Tag Archives: inspired

Ben & Aubrey // Romantic Mansion wedding at the Ebell of Los Angeles

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FROM THE BRIDE // After a year of planning our dream wedding, it took almost a week for Ben and I to fully debrief our wedding experience together. One of his favorite recollections was just before our first look: he not only heard the click-clack of my footsteps, but also realized that he could hear his heart beating from excitement and anticipation. Those felt like the longest 20 seconds of his life, and he knew things were about to get real. I could relate: as I tapped him on his shoulder and saw his face light up, I suddenly felt a sudden wave of eagerness and joy. When the processional began, I walked toward him once again, this time as he stood beneath our lush, fragrant chuppah, before our family and friends. It might have been because of the lighting during the ceremony, but the only thing we could really focus on was each other. He took my hand as we said our vows—never without a wide, gleeful smile across our faces.

The rest of our wedding can only be described as a magical blur! Although we spent a lot of time and energy painstakingly picking out ivory linens, white and blush floral arrangements, signature cocktails and decadent meals for our timeless affair, we didn’t get a chance to focus on any single detail that day. The best part of our wedding reception was seeing the Cheshire cat grins on our guests’ faces, as they danced the night away and knew they were part of the most special night of our lives.

Our advice for engaged couples is simple: You prepare for how you think you should feel during your wedding, but how you anticipate feeling is nowhere close to the overwhelming happiness you’ll experience as your wedding is actually happening (or recreating those feelings afterward while you look at your pictures). Stay in the moment, and take my Nana’s words to heart: don’t sweat the small stuff—it’s all small stuff.

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MY VENDORS:

Venue & Caterer: The Ebell of Los Angeles

Coordinator: Amy Greenberg Events www.amygreenbergevents.com

Photographer: Sun & Sparrow www.sunandsparrow.com

Videographer: HD Studio www.hdstudioart.com

Florals: Loris Flowers www.lorisflowers.com

Invitations: Signature Imprints www.signatureimprints.carlsoncraft.com

Rentals: Elegant Designs Specialty Linens Inc www.elegantdsl.com

Desserts: Susie Cakes www.susiecakes.com

Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuillier www.moniquelhuillier.com

Bride Details: Nadri Jewlery and family heirlooms

Hair & Makeup: Lucy Muradyan @lucyritam

Bride Shoes: Jimmy Choo @jimmychoo

Groom Suit: Custom Tuxedo from Carroll & Co. of Beverly Hills www.carrollandco.com/

Groom Details: Mont Blanc Cufflinks and Pen www.montblanc.com

Groom shoes: Santoni www.santonishoes.com

Bridesmaids dresses: Wtoo www.watters.com

Groomsmen suits: The Black Tux www.theblacktux.com

Pianist: Emily Grace www.emilygraceonkeys.com

DJ: DJ Crash www.djcrash.com

Ring makers: Eytan Brandes, Eytan’s & Vartan and Lucy Nazarian, Pyramid Diamond

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3 comments

Della White Photography
Beautiful photos, everything is just gorgeous!ReplyCancel
- SunSparrow
  Thank you Della! You are so sweet. So appreciated!ReplyCancel
Lori
Such an honor to work on this wedding and what a fabulous job you did documenting it! Let me know if it’s possible to get some high resolution flower photos and I’d be happy to feature them with your photo credit . I’m in the process of putting together a new website and we now have a brand new cooperative workspace called The Wedding Hub.
I look forward to hearing from you and working together again,
Lori Mark
Lori’s Flowers
Lorisflowers1@yahoo.com
818.512.7820ReplyCancel

Rob & Sandy // Fairytale wedding at Oak Canyon Nature Center

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FROM THE BRIDE // I was actually surprised at how calm and aware I was. When I saw Robert for our first look, I thought it was so funny that he looked more nervous than me! I was super blessed to have a great wedding coordinator, my mom, my maid of honor and my bridesmaids (and bridesmen) who took care of me and made sure I had nothing to worry about. Robert and I loved that so many of our friends and family could be there, especially since a lot of them are from out of town. We can’t imagine a better day.

One thing that I remember best was our first dance. I absolutely loved that moment of pure bliss. All of the stress of the wedding had completely melted away and it was just us for that moment. I sigh just thinking about how special it was. Robert says that our first look did the same for him… But I beg to differ. 🙂

When considering my wedding day, I wanted all of my decor to have a whimsical and woodland feel. I’m from New Jersey originally, where there are lots and lots of trees. When I showed some Californians my hometown on Google Earth, they said, “you lived in a FOREST!!” I would have never called it that myself, but I guess that explains why I like trees! I guess that’s what I loved about this venue – all the greenery and the way it plays with the light. Robert and I also got to know each other in the beginning while hiking and biking in a lot of Orange County’s parks, so the park scene was very meaningful to us in that way.

If I could offer brides one bit of advice, I would love to offer one thing, definitely go with your gut, and stick with it. Don’t go on Pinterest late at night. And make sure you carve out time for just you and your new husband on the Big Day! We are so thankful for our first look and our private limo ride!

MY VENDORS:

Ceremony Venue: Oak Canyon Nature Center

Reception Venue: Orange Hill Restaurant

Coordinator: Kimi Wislocki of Perfect Planning

Photographer: Sun & Sparrow @sunandsparrow

Videographer: Michael Khein with One of a Khein videography, @oneofakheinmedia

Florals: Kevin Reeder @kevinreeder

Invitations: vintagesweetdesign on Etsy

Calligraphy: Michelle Shaw, @michelleshaw

Desserts: Patty’s cakes, @pattys.cakes

sweetheart cake by Patrick Reese of @patthebakerman

Wedding Gown: Ferndales Bridal, @ferndalesbridal

Makeup: Flawless Faces, Inc. @flawlessfacesinc

Hair: Madison Bourne, @madhair_

Bride Shoes: Lucky brand shoes

Groom Attire: Friar Tux Shop, @friartux

Bridesmaids dresses: Bridesmaid dress maker, Bella Bridesmaids @bellabridesmaids #bellafreehold @jennyoon

Ring makers – NGY Jewelry in Orange, CA.

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Chris & Monica // Romantic Palos Verdes engagement

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Christopher and Monica met in Scottsdale, Arizona at a casino one lucky Sunday afternoon and instantly became good friends. Monica who grew up overseas as the daughter of a Chef has always kept food close to her heart both in profession and pleasure, while Christopher gained his culinary chops in some of the best restaurants in Chicago. Christopher quickly became enticed by Monica’s quick wit, her vast repository of literary and pop-culture knowledge, and of course her beauty. He knew quickly that only she was for him. Monica found Christopher equally charming, a rare breed of man, a handsome old soul who poured his heart into his brilliant writing and cooking and had an unbridled passion for music. They spent many a night looking at each across from restaurant dining tables and sharing laughs in between sips of wine. They continued to grow in their friendship and passion for each other, but unfortunately, their paths would take them separate ways when Christopher left for grad school in Chicago and Monica left for Los Angeles. But the best was yet to come.

While maintaining a friendship over 3,500 miles would cause most to grow distant, for Christopher and Monica it actually made them much closer. One night while musing over their current physical separation, Christopher declared that he no longer just “wanted” to see Monica but “needed” to see her. The next day he bought the first non-stop plane ticket from Chicago to California. It was during that spontaneous weekend trip in San Diego that Monica and Christopher’s romance began to blossom and they first expressed their love for each other.

After a few more months of dating long-distance and frequent trips back-and-forth, Christopher invited Monica to Maui for Christmas. While on the island, Christopher enacted a plan to ensure that Monica and he wouldn’t have to spend much more time apart. On December 19th, 2014 after a sunny day on the white shores drinking Hawaiian beer and planning a future together, Christopher asked Monica to join him to watch the Pacific sunset. Monica was running late, as usual, but when she arrived outdoors, Christopher was just standing there patiently and smiling. Holding a glass of red wine, he extended his hand for her to come join him. As her hand reached his, “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding started to play from Christopher’s carefully planned playlist. A long-time favorite song of the couple Christopher drew her close and asked if he could have this dance. To the sounds of the King of Southern Soul, the smells of sweet plumeria, and a golden fiery sunset, Christopher got down on bended knee and asked Monica to be his dance partner for the rest of their life. He told her she was someone that he wanted to spend every morning and moment with, and never another day apart. Through many joyful tears and soft kisses, Monica hugged him and exclaimed “Yes!”. They both realized that although life is often carefully planned, the best things are the unexpected and unconditional things that forever change your plans.

