On a rare lazy Sunday, Scott & I visited a little overlook I had been wanting to see to enjoy a bit of the outdoors. We brought our cameras {including our new film cameras – more on that soon!} and had fun snapping away at the amazing skyline, the gorgeous wildflowers, each other — but I couldn’t help but secretly think (okay I lied, I thought it very much out loud) how I wished I had a fabulous couple to shoot at this new Best Location In the Universe.

I actually was SO SO ANTSY that I called my sister on the drive home, told her I had found a photographer’s paradise, and asked if her & her awesome bf Kenny would be up for a photoshoot that very week. Luckily, my sister is a photographer as well, completely understood my crazy photographer needs, and agreed without a second thought. I firmly believe my little sis is way more stylish & photogenic than I am, but see any sisterly resemblance? :)

A big thank you to my sister & Kenny for agreeing to this shoot and braving the craziest of winds for these photos. I am so so excited we could work out this shoot even in the midst of wedding season.

P.S. Note to anyone having a heart attack at this moment (aka Mom) – these are just for fun & NOT engagement photos :)

Our story is set in Wonderland.
The Queen is in love… her heart is full.
Together with her king-to-be, they are hosting a wedding party reception, her way.
Her elite guest list is limited to a special few.
Held at her private palace, in the gardens, it is nothing out of the ordinary for her majesty.
Just feathers and fluff. Opulent jewel tones. Rich satin and lush velvet.
Gold glitz and glam. Natural greens. Delectable dessert. Roses red.
Her way.

When Mai of Bunch Studio first emailed me regarding collaboration on a shoot, I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of it. She is after all a phenomenal & uber creative florist, a wonderful friend, and one of my September brides-to-be :) When I read on about the premise of the shoot however (part of which included the dreamy italicized narrative above), I found myself grow increasingly giddy with excitement. You see, she contacted me right around when Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland came out and a slew of wonderful Alice-inspired shoots were being concocted & carried out. There were many fabulous tea party themed shoots {including this one I had the pleasure of being a part of :) }, but it had never remotely occurred to me that a shoot could be based on an entirely different aspect of wonderland, namely the Queen of Hearts.

Though I was already so enamored with the idea Mai described, there was no way I could have prepped myself for the amazingness I found when I walked up to the shoot on the day of. She enlisted the help of two great talents, Olivia at Zoie Events & Laurie of I Believe It’s Cake (who is an absolute cake genius – before I met her in person, I had simply known of her as The Girl Who Makes Cakes in the Ridiculously Uncanny Likeness of Gucci Purses. GUCCI PURSES!)

A huge thank you to Mai for inviting me to be a part of this shoot & for sharing this wonderful piece of inspiration with me.

{ This shoot was featured on the lovely & inspirational blog Grey Likes Weddings – thank you to Summer for the feature! See the full post here. }

I completely fell in love with this amazing red dress for the “reception”. I LOVE how light & airy fabrics like tulle & chiffon looks in photos!

Florals & Design: Mai Hoang of Bunch Studio
Event Coordinator/Producer: Olivia Wu of Zoie Events
Cake Artist: Laurie Mura of I Believe It’s Cake
Stationery: Valerie Edmondson
Make-up Artist: Elena Adorno
Hair Stylist: Tiffany Suzuki
Models: Bride – Jayde DiVita/ Groom – Patrick Cronen
Bride’s attire: Shareen Vintage / Groom’s attire: Joseph Mattucci Tailors
Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
Linens: BBJ Linens

{ As seen on Grey Likes Weddings }

A special thank you to Style Me Pretty for featuring this shoot! SMP is one of my favorite wedding blogs and is always overflowing with great inspiration. You can see the full feature here!

I’ve been so excited to share this lovely shoot with all of you! The Mad Hatter’s tea party has been a source of inspiration for many beautiful tablescapes, so I was super excited when Lydia, my talented friend & blogger extraordinaire at Ever Ours, invited me to be a part of an Alice-inspired setting with a different twist. Striving for something unique and following inspiration from Tim Burton’s whimscial interpretation, she came up with this enchanting “dark & twisty” version of the much-loved tea party!

Together with the creative prowess of talents Lauryl Lane and Jane of Olive Hue, they bundled up mushrooms, clocks, textural florals, hanging arrangements in jars, and the most fantastic bright blues, greens and purples for a casual on-the-grass tea party that had me swooning left and right! As most of you know, I am a huge sucker for details and could not get enough of these – I was literally snapped away at the table until the sun went down!

But enough with my ramblings, on with the photos! Please take a seat on one of the cushions and enjoy this dark & twisty peek into wonderland :)

Jane personalized the tea bags in the sweetest way {and LOVE the contrast of Megan’s red nails against the blues and greens!}

How dreamy is this bouquet? Lauryl always produces the most unique, creative, and beautiful pieces…

A big thank you to this team of talented ladies for the opportunity to work on such a fun shoot!

Styling: Ever Ours
Florals: Lauryl Lane
Stationery: Olive Hue Paper
Linens: BBJ Linens & Bed, Bath and Beyond
Tableware: Bed, Bath and Beyond and Oneida
Antique Watch Faces: creativeARTifacts
Model: Megan Buchner
{ As seen on Style Me Pretty }