We're so glad you're here! We're a mother daughter wedding photography team originally from Monterey, California, currently living in the low country of Charleston, South Carolina. Here you'll find our latest shoots, meet our awesome clients, and learn more than you probably want to know about us! Grab a cup of coffee, browse, and enjoy!
WELCOME TO THE BLOG OF
LAURA & RACHEL
BROWSE BY
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We get asked all the time how we get the most amazing ring shots during an engagement session. We’re normally not in an ideal background location for flat lays, lighting is unpredictable, and on very limited time. For starters, take ring shots while your couple is doing their outfit change. We have all our couples […]
Do you have an album from your parents wedding? How about your grandparents wedding? If so, hold it very close to your heart, because that might be the most valuable thing you own! With age and maturity, comes with the knowledge of family importance. When you’ve met “the one” and start planning your own wedding, […]
We went from “We don’t have enough time”, “We always feel so rushed”, “We could have done better”, to “That was the smoothest wedding we’ve ever shot!”, “We had ample time for everything we needed – plus more!”, “Everyone was incredibly happy with how smooth the entire day went!”. How? Simply by learning from our mistakes […]
2017 was the year for breathtaking florals and we worked with some of the best of the best floral designers! This is one of those posts were we so excited to share because you can scroll and scroll and only see the most beautiful works of floral art. I mean come on, who wouldn’t want […]
Let’s be real, as photographers, there are just some things completely out of our control. Gosh, we wince at just writing that! We’re the super organized type and help walk our clients through the entire wedding experience, including creating them an ideal wedding day timeline. You’re excited, the wedding day is here, everything is perfect, […]
You heard right… Basic Invite has partnered with Laura & Rachel! This is something quite unique and we’ve never done before, but we’re excited to announce our partnership with Basic Invite! What does that actually mean for you? How about HUGE savings on your wedding stationary needs! That’s right, we’re now able to pass along […]
“Are you doing a first-look or waiting to see each other until the ceremony?” is one of the questions we ask our couples in the initial email before our actual meeting. By no means are we asking this as question they can answer wrong, this is simply just another step in getting to better know our […]
A Folktale Winery wedding is an absolute dream venue! Even in the winter with the vineyards are dormant, the colors and mountainous views are breathtaking! Nestled in Carmel Valley, just a few short miles from the ocean, from the barrel room to rose garden, it has the most gorgeous photo opportunities. Not to mention the main […]
Here we go again! After dozens of emails asking when (and if) we would host another workshop, we’re excited to announce May 24-25, 2017 it will be back in Monterey, California! If you’re a newsletter recipient, you got first dibs on the new dates, plus access to early bird pricing last week. Make sure […]
Our first photography workshop is officially in the books! We dreamed, we planned, we accomplished, and it feels SO good! Seriously, this was THE biggest achievements we’ve done towards our goal of being not only photographers, but educators. If you read the blog yesterday, you saw we kicked off opening night with an elegant chef […]
A well styled welcome dinner! Who knew our house could look so fancy! When we first started planning our workshops, we knew right away we wanted to welcome people into our home. There’s something about that feeling of comfort that allows the heavy walls of burden or worry that you may have walking into a […]
We are sooooooo excited and honored to announce we have been asked to be on the panel of speakers at The Bloom Workshop! Three years ago, Rachel and I were diving into our photography business, when we came across this workshop for creatives that wasn’t too far from home. This was unlike any workshop we […]
A floral box, the simplest of things can completely change a wedding day, or any day for that matter! A few weeks ago were shooting a wedding at Ragged Point, down the coast of Big Sur, and had the opportunity to work with the amazing Flowers by Kim for the very first time. When we […]
We’re going LIVE friends! What are your Black Friday plans? Or the entire weekend to be exact? If you’re a bride in the Central California area, Epiphany’s Bridal Showcase is where you need to be! This is no ordinary run-of-the-mill bridal show. This is be a no pressure, bring your girlfriends, laid back, grab a […]
Ten Days. That’s all we had. From three girls dreaming out loud, sharing ideas on how to improve a weekly Wedding Wednesday event, to producing and coordinating Monterey first Bridal Runway Show sponsored by Pottery Barn (not to mention we had four weddings to capture throughout this planning process!). We work within a community so rich […]
I know I feel like I say this every month, but last nights TuesdaysTogether gathering was one of my favorites yet, probably because it was so near and dear to my heart. Aime Gruber, a very dear friend, shared a dream with me over a year ago, of someday wanting to own a mobile beauty lounge. […]
Checked another HUGE business goal off our dream list! We spoke at The Inspired Story conference last week in Dallas, Texas, in front of a room full to of christian women photographers. The very first afternoon, we were ask to lead a wedding couple posing course. We jumped at the opportunity, because that’s what we LOVE […]
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 […]
