Secret Santa Barbara Elopement // ©2017 Sun & Sparrow Santa Barbara wedding photographers
••• TELLING STORIES, SHARING LOVE •••
Secret Santa Barbara Elopement // ©2017 Sun & Sparrow Santa Barbara wedding photographers
Justin and Kristen’s Destination Wedding at Mandalay Beach Resort was dreamy and magical and left us feeling warm and fuzzy.
We got a lot of decor inspiration by looking at beach weddings on Pinterest. Knowing that our wedding would be held on the beach, we wanted everything to have a soft/romantic look.
-Kristen
Kristen: My favorite moment of our wedding day was the ceremony as a whole. When the sun came out and blue skies appeared it was such an incredible experience. We were both filled with such excitement and couldn’t wait for our first kiss as husband and wife.
Justin: It’s hard to pick just one favorite moment, everything was so great. But if I had to pick one moment it would be when I got to see Kristen for the first time. She just took my breath away in that dress. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.
Venue: Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Resort
Photographer: Sun & Sparrow
Videographer : Sun & Sparrow
Wedding planner: Michelle Hirrel
Florist: Shells Petals
Makeup/hair: Brides by Diana
Wedding Dress: Marie Gabriel Couture
Barefoot sandals: Etsy: ByVivienn
Earrings: Givenchy
Groom shoes: Aldo
Grooms suit: BarIII
Groom tie: Michael Kors
Officiant : Kimber Wilkes
Bakery: Siblings bakery
GET IN TOUCH
Hi, I’m Ellie, a dreamer, and lover of romantic moments and unrelenting connections. In over 15 years of photographing weddings, my interest in photography has grown from simply making pretty pictures -to creating the most wonderful and powerful moments for kind and loving people, all the while capturing those permanent memories. Creating awe-inspiring imagery to match those unforgettable moments is my dream come true and I hope that by creating your wedding imagery together, we can make your wedding dreams come true too.
©2015 Sun & Sparrow // Etherial Elopement in Palos Verdes
FROM THE BRIDE // Andy’s original plan was to propose during a trip to Europe we were discussing for the Fall, but we found out that we were having a little one in the Fall instead so plans got bumped up. We kept our ceremony small because we didn’t have the leisure of time and funds for a bigger ceremony, but we plan on having a bigger, more formal event after our daughter is born and we’ve had some time to settle into our new family life. Our smaller wedding experience was great! God truly blessed us with all those around us and we have so much love and gratitude for everyone who has been a part of our lives and our day. There were minor hiccups along the way and on the day, but the main focus of the day was celebrating in joy and love and it was undoubtedly achieved.
Our inspiration was God’s love. We had nearly missed this important point, but thankful God is faithful and helped us refocus on what is important and so we wanted to make sure our marriage started in celebrating in God’s love for us and to have our loved ones be a witness and to be apart of it. We chose the verse, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate,” to be displayed boldly at the alter, but the lettering didn’t hold up and so we had to forego it this time, but our pastor included it during the ceremony so we were happy. As for the styling of the wedding, we kept it sweet and simple. One of the important details I wanted to accomplish was having my favorite flower, the Ranunculus be apart of the wedding. Otherwise we didn’t really sweat over details and just chose the things we were naturally drawn to. My favorite, most memorable part of our wedding day was when Andy cried during the vows. I wasn’t expecting it and I was so moved by it. I will cherish that moment forever. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t cry.. It was sweat ;). Umm I think my favorite moment was probably the first look.
If I could give one piece of advice to all the future brides and grooms out there, don’t strive, expect and demand perfection. Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and you can’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t miss out on enjoying the important things: family, friends and love. With that said, don’t settle either, if you know what you want, go for it, but know when to compromise and be flexible with changes and be open to suggestions.
I love being Andy’s wife. I love being called, “Mrs. Torres”. I love that we make even more of an effort to strengthen our relationship and stay God centered rather than just get comfortable and take each other for granted, and I pray that we will continue to do so even more after our daughter is born and life becomes a joyful chaos. Andy says that he loves being able to call me his wife and coming home to me everyday.
VENDORS: Coordinators: In Love Events // Photography: Sun & Sparrow // Flowers were acquired from the Original Los Angeles Flower Market and were arranged DIY style. // Rings: Modern Jewelry Mart in Torrance with the great help of Sam Pheng (best jeweler ever). // Cake: King’s Hawaiian by Luis MenendeZ // Dress and shoes were from Anthropologie // Grooms Suit: John Varvatos // Groom’s Shoes: To boot New York // Groom’s Belt: Ferragamo // DIY projects could not have been accomplished without the help by amazing friends: Danielle Taylor, Rochelle Taylor, Rhea Duncan and Tiffani Matsuura.
Mai is so beautiful! beautiful pictures.
VENDORS // Venue: Neighborhood Church, Palos Verdes // Photographer: Claudia Hurtarte, associate photographer of Sun & Sparrow Photographers // Wedding Dress: Alfred Angelo // Tux: Elite Tuxedo in West LA // Bride’s Hair: Laura Lawson – The Mane Hair Studio at Sola Salon Suites, Torrance, CA (specializes in curly hair) // Makeup: Rebeca of Organically at Your Best, Redondo Beach, CA // Flowers: Natural Simplicity
Dear Cameron and Michael, You a are the sunshine of my life, thank for this beautiful day, Mom
Dear Cameron and Michael, You a are the sunshine of my life, thank for this beautiful day, Mom
Such beautiful pictures. So happy for you both! Can’t wait to celebrate in Seattle. 🙂
Such beautiful pictures. So happy for you both! Can’t wait to celebrate in Seattle. 🙂
What a treat to see these beautiful photos from you wedding day. It looks like it was very special and intimate. Congratulations!
What a treat to see these beautiful photos from you wedding day. It looks like it was very special and intimate. Congratulations!
Amazingly beautiful photos of an amazingly beautiful couple!!! xoxo
Amazingly beautiful photos of an amazingly beautiful couple!!! xoxo
FROM WILL // We met over 6 years ago and went on our first date. The timing just wasn’t right, but the universe kept pushing us back together until we finally went on another date about 2 years ago. Since then, we have been inseparable and in love! We got engaged on the top of Rockefeller Center in NYC on December 30, 2012, after about a year of dating. Our love took us from our home of Albuquerque, New Mexico all the way to Ann Arbor, MI so that I could attend the University of Michigan’s PhD program in Educational Studies! We got married almost a year after our engagement on December 18, 2013, in Santa Ana, CA on the most perfect day possible: just the two of us jetted off to CA to experience our wedding and honeymoon before we headed back to NM to celebrate with friends and family!
©2014 Sun & Sparrow // Aliso Creek elopement photographer
Aliso Creek elopement photographer
Sun and Sparrow is happy to photograph your wedding, Family Session, Elopement, and more. Contact us and set up a meeting!