Tag Archives: rustic

Mike & Angelica // Romantic Hurst Ranch Wedding

FROM THE GROOM // From the start, Angelica and I both shared a love for traveling. We had the opportunity to visit Taiwan during the first year of our relationship and since then have traveled together often. So when it came time to select a wedding theme, we both agreed that incorporating travel was a must. We also wanted every other aspect of the wedding to be representative of who we are and of what we love. Ultimately we planned a wedding that incorporated travel, pugs, and basketball.

When we began to look for venues we decided that we didn’t want an elegant sit-down dinner at a banquet hall and despite knowing that we would end up with 200+ guests, we wanted a venue that felt homey, welcoming, and intimate. Hurst Ranch fit the bill perfectly because it was simple and Bashful Butler, its sole caterer, offered a BBQ buffet menu that would make our wedding feel more like a backyard BBQ with family and friends.

Although we decided on the venue first, photography was the most important piece for us. It would capture the amazing memories from our wedding day and allow us to relive every moment for many years to come. We spoke to a few photographers, but after seeing Sun & Sparrow’s portfolio and meeting Tiffani for the first time, we knew that they were the ones we wanted to share our day with. Tiffani was caring, thoughtful, and genuine in our meetings. Also, as proven by our experience with them on our engagement shoot, she and Ellie were creative and great at coming up with shots that showcased our personalities and captured our emotions. Ellie and Tiffani were more than just our photographers, they helped with many aspects of our wedding and on many occasions brought up things that we never considered. We even found our DJ and Angelica’s hair and makeup stylist through them. We can’t thank them enough for all the amazing work they did.

For me, the most memorable moment about our wedding day was seeing Angelica walk down the aisle. It was the first time I saw her since the night before the wedding and more importantly it was the first time I saw her in her wedding dress. She truly looked like an angel and I knew that I was the luckiest man in the world.

My favorite part about being married now is that I get to call Angelica my wife. It just feels so right and it continues to make me smile every time I say it. I also think that I can speak for the both of us when I say that it’s amazing to have our weekends back. Too bad basketball season is over. Still, it is great to be able to go to the beach and go hiking on weekends with our pug Baron. We also have more time now to plan our next trip, our honeymoon in Maldives.

VENDORS // Venue and Caterer: Hurst Ranch & Bashful Butler // Dress: David’s Bridal // Jewelry: Mother of the Groom Gifts // Shoes: Nordstrom Enzo Angiolini // Headpiece: Hushed Commotion // Bridal Hair and Make-up: Cheryl Nacario // Bridesmaid Dresses: LA Fashion District // Groom/Groomsmen’s Suits: Macy’s Kenneth Cole Reaction // Groom/Groomsmen’s Ties: The Tie Bar // Floral: Mindy On // Day of Coordinator: With Love B // DJ: Ovation Entertainment // Cake: KG Bakery // Rentals (Chairs): Party On Rentals // Photo Booth: The Perfect PhotoBooth

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Mai & Andy // 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.

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Johanna Naverrete
Mai is so beautiful! beautiful pictures.ReplyCancel

Mario & Julie // Wilderness engagement in Yosemite

HOW HE ASKED // FROM THE BRIDE // I was on my way up to the observatory to watch a show at the planetarium. According to me I was there helping a friend get extra credit for school and I was promised a michelada and kbbq after the show. Mario had gone out with his best friend that day, and since my friend drove us to LA I let Mario take my car. On my way up I ran into my cousin (which I thought was weird but didn’t think anything of it) and I asked what he was doing there. He said he was meeting up with his friends. After talking for a minute we parted ways and I started to comment to my friend how he observatory is a really popular spot and I wasn’t surprised to run into him. As we were waiting for the bathroom (because I have a teeny tiny bladder) I happen to see Mario’s brother and his girlfriend. I got really excited to see them one last time before they went back home to Merced. I started to think how strange it was that I’d run into more people I know. I started asking why they were there and the answer was “we were so amazed by Interstellar that we just wanted to stop by” I had watched the movie as well so I figured “aaaaha that makes total sense”. As we were walking they began to slow down and well I was in a hurry trying to catch a show so I said my good byes and we took off (speed walking), my eyes were dead on the door I really wanted to make it to the last show. As I’m walking toward the entrance I feel someone grab my hand and to my extreme surprise it was Mario! I was beyond confused and when I saw tears in his eyes I began to get scared (my car? Chris?). I wasn’t understanding what was going on and I kept asking him but he was so emotional he couldn’t talk. So I keep asking him “Mario are you ok?” He nods yes and drops down on his knee. I remember looking around, where did my friend go? And then I see a huge crowd of people (family and friends) and everything starts to make sense. He tells me how much he loves me, I start to get nervous, happy, excited and shocked all at the same time. It was such a rush of emotions I thought I was dreaming. Of course I said yes. It was one of the most confusing day of my life! I had been fooled for almost an entire week, and everyone knew except me. I’m happy I didn’t spoil the surprise because there were tons of clues but I somehow managed to miss them (or find justification) for all of them. I know I’m so lucky to have such an amazing man in my life.

