Monday, August 3, 2009, 05:00 PM
From the first time I talked to Jean on the phone I fell in love with Jean & Luke's love story. It is spontaneous, romantic, passionate and beautiful. Being the passionate hopeless romantic that I am; Jean and I hit it off like two peas in a pod. After spending nearly two hours chatting, we realized we had talked very little of the wedding and spoke more about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness. Jean & Luke are the type of people that believe in LOVE to the core of their being. In today's "doom and gloom" culture, I feel like a lot of people have given up on true, passionate, un-inhibited, authentic love. When people entrust Chris & I with their love story it is our job as storyteller's and artist's is to show people how real love is. It is my job to communicate to all of those doubters in the world that Love is powerful, unique and like nothing else. Jean & Luke "get" that. People like that get me excited about what we do. I LOVE the passion with these two... it is an energy that cannot be described but it was so thick in the air on their wedding you could almost taste it.

Another thing that makes Jean and Luke totally amazing is that they work for the greatest company in the ENTIRE WORLD.... Apple/MAC. Anyone who know's us, knows that The Rhoads are die hard Apple fans and would jump off a bridge for their products. We have made several PC to Mac converts over the years so when I found out that these two work at Apple Corporate I freaked :). And we have never seen so many i phones at a wedding in our life. haha. 

Jean & Luke got married in San Francisco at a beautiful venue called the Bently Reserve. They hired Event Coordinator, Crystal Lequang w/ Amaze special events to do the design and coordination for the event and it was FLAWLESS! Not to mention she was a blast to work with! 

As if I haven't babbled on enough about these two, I wanted to share an amazing note that they wrote us right after their wedding that totally made me tear up:

"Hi Sarah & Chris!

Just had to drop you a line to tell you how unbelievably AMAZING the two of you are!  We could not have asked for a better photography team.  You were patient, kind, and unobtrusive. We appreciate you for this more than words can ever truly express.  Other members of the bridal party also commented on how great the two of you were.  To be honest, I was dreading the whole picture taking experience because I am just not into taking photos, however, I have to admit I had a GREAT time!  The picture taking portion of the wedding was actually one of my favorite moments. The two of you made us feel SO comfortable and gave us an opportunity to have a peaceful moment during our wedding to show our love for one another.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for this!

Sarah, you were incredibly calm in the "eye of the storm" (referring to the complete and utter chaos in the bridal suite before the ceremony here ;)  I can't tell you how much I appreciate you for everything you did to help keep everything under control without being pushy or forceful.  You even helped to provide input on my makeup and hair!  You blended right in just like one of the girls. We actually refer to you as an honorary bridesmaid because you really helped to keep everything moving along and under control.  I don't know how you survived all of that. ;)  It just felt like an old friend came down from Seattle to attend my wedding. I will never forget you for this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Chris & Sarah....You are beautiful inside and out. Words cannot express the magnitude of our gratitude.  Your talent overwhelms us. Thank you for sharing this unbelievable talent through the lens of your camera.  Thank you for sharing our special day and for taking the time to fly out for us.  We feel blessed and honored for this gift.  We wish we had more time to sit down with the two of you to get to know you, but you know how that goes. Hopefully, you will look us up next time you are in town so we can take you out for a drink.

Big hugs & hope you had a safe and pleasant journey home.  Can't wait to see the photos!  

With love,
Mr & Mrs. Luke & Jean Rios"

The Rockstar Team:
Event Designer/Coordinator: Crystal Lequang w/ Amaze special events
Venue: Bently Reserve, San Francisco
Florist: Nicole Ha
Photographers: Us! Chris & Sarah Rhoads
If you want to see more from the wedding you can see Jean & Luke's Slideshow here.


Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (13)
Aeon says: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 05:46 PM

This is truly a beautiful set of pictures. Absolutely stunning and refreshing.

Capture Beauty Photography (becca) says: Monday, August 10, 2009, 01:30 PM

Wow looks like such a fun wedding and you captured it all so beautifully! LOVE your work :)

Airika Pope says: Friday, August 7, 2009, 12:48 AM

Super fun wedding. Gorgeous details. Perfect Sarah Rhoads wedding.

Diana Peters says: Thursday, August 6, 2009, 12:22 PM

You're awesome! I alway love looking at other photographer's work, I'll definately be coming back here.. It's just beautiful!

Emily Porter says: Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 07:25 AM

I love the compositions here... really awesome stuff!

