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Dan & Tiffani // Monopoly inspired styled anniversary session

Dan and I have been together for a long time. This past September will mark our 9 years together, but more importantly it has marked a significant landmark in our lives. We have been married for 5 years! As our 5 year mark has come and gone, there is so much for me to remember, but even more for us to look forward to. 5 years of learning and growing together; living and building our faiths together. It’s definitely been a journey, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. With so many amazing landmarks for us, I believe it is important to remember US, as we are now. Dan has supported me through all of my endeavors. I love this man, I love our puppy, and I love our life together.

To celebrate , I wanted to do something really special. A Monopoly inspired styled anniversary session seemed to be the most reasonable way for me, as a photographer and Dan as a monopoly lover, to celebrate us. When Dan and I thought through this idea, I wanted it to be our own with things that we loved.  Monopoly seemed a perfect fit for our anniversary session. First of all, we are quirky nerds who love games. Dan is a child at heart. He loves board games and playing them with lots of people! I love this about him. We always have someone over playing a game of Monopoly or sharing coffee over discussing past games. Dan even has a group of  Monopoly friends that gather every week to play!  Our house is always full of fun and laughter because of it. When it comes to me, I love all things vintage/parisian with a steampunk twist. To me, there is so much beauty in something weathered and old. I love rust, crumbling walls & old items that were once beautifully constructed. If you mix those old broken things with beautiful florals & lace, that’s where my heart is.

As we began to plan this monopoly inspired anniversary session, so many thoughts, vision boards, and DIY projects ran through my mind.  Being a wedding photographer, myself, I have seen many beautiful weddings styled by insanely talented designers. This project became overwhelming with the idea of putting this together all on my own. To help me get started, I brought this idea to Nicole from Nicole Alexandra Designs. She has always been an amazing person to work with at weddings. Her enthusiasm and dedication to her brides personal style is what drew me to her for this very unique project. The best part about Nicole, is that she guides ideas most beautiful realizations, building them into something personal and beautiful.  Nicole kindly edited my ideas, tied in so many beautiful ideas, florals, and vintage items and turned this styled shoot into what you see. She rallied some amazing vendors like Dish Wish Rentals, Sun & Sparrow Photography, & Cheryl Nacario (hair and makeup) behind this project.

  

The DIY projects were very important to me – making things by hand adds to each story and makes those personal details last. The main table with the sewing machine base, Dan and I built. We took the old petal sewing machine and an old piece of wood; sanded, stained & created a beautiful desk/table. The bow ties for the boys were next in line. For the puppy, a glittered bow collar that I made from an old belt and fabric sitting in my closet. Dan’s bow tie was simple, black and easy. His cufflinks were 4 separate pieces, two vintage cufflinks and two vintage gold monopoly hats that I fashioned together with special glue. I also made the cake topper & cupcake toppers, the “5 years” sign on top of the centerpiece, the “playing since 2008” cake topper, as well as made all of the paper goods myself. My favorite, and most personal, DIY project were the hand-painted cards. I absolutely love watercolor & calligraphy. Being that these are my free-time hobbies, this project was close to my heart and the perfect way for me to express my love for my husband.

I must talk about the details and fashion!  Laura from Dish Wish used her creative eye and provided us with fantastic vintage plates that correlated to each monopoly plot color.  Some of the other playful items were sourced from Anthropologie and from fabulous local vintage shops.  Both of the gowns featured in the shoot were Claire Pettibone Bridal Gowns.  These gowns fit me so beautifully, showing off my curves and natural beauty. They were truly works of art!  The gorgeous Hair and Makeup was done by talented Cheryl Nacario. From the braided bun to the beautiful red lips, she knew exactly what I wanted and pulled the entire shoot together. Dan’s amazing navy & black suit was from H&M.

On the day of the session, everyone really came together. Ellie and Claudia from Sun & Sparrow made the photo experience super fun and vibrant. While everyone was setting up each section of our session, these two girls were like a whirlwind. Taking photos of details and smiles, they helped Dan and myself feel very comfortable. She was able to set us up in snuggled poses as well as helped us smile and laugh at ourselves. Dan and I are honored that we were able to celebrate our 5 years of marriage together. We were even more honored that our friends were able to support us by styling, posing, painting, and laughing! Thank you to everyone involved in making this so memorable for the both of us.

 

Collaboration of concept by Tiffani from Sun & Sparrow and Nicole Alexandra Designs //  Styling and design by Nicole Alexandra Designs  //  Hair & Makeup by Cheryl Nacario // Photography by Sun & Sparrow  (Shot by Ellie & Claudia) // Cake and Cupcakes by Cake Bake Shop //  Flowers by Bride & Bloom Flowers // Vintage Dishes and Flatware by Dish Wish LA //  Dresses by Claire Pettibone // Suit by H&M

©2014 Sun & Sparrow Photographers  // So happy to have been a part of this Monopoly inspired styled anniversary session.

 ©2013 Sun & Sparrow Photographers // Monopoly inspired styled anniversary session

Collaboration of concept by Tiffani from Sun & Sparrow and Nicole Alexandra Designs //  Styling and design by Nicole Alexandra Designs  //  Hair & Makeup by Cheryl Nacario // Photography by Sun & Sparrow  (Shot by Ellie & Claudia) // Cake and Cupcakes by Cake Bake Shop //  Flowers by Bride & Bloom Flowers // Vintage Dishes and Flatware by Dish Wish LA //  Dresses by Claire Pettibone // Suit by H&M

6 comments
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  • Damaris Mia // Le Magnifique BlogFebruary 14, 2014 - 2:45 pm

    Oh my goodness! This is soooo adorable! Congrats to both of you 🙂 My husband and I have been together for 8 years and will celebrate 5 years of marriage in November!ReplyCancel

  • Eliana StamperFebruary 14, 2014 - 5:55 pm

    So beautiful, your dress was exquisite, your man so handsome. What a fun theme.cherished memories recorded. Excellent photography.ReplyCancel

  • DanieFebruary 14, 2014 - 7:06 pm

    Love love love!!! What a special documentation of love and marriage.ReplyCancel

  • Sia CooperFebruary 15, 2014 - 7:29 pm

    Love you two! Gorgeous!! This idea rocks. Beautiful couple!ReplyCancel

  • Christine SlopkoSeptember 3, 2014 - 4:49 pm

    Hi! I met you all on Sunday, I was Cheryl (makeup artist’s) Hair partner in crime, and I loved the way you guys worked together and kept things moving so I thought I would look you guys up!

    Our date is 4.4.15 in San Marcos at Twin Oaks Garden Estate and if you are available we would love to discuss the possibility to booking you for your special day.

    Talk soon, cheers!ReplyCancel

Kyle & Lauren // A Los Angeles Love Story lifestyle session

©2015 Sun & Sparrow Photography // A Los Angeles Love Story lifestyle session

FROM THE WIFEY // Kyle and I met in January 2013.  After a few months of “vacationing in relationship land,” we got married in July, exactly six months after our first date.  We eloped at the county recorder’s office and went out for sushi after.  We kept our marriage a secret for the next few months, partly because we didn’t want anyone to worry about our decision and partly to have a secret we could keep just for us.  By the end of the year, we were ready to tell people we were married, and our holidays were filled with lots of funny and awkward “surprise we’re married” conversations.

By summer the next year, we started looking for an apartment in downtown Los Angeles.  Kyle had always wanted to live in a loft, and I was missing the city life I fell in love with while living in NYC.  After an exhaustive search, we found the perfect place — a bright one bedroom with exposed brick, high ceilings, and a great view of the street.  We’ve been living there for almost a year now and absolutely love it.  It has speakers through all the rooms and plenty of space for our foosball table.  It also didn’t hurt that it was (RIP The Gorbals) across the street from one of our favorite restaurants and site of our third date.
As we settled in to our new place, we discussed getting a puppy.  We had been watching my parents’ puppy, but he was going to live with my brother.  One day in late March while I was stuck on a business trip, I came across a petfinder.com post for a very loving, sweet, cuddly pitbull boxer mix that had been abandoned on a ranch.  Kyle drove down to go see him and within a week, we brought home a 60-pound monster.  We knew right away that our new puppy, who we named Buddy, was the perfect addition to our family.  He likes watching us play video games and jumping on the bed to wake Kyle up.  He loves being lazy and sleeping under the pillows of the couch but also can’t resist chasing his favorite orange ball.
After realizing how quickly Buddy was losing his puppy face, we started discussing the idea of taking photographs to capture this moment in our lives.  We knew we wanted Buddy involved.  We thought about various places to take photos, but ultimately decided that the place that best captured us was our apartment.  I had known about Sun and Sparrow for a while and been following their work on their blog.  We contacted them and could not have been happier!  Tiffani was amazing to work with and all of us, including Buddy, had a wonderful time!
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