Romantic Estate wedding at Bella Vista Groves // ©Sun & Sparrow Bella Vista Wedding Photographer
••• TELLING STORIES, SHARING LOVE •••
Romantic Estate wedding at Bella Vista Groves // ©Sun & Sparrow Bella Vista Wedding Photographer
Glamorous Los Angeles engagement // ©2018 Sun & Sparrow Los Angeles wedding photographers
FROM THE BRIDE: Born a Southern girl, I’ve always dreamed of something bigger and better. In 2012, I decided it was time. I packed up my dog and a group of friends and caravanned across the country to a new life in Los Angeles. A week later, I was sitting in orientation for my first day of graduate school. Little did I know, the love of my life was there as well. We were both hearing the same speech from a professor: “work hard, study hard” – all the usual things. The professor told our group to expect to make lifelong friends, and said that some of us might even end up marrying someone they meet at school. We both individually laughed off this last statement, thinking, “yeah right.” But actually, he was right…
Ben and I became friends the first week of school. We were in a similar social circle and chatted during late night cramming sessions. In the middle of our second year, we had a fancy school event and I needed a date. A true gentleman, he picked me up in a nice car, held the door for me, and bought me food and drinks. After that, as a true Los Angeles native, Ben took me on a whirlwind tour of the City that continues to this day. We went to the hottest restaurants, drank at dive bars that you see in old movies about LA, sang karaoke in Koreatown, became friends with servers at his favorite deli in the valley, explored canyons above the hills, and walked red carpets at award shows. Not only is he adventurous, but he is incredibly smart and charming. He is that tall, dark, handsome type that little girls only dream of. I fell in love with Ben and the new city I would call home.
Our adventure has continued for over four years. In April 2018, he took me to New York City to see a Broadway show. On our last night, we were late-night dining at a quintessential New York restaurant where Buddy Holly proposed to his wife. As we were headed out to meet up with some friends, he caught me by surprise. He took a knee, opened a box, and asked me to marry him. Needless to say, I said yes, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. I cannot wait to see what is in store for us as we embark on this next chapter in LA together – as husband and wife.
I met Rachel in August of 2015 at a Mariners game in Seattle, I had gone to the ball game by myself after friends bailed on me. Halfway through the game with the Mariners doing what they did best, losing, I decided to go get myself some food and a beer. The concession lines didn’t move any faster than the Mariners did on the field so I had time to look around and listen in on conversations around me. I did a double take when I saw Rachel standing in front of me talking to a couple friends, her smile was infectious, and she was hilarious. I found myself smiling listening to her crack joke after joke. One of them I couldn’t help myself and I busted out laughing. It was at that point she looked and me and my stomach instantly felt like it had a million butterflies in it. I was in disbelief that such a beautiful girl had even noticed me, I was dressed like a single guy would in cargo shorts, athletic sneakers, and a blue v-neck t shirt. Rachel didn’t seem to mind though and we struck up a conversation that made the Mariners losing yet again seem like a win for me!
Fast forward through 3 and a half years of trips, adventures, and moving in together I made the most nerve wracking decision of my life. I hadn’t even felt so nervous raising my right hand to join the Navy. I had to ask her parents blessing to have their daughter’s hand in marriage. I took them to dinner at a fancy restaurant and was ready to say it. We probably sat there for at least a couple hours, talking about Rachel and our lives, they surely knew what I was trying to say. I must have drank two gallons of water, my mouth was as dry as a desert. I finally asked the question in a dry raspy voice, and much to my relief, they gave their blessing.
Now that I had their blessing, I needed Rachel to say yes. A vacation to Europe seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask Rachel to be my wife and best friend for life. Something about it didn’t feel personal to me, I wanted something we would truly remember forever. Rachel grew up riding and loving horses, I myself had been on a horse once in my life, but I knew my proposal had to involve horses. I searched around and found a trail ride through the beautiful Topanga Canyon, I knew that was it. The ride was incredible, I was snapping picture after picture of Rachel to record the memories forever. Rachel probably knew something was up and may have been nervous when our ride reached the top of one of the mountains, I had planned this out though, I didn’t want her to see it coming, and the top of a mountain? This isn’t a hallmark movie, I had a better idea in mind. We rode all the way back to the stable, under the guise of getting some carrots for the horses I left Rachel standing by her horse. The plan was to distract her so I could retrieve the ring and sneak up behind her. My plan worked flawlessly, I went down to one knee and said Rachel to her, she turned around and nearly fell over backwards in amazement as I asked the love of my life to be my wife forever, to be my best friend….she said yes!
Dylan and I met back in 2015 at a Seattle Mariners baseball game. We were both standing in line at one of the concession stands waiting to buy some overpriced nachos and hot dogs. I remember seeing a guy behind me that just took my breath away. He had the most gorgeous red hair I had ever seen! I tried to play it cool but I just wanted to stare. He must of felt someone staring at him because he looked over and we made eye contact and boy, did I blush! He smiled at me but I didn’t have the courage to say anything to him yet. I went back to talking to my friends and at some point I made a joke about the price of the food and Dylan heard me and started laughing too. We chatted and he offered to buy me my snacks. We really hit it off and talked the entire game! We exchanged numbers before parting ways and i was so excited to hear from him. His first text to me said “howdy!” and the rest is history.
3 ½ years later, Dylan took me on a romantic horseback ride through Topanga Canyon in Malibu and after the ride in the stables surrounded by horses, he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife and best friend forever. We’ve traveled, moved states, and experienced life together and i can’t wait for the next chapter.
Dylan & Rachel were such a fun loving and vibrant couple. We absolutely adore these two! When we spoke with them, we knew they were an adventurous couple that wanted a candid-feeling fairytale engagement. With couples who want a whimsical and fairytale engagement, we know that they hope to capture their love story. We want each photography story to be unique to our couples. We love hearing each love story and recommending locations, outfits, and flowers. Dylan & Rachel love hiking, the beach, and being outdoors. They love the simplicity of holding hands, and snuggling after a long hike. Together, we decided to photograph a romantic coastal engagement in Palos Verdes, CA. We love this location because it has a unique landscape, similar to Big Sur. We adore the rocky cliffs and low tides. They make any adventure truly magical!
My Vendors | Photography: Sun & Sparrow engagement and wedding photography | Makeup: Ulta Beauty | Gowns: Lulu’s
Long Beach newborn photographer // ©2017 Sun & Sparrow Long Beach family photographer
FROM HIS MOMMY // “Welcome to the world, our beautiful baby Tyson.
I never thought I could love someone so much and that little person has done absolutely nothing so far! He eats, sleeps, poops and repeats it all. Yet, he lights up our world and warms our hearts. The rare occasions when he offers up a beautiful smile, like when his daddy softly strokes his head or his mommy lightly kisses his cheeks, make getting no sleep and being constantly on alert to make sure he’s safe, happy and healthy worth it ten times over.
It was incredible to hold him for the first time; right when he came out, he was placed on my chest, a tiny little human being, very warm and very strong already. It was surreal! 8 months of getting to know him inside of me was nothing compared to the first month of getting to know him now. I can’t wait for the rest of his life. He will become who he is because we took care of him, nourished him, cherished him and we abundantly loved him. And because God has already been protecting him and blessing him this whole time. It is the most amazing feeling, to be a parent. Having Tyson in our lives has changed absolutely everything. He’s our rainbow baby.”