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1 comment

Tom Robak
You guys are the best! Great shots!ReplyCancel

Nick & Heather // Etherial destination wedding in Paso Robles

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FROM THE BRIDE & GROOM // We could not have asked for a more perfect day or location to get married. We got married at the beautiful Calipaso Winery in Paso Robles. It was the most beautiful and etherial destination wedding in Paso Robles, ever. On our day, the sun was shining and the temperature was a perfect 78 degrees. Our wedding party stayed with us at Calipaso Winery & Villa. My girls came over to our “Winemakers Suite” to get all dolled up and more importantly, to spend quality time with me drinking bubbly in our matching robes while the boys relaxed by the pool. The hours before the wedding turned out to be better than I could have imagined. Knowing I would likely be anxious, Nick surprised me with little notes, cards and meaningful gifts throughout the morning. We both finalized our vows and prepared for a moment we had both dreamt about for our whole lives— the first look.

Even ‘Mother Nature’ was excited during our “first look” moment as gusts of wind swept through the property as I approached my husband-to-be. Although both my veil and hair we a bit unruly due to the wind, it made the moment even more memorable. My heart was racing from both nerves and excitement. Despite instructions to tap him on the shoulder, I was too eager to his smiling face and decided instead to run and hug him. One of the most incredible moments was when we took a moment to look around to see our vision come to life. After a few romantic photos, we went to our staging areas before the start of the ceremony. It was surreal walking down the aisle to see all our friends and family sitting there, dressed to the nines, to support us on our special day.

Our flower girl was adorable, our ring bearer waved to the crowd while cruising down the aisle in his red Radio Flyer Wagon and our dog, Nala, stole the show when she came down the aisle in in her white doggy wedding dress to the “The Circle of Life” song from the Lion King. Our best friend presided over the wedding and knocked it out of the park. Listening to the beautiful vows we wrote to each other for the first time was the highlight of the ceremony. Before we knew it, we were kissing as husband and wife and heading off to party. The appetizers, the food, the specialty cocktails were perfect…even better than we imagined. Another special moment was when we got to sit together at our sweetheart table, alone, looking around at all of our closest friends and family, together at once, to celebrate with us. It was magical. After beautiful toasts from our siblings, cake, and an amazing donut bar we all danced the rest of the night away. The entire day was a dream from beginning to end. In fact, everyone had so much fun they have asked us to get married every year.

If I could say I had one favorite moment from our day was our first dance. Neither of us is the best dancers and only got to practice a few times before the wedding. But when our song came on, we forgot everything we practiced and just had fun with it. We sang the words to the song to each other and just danced as if nobody was watching. We even did the “Dirty Dancing” lift at the end.

The theme of our wedding was lemon and lavender. Calipaso is a beautiful Tuscan inspired yellow villa surrounded with vineyards and lavender. Being that my mother’s side of the family is from Italy, and lemons are plentiful in Italian decor, it was a fitting theme. Our cocktails, food, cake, invitations, decor etc. all drew upon our lemon-lavender theme. It all came together so beautifully. The best part about wedding planning was spending a year planning every detail of a wedding together brought us so much closer. Often times, we thought to ourselves, “if we can plan all of this together, we will be able to do anything together. We were there for each other every step of the way. Nick even helped with the arts and crafts!!!

I would love to offer a little advice to upcoming brides planning their weddings. Organization is critical…especially if you are not going to have a full-time coordinator. We created spread sheets to track invitations, guests, budgets and we also created a very detailed itinerary and style board to help our vendors understand our vision. Most importantly, although it is no doubt stressful, try to enjoy it all. It truly is the most exciting time of your lives. If it gets overwhelming, step away and share a bottle of wine or go on a great date with your fiancé…it will help to remind what all the hard work is for.

MY VENDORS:

Wedding Venue: Calipaso Winery

Photography: Sun & Sparrow www.sunandsparrow.com

Dessert: The Cakery www.slocakery.com

Event Coordinating: Kramer Events www.kramerevents.com

Transportation: Slo Safe Ride Transportation www.slosaferide.com

Hair & Makeup: Twist Hair Salon and Spa www.twistway.com

Donuts: Slo Donut Company www.slodoco.com

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