chic, unique and surely comfortable to wear in your wedding day, I thought. I've done the whole tight fitted dress (in my first wedding) and it's safe to say that those kind of dresses are not the most comfortable to wear. So I knew in my bones that I wanted to wear pants regardless of anything. Comfort was what I wanted on my big day.

So here is the story of the Pants outfit. It involved tears.

Two months before the wedding, I bought fabric on my own and passed it to my usual tailor with the reference image, tweaked the design a little to suit my aesthetic and left for him to do his magic, which he always does. Good to note that he has never disappointed me with his amazing cutting and fitting in the past.

Three weeks later, my tailor texted me saying it was ready. I was ecstatic! Unfortunately, it came out nothing like how I imagined. Toots came with me on my fitting and I think she held back as much as she could to not make me panic. In her mind she was saying DO NOT WEAR THIS. I felt it through her silence. Sigh, what's a wedding without a few unfortunate events. I pointed out things for him to fix. And even after that it was beyond salvageable. When it arrived at my house I cried but I also told myself it's going to be okay because what matters is the marriage not this outfit. Focus Asma'. Focus on the bigger picture.

The next day, we had my final fitting for the Kebaya outfit. And that lifted me up because the kebaya outfit and veil looked magical together. Vivy and toots were both there with me. And it was a special hangout fitting session because it was possibly the last time we would be together before toots gave birth.

So just as I came out of the fitting room from that last try, I joined them on the couch and Vivy told me that she spoke to Nurita and she said she would re-do the Pants outfit of my dreams. I had no words to say except but the wedding is in four days. It was Monday, the wedding was the coming Saturday. Nurita said it's okay, we can do it for you. I held back tears. I asked are you sure quite a few times and then decided to not be silly and just thank her and my best friends a gazillion times for making this happen for me. They just know me so so well. They knew if I couldn't have anything for the wedding, all I wanted was to be married in my living room as long as I got to wear this outfit I had dreamt for years. 

I can't believe till this day and can't thank Nurita Harith enough for literally getting this done in three days (one of the days was a public holiday - but of course). The outfit wear ready the morning of the wedding. Vivy's husband picked it up and got it to us just in time as we had to change out of the Songket outfit and into the wedding outfit of my dreams. I put it on and it was just.....as I dreamt it to be. Vivy passed me her pearls and white Manolo's to wear with that outfit and we were ready for the rest of the day!

So there you have it. A glimpse into our wedding day. A chill day with no formalities. Lots of food and dessert. Lots of outfit changes. And most importantly, lots of laughter and hugs from people that mattered to me. 

I hope that what I've managed to share can give you ideas and help a bride-to-be in anyway possible. As you would've picked up from this post, my wedding was not the picture perfect Pinterest wedding I thought I could one day have. But I swear it was better because I think I managed (with the help of my kind vendors, and amazing family and friends) to create a wedding day that was tailored to Yusuf and I. That was what mattered to us. That the day represented us.

Our wedding day was ours to celebrate with our special people.

Photos by Syahmi Azman 

Other outfit details -

Bridesmaid Dresses by Olloum

Scarves by dUCk

Heels by Nelissa Hilman

If you’re anything like me, and loves coffee, or have had a latte, flat white, caramel macchiato, mocha or iced frappuccino recently, then you need to read this post. When I started drinking coffee, I didn’t bother to think if it was good or bad for me. It tasted oh-so good and made the perfect flatly prop. I just enjoyed it and the fact that it was my answer when I needed a perk-me-up. I never bothered to look into it till I noticed my skin was getting more regular breakouts on my face. So it made me wonder; is coffee causing my breakouts? And what about the premature wrinkles under my eyes? My dry skin? Gahhh!

I didn’t want to just blame my coffee intake though, because I didn’t want to stop drinking it, so I decided to do my own research. I have been reading up on this for a few months now. God, there’s a lot of information out there, so here’s me trying to simplify it for you in hopes that it can help you decide. 

Dehydration

If you google 'Does coffee cause dehydration?' you are going to get a mixture of opinions. So let me break it down for you. Caffeine doesn’t directly cause dehydration, but many studies have shown that it is diuretic, which means it stimulates us to pee more regularly. And you therefore, you end up losing lots of fluids. Therefore, if you don’t supplement drinking more water (or other liquids) to counter what are losing, you will end up being dehydrated. 

