the wedding day was on july 12th, at Hidden Oaks, Rancho Cucamonga. we began the day at a friend’s home for hair and makeup.

the big arrival at hidden oaks.

getting ready.

it was a perfect spot for the wedding, from the big trees shading us from the sun, the cute gazebo decorated with a simple but beautiful and fragrant garland, and the sound of water from a nearby fountain.

bridesmaid randa and maid of honour helen.

jonathan watching gina walk down the aisle.

gina and her parents.

exchanging vows. jonathan’s father officiated the wedding.

i loved how the wedding really reflected the personalities and values of the bride and groom. for example, the generous wedding favour was a stainless steel water container, the proceeds of which went towards funding freshwater well projects (click here for more info). the flowers were done by the local botanical gardens, featuring plants and flowers indigenous to california.

after the wedding was picture-taking time.

sisters.

it was great to also see and spend time with angela and david, who now live in san jose.

loved the flowers.

the reception dinner was (incredibly) cooked by jonathan’s family. a big endeavour, but it turned out really well.

the new mr. and mrs…. congratulations!! note the lovely wedding shawl, made by sherrin.

one last cup of tea.

i’m back from Los Angeles, Riverside area to be more exact, where I attended Gina and Jonathan’s wedding over the weekend. helen was the maid of honour, and we arrived a few days earlier. we were very lucky to stay at a retreat center at Lake Elsinore, which is around 45 minutes south of Riverside.

the deck outside our bedroom:

we organized a high tea for gina and her out-of-town girlfriends, and found a wonderful tea house in rancho cucamonga where we were served more food and tea than we could eat and drink. we tried the raspberry-vanilla-almond, lady grey with vanilla, peaches-and-cream, black currant, chocolate-?-chai… there were so many, i can’t remember all the flavours anymore.

barbara, helen, me, gina, christina, and sherrin:

delicious!

we presented gina with a journal containing letters from many of her friends who couldn’t make it to california for the wedding. she loved it!

the rest of the day was spent shopping and preparing some spa treament for gina in her apartment… candles, massage, aromatherapy, and soothing music. very relaxing.

a beautiful sunset seen from riverside: