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Nicole Alexandra Designs // Los Angeles wedding coordinator

©2015 Sun & Sparrow Photography // Nicole Alexandra Events & Designs Los Angeles wedding coordinator

Nicole Alexandra Events & Designs is a premiere wedding coordinator and event designer based in The greater Los Angeles area, specializing her talents in the Beach Cities of California. She has been voted best of the South Bay, best of the Knot & Best of Wedding Wire for 3 years running now. She designs for big companies events, but loves intimate weddings where a bride’s true vision can shine.  This woman is an amazing designer with so much talent! We have worked with Nicole dozens of times and every time we do, she truly stands out with her passion for excellence. She can coordinate any event and turn any venue with any idea into something amazing! If you are looking for someone to help you plan your wedding or event from the beginning or even if you need someone to bring all of your ideas into reality, this woman and her team are the people to do it for you!!! Call Nicole Alexandra to make your wedding dreams come true!

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    Daniel & Ellen // Rustic Palos Verdes Engagement

    ©2015 Sun & Sparrow Photography //  Rustic Palos Verdes Engagement 

    FROM THE BRIDE // 
In 2010, Daniel (a 3rd year) and Ellen (a 1st year) met at a pharmacy fraternity meet & greet. While getting to know each other, Daniel tried to impress Ellen by cooking for her in the dorms; Ellen gave Daniel a “high-five” as a thank you, but she unknowingly confused him. She thought maybe a hug was too forward so early in their relationship, but Daniel thought the “high-five” meant friend-zoned. Eventually Daniel started to understand Ellen’s awkwardness, and after several “study sessions” (basically Ellen studying and Daniel playing video games), they made it official.
    During pharmacy school in Chicago, Daniel and Ellen enjoyed a lot of great food, sight-seeing, randomness (such as creating Build-A-Bears of each other), and cooking together. Though they met in Chicago, luckily both were from Southern California, even if it meant they had to continue their relationship long-distance after Daniel graduated. Through a lot of patience and hard work, they are blessed to both be working in West Los Angeles now.
    So how did they get engaged?? Well, Daniel had plans to propose to Ellen while celebrating their 4-year anniversary. Using a delicious steak dinner at Maestro as a cover, they started the day off with a picnic lunch on the beach. (The cover worked in terms of Ellen wearing a dress and Daniel wearing a blazer to the beach.) After walking around, Ellen noticed decorations set up along a deck. “How perfect!” she thought as the week had been full of downpour and gloomy weather. Looking more closely, Ellen noticed roses, greeting cards, and letters spelling out E-L-L-E-N hanging from terrariums. It took some hints from Daniel (such as “open the card, it’s for you”) for Ellen to realize it was for her and not another Ellen. After reading the cards and remembering their story through pictures, Daniel sang the song that he had written for her. Ellen had been asking for a song for 4 years; she thinks it was definitely worth the wait! By the way, did you know the beach was Crystal Cove, about 5 minutes from the wedding venue, [seven-degrees]!

    FROM THE GROOM // I had started to plan for the proposal about two months prior to the actual date. I wanted it to coincide with our four year anniversary so Ellen would not suspect anything. I made sure to first visit her parents as well as her brother to seek approval prior to proposing. With their blessing, I started devising what I wanted to do. I wanted something that would be meaningful and would have special significance only to us. I found a location in Crystal Cove in Laguna Beach that was overlooking the ocean and had very little foot traffic that could distract from the moment. I designed the area with five stations with little things in them that represented us. Each station had a greeting card (Ellen particularly loves greeting cards and she is one of the few people who actually keeps ALL the greeting cards that she receives), a rose, letters spelling out her name, as well as banana grams spelling out “Will you marry me Ellen?” (We started getting into board games more). In between each station, I placed pictures of the both of us of the various dates and activities that we had done for the past 4 years together. When we got to the end, I sang her a song that I had written for her (Ellen had always wanted me to write a song for her, and I felt that this was the perfect time to write it for her). I played guitar and sang the song for her and then went down on one knee to propose to her. She said yes and the rest is history!

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      Michael & Katie // Nautical inspired Long Beach engagement

      ©2015 Sun & Sparrow Photographers // Nautical inspired Long Beach engagement 

      FROM THE GROOM // I will never forget the day or especially the look on Katie’s face when I proposed to her… Lets take a couple steps back and look at the how…see Katie’s dad is known for not being able to keep a secret. So I had to make sure to time it perfectly… when I did end up asking him … he looked up at me with his warm smile on his face, gave me a huge hug, and told me

      “You are already my family and you know that, I wouldn’t have it any other way… I love you son”…. Followed by another HUGE hug.

      Now time to plan… I knew exactly what day I would do it… it had come up once before to a close friend many moons ago, it was a special day for Katie and I as it marked one year after we embarked on a journey of a lifetime together… Thailand. A trip we won’t stop talking about, it was a journey filled with: the unexpected, tons of laughter, & most of all unexplored territory… A little about me, I am a huge planner … I love things to be perfect to the T. So I had the date, but the “how” was stumping me… do I include her family, do I not… I began to just over think it… then a really good friend told me “Its not about the production, its about the memory.” … then the Aha moment kicked in… I knew it wasn’t a reality to go to Thailand again… but maybe I could recreate the feeling we had while we were there.

      November 11th, 2014… I can remember it like it was just yesterday… I woke up … ran to my empty old shoebox at the top of my closet just to make sure the ring was still hiding… then began the day just like any other … off to work… half way to work I got extremely nervous thinking what if she comes home early and finds it… so I drove all the way back and grabbed the ring… I had to keep it close to me. I started with talking to my friends exploring different ways to propose; one thing was in common with all of them. None of them were planned for Tuesday November 11th, but in my head it had to be today….

      I called Katie, well multiple times. To make sure for some FREAK reason she wouldn’t be coming home early… after I got off the phone I thought to myself… she must think I’m crazy.

      60 Roses //48 Edison lights //24 Candles // 2 Kang gar-ee dishes from our favorite Thai restaurant // 2 Moscow Mules // 1 Engagement Ring & THE Luckiest guy in the world

      Perfect recipe, I laid everything out all around the house… waited for her to come home and surprised her at the door. She walked in, and my heart started pounding so hard I thought she could feel it. Walked her through the house into the backyard where I had recreated Thailand for her… I had a speech all planned, not sure how that turned out but made sure to get the most important part out…

      Will you marry me?  //  She began to cry, repeating yes, yes YES! As I placed the ring on her finger.  //  Little did she know I had been recording the entire moment, and just with my luck…  //  She turns to the camera, not knowing, and says “ ITS GORGEOUS!”  //  … the moral of the story is … no matter how much you plan … no matter how bad you want it to be perfect…

      The part that matters is the memories you will make together, and with that said… I am the luckiest guy in the world to be marrying Katie Marie Zamora!

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        Ryan & Jenny // A colorful wedding on Catalina Island

        FROM THE BRIDE // Our wedding was wonderful (from what we’ve heard), although we can only remember little bits and pieces, oh if it was three times as long! The day went well; it was a beautiful sunny, 75 degree day on Catalina. Sans the boat ride over it seems everyone had a wonderful time. Everything ran smoothly and was well organized. Guests had fun chatting, enjoying the trail mix bar, the coffee reception, the guest puzzle, the views, the drinks, the music, the food, and the folks at their tables. The kids enjoyed the size of the space; plenty of room to run around!

        WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR WEDDING?  //  The inspiration was Catalina itself. I (Jenny) visited the casino when I was probably around 14 years old and went on a tour, on the tour the guide said that they hold weddings at the casino for a reasonable price (some things may have changed in the next 20 years). Since that day I decided, if I got a chance, I would get married at the casino on Catalina…and it came true!  Another inspiration was my Catalina Pottery collection, which was not only used as the vases for the floral arrangements around the event, but the colors of the 1940’s pottery inspired the colors of the wedding party’s attire, as well as the flower arrangements.  I also wanted people who have lived in the South Bay their entire lives, and have not taken the hour long boat ride to this magical island an opportunity to go and experience Catalina. It was our nearby destination wedding.

        WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE/FAVORITE PART ABOUT YOUR WEDDING DAY?  //   I (Jenny) think just being there, and watching everybody enjoy themselves. I love that it was a self-sufficient relaxed wedding, nothing seemed forced, nothing seemed delayed. The space was perfect for the entire event. I just wish it was longer! I also loved that people came from all over the country to our wedding! It was amazing the distances people traveled to be there for our special day, and not just that, but also pay for the boat ride across the sea to Catalina. Ryan’s favorite part was the entire wedding; he just wishes that he had more time to soak it in (we agree!).

        WHY WAS PHOTOGRAPHY IMPORTANT TO YOU AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SUN & SPARROW?  //  Sun and Sparrow were the first vendor we hired (after the venue). Photography is sooo important at a wedding, due to the inability to remember or experience the majority of the event. Photos fill in the spaces you can’t remember. And great photography is especially important, because it documents the occasion. This is how you (and people you show the photos to) will remember your wedding your entire life, and you want the best memories you possibly can have. We wanted to have these great, talented ladies as a part of our wedding.

        DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR BRIDES WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PLANNING PROCESS?  //   Don’t over plan. Remember the crowd mentality: if one person starts doing something, others will follow. You can’t control a crowd, you can just give them options so they don’t get bored. Sit back and enjoy the day, it will go smoothly if it’s well organized and people have things to look at. And even if it doesn’t, you won’t be able to remember much of it anyways, so hire a great photographer to take pictures for you. It also doesn’t hurt to look at pinterest for ideas, and know graphic design.

        WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF BEING MARRIED NOW?  //   Jenny – GETTING TO SEE RYAN EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!! It’s the best! Also, having Zoey (Ryan’s dog) as my stepdogter. Ryan– I think the best part is getting to begin the next chapter of our lives together.

        PLEASE COMMENT BELOW AND SHARE! TELL THESE TWO HOW MUCH YOU LOVE AND ADORE THEM BOTH! 

        ©2014 Sun & Sparrow Photographers // A colorful wedding on Catalina Island

        PLEASE COMMENT BELOW AND SHARE! TELL THESE TWO HOW MUCH YOU LOVE AND ADORE THEM BOTH! 

        ©2014 Sun & Sparrow Photographers // A colorful wedding on Catalina Island

        VENDORS  // Photography: Sun & Sparrow Photography //   Music: Kurt Hunter // Flowers: Bloom Floral  //   Cake: Rossmoor Bakery  // Bridesmaid Dresses / Groomsmen Ties / Groom’s Vest: Laura Heckman, socalseamstress@gmail.com  //  Pastor: Tim Morey from Life Covenant Church // Hair: Amanda Lezama – (310) 408-9465  //   Makeup: Larissa Singhoff  //  Santa Catalina Island Company Coordinator – Shannon Cook (she’s the best!)  //  Coordinator: Karen Courtney  //  Graphic Design: Jenny Cowell  //  Wedding Dress: Tara Keely  //  Groom / Groomsmen’s outfits/Bride’s Jewelry: Banana Republic

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        • Renee WeedmanOctober 20, 2014 - 10:01 am

          Way, way, way!!!! Did I mention “way” too hard to pick a favorite. Beautiful pictures because you two reflect beauty from within! God is so good … yup all the time!

          Love you both deeply, Aunt ReneeReplyCancel

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