Erika Lilley & Jeff Walker's Gorgeous Sunset Wedding

This could just as easily have been named "The Many Expressions of Erika Lilley Walker!" as I've never seen a more boisterous bride with a wider range of expressions than Erika. However, the moment when Erika won my complete and bemused respect was when she got down in the middle of the dance floor during the reception and started doing push-ups in her wedding gown. You gotta love it! As best friends in love and life (she's a fitness trainer and he's a coach) Erika and Jeff have boundless energy and enthusiasm for sports and all things athletic...which always makes for a fun celebration!  

I have to give thanks to friend and longtime client, Kathleen Barry, for having connected me with Erika and Jeff (who were planning their Santa Barbara winter holiday wedding at The Rincon Beach Club, a gorgeous and intimate venue in the seaside community of Carpinteria). It was only because of her that I know them both and was there to photograph their wedding. Big thanks to you, Kathleen!  

As you'll see from the photos and slideshows, Erika and Jeff are surrounded by a beautiful group of friends and family who delighted in watching this very much in love couple celebrate their nuptials.

I'm very much looking forward to helping them celebrate the next many years of co-creating your lives together! It was truly a pleasure photographing you both on a very special day! 

To look at the full gallery of all of the photos or to purchase prints from their wedding just click here: http://rsthurston.zenfolio.com/lilleywalkerjpegs

Hoping you and your loved ones enjoy these super fun slideshows!
*If the music doesn't come on when you click on the "play" (arrow button in the middle of the window below) then refresh your browser and click on "play" again.
**To make the slideshow full frame (recommended) just click on the rectangular icon in lower right hand corner of the slideshow window below. Voila! 

Erika & Jeff's Bride & Groom and Ceremony Slideshow

Lisa & John's Tahoe Wedding Celebration

*Feel free to leave your comments and congratulations for Lisa and John on the thread below the slideshow. Thanks!

One of the sweetest highlights of my summer (and probably my year!) was traveling to Squaw Valley, Tahoe this summer to photograph an incredible multi-day celebration of Lisa and John's wedding. I met Lisa's family several years ago when I photographed them on a celebratory family trip to Santa Barbara. Many years later it's been an equal pleasure to meet the rest of her and John's extraordinary families.

In short, this is a love letter to Lisa and John and both of their gracious, kind-hearted, down to earth, and big-hearted families who came in from all parts of the country to celebrate their union. It's a special privilege to feel so included in a celebration the way that Lisa and John made me and my honey feel. It's an inspiration to me to know two such lovely people and to be made to feel like "family" during a very intimate occasion.

I was deeply touched by the way that Lisa and John included their five beloved kids and "blended family" in their nuptials and in a very well thought out slideshow and ode to their family. The love between a couple like Lisa and John  and the love they share with their families is exactly what the world needs more of. 

I look forward to watching their love and their families continue to grow over the years and hope to continue having the opportunity to photograph them all over the years…no matter the location! ITALY, ICELAND, MALAYSIA?! Where will your next celebration be? I'm so there! ;-)

As a special thank you to Lisa and John and their beautiful friends and family, and because they live spread out around the country, I have put together not one but FOUR SLIDESHOWS of their celebration in Tahoe earlier this year. I'm hoping you all have as much fun watching this as I have had putting these together for you all!

Much Love & Many Thanks,
Rachel 
www.rsthurston.com

*To watch the slideshows in full screen mode, just click on the rectangle icon in the lower right hand corner of the slideshow window. Voila!

**If the music doesn't play with the slideshow, just refresh your browser window and click "play" (arrow icon in middle of the screen) again. 

Cummins-Dulchinos Family & Bride & Groom Photo Slideshow: 


Cummins-Dulchinos Wedding Ceremony & Cocktail Hour


Cummins-Dulchinos Wedding Dinner & Reception


BONUS: Cummins-Dulchinos Wedding Rehearsal Dinner



*IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VIEW THE WHOLE GALLERY OF PHOTOS (many of which are not in these slideshows) PLEASE CLICK HERE: http://rsthurston.zenfolio.com/cumminsdulchinostahoewedding

Beth and Forrest's Engagement Photos

  ♥••*´¨`*•.☆• Beth and Forrest's Engagement Photos •☆.•*´¨`*••♥


*Make sure to check out the slideshow at the end of this blog entry. Click on the "arrow" to play it.

Love has no desire but to fulfill itself.  To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.  To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.  ~Kahlil Gibran

Kind. Thoughtful. Down to earth. Funny. Loving. Compassionate. These are just a few of the qualities that come to mind when I think of either Forrest or Beth…both of whom are extraordinarily good people! It's wonderful to know them both and even more magical to see them together as a couple.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to photograph them for their engagement. We had so much fun that the sunset came all too soon….

I am so happy to know you both and even happier to see two really good people find each other and create a life together.

Wishing you the greatest happiness as you build your life togethere! You both deserve it!

With Love and Blessings~
Rachel 

*Make sure to check out the slideshow below! If the music doesn't come on when you click on the arrow "play" button then refresh your browser window and try again. You can also leave comments below. Enjoy!

