Princess Diary Cafe (wedding dress cafe), Edae

Whether or not you consider yourself a trendy fashionista, everyone has something that they wouldn't be caught dead wearing out in public. For some, it could be blindingly bright neon colours, for others perhaps it's baggy sweat pants. For me personally, it's frilly, girly things. Don't get me wrong, plenty of women wear frilly, girly apparel (especially in Korea) and they manage to look stunning. But with my body shape and manlike mentality, flouncy shirts and dresses are the stuff my fashion nightmares are made of. So when I heard about Princess Diary Cafe, a place where you try on fancy wedding dresses and prance around in them, my initial reaction was stuck somewhere in the middle between amazement and horror.

However... Because I'm a sucker for themed places and concept cafes, my curiosity eventually got the better of me and I managed to find a friend who was willing to come along and play dress ups so I wouldn't have to embarrass myself in public alone. (Why suffer in shame alone, right?)

The concept behind Princess Diary Cafe is really simple. Enjoy a nice non-alcomoholic drink, get dressed up to the nines, and unleash your inner camwhore.

Drinks on the menu start from 5000 won and you can have your drink either before wearing the dress, or after. Dress rental is extra, ranging from 10,000 won right up to 40,000 won for the very elaborate, fancy ones.

Foreigner-friendly menu! Hurrah! :D

The majority of dresses available are wedding gowns, but if that's a little too flamboyant for you, they also have some evening gowns that are more simple, yet elegant, and hanbok (traditional Korean dresses). As an added bonus, you can also drag your boyfriend, husband, or other unsuspecting male friend along with you because they have suits, tuxedos, and male hanbok too. Fun times for all, eh? :P

Just one of the rows of dresses available.. o__O

After we'd finished our drinks and picked out our dresses, the very lovely owner of the cafe helped us get dressed in the back room. While perusing the dresses, there didn't seem to be any specific sizes. In fact, they all looked rather large and I wondered how we would be able to wear them without them falling off. It turned out that the cafe owner has years of experience in the fashion industry (having previously worked in Dongdaemun, fashion capital of Seoul) and with her nimble, deft fingers, a pin here and a pin there suddenly transformed a hapless mass of chiffon and lace into a dress with a perfect fit. Amazeballs!

We were told to put on the super tall 12cm heels which she plunked down in front of us (she even knew our shoe sizes just by looking at our feet!) and then she sat us down in front of the mirror to put on some shiny hair accessories.

Sparkle sparkle!

After that, it was time to camwhore like our lives depended on it.

First, the owner helped us take pictures by taking my camera and directing us to pull different poses in various spots around the room.

Then she left us to our own devices to wander around and snap a bajillion selfies.

This here is a frame of lights designed specifically for selfies, 
being utilised by my partner in crime. XD

There are tons of props and items around the room just begging to be used in your photos, but what I really love are the small decorations at every corner. They look great on film of course, but even if you're not taking photos, they just make for a really lovely, quaint ambiance in the room.

So... While I probably wouldn't come here on a regular basis, especially as dressing up isn't really my thing, I think Princess Diary is one of those places that you should visit at least once while in Seoul. Both the atmosphere and the owner are truly lovely, and the cafe brings together gorgeous decorations, tasty drinks, and a brilliant excuse to camwhore shamelessly. Added bonus it's also in the same building as Egg and Spoon Race, so you can have brunch first to boost up your energy for all the camwhoring you'll be doing after. >:D



Princess Diary Cafe, Edae
Hours: 11:30am - 10:30pm (dress rental finishes at 8pm)
Address: 서울시 서대문구 대현동 54-9 이화빌딩 3층 (3rd floor, 54-9 Daehyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul)
Website: http://cafe.naver.com/princessdiarycafe
Directions: From Edae Station, exit 3, walk straight and take the second right. Look out (and up!) for Princess Diary a few metres further on your right.

Beesket juice & smoothies, Dongdaemun

Last week, my awesome-ous cousin Joyce came to visit Seoul. One afternoon, we were on our way to Hongdae when we decided to take a detour to Dongdaemun Shopping Complex. Then on our way to Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, we decided to take a detour to Dongdaemun Design Plaza. What is a shopping expedition without a few detours? :P

Unfortunately though, detouring = walking, and walking = tired, grumpy Asians. However, after traipsing around, we finally found a place to rest our weary soles. (Pun intended. Hah!) It was a cute, funky little "DIY" juice place called Beesket. According to their website, the name comes from a combination of "bee" + "basket", because just like how bees go around collecting nectar from different flowers, you too can go around collecting different ingredients to create your own personalised drink.

When we arrived, the friendly staff gave us little red baskets to put our ingredients in. Each cute little basket was accordingly shaped like a piece of honeycomb. We simply chose the ingredients we wanted (up to 3) from the huge array available and popped them into the basket. Then we presented our baskets at the counter and a few minutes later, hey presto! Freshly whizzed up juice according to our preferences. :D

So many choices!! @__@

Watermelon, carrot, and kiwi for me. Mango, kiwi, and raspberry for Joyce. :3

Even the tables are shaped like honeycomb cells! Cuuuute!

Another really impressive thing is the emphasis they have on healthiness. When you select your ingredients from the plethora that's available, you can see what vitamins, minerals, or benefits each one is good for. Also, each order comes with your own customised print-out of the ingredients you used, how many calories you're consuming, and what vitamins and minerals are found in your drink. On top of that, you can rest assured that there are no other little nasties thrown in, like added preservatives, or processed sugar. It's just pure, natural healthiness in a cup.

Tadah! Plenty of calcium, potassium, and vitamin A for me. Woohoo! (At least I think by "Ka" they're referring to potassium? o__O)

On the same printout you receive, you can rate your drink with a "Beesket score" of 1-5 and pin it to the front counter for other customers who may need inspiration for ingredient combinations.

That being said, though I adore the concept of this place, it was a tad bit pricey (your basic customised, 3-ingredient juices start from 5,900 won, and then some ingredients, such as mango, blueberry, raspberry, etc. have an extra 500 won surcharge). So while it was fun to try out for the novelty of it, it's probably not a place I would frequent, based on me being a total cheapo. However, if you're somewhat of a health fanatic and constantly live your life on the go without time to make your own juice fresh every morning, or perhaps you don't have time to sit down and actually chew on your fruits and vegetables, orrr... perhaps you're just rich, then this might just be the place for you. Added bonus if you happen to live around Dongdaemun, of course. :P



Beesket, Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Hours: 8:00am - 11:00pm weekdays, 11:00am - 11:00pm Sat, 11:00- 10:00pm Sun
Address: 서울시 중구 을지로 281 동대문 디자인 플라자 B1 (Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Euljiro 281, Jung-gu, Seoul)
Website: http://www.beesket.com
Directions: From Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, exit 1, enter the Dongdaemun Design Plaza complex (basically a bunch of buildings grouped together) and look out for the building called Dongdaemun Design Market. Inside, you'll find the Cafe Square area where Beesket is located, along with other drink shops such as Gong Cha.

*Note: Beesket now has other locations around Seoul including Myeongdong and Jamsil Lotte World Mall. Check out their website for details ^^