HOW HE ASKED // FROM THE GROOM // I had been planning the proposal for close to a month. I had already told all of our friends and family about the details of the proposal and I felt very excited about it all. I wanted to plan out the perfect proposal and wanted it to be complete surprise for her. I managed to get everyone in on it and even had her friend Jessica make an excuse to hang out so that she wouldn’t catch on to the master plan. My friends Danny and Chris met me at my house and we drove up to the observatory. The original plan was for everyone to meet at the observatory at five, but when I got to the observatory there was a really long line. I had to park the car about half a mile away from the observatory but besides all this I still felt calm. I met up with all of our family and friends and explained to them the plan for the proposal. After waiting for about 20 minutes her friend Jessica text me to let me know that they were there, I informed everyone and began to feel a little nervous but I still felt fine. After waiting for another 20 minutes I saw Julie walking down the walkway up to the observatory and I turned around so she wouldn’t see me and patiently waited for her to get closer. Once I heard her voice I grabbed her arm, it was at that moment that I began to feel very emotional about the whole thing. I had a whole speech planned out but I felt so overwhelmed with emotions I couldn’t get all my words out. I told her that I loved her and then I got down one one knee, I remember seeing her face filled with so much excitement and as she began to get watery eyed all of our family and friends came out from hiding. I have to admit that the rush of emotions i felt at the time of proposal definitely comes from the overwhelming feelings i have for Julie. I am very blessed and fortunate to soon call her my wife.

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Sandra Pleitez
Every time I read this amazing proposal I start crying it is beautiful
I I wish you the very best you both are in my prayers every day congratulation and may God bless this beautiful Union.
IReplyCancel

Bill & Lauren // Simple + Rustic Walnut Grove Wedding

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Joel & Ariana // Rustic engagement in Yucaipa, CA

FROM THE BRIDE // Nothing says opposites attract more than me and Joel. We actually met as silly, quirky pre-adolescents on a missions trip to Mexico with our church. He wanted to date me early on, but I said no because I wasn’t allowed to until I was 16! Joel had to wait a few years (poor guy), but this was good because we got to know each other as good friends. My feelings for him took time because I was raised in a family that took relationships and marriage very seriously. During high school, I was drawn to how Joel projected integrity and maturity to me and our peers. He was a strong believer in Christ like I was, and he was selfless in his serving towards others. I remember in 10th grade, there was this time of day when Joel and I would cross paths on the way to classes, where he would always stop to give me a hug. As days passed, I became more and more excited for his hugs. They were always what got me through that drooling hour of math class. Finally, when I was 16 1/2, Joel asked me to be his girlfriend on the way to a Sixth Flags church trip. We shared both of our first kisses with each other and have been dating ever since (6 years now!).

I love that in our relationship we complement each other’s differences. I am very enthusiastic, spontaneous, and outgoing, while Joel is very stoic, calm, and quiet. He has been my rock in my most stressful times, and I have been his joy in his most broken times. Though we have our differences, we know that what we share is our love for God. We are definitely competitive with each other, especially in sports and games. And we also love to go on walks, go to the movies, and play with my nieces and nephew. Joel has always been very patient in sharing me with my family and friends, and he has always encouraged me to pursue my own passions and dreams. I love how God has grown and molded our high school sweetheart relationship into something so beautiful and complementary.

FROM THE GROOM // I met Ari on a bus ride to Mexico for a missions trip when we were 12 years old. As crazy as it sounds, I knew then and there that she was a girl that I wanted to pursue. It didn’t happen immediately, but 4 years later our lives and friendship had developed to the point that we were able to start our romantic relationship. We started dating in 2008 and I can honestly say that these past 6 years have been the best of my life, and that is in large part to the amazing girl I have been able to spend them with.

Ari is the most empathetic person I have ever met. It is probably the quality that made me really fall in love with her. She feels so strongly for other people, and she is an inspiration to me every day take others needs and feelings into account when I am living my life. I also love how willing she is to challenge me to grow in areas that I struggle in (usually having to do with social settings). I think that is a really special aspect of our relationship. We can challenge each other without ever fearing backlash. We trust each other and want to continually grow as a couple and as individuals. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life growing with my best friend.

HOW HE ASKED // My family had planned a big trip in June to my one of my favorite places in the world, Lake Powell. This was Joel’s second time coming on the trip. I wasn’t anticipating an engagement yet, thinking it would happen later in the year. I went ring shopping for fun a few months before with a mentor of mine, and I showed Joel a few pictures of rings I liked. Little did I know he would buy one of those rings weeks later. He kept my family in suspense, having asked my dad’s permission back in April, so whenever my family knew we were hanging out, they thought this was it, Ari’s engaged for sure. Of course, I was completely oblivious to all this, so I went to Lake Powell thinking it would be a fun trip spent with family and Joel.

So, on our second day at Lake Powell, Joel took me on a hike up Rock Creek Canyon. We got pretty far and decided to rest before we went back down the trail. We talked and enjoyed the beauty around us. It was a nice, peaceful moment. Then I asked Joel if we should head back down, to which he replied “Hold on, I have to go to the bathroom first.” (Very romantic right? Haha) So I’m waiting and he comes back from behind a boulder and says “Ari, I found a cool rock over there, I brought it over to show you.” And then I look down and notice a ring in his hand. It hit me, Joel’s proposing, right now, right here, that’s not a dirty, brown rock, it’s a diamond rock! And all I could say was “Joel what are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing? JOEL” He then asked me if I would marry him and my first response was, “Did you ask my dad first?” After I got the confirmation, I said yes. And finally, after 5 ½ years, we are engaged! I am beyond excited to begin this new adventure together!

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Welcome To The Blog

Tag Archives: rustic

Mike & Angelica // Romantic Hurst Ranch Wedding

Mai & Andy // Etherial Elopement in Palos Verdes

Mario & Julie // Wilderness engagement in Yosemite

Bill & Lauren // Simple + Rustic Walnut Grove Wedding

Joel & Ariana // Rustic engagement in Yucaipa, CA