Want to know how to make Rachel and I cry? Put us in a room full of close friends, who over the past year we’ve shared our hearts with, celebrated success with, dreamed big with, and surprise us with a video like this. For an entire year now, each and every month, we’ve come together […]
The Rising Tide Society Collaboration Project is something we’ve been planning this day for months! Back in April, we were challenged by The Rising Tide Society, as a local Tuesdays Together group, to come together and create a collaboration project that would involve all the different creative fields. From photographers and florists, to personal chefs and stylists, makeup […]
Yesterday was INCREDIBLE! The amazing Christine Dilullo, owner of Epiphany Boutique in Carmel-by-the-Sea, opened her doors to host one of the BEST TuesdaysTogether meet up’s to date! Each and every gathering is unique on your own, but with last nights topic of pricing, everyone had something to contribute. Our meeting went over the 3 hour mark […]
If you’re anything like us, you love flowers. Like love, love, LOVE flowers! We always have fresh arrangement throughout our house. They give not only an amazing scent, but a pleasant and airy feeling that is unbelievably calming. Peonies (or the seasonal favorite) on the living room coffee table, and Alstroemeria’s are the staple in our kitchen. […]
Spending a week with a best friend, in a state you’ve never explored, eating at all the local hangouts, isn’t what we consider “work.” Last year a seed was planted in our hearts. We weren’t ready to acknowledge it, and just let it muster. A few months ago it came up again, week after week, […]
If you’re an orchid lover, today’s Floral Friday is for you! These hot pink Phalaenopsis (also known as Moth orchids), take elegant to an entire new level of gorgeousness! Floral Design by Reina shows us how you don’t have to mix and match a wide variety of flowers, to get a stunning centerpiece, and shares a few inside […]
It’s here! It’s here! It’s FINALLY here!!! Months of brain storming and collaborating with the AMAZING florist Floral Design by Reina, our very own Floral Friday has been born! For the longest time we have wanted to have a weekly blog series, never pin pointing exactly what we wanted to showcase, until now. Week after week […]
Mentoring fills are hearts to the brim! When one of our Rising Tide Society friends, Danya Collyer, asked us to do a photography 101 mentoring session, we were delighted! We spent the afternoon learning camera basics, how to shoot in manual mode, and how to shoot for your brand. We had such an amazing time and […]
It happened. It really, REALLY happened. To us. Little ol’ us. You know when you’ve dreamed of something for so long, not sure when or if something will ever come of it, and then BOOM, God just drops in your lap. This was one of those moments. We love to help other creatives succeed in their […]
Collaborating with other creatives is something we LOVE to do! If you saw yesterdays blog, we announced our fun new project with Fire & Brilliance. The question we get asked a lot, is “how do you get to the point where you’re actually shooting with vendors you’ve dreamed of working with?” If you would have […]
We’ve been SO excited to share this with you guys! If you’ve been following our journey, a few months ago, you saw Paul propose to Rachel with the most stunning Morganite engagement ring ever! Of course we shared the BIG news all over social media, tagging Fire & Brilliance, the amazing company who crafted the […]
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller If I could only hit repeat again and again… That’s how good last night was! Pottery Barn in Monterey, opened their doors this months TuesdaysTogether gathering and it was unbelievable! My heart was just overjoyed seeing so many new faces keep […]
Talk about being giddy with excitement! We’ve been waiting months for today’s announcement, but it felt like a lifetime! 2016 marks our 5th year in business. 5 Years! Looking back we’ve had a lot of face palm moments, like “What were we thinking!”, but we did our best. We taught ourselves the business and learned […]
Last night was incredibly special. A powerhouse of local creatives gathered together for our monthly Tuesdays Together, hosted by amazing Happy Girl Kitchen. Over fancy coffees and delicious pastries, we talked about how to find your niche and working to attract the ideal client. The conversation and ideas shared were so influential. Each and everyone […]
Words can’t even begin to describe last night. A group of over twenty creatives gathering together around a bonfire, sharing dreams and goals, highlights and lows, heartaches and victory’s. With my clipboard in hand and discussion questions prepared, I thought I was ready. I had completed my goal sheet, highlighted words of encouragement, but when I […]
TuesdaysTogether chapters all across the world are striving to bring communities closer and give back to those in need. How amazing is that! Click here for examples of how giving back has become a cornerstone value of the Rising Tide Society community. When you look at the broad picture, it can seem very overwhelming. Even in […]
Proposals are absolutely one of our favorite things to capture! They can also be stressful and nerve racking if not done right. We have captured dozens of proposals over the years and we’ve learned to have a great system where the groom feels relaxed (well as much as possible since he’s about to propose!), nothing […]
Last week we spent four days in gorgeous Scottsdale, Arizona with a group of the most amazingly talented photographer friends, learning the true spirit of Community of Competition. After attending last year in Santa Barbara, we knew we would never miss another year! It is a complete game changer. To be able to look back […]