Charleston Elopement | Andy & Laura

Charleston Elopement Photographer | Charleston Engagement Photographer | Charleston Wedding Photographer | Laura and Rachel Photography

Charleston Elopement | You might not know our story. Everyone has their own, but through this bumpy road called life, how from opposite sides of the country (literally California to South Carolina), this small-town girl met a very rural country boy, and that was it. Less than two weeks after we officially had our feet […]

Happy Thanksgiving!

Legare Pumpkin Patch | Charleston Family Session | Laura & Rachel Photography

Even though it isn’t officially winter until the end of December, Thanksgiving feels like the transition that fall is coming to a close. The leaves have fallen to the ground, there is a crisp bite in the air that makes you want to snuggle up inside, light that first fire of the season, and the […]

Charleston Anniversary Session | Celebrating Life | Laura & Andy

Charleston Anniversary Session | Fenwick Plantation | Laura & Rachel Photography

Charleston Anniversary Session. This is what you call true southern love! Andy was born and raised on a small rural island in the suburbs of Charleston, me, a small nautical home-town on the central coast of California. Over 2,700 miles separated us for nearly four decades. We both experienced life in completely different ways, yet […]

Charleston Anniversary Session | Rachel & Paul Celebrate Two Years

Charleston Anniversary Session | Sullivan's Island | Laura & Rachel Photography

Charleston Family Portraits. If you would have told us a little more than two years ago, that we would be planning Rachel and Paul’s wedding, they would have a baby, build a home, and we all would move across the country, we would have called you crazy, but that’s exactly what we did. Makenna was […]

Makenna Rose Bench | Birth Story

Makenna's Birth Story | Natividad Medical Center

It’s been a whirlwind of a few months, but we can say it’s been the most exciting, adventurous, and AMAZING time of our lives! Back in June we made two HUGE life changing announcements… First, Rachel was pregnant AND second, we were moving! Being pregnant in the midst of our craziest busy wedding season ever, […]

Carmel Valley Maternity Session | Big Sur Maternity Session | Rachel & Paul

This is one excited mamma to have the opportunity to photograph her own daughters maternity session AND that Inspired By This wanted to do a full feature of it! With the announcement only a few months ago Rachel and Paul we’re excepting, then the big news it’s going to be a girl, my Granna heart […]

Breaking Ground on a New Adventure | The Bench House Coming Fall 2018

Breaking Ground on a New Adventure | The Bench House Coming Fall 2018

We thought it was quite fitting with the news coming today, national South Carolina Day! Just when you thought we didn’t have any more surprises up our sleeves, this has been the summer of life-changing announcements! First was there’s a baby coming, then we announced we are moving to South Carolina (still accepting weddings from the West […]

We’re Having a Girl!

Laura & Rachel Gender Reveal

IT’S A GIRL!!! Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of. Baby shower plans are in full effect and we now know to doctorate with pink (rose gold to be more accurate)! Today marks 28 weeks and we’ve entered the third and final trimester. In only 12 short weeks we’ll […]

The Biggest Announcement Ever | We’re MOVING to South Carolina!!!

Charleston Wedding Photographer | Laura & Rachel Photography

Notice a theme in our t-shirts, low hanging magical moss, and huge smiles across our faces? Besides keeping the secret we announced last week that Rachels pregnant, we’ve also been holding in something else. As of the end of the year, we will be calling Charleston home! We’re MOVING!!! That’s right, we’re trading the west […]

Baby Bench Arriving October 2018!

Pregnancy Announcement, Baby Announcement, Monterey Photographer, Charleston Photographer, Southern Girl, Southern Baby, South Carolina Photographer | Laura & Rachel Photography www.lauraandrachel.com

Oh baby, we have some exciting news… Laura’s being promoted to Granna, Rachel’s pregnant!!! This is definitely the most exciting time of our lives, Rachel and Paul are going to be parents! That’s right… PARENTS!!! Rachel is officially 25 weeks, due mid-October, and is feeling fantastic with her third trimester right around the corner. No […]

Red, White, & Blue Cheesecake | Perfect Festive Patriotic Dessert

Memorial Day | Fruit Cheesecake | Laura & Rachel Photography

If you’re anything like us, you’re spending Memorial Day barbecuing with family and friends, and for weeks you’ve had the intention of making a festive patriotic dessert to bring and share. In a blink of an eye it’s the day before and you panic. Join the club! This year it feels a bit like we […]

Paris Anniversary Session | Paris Wedding Photographer | Paul & Rachel

Paris France Anniversary Session | Laura & Rachel Photography

A Paris Anniversary Session. We are shaking with excitement right now! Literally trembling as the adrenalin runs though us! Imagine us dancing and spinning circles around the room, fist pumping in the air, and blasting the music (and by blasting I mean wouldn’t disturb the neighbors). That could sum up what we feel like right […]

Wedding Chicks Featured Paul & Rachel’s Wedding

The Bench Wedding on Wedding Chicks | McCormick Home Ranch Wedding | Southern California Wedding

Wedding Chicks Feature. We couldn’t be more excited to share with you that Paul and Rachel’s wedding has been featured on Wedding Chicks,  a stylish wedding blog with wedding inspiration, wedding ideas, for the modern bride! From Amy & Jordan: We’d been looking forward to Rachel and Paul’s McCormick Home Ranch wedding for as long as we can remember; and, […]

The Bench Wedding | McCormick Home Ranch | Paul & Rachel

The Bench Wedding on Wedding Chicks | McCormick Home Ranch Wedding | Southern California Wedding

Planning. Budgeting. Executing. We’ve now been in our bride’s shoes (Badgley Mischka’s to be exact!), on the other side of the lens, planned and executed a wedding! It’s official (nearly 5 months official), Rachel and Paul are married!!! When our brides say planning a wedding is a full time job on it’s own, we now […]

Channel Island Harbor Rehearsal Dinner | The Bench Wedding

Channel Island Harbor Beach Rehearsal Dinner

A Channel Island Harbor rehearsal dinner. A year and half ago, I watched my now son-in-law Paul, ask my husbands permission for our daughters hand in marriage, and captured their Big Sur Proposal. From that day, leading up to now, I’ve watched them plan their dream wedding. After four trips to their southern California venue, […]

Bridal Shower Ideas | How to Plan an Amazing Bridal Shower | Rachel’s Bridal Shower

Bridal Shower Ideas | Laura & Rachel

Rachel’s bridal shower was something I had thought about from the moment she said yes! I wanted something well thought out, details galore, with all our close family and friends, yet affordable. I wanted, well, everything. That’s not too much to ask, right? I’ll be the first to admit I put too much pressure on […]

Cranberry Muletide Cocktail Recipe

Cranberry Muletide Christmas Cocktail Recipe | Copper Moscow Mule Mug | Christmas Drink | New Years Drink | Party Drink

The holidays are a fun, relaxing time of year. We love any excuse to host a get together, pajama party, cookie exchange, secret Santa… you name it! This year we had so much fun partnering with Pour Girl Bartending (and nearly a dozen other local vendors!), and created three signature cocktails perfect for holiday parties! This […]

Announcing The Workshop

Photography Workshop

  Oh, friends! Today is a day we’ve been waiting for! We’re announcing the workshop! We can’t put into words how ecstatic we are to finally announce the dates of our first-ever, full two-day, in-person photography workshop here in Monterey, California! If you’re anything like us, photography was a passion that grew into a business. We never imagined […]

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