My husband, Shawn and I chose Rachel Thurston based off of her beautiful Instagram page that our wedding planner sent us since we were having a destination wedding.

Rachel’s photographic abilities are undeniable. She has a unique way of capturing pure emotion in candid pictures and is able to freeze the most perfect moments in posed pictures. On top of that, she made sure to capture all of the smallest details that many others may have overlooked, that helps to highlight the personal touches that we were aiming for with our wedding.

We had no frustrations or challenges with Rachel. However, we did have some fear of the unknown which comes with hosting a destination wedding. But the minute we both met Rachel, separately while getting ready for our big day all of those fears dissipated. It felt like we were talking to a friend that we had known for years. She went out of her way to shoot extra getting ready photos in case the weather became temperamental. She found the most beautiful spots to memorialize our first look. She captured all of the laughs and tears during our ceremony and reception and knew exactly when golden hour was happening and had the perfect eye when scoping out where to take photos. Rachel is truly the embodiment of warmth and sunshine. She truly exceeded our expectations and we cannot recommend her enough!

Rachel was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. She was incredibly responsive and made coordinating all the details before the wedding effortless. On the day of, she helped us feel completely at ease, blending professionalism with a warm, calming presence. She never pressured us to do anything we didn’t want to do, and she intuitively understood our personalities and what we were looking for.

The photos she delivered were outstanding—beautifully composed, genuine, and so true to who we are. We truly cherish them. She also turned everything around very quickly, which we deeply appreciated. We couldn’t recommend Rachel more highly.

We’ve worked with Rachel countless times over the years, and she’s truly become our family photographer. She’s captured four family weddings, plus several family and newborn photos - and every time, her work blows us away. She has such a gift for getting the classic shots we’ll treasure forever as well as the candid moments that capture the true, special feeling of the day. We trust her completely and can’t imagine working with anyone else.

We always think of Rachel when we want someone to capture our special moments - she makes everyone feel completely comfortable in front of the camera. She’s a true professional with an incredibly talented eye, and we’d recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer they can trust and love working with.

Rachel is magic. She is not only the best of the best as far as photographers go- but her warmth and familiarity with people helped everyone feel comfortable and natural. I am so grateful for the images she captured of our wedding- they are stunning and beyond what I dreamed of!

Rachel is an absolute gem! We chose Rachel for our engagement photos, rehearsal photos, and wedding day because we were drawn to her ability to blend artistry with authenticity. From our very first meeting, she brought such a thoughtful, joyful energy and a clear creative vision that made the entire experience effortless and fun. Her photography radiates honesty, light, and emotion—balancing professionalism with genuine warmth and allowing real moments to unfold with ease. The result is a collection of images that feel both refined and deeply personal—cherished heirlooms that capture the spirit of our story so beautifully. Plus she is just a super lovely human, definitely the kind of person you want to spend time with on such a special day!

Rachel went above and beyond to make our wedding photos seamlessly fit into that busy day, navigating background, lighting, and perspective nuances with ease. The photos turned out beautifully. Highly recommend!

Truly the most professional, creative, authentic, gifted, and wholehearted photographer I know. All of her work captures love and light in the most stunning way. It was an absolute pleasure having Rachel take both our engagement and wedding photos. She added so much depth, care, and intentionality to both occasions. I will cherish her photos for the rest of my life. I smile every time I see one of her photos on my desktop, phone background, social media posts, and framed photos around the house. Rachel even did the most special rendering of my late sister wearing her Maid of Honor dress holding a bouquet- a true treasure. I cannot recommend Rachel highly enough for chronicling your life moments and milestones.

I literally can't recommend Rachel enough! She photographed my sister's wedding 15 years ago and ever since then I have been obsessed with her work and knew I needed her to photograph my wedding. She was the first call I made once I knew I was getting married because I had to make sure she was available. She is professional, quick, kind, and creates the most stunning pictures. She captures moments in a way that I love and I'd give 10 stars if I could.

Rachel is my aunt and not being bias but I have the best photos growing up because of the magic she has always captured. She doesn’t just capture pictures she captures moments and memories. Every picture she captures I can remember that exact moment and exact day she has the best gift and I have thousands of photos by her, now she got to take my wedding photos and there everything I ever wanted and more. There the perfect edit of color and natural, they capture the memories the feelings and the moments that day.
The photos I got back were fast for both our engagement and wedding photos. I got hundreds of pictures back in less than a month. They were gorgeous and it felt like every photo was taken time on and loved. Every photo Rachel takes could be hung in magazine and it doesn’t matter if your photogenic or not because she bring the best poses, and captures what you are like.
I would tell whoever is looking to work with Rachel that she will make you feel like family, she will compliment you, make you feel safe, comfortable, and loved even if she’s just your photographer. You become apart of her work and her family.
Rachel’s the best and I promise she will go above and beyond for your day and deliver the most breathtaking photos. 1000/10 reccommend

As a wedding planner, I work with many photographers and have a wide variety of experiences. Rachel was such a pleasure to work with! She has such a kind heart and made every effort to make my couple's wedding day perfect. She has a very sweet, welcoming demeanor & she got the sneak peaks finished very quickly. I hope to work with her again! :)