Carmen says: Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 05:34 AM

hey sarah ... it's so funny that i always get your updates on my google reader but i have to go into your actual blog to view your posts in the horizontal format. i love the way you lay out the series and viewing it vertical -y (is that a word?) just doesn't do it justice. anyway ... stunning work as always! miss ya ... carmen

Yuka photo art says: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 01:13 PM

I love all details and couple is gorgeous! Artistic photographs!!!!

Crystal says: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 12:24 PM

Their work is great, but their professional, attitude and perspective are even more amazing. Fabulous to work with!

Briony says: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 11:49 AM

fantastic!

Beth says: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 10:50 AM

So amazing Sarah! LOVE those stairs you found!

jonfen says: Monday, August 3, 2009, 10:38 PM

I've been following your blog for a little while, just wanted to let you guys know I really admire your photography! I like your outlook on life/love and it shines through the pictures. I'm glad I stumbled across you and Chris. =) Time for me to stumble off somewhere else now.

shanni says: Monday, August 3, 2009, 09:19 PM

being an Apple employee.... married to an Apple employee... I hereby feel truly certified in saying... PURE AND UTTER BLISS.

josh solar says: Monday, August 3, 2009, 08:57 PM

One word: Beautiful :)

Thursday, July 23, 2009, 12:57 AM
So there are a couple things I have figured out about myself... one is that working till 1:30 in the morning is now a norm bc. we are in the thick of wedding season. And number two, is that if I was doing anything else where I was working this many hours I would probably go crazy, but it is so personally rewarding to work long and hard on something I believe in. Even though I have been sitting in front of this computer editing long and hard today without any coffee, I am almost, oddly enough, invigorated..... or perhaps I have just crossed the threshold of sleepiness. lol. But either way.... It is so very nice to take great pride in the work that we do ;).  And I truly do believe that hard work pays off greatly in the end. 

So you may remember these two cuties from their engagement session. Danielle and Mrinabh are so loving and kind hearted, they laugh often and love hard. They were an especially exceptional couple to work with because they truly gave Chris and me total and complete artistic freedom throughout the course of their engagement shoot all the way through their wedding. We have found that we work best when couples bless us with this kind of un-inhibited trust. It leaves room for the magic to happen ;) 

They got married at a totally rad venue, Novelty Hill Winery It was AWESOME. The architecture was very modern, minimalist and stylized. It was perfect! Chris and I absolutely LOVE intimate weddings... THIS was exactly that! With 40 guests it felt more like a big family dinner more than anything! All of the guests even got to tour the entire winery after the ceremony. It was a very chill and relaxed wedding with a fantastic team and beautiful ORANGE details!! It was ultra sassy thanks to the awesome coordination of Jesse & Travis of True Colors Events.

Danielle & M... we heart you guys! Thank you so much for all of your love, support and trust in us!

Coordinators: True Colors Events
Florist: TLB Events


Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (29)
meg says: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 05:00 AM

i'm in FREAKING love with the flowy green scarf thingy!!!! just an awesome pic! the bride rocks it! ;) and so do you.

jenny j says: Monday, July 27, 2009, 04:50 PM

F*ck YEAH!

joy marie says: Sunday, July 26, 2009, 07:57 AM

BRILLIANT sarah!! really, you rocked this one fo sho!!!

Betsy says: Saturday, July 25, 2009, 10:16 AM

THE BEEEEEEE!!

phenomenal.. once again.

iti says: Friday, July 24, 2009, 07:48 AM

magnificent.. mrinabh i simply wish i cud have something similar done 4 ma wedding too... Outstanding!!!! n u and daniell look superb!!! gorgeous!!! m out of words yaar.... wish u both all the luck for ur life... CHEERS!!!! :)

imthiaz houseman says: Friday, July 24, 2009, 07:22 AM

the long hours has paid off...amazing job. isn't it wonderful when couples trust you to do anything? they are even hotter than their engagement session...

Lyndzee of EP says: Friday, July 24, 2009, 12:41 AM

Boomp...ta...ta...chk....Boomp...ta...ta...chckOOOW!!
Theres a little HOT STUFF music for you, cuz this post is sexy time. All of the colors make me happy,, in a very 'I Am Sam' kind of way. Right? You can't watch that movie without a huge smile when he's leaving his answering machine greeting. ANYWAY, love you guys and your work!! Miss you!

-Lyndzee*

Susan says: Friday, July 24, 2009, 12:26 AM

Loved every single one. You bring out the special moments, love, tenderness, style and beauty in the people and the day. And all that couldn't happen to better people.