And when the insides of our body is dehydrated, it makes our liver work overtime, which causes toxic build up in the body. The toxic build up will eventually make its way to your skins surface, which can cause acne, redness and premature ageing. So, no, coffee doesn’t directly cause dehydration. But the next time you plan on having coffee, be sure to drink BEFORE and a little extra AFTER to maintain the level of hydration your body and skin needs to stay plump.

Dairy

Unless you’re the kind that takes your coffee black, chances are, you’re having it with milk. Latte, flat white, cappuccino. Let me open a can of worms for you. Don’t kill me though. So let’s ask the question Does dairy really cause acne? HELL YEAH GIRLFRIEND! There is a direct link between dairy intake and acne. Regular intake of milk (or other dairy products) can trigger acne, especially on your chin and jawline area (insert close up shot of myself without concealer). I have been a victim of this for years and only knew about this now. 

Milk and dairy is filled with hormones which negatively react to the testosterone in your body. This then increases the production of sebum in your skin; the oily substance that clogs your pores. If you’re currently going through skin problems, I would highly recommend you cutting out milk and dairy (unless it’s raw milk or goats milk) for at least two to three weeks to see results. If your skin appears better, then you know the dairy is causing it. 

Sugar and Sweeteners

Do your skin a favour and say no to sugar and sweeteners. Coffee itself is not bad for your skin. It’s the additional things that is added with it that causes bad effects on our skin. 

Consider saying no to the syrup pumps at your next Starbucks or Coffee Bean visit or not adding any sugar (even brown sugar) into your coffee. Refined sugars causes insulin levels to spike, which leads to what Dr. Nicolas Perricone describes as “a burst of inflammation throughout the body.” Inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. 

Digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin through a process known as glycation. Aside from increasing the effects of aging, glycation can also exacerbate skin conditions like acne and rosacea. So there you have it. 

So is drinking coffee really bad for your skin? I would say no. Based on my own readings, coffee on its own actually does have many benefits. The milk and sugar we add into our coffee is the culprit to causing redness, ageing and acne our skin.

I"m not giving up my coffee but I am saying no to sugar and I've opted for alternatives to milk. Good news is, there's so many options; almond, hazelnut, soy or oat milk. My personal favourites are hazulnut and almond milk. And that’s why I love getting my coffee from Huckleberry cafe because they have almond milk as an option. If you make coffee at home mostly, buy unsweetened almond, hazelnut, soy, coconut or oat milk from Bens or Village Grocer.

Coffee may not be packed with nutrients, but it is a much better choice compared to energy drinks, sodas and sweetened teas or juices, so long as you have it without the sugar. And how many cups is safe to have in a day? Keep it to a maximum of two a day if you're hardcore. I personally have cut mine down to three to four times a week. 

I hope you guys have found this post helpful. I would love it if you can recommend other cafes that make great coffee and offer milk alternatives other than just soy milk as I am also lactose intolerant. I love me a good cafe. Until I find another place as good as Huckleberry (with its amazing coffee fusions), you'll find me here every other day, especially Friday mornings. 

This was me last Friday wearing this uber feminine Overlap with soft sleeves top and comfortable wide leg pants from Olloum, the Oops Duck scarf and classic pumps by Nelissa Hilman. 

Photos by Itasha J. 

There is a familiar feeling that creeps up on me every single time we are about to launch a new collection. And that feeling is running through me right now. ANXIOUS. I worked ever so closely with our designer Aimi, trying to create something really special for you, with fluidity, a story and a symphony of details. We wanted the collection to truly reflect all the different LtD woman that have supported us all these years. And that's why each dress has its own name, with different personalities as a reflection of all you real women out there.

So here is a sneak peak of the first four out of ten dresses that will be launched starting tomorrow morning inshaAllah. (click here to shop).

The majestic setting of Allah's landscape was our inspiration. And it was just perfection.

Don't forget to subscribe here to be the first to see the launches to come. :)

Two months ago I posted my first vlog and it was nerve wrecking ya'll! But I'm glad I decided to just do it anyways. Firstly, I love the interaction that I'm having with you guys on Youtube land, I love editing the footages because it's like reliving the moments and, it's encouraging me to slowly coming out of my shell one vlog at a time.

So if you guys haven't caught my latest one, here it is. Not only will you see me casually talking with stuff stuck in between my teeth, but you'll also see me bare faced with 4 am transit eyebags hahaa. If I'm going to share moments with you guys, they better be real ones. And I promise to try my best to always keep it real with you guys.

Hope you'll enjoy watching this one!