Elliot and Julie's Santa Barbara Wedding

*Enjoy the slideshow below~ ;-) 

"Love must be as much a light, as it is a flame."  

~Henry David Thoreau

What a beautiful morning this was and a total treat to meet and photograph Elliot and Julie for their intimate ceremony at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. There's wasn't a cloud in the sky. They've just moved to Santa Barbara and are making a home here now and looking forward to sharing their new paradise with their friends and family.

They couldn't have picked a more beautiful way to start their life here!

All my love and congratulations to you both. I hope I have the opportunity to photograph you both again...it was a total delight!

*Enjoy the slideshow~ If the music doesn't come on at first, just refresh your browser page and click "play" again! ;-) 
*To watch in full screen mode, just click on rectangle in lower right hand corner of slideshow. 

Clara and Mark's Beautiful Beach Wedding

"Love must be as much a light, as it is a flame."  
~Henry David Thoreau

*Enjoy the slideshows at the bottom of this entry. You can make them full screen by clicking on lower right hand corner of the screen. 

Being a part of a wedding is always an intimate experience but being a part of a small beach ceremony even more so. This was such a delight to spend a few hours with Mark and Clara and a few of their closest friends. The day started out so crisply (even though the next day it rained and rained) and beautifully....and only got better from there. 

Not a cloud in the sky. A cool breeze coming off the Pacific....and the perfume of true love all around. I am so happy to have met you both and to have been included in such a beautiful celebration. Congratulations to you two! May every day be as filled with love as this one was!

Heather and Kenneth's Danish-American Wedding Celebration!

March 30th, 2012

Phoenix, Arizona

"Hvor godtfolk er kommer godtfolk til."

"Where good folk are, good folk will come."

I had the recent honor of being in one of my best friend's weddings to a true Danish Gentleman and man-of-the-world, Mr. Kenneth Steiness. It's a dream to see a dear friend embraced with so much love and to be cherished and loved as the goddess I have always known her to be! I was one of three bridesmaids (with Lisa Link Philips and Lizzie Story-Hieronymous) and had an absolute blast being a part of the celebrations throughout the week. I also had the opportunity to play my ukulele during the ceremony which was especially fun. I wasn't able to photograph the whole event b/c of my involvement in the wedding but their super cool photographers--Shauna and Mike--with Visionyard Photography--were able to capture the whole event and will have their photos up in about six weeks.

These are a few of the pics I took throughout the week amongst all of the celebrations that took place over five plus days! I wanted to share the delight of this event with those of you who were there or who know Kenneth and Heather and who appreciate the joy they've brought into all of our lives!

It was my first experience with a Danish wedding and hopefully not my last! Their wedding was the perfect example of how two incredible people can literally bring together so many different groups of friends and family from around the world. They had aunts, uncles and parents flying out from Europe and around the country...and by the end of the week I literally felt that I had been "adopted" into a whole new community of men and women both in and out of the country.

Enjoy the slideshow below!

And to my new friends and "family"~ I'm so looking forward to seeing so many of you again in the coming years whether it's in Santa Barbara, Arizona, Ohio, Denmark or Iceland!

much love and many thanks~

Rachel

Venue and Catering: "The Secret Garden," Phoenix, AZ

Awesome Make-Up: Kelly Wisniewski

Super Cool Photographers:

"The Vision Yard"

Shauna Stansell and Mike Kaal

Live Music:

The Ash String Quartet, Bills Barns and Band, and

The Static Dance Band!

Enjoy the slideshow!!!

If the music doesn't come on when you "play" the slideshow, then please try refreshing your page and clicking on "play" again~

Dave and Yvonne's Autumn Wedding at Yosemite National Park

by Rachel Sarah Thurston Photography

Friday September 16, 2011

A Yosemite Wedding in October. One word, two syllables: STUNNING.

A few of the views in fact were almost TOO PERFECT...many people have commented that some of these photos actually look like they were greenscreened. Nope, just nature's perfection and two very happy people celebrating their marriage together with some of their closest friends and family.

If you haven't visited Yosemite or any of our mountain national parks in the fall, put it on your bucket list now. Shockingly blue skies, sweet mountain air, and aspen and cottonwood trees with leaves the color of brick gold. It's a truly beautiful place to celebrate the union of two amazing people.

I've known Yvonne for almost five years now and have never seen her so "right" with someone. It made me so happy to have the opportunity to sing in Dave and Yvonne's ceremony and to play my ukulele (first official public performance..woohoo!) and then take photos of their rehearsal, wedding, reception and celebration which lasted a couple of days. That's one of the greatest joys about away weddings...you get to milk the time with your friends and family and spread the celebration out into several days.

To all of Yvonne and Dave's friends and family: It was such a joy meeting so many more of you and celebrating this great event together in one of the country's most beautiful canyons~ I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I had editing them. It was a fantastic way to revisit such a fun weekend together!

Please share this link with your friends and family. I don't have all of the emails for the guests and would love to make sure everyone gets a chance to check out the pics.