Maureen says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 06:55 PM

Fav! FTW! You need a 'like' feature so I can give you a million thumbs-ups!

Cedric says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 05:08 PM

Everytime I look at this blog, and truly see all of the amazing work that you produce, I get so excited that Kari and I are able to work with you and Chris... I can't wait!

sarahrhoads says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 03:30 PM

@Joop wow. thank you so much for your kind words.... your comment really meant a lot :)

Joop says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:19 PM

So, your photos are always fantastic. But this series goes beyond. Some of these images make me think of classic paintings. Unbelievably powerful.
I know you're gaining recognition as a photographer, but I have to think you are one of the most underestimated photographers currently.
I am more of a B&W journalistic photographer myself, but the color photo of the bride with the wind catching the scarf for instance - that's a true lasting classic image.

Beth says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:13 PM

LOVE that bee shot! these all rock!!

Pascal says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 01:32 PM

Yeah I understand you, sometimes it seems that I am always editing xD
The pics are wonderful I love the last one!

Kayleen T. says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 11:22 AM

Beautiful pix, wedding and couple! I love all the colors of their wedding and the bride's shoes are so cool!

Airika Pope says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 11:06 AM

What an incredible wedding! Beautiful job, Sarah. I love all of the fabrics and textures, and they look like they had a perfect day. They are so lucky they had you to capture it all!

Zach Anderson says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 11:03 AM

The awesomeness of these are hard to explain. Big fan of your work for sure! and I heart Seattle too.

Tonhya says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 10:03 AM

the bee shot....are you freakin' kidding me? Sheesh! Amazing lady. :D

marissa moss says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 09:46 AM

love the bridal shot with her wrap whipping in the wind! those colors are amazing! looks like it was a fabulous wedding. :)

ron storer says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 09:01 AM

what a splendid shoot. so proud of you!

carrie says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 07:42 AM

incredible location, OUTSTANDING images. xo

kylie danielson says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 07:30 AM

Wow Sarah. These are so beautiful and I can totally see the artistic freedom you had in creating them! My favorites are the shawl image of the bride and this last one with the beautiful reds and oranges. Love it!

Candice says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 06:42 AM

AYKM? I am FLOORED! These are stellar images. LOVE the bride's shoes...and what a beautiful couple. This shoot did not disappoint!

We are SO looking forward to our shoot in August with you guys...crazy thing...we may have adopted by that point...{if the timing works out just right...}

Great work as always!

jill says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 05:33 AM

NICE!! you guys are ridiculous. i'm continually amazed.

mary says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 03:55 AM

love the quirky portraits + fiery details!

Pinky says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:18 AM

wow! you're amazing! these are beautiful!

Steve Gerrard says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:18 AM

I'm so bored of telling you how great you are Sarah. I'm not doing it again...


.. oh, ok then...

You're f'in' amazing! :) Don't get all big headed on me though!

wrecklessgirl says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:16 AM

shoot! one more thing i forgot to mention...the image of your bride with the wrap blowing in the wind...omg............enough said. i love it. love love love.

wrecklessgirl says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:11 AM

SARAH! wow. i think this seriously might be my favorite wedding of yours this summer! i feel like i didn't even have to be there to know it was amazing...AM I RIGHT?

i love every single detail they included in their wedding. i loved the location of the b+g portraits, so darling! i love her fabric wrap and the way all the colors play against each other. you know how i'm a fan of horizontal images...but i think my favorite is the vertical one of them against that really beautiful cement/gray wall- looking at each other, holding hands, forehead to forehead--beautiful union in every way.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 11:12 PM
Angelia & Imanuel got married at the Seattle Tennis Club and their wedding was a true and honest proclamation of their faith and loyalty to one another. It was an outdoor event on an AMAZING Seattle day. Any brides out there debating between having an outdoor or indoor wedding next summer... go with outdoor!! It is always a WIN! 

Chris and I had shot one of Angelia's & Imanuel's friends wedding's last year so it was soo good to run into lots of familiar faces! They were surrounded by lots of people who support and love them. It was a great wedding to be a part of and their details were so fun!! I tried to include a few of the elements into this post so you can see how hard Angelia worked on this part of her wedding, the details turned out beautifully :) 

I have many a thing to blog and am a wee bit behind with my blogging because I have been busy shooting/traveling for weddings/desiging albums/editing blah blah.... all that to say there is much much more to come so stay tuned :)

I would just like to thank sir Fitzsimmons for singing me lullabies tonight as I finished a large album design I have been working on and also got this wedding posted. He makes me all warm and happy inside, like a hot chocolate chip cookie fresh-out the oven!





Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (16)
Beth says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 02:17 PM

Gorgeous work!! absolutely love the dock pictures!

Tonhya says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 10:01 AM

Uh...embarrassing, ignore that last post...it was suppose to go on your NEW blog post. Oopsies! :)

Tonhya says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 09:59 AM

the bee shot....are you freakin' kidding me? Sheesh! Amazing lady. :D

shanni says: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 09:28 AM

you move me. no joke. maybe coffeeless evenings is your recipe for magic!!! in reality, you could be on a caffeine high and still deliver the most amazing images ever... jitter or no, you rock.

imanuel says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 06:13 PM

Great job Sarah & Chris!!! We love working with you guys! Thank you THANK YOU!!! :)

Cameron Ingalls says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 06:02 PM

whhho are you?
...i must know!

Ketti says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 02:42 PM

The bride on the dock is stunning!!!

imthiaz houseman says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 11:09 AM

what a beautiful wedding...i love the details, the couple, the images. well done.

italida says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 08:19 AM

You photo are so cute, you colours and your scenes are wonderful! I loveeeee you workssssssss!!! *_*

Kara Wieler says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 08:12 AM

I love the shot on the dock, with her veil flowing behind her... and too many others to bother mentioning, because I'd be mentioning pretty much all of them. Love the light, even in the reception photos.

Bianca Valentim says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 08:08 AM

so many cute details!
You did a wonderful job capturing all of them. I loved the angles and the colors.
G.R.E.A.T. job as always!
:)

melissa says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 08:05 AM

I just love your work Sarah. Just gorgeous! You are such an inspiartion :)

Janet McKnight says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 05:53 AM

Stunning photos! And the details of this wedding? A-Mazing! The flowers, the bridesmaids' shoes, the cake, all of it= loveliness :D

Josh Solar says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 05:47 AM

First off, gorgeous images as usual. Secondly, Fitzsimmons is great, but how can you edit pictures of pretty people in love while listening to songs about heartbreak and divorce? Just kidding really, but don't you wish that man would put out some happy tunes? His music is too pretty to be sad.

rick says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 01:11 AM

dock shots are amazing. great light and color!

Kayleen T. says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 12:27 AM

Love the ones under the tree and on the dock! Lovely lovely photos!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009, 12:01 PM
My intention was to post this entire preview for Ginny & Gough's fabulous wedding today, however, I got some really exciting news.... My best friend went into labor!! So we get to spend the day with our Godson, Jackson! I cannot wait for baby number dos to come into the world! I am so very excited :) UPDATE: Just got a call saying they had a beautiful baby GIRL!! WHooo hoo!

So while I have my moment dancing in celebration I'll just post a little sneak peek frame from Ginny & Gough's wedding. It is one of my favorites from the day. There will be many more to come so stay tuned.

Also, thank you everyone who had rec's for us while we were in San Fran. We had the most fantastic time shooting Jean & Luke's wedding and running off on fun adventures. I have some more photos from that trip as well that I hope to post soon. The highlight of the trip was definitely seeing the Richard Avedon exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It was truly inspiring and invigorating. Avedon was a brilliant artist who had a connection with his subjects. He was able to bridge the commercial and artistic gap and combined the two to create beautiful pieces of art. I would encourage anyone in San Fran to stop by and see the exhibit. 

Have a delightful day!

Thoughts
Add a Comment View Comments (7)
Cameron Ingalls says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 06:00 PM

Wowsers! So much beauty on here!

Elaine Gates says: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 11:51 AM

OH my... LOVE LOVE LOVE these images... amazing!

jen berry says: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 12:51 PM

love the composition here gorgeous processing

Lesley says: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 12:49 PM

Beautiful! Breathtaking!

cristy cross says: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 12:45 PM

Whoops, forgot to leave my name above-
Avedon fan :)

Anonymous says: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 12:44 PM

Yay!! lauren gets to have a baby niece. Super exciting :) I just went to Avedon's exhibit in NY. BEAUTIFUL work. I got his big ol fat book with the pink helmet girl on it. My favorite is definitely Dovima posing with the elephants. I also love seeing the thought process of him picking which image goes in the magazines with his red pencil marks. He is very inspiring :)

Jenny J says: Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 12:43 PM

Congrats!!!