At the end of a long day or during a busy morning, there are few things more soothing to me than a cup of tea. Hot or iced, green or black, with sugar, honey, milk (or none of the above) – tea makes me feel simultaneously happy, centered, calm and energized. But in all my tea-loving days, I had never been to what I consider the epitome of a tea drinking experience – afternoon tea! You know the kind – delicate finger sandwiches, scones with cream, mountains of fruit, and the perfect pot of tea by your side.

Some girlfriends and I finally visited the Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena a couple weekends ago, which provided the perfect first-time afternoon tea experience! We marveled at the fresh strawberry sorbet, the dozens of sandwiches to choose from, the perfectly crumbly scones (I was not a scone fan until Scarlet Tea Room swiftly converted me), the mini desserts, and the wide variety of teas. Before we started eating, we joked about how we’d all be lining up at the Jack in the Box drive-thru after our dainty tea meal, but by the time the meal was through we found ourselves surprisingly full.  Stuffed in fact. To the point where we we could not fit even one more mini-cupcake into our happy stomachs.

And since it’s no fun to keep “fave finds” all to yourself, I am going to be accompanying each post in this category with none other than a giveaway! For this installment, I’ll be sending one lucky commenter (chosen randomly) a package of tea bags from Lupicia – one of my favorite tea shops on the westside. The store is full of amazing teas – you walk in and are greeted by rows upon rows of tins, all presented for your sniffing and smelling delight! There are lots of luscious flavors to choose from, options like muscat, English caramel, rosehip and grapefruit green! Thirsty commenters, rejoice!

Just a few shots grabbed with the point-and-shoot in between bites..

They had met in the dorms at UC Irvine – during those golden years of staying up late, playing football in the halls, spending 75% of the day in pajama bottoms, and swiping a card that magically lets you into a land of all-you-can eat pizza and ice cream. On a grassy knoll on campus during these happy times, Rick asked Christina to be his girlfriend. 4 years later, they found themselves back on campus at the very same spot. In place of the grass was now the Student Center, a tall brick building, surrounded by tables and meeting areas. And although the scenery had changed, the school had changed, although they no longer frequented dining halls or spent late nights chatting in dorm hallways, what was most important in their lives had stayed the same. And so Rick asked Christina to be his wife.

I was so delighted when Christina told me they wanted to do their engagement session at the campus where they met and fell in love. When planning the e-session, I always ask couples to think of someplace that is meaningful to their relationship, and UCI was definitely their perfect location. As we wandered through the campus, Christina and Rick pointed out the benches they rested on, the buildings their classes were in, their most favorite nooks where they had spent their college days. It was so much fun hearing about all of their memories – not to mention getting a spectacular tour of the campus!

An extra dose of excitement was added to our email exchange when Christina disclosed that she was would be bringing balloons! I have been wanting to do a session with balloons for the longest time and was beyond on board with the idea! (Additional fact: Christina chose green since the color reminds of her Rick.. apparently when they first met in the dorms, his freshman wardrobe was quite green-intensive! ;)

Love the sexy boots!

Where the proposal happened!

A quick change of clothes and more exploring around campus! During the change, we tied the balloons to Scott’s camera bag. When we took off again we decided we might not really use the balloons for this part of the session, so we left them attached to his bag. You can probably guess what happens next – I’m snapping away, Scott goes “uh oh”, we all look up, and there are the balloons 30 feet up entangled in the top of a eucalyptus tree! We felt horrible, but of course Christina and Rick were beyond sweet about it, and the show went on!

When I took my first steps into wedding photography, I had some goals in mind. They were basic, fluffy, whimsical goals – little dreams I dared not shape too concretely in fear that I might never attain them. I wanted to meet fabulous, warm, so-in-love people. I wanted to help create tangible memories of their most important days. I wanted to make friends out of the people who inspired me, the photographers I admired. And above all, I wanted to give back. Because at the start, I was barely more than a walking ball of questions. I felt like a silly empty glass that a million kind people were filling with knowledge and support and opportunity and all I could give in return were my insignificant but abundant “thank you”s.

And although my cup of knowledge is still far from being runneth over, I am finally at a place where I feel I can give and not just take. The opportunities to share my experiences are suddenly popping up left and right, and although I have so much more to learn myself, I am beyond thrilled to share whatever bits of information and experience I can.

One such opportunity has come from The Wedding Clique, a resourceful website created to help brides and grooms in planning their day. I am so honored to be included in such an amazing group of vendors, and to be able to contribute towards a couple’s wedding planning process – a process that for many is at once exciting, overwhelming, intimidating, and wonderful!

A couple weekends ago The Wedding Clique put on it’s first Mock Wedding Workshop at The Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Long Beach. It was created as an opportunity for couples to experience a “pretend wedding” in preparation for their actual day. The workshop progressed similarly to how many wedding days do – from getting ready, to the ceremony, to the reception – and was filled with beautiful details and wonderful input from the participating vendors. My deepest thanks to my friend Henry Chen for inviting me to be a part of such an amazing event and project!

Meet the team – the boys: Andrew of Iobon Cinema, Henry Chen, Raul of R&R Entertainment; the girls: Solana of Beauty by Solana, Trini of Nozza Studio, Sarah Yates, Deanne of Bella Fiore

Henry and Trini start off the day with a warm welcome:

Solana put on an awesome make-up trial run, with lots of tips for brides:

Deanne explains when and where you can expect to get your flowers on the day of (I know I’d be SO excited the first time I got to hold my bouquet!):

We then headed upstairs for a mock first look – love these expressions!

The ceremony site:

Gorgeous floral details:

And onto the mock ceremony!

Henry was a great impromptu officiant:

Sarah in action:

There is nothing pretend about this kiss! (I’ve never seen such an excited officiant either ;)

Then it was back inside for the reception! The dinner tables were adorned with such rich and beautiful details:

Raul gives the lowdown on choosing and working with a DJ:

And of course.. the cake!

Be sure to stay tuned on The Wedding Clique website for the next workshop, and for regular updates geared towards helping plan your wedding day!