Fairytale Wedding in a Mansion || Ryan & Charlotte @ Sun & Sparrow 2020 || Los Angeles Wedding Photographers
••• TELLING STORIES, SHARING LOVE •••
Fairytale Wedding in a Mansion || Ryan & Charlotte @ Sun & Sparrow 2020 || Los Angeles Wedding Photographers
Fairytale Oak Glen engagement // ©2017 Sun & Sparrow Big Bear wedding photographer
FROM THE GROOM // It all started with a swipe…
Dating has become a wonderful thing in the 21st century. As a single you have the ability to connect with a diverse set of people who have similar interests and values as yourself, and who live in your general vicinity, all with the flick of a thumb. That’s how this story starts… kind of.
On a rainy day in July almost 3 years ago, in their search for love and companionship, Tim and Esther both swiped right… little did they know that they were almost polar opposites; they came from different backgrounds, had different interests and approached life with very opposing mentalities. After 3 weeks of trying to arrange a first date, they realized two things that would define the greater part of the next couple years; (1) they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company and felt at ease chatting about the important stuff and (2) that they lived 100 miles apart, Tim up by New York, and Esther in Philadelphia. Most would have called it quits, and in fact Tim tried but Esther was resolute in her decision to meet and they surprisingly gave it a shot anyway… (Shout out to Coffee Meets Bagel for a massively failed geo-location component within their app LOL)
On August 2, 2014 Esther ventured for 3 hours up I-95 (in traffic) to visit Tim in Hoboken, forcing him to break his cardinal rules of first dates… I want to say it was all rainbows and unicorns when they first met, but that would be a blatant misrepresentation. Esther was… HANGRY at best and Tim was defeated.
Despite the odds being stacked against them, their time was filled with everything you’d want from a perfect first date; some Texas BBQ, live music, speakeasy crafted cocktails, some quality ‘getting to know you’ talk and most importantly a little karaoke and lot of laughs, all of which lead to the ENGAGEMENT.
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The Engagement // For months Tim told Esther time and time again that there was absolutely no point in getting married until they were ready to have kids… tax benefits or not, she still lived in Philadelphia and it just didn’t make sense. Behind the scenes, however, he was hard at work rallying their family and friends for the ultimate surprise.
On a stormy evening, October 22nd, 2016, Tim had promised Esther a much needed date night. He called her at work to make sure she’d be dressed for the fancy restaurant uptown that he knew she’d love, and like most of their story… things didn’t go that easy.
After a long day at work, with a storm brewing outside, Esther was in no mood to play dress up or listen to Tim explain why she needed to park the car and come up to the apartment before dinner. Eventually she folded and begrudgingly walked back home, fumbling with the house keys in frustration. Upon opening the door, the stage was set and four jack’o lanterns (as well as her then boyfriend) starred back at her, exclaiming “Will You Marry Me?”
Her answer: “Huh?… What?… No?!?… What?! Ummmm… is this for real? This better be real… if this is a joke that is not ok!”
And finally… after a couple more minutes of complete disbelief… she responded with a resounding “YES!”
With love, Esther
Eleana: Excited but also kind of stressed out. I’m mostly practical and I wanted to make sure that everything that could be controlled/handled were taken care of for the vendors and the guests. I was really looking forward to my friends coming to spend the morning with me while I got ready too; having the support of your ladies is so essential and since I didn’t have a wedding party, I was extra glad that they were taking the time out of their schedule to hang out. I was excited to see Mike (we slept in separate rooms the night before) and do the First Look, since I felt that would be a big moment for us.Mike: Felt normal the morning of the wedding. Met up with some friends and ate breakfast and got my hair done. As we were driving to the venue, got a bit more anxious, arrived at the venue and started to get ready. Just looking forward to getting to the venue so that I would be ready on time.
Eleana: First Look; I was nervous but also really calm. I hoped he would like my dress! When he turned around, he started crying and then I started crying (though probably not as much as him). I told him to stop since it would ruin all my make-up.Mike: We had a first look moment. I got emotional and had tears running down as I saw my beautiful wife in her dress. She looked beautiful and and dress had this long train that looked amazing.
Eleana: Probably when Mike was drunk and slid across the dance floor on this knees to give me a lap dance – it was definitely a goal achieved. The ceremony was really well done by both the pastor (who is Mike’s friend) and the reading done by my cousin. I think the moments with my dad were also really special – and of course, all the moments with friends. I definitely felt like I couldn’t/didn’t give anyone enough of the time that they deserved and I’m so thankful for all the help/love/support (even from some friends who weren’t able to make it to the actual wedding!). And some of the drunk people that had to be carried out (no names will be named).Mike: There were many favorite moments from the wedding day. The first look was unforgettable. Just seeing all our family and friends. The ceremony was good. The speeches were good. The food was good. Enjoyed drinking and dancing and just spending time with everyone.
Eleana: The venue, for one, was amazing. It definitely didn’t feel like we were in Los Angeles and we were transported somewhere else with our guests. The atmosphere of fun and happiness from our loved ones really contributed to the day; it was great knowing they were there for us and were celebrating our next step together. Though now that we’re married, it doesn’t feel any different than before (which I think is a good thing).Mike: The weather was perfect and the feel from the venue gave good energy. Did not seem like we were in a big city.
We love this session!
Enchanted Wedding With Twisting oaks // ©Sun & Sparrow Malibu wedding photographer
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