If you have not yet browsed a stunning issue of the new e-zine, Utterly Engaged, please do pour yourself a nice cup of tea, make a beeline for their website, and prepare for an utter feast for your eyes. The talented girls Eva of Red Velvet Occasions and Lucy & Henny of D*LSH Design teamed up to create a beautiful and practical e-zine for the budget-savvy, eco-friendly, style-loving bride (which is so many of the brides we work with :)

I fell in love with the magazine the moment I saw it and am so so honored to have been able to collaborate with these girls & other amazing vendors, and have some of my photography featured in the past couple issues!

I’m sure you all remember this amazing Mad Hatter-inspired tea party I blogged about awhile back, coordinated by the fabulous innovative Joanna Chong. See the article with Joanna’s behind-the-scenes info here.

(Also special thanks to Trendsetting Wedding and Vintage Glam (now Ruffled!) for featuring this shoot!)

Staying on the tea theme, for the last issue I photographed this exquisite tea room, nestled in the heart of Old Town Orange. I can’t believe I never knew about this place!

A few more of my favorites. Paris is currently #1 on my must-visit list and it was just heavenly browsing all these vintage French details!

And lastly, I got to work with the talented Angela Giang of Shop L’Atelier a couple months ago. We photographed her new line of lovely bridesmaid dresses which were then featured in UE! We actually set up the shoot right in my apartment – a blank wall and the warm afternoon sunlight worked perfectly :)

Be sure to browse through the issues as there are tons of other amazing articles, all offering lots of inspiration and laid out in the most beautiful spreads. And be sure to stay posted for Issue #5! :)

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..