I almost wanted to burst into a rendition of “My Favorite Things” as I walked through the Vibiana a couple weeks ago for this year’s Pamper Me Fabulous event. It was as if someone had peeked into my mind and pulled out all of my most adored things – fruity drinks, delicate chocolates, girl talk, fresh magazines, spa treatments, sweet architecture & design, overflowing swag bags, and best of all, a good cause – and made a huge fabulous event out of it. I thought Pamper Me Fabulous was a 100 on the Fabulometer (a new device I just invented) last year, but this year’s event was completely off the charts!

I started snapping away the second we exited our car and first caught site of the majestic Vibiana (I believe I was ooh-ing and clicking away while Scott was still struggling with the bags). Upon stepping inside, we found ourselves in a decadent oasis in the midst of downtown LA – clean lounge furniture, magazines on tables, and an amazing line-up of salons and spas, bazaars, and of course, the food, the FOOD. When I’m on the job, it’s always about focusing on the shots and not on the Fabulous Tier of Endless Cupcakes, but I do admit to being convinced by the woman at Mignon Chocolate table to try ONE teensy Mojito-flavored morsel.

Amanda, Ada, and the their team at Fresh Events definitely outdid themselves this time. The ambiance was divine, the treatments as relaxing as ever, and the causes beyond noble. This year they put together the Fabulous Female Awards as well, recognizing amazing women who serve within our community. The awards ceremony concluded the day perfectly with a message of empowerment and giving.

And now for a walk through the day!

The drinks below are amazing fruit smoothies from Glowelle. They come in luxe flavors like Raspberry Jasmine and Pomegranate Lychee and are chock-full of vitamins to refresh your skin from the inside out!

Councilwoman Jan Perry kicks off the Fabulous Female Awards.

Karina Smirnoff presents; Alice Crisci, who launched a foundation for breast cancer patients, speaks about her cause.

And lastly, the amazing girls of Fresh Events who put tirelessly put on the whole event! Thank you for having us there! :)

It’s been 2 weeks since we’ve been back from WPPI and I think we’ve JUST now finally recuperated. Part of it is that Scott caught a cold right afterwards (undoubtedly the infamous WPPI bug everyone came home with) and just when he was getting over it and I was pumping my fists victoriously in the air for having evaded the virus, it ended up plummeting down on me as well. But now we’re all better, I’ve gotten back into the swing of things, had some time to pop open the folder of WPPI pics and share a bit of our experience with you! It was our first time at WPPI and it was amazing to say the least. Hung out with old friends, made awesome new ones, walked the tradeshow (and bought a shiny new toy! more on that soon), mingled at part-ays, and of course attended a spectacular desert shoot.

Some highlights!

The very first thing we did when we got there was drop off our bags and head to the Go|Bee party! Photo fun with Serena & Jean:

Ran into the fabulous Jackie Wonders!

The next morning we woke up later than we’d like to admit, but still had plenty of time to browse around the tradeshow. So many goodies!! (A big thank you to Scott for lugging the overstuffed bag of pamphlets around.)

One of the most exciting parts of the tradeshow was visiting the Tofurious booth! These guys had been working so hard in the weeks up to WPPI and it definitely paid off! Their booth was fabulous and the photo booth they put together was definitely a hit! Be sure to check out their website for lots of goodies for wedding photographers!

Hit up the [b] Party that night. Met Jordana of Hazelnut Photography – she’s such a sweetheart!

We spent a lot of time over the 3 days with our dear friends Henry Chen, Solana (who does amazing make-up!) and Miguel. A quick shot of Scott & Henry with the pretty Vegas lights:

And some behind-the-scenes shots from the desert shoot!

Tavis strikes a pose:

Shootsac action with Dustin Izatt & Erin Cady

And that’s a wrap! Definitely a great experience for my first time there! Can’t wait until next year!

I’ll be writing up a full WPPI-recap soon (including pics from the awesome desert shoot!), but I wanted to take a quick moment to give a shoutout to the fabulous girls at Fresh Events Company and the equally fabulous event they’re putting on. I had the opportunity to photograph Pamper Me Fabulous last year and to be honest, I felt pampered just walking around shooting the event :) I can just imagine how relaxing and invigorating it must have been to be a lucky guest, getting massages, sipping on Izzes (hands down my favorite carbonated drink!), and getting to chat with lots of amazing girls from all over the city.

This year it’s going to be at the Vibiana (could there BE a cooler venue?) and will be even more chock-full of spa treatments, snacks, and samples that will be sure to melt away even the most stubborn of stresses. You can see more info on the slick flyer below or on their website here!

And in one last bit of exciting news – last year’s event has been published in the latest issue of Your Wedding Day magazine!! It’s my first time having my images published and I was definitely giddy upon receiving the copy they sent me! YWD is really an amazing wedding resource and I was so impressed by their gorgeous spreads, stylish design, and great ideas!

And some more info on this year’s event!