GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Koko Hanson-Dobbs blows out the candles on her birthday tea cake, surrounded by friends Katie Davis, left, Kristen Kelly, Christi Brasher and Monika Leeds.

Tea time sparkle

Mom, daughter take tea parties
on the road

Koko Hanson-Dobbs celebrated her eighth birthday in grand style, surrounded by a selection of teacakes, mini sugar cookies, cupcakes and tea sandwiches shaped like stars and hearts, and eight princesses in pearls, jewels, feathers, satin and oversized heels.

At their service was the mother-and-daughter team of Renee Rivera and Amber Rosenberg, who, as fans of high tea, decided to take their show on the road by offering traveling tea parties to other mothers and daughters.

It wasn't a career anyone would have imagined for Amber, who grew up as a tomboy.

"My daughter was not a girly girl and loved playing sports," said Rivera, who spent many hours on the baseball, soccer and softball fields with her daughter.

Their work allows them to spend just as much time together now that Amber is a teenager who's learning a different kind of teamwork.

"We're having fun doing this together. Maybe we're catching up for lost dress-up time," Rivera said with a laugh. "I can't do this alone and she is the perfect partner for me. We work well as a tea."

"It's fun doing something with my mother," Rosenberg said. "I'm glad we get to spend that time together."

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Kaiulani Agaron enjoys a sip of tea.

A TRAVELING TEA party starts with personalized invitations created for the birthday girl. On the set date, Rivera and Rosenberg arrive with a chest full of adult and children gowns, shoes, peacock feather hair accessories, fake fur stoles, scarves, feather boas, shoes, and rhinestone and faux pearl jewelry.

Once the guests arrive, they get to dress up, don makeup and put on a fashion show. Each guest is photographed for a keepsake photo.

"The most fun part about the parties is putting makeup on the little girls," said Rosenberg. "They look really cute when they're finished."

Appropriately dressed, the girls dine and sip tea (apple juice and lemonade).

Depending on the package ordered, the girls get to decorate their own mini heart cakes, or Rivera will bake the birthday girl a single custom cake to share with her guests.

A typical party runs about two hours. And there's no such thing as a rigid party schedule. "If they don't want to do a fashion show, then they don't have to. If they want to (play) dress-up longer and eat less, they can. The birthday girl has the lead in how the party will unfold."

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM The girls gather for a grown-up style high tea at birthday girl Koko Hanson-Dobbs' Wahiawa home.

HANSON-DOBBS, dressed in a flamenco dress, feathers and tiara, enjoyed the cake decorating most, while Kristin Kelly, 8, simply enjoyed spending an afternoon helping her friend to celebrate her birthday. "The best part was getting make-up on and picking out the perfect dress," Kelly said.

Meanwhile, Koko's mom, Martha Hanson, seemed to have found her own new best friends in Rivera and Rosenberg.

"They brought the food, dresses, entertainment and then cleaned up and left," Hanson said. "It's almost sinful. All I needed to do was clean my house."

Hanson said she enjoyed watching the girls "strike a pose" as they strutted up and down the hallway.

"Because of the dress up, I didn't have to worry about activities to keep (the girls) occupied," she said. "The girls giggled for two hours straight. And they had a good sense of style."

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Koko Hanson-Dobbs, Kristen Kelly, Christi Brasher and Monika Leeds prepare for a fashion show at Koko's eighth birthday party.