“We found Wonderland.
You and I got lost in it.
We pretended it could last forever.”
Taylor Swift
As we sat down to go through all the photos from the Linden Clover Workshop, we were instantly transported back to a perfect day that we never wanted to end. After months and months of cafe dream-meetings, lengthy text message conversations, and late night epiphanies -- Linden Clover | The Wonderland Edition was brought to life. The whole experience was everything we dreamed of and more. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, tastier food, or a more inspiring group of women and artists. Whether you were there or not, we hope this colorful story of the day is able to inspire you the way it did us.
The fun began the eve before the workshop, where we gathered at Spearhead Coffee in downtown Paso Robles for a Sip & Greet. If you haven’t had a chance to visit Spearhead, you’re missing out on something amazing. The space is inviting, the coffee is spectacular, and the people behind the bar are just plain-old GOOD human beings. Since we were bringing together 7 girls who had never met before in their lives, along with ourselves and several of the Wonderland Team-members -- we had no idea what to expect. But a perfect stranger looking in would have thought every person in the room had been best friends forever. Especially when everyone was gathered around a table making floral head crowns with the beautiful April from April Flowers -- ear-to-ear smiles for days.
One by one, the girls arrived Saturday morning to The Grace Maralyn Estate & Gardens -- a beautiful local wedding venue which quickly became our own personal Wonderland for the day. As they wandered through the door marked by a stunningly freehanded sign (by Sign, Sealed & Delivered), they were told to grab a mysteriously unmarked box. What was inside you ask? Only the cutest coffee mugs you’ve ever seen (designed and provided by The Free Woman, a blog dedicated to empowering women to live their dreams and change the world). After feasting on coffee (provided by Spearhead, of course) and donuts (proved by SLO Donut Co), we got started.
Not only did the girls get to witness our hearts being poured out into the room, but we also got the opportunity to listen to and chat with two beautifully prestigious Wedding Bloggers: Lauren of Every Last Detail and Megan of Glamour & Grace. They were such a treasure chest full of knowledge and advice, it was so fun getting to pick their brains through the miracle of modern technology.
Afterwards, we headed outside for some hands-on photo fun. Styled shoot number one was truly Wonderland come to life — a farm house table & chairs (provided by All About Events) set for 6, styled to perfection (by Kacey of Spark & Sparkle Events) with unique linens (from La Tavola) colored glasses, copper details, wild florals (by the flower queen herself, April Flowers), and quirky details; a dessert-scape stacked tall with delectable donuts (from SLO Donut Company, of course) upon a vintage buffet (one of the many stunning pieces from Embellish Vintage Rentals); a full stationary suite, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before (created by the one and only Kerry of Olive & Emerald); the scene was made complete by a bride who looked as though she might have just wandered off the pages of a Vogue Magazine (a look that wouldn’t have existed without the incredible Amy of The Blushed Company).
All that gorgeousness was sure to give us quite the appetite, so you can imagine our excitement when our lunch arrived in the form of The Pairing Knife food truck!!! After ordering from a specially designed menu, we sat down to a charming picnic scene and enjoyed a delicious meal, inspired conversation, and lots of Vitamin D.
The weather was just too perfect to go back indoors, so once lunch was over we moved to the shade for a demonstration of all things post-processing. Right before we threw each lovely lady in FRONT of the camera for a valuable lesson in what it feels like....
As the sun began to sink towards the hills, we made a small trip up the hill to a view overlooking the green hills and valleys of Atascadero for styled shoot number two — a beautifully styled couple, head over heels in love. We were instantly obsessed with our model’s 2nd look which was styled by H&G Boutique with edgy jewelry and another perfect Wonderland dress by For Love & Lemons. It was so fun and inspiring to watch each and every photographer put what they’d learned into action and bring their own unique creative visions to life as we traipsed all over the hillside, cameras in hand. We hoped the sun would never set, because that would mean our day in Wonderland had come to an end.
Where else could we possibly finish such an dreamy day but gathered around a cozy corner table at Odyssey World Cafe downtown Paso Robles? We wanted for nothing — culinary delights, amazing local wine, and more belly-laughs than we could even handle.
What a day. WHAT A DAY.
We couldn’t have handpicked a better collective of dreamers to attend our workshop.
We couldn’t have imagined a better team of vendors & sponsors to bring our Wonderland vision to life.
We couldn’t have asked for a greater adventure.
It was perfect.
A dream come true.
And we already can’t WAIT to do it again.
We hope to see you next year at Linden Clover {The Workshop}.