*If you are interested in ordering any prints or canvas prints, Zenfolio (where the galleries are based) only uses professional, archival-quality paper and inks. Their printers are calibrated to match the colors that professional photographers like myself use.

Happy Holidays to you all and enjoy the slideshows!

Ceremony:

Rehearsal:

Reception and Weekend Celebration:

*Please feel free to leave comments at the end of this entry

Friday October 7th, 2011

Cory and Chris's Magical "Wedding on the Beach"

by r.s.thurston photography

Words cannot describe what an absolute blessing it was to photograph this wedding. From the very beginning of the morning, Chris and Cory were so relaxed, gracious, and fun. And the weather was absolutely divine....reminding me of a summer day on the Big Island of Hawaii. The magic continued throughout the day from their private time in a secluded cove along the beach to the ceremony under a crystal blue sky beneath a driftwood canopy to dancing at the reception and body surfing in the afternoon....and who doesn't love body surfing?!

Any wedding where half the bridal party ends up shedding their clothes for wetsuits and getting joyfully slammed in the surf is my kind of a party!

Chris and Cory are truly blessed with a beautiful group of friends and family. Editing these pics has only made me feel closer to so many of the guests I had the opportunity to photograph. I was sad to leave at the end of the afternoon and gave several friends and family hugs at the end on my way out.

Cory and Chris have been an inspiration to me that weddings--like love--can be relaxed, fun events and that during the best times in life--as one of their signs advertised--"If you're not barefoot, then you're overdressed!"

I'm looking forward to continuing my connection with Chris and Cory in the coming years and watching their relationship continue to flourish. I would love to approach every day of my life with the same joy that I saw Chris and Cory basking in on their wedding day!

I've put together the Five Following Fabulous! Slideshows from Chris and Cory's Wedding: ♥

1) Getting Ready/Chris and Cory's Love Pics

2) Group Pictures

3) Ceremony

4) Reception and Dinner

5) Bouquet, Garter Toss and Money Dance Reception

Please be patient and wait a few minutes for the slideshows to load. Also make sure when you click on "play" that the music is comes on (carefully and obsessively chosen by moi!). If it doesn't, then refresh your web page and click "play" again. Enjoy!

If you'd like to purchase prints or any other items from the following pictures then follow these steps:

1) Click on "gallery" in upper left hand corner of slideshow

2) Once in gallery, select photo you'd like to purchase

3) Roll cursor over upper lefthand corner of picture and select "buy." Choose prints or other products from there.

Voila!

Getting Ready/Cory and Chris's Photo Shoot Slideshow/Gallery:

Group Pictures Slideshow/Gallery:

Ceremony Slideshow/Gallery:

Reception and Body Surfing Slideshow/Gallery:

Money Dance, Bouquet and Garter Toss Slideshow/Gallery:

Thanks again~

Cheers,

r.s.thurston

A huge thank you to Cory and Chris's Vendors:

Catering and Rentals: DJ's California Catering, Contact: Doug. Website: http://www.djscatering.com/
Music: Coastal Events, Contact: James. Website: http://www.coastalevents.net/
Desserts: Gift of Kate Dunbar, owner of Petite Rêve Cafe and Chocolates. Website: http://petiterevecafe.com
Coordination, Day-Of: Debbie Echevarria. Email: debbieehey@gmail.com
Cory's sister Lauren made her bouquet and dress. Her website for her art is here: http://www.laurentannehillart.com/

Luke and Kelly's Wedding

Dos Pueblos Ranch, Gaviota Coast

pics by rsthurston photography

So I recently had the pleasure of playing for a wedding of some long-time King Bee fans...Kelly and Luke. It was probably one of the most gorgeous wedding venues I've seen in the many years of playing with King Bee. Both Kelly and Luke lended a sweetness to the celebration that was definitely unforgettable.

Even though I was "off the clock" as a photographer I couldn't help myself (for more details read below). As the sun goes down, the place turns into a wonderland like something from "Sleepy Hollow." The only lighting comes from hundreds of votive candles, giant chandeliers made from driftwood, and sparkling white lights....it's truly a magical place at night.

The whole event was a true team effort. Tricia Fountaine Design was in charge of decorating for the event.

The bride and groom (Kelly and Luke) contributed hand-made gorgeous centerpieces made of manzanita branches and wire-wrapped glass lanterns. By candlelight, we all dined on a divine filet mignon and salmon dinner served by Country Catering based in Goleta. Their official photographer was Emily Hart-Roberts (who will be posting official pics in the near future) and their event planning was spearheaded by Danielle Laudon.

The reception was an absolute blast and I wish I could have had someone photograph "King Bee" as well but I can only do one thing at a time. Just try to sing, play cowbell, and photograph at the same time and you'll see what I mean. ;)

I'm grateful to Luke and Kelly for having included us in on such a fantastic celebration

and show of love, creativity, and magic!

*Oh yes, and they had a vintage cupcake trailer....I mean, come on! Who doesn't LOVE CUPCAKES?! Cupcakes by "Enjoy Cupcakes" which is based in Los Olivos.

Enjoy the slideshow and feel free to leave your comments below~