I love wedding celebrations that feel like nature retreats with all of your favorite people and lots of relaxed downtime built in. That’s exactly what these two sweet humans envisioned and shared with me when we first connected the year prior. They wanted a place they could gather with their closest friends and family for a weekend of joy and togetherness. Over the months of collaboration and time spent on their wedding day, I witnessed their profound love for their community and the honoring of those connections through ritual and centering gratitude throughout the weekend.
The Driftwood Lodge is a hidden gem on the Sonoma Coast near the town of Jenner that feels like a true getaway in nature. The property is surrounded by redwoods and overlooks the Pacific ocean. Even on a foggy day, the ocean views are vast and stunning. There are trails to explore and friendly farm cats who might follow you through the paths. It’s a cozy, dreamy place that I’d love to return to.
I’m grateful for these kind words about their experience working with me:
“From the very beginning, Rachelle was warm, thoughtful, incredibly kind, and just so easy to be around. We knew we wanted our wedding photos to feel completely natural and true to us. We didn't want to spend our wedding day posing for photos or feeling like we were in a photoshoot. We basically wanted to gather a bunch of humans we love in one beautiful place, be completely present with them, and have someone capture what happened. Rachelle understood that perfectly.
And the photos themselves are everything we wanted. They are emotional, candid, unposed, unscripted, and completely alive. She captured the big moments, but also all of the tiny ones: glances, hugs, laughter, tears, our friends being ridiculous, our families loving on each other, and so many interactions we never even saw happening. Looking through our gallery genuinely feels like being transported back to the weekend.
Rachelle has an incredible gift for documenting people exactly as they are. She allowed us to actually LIVE our wedding rather than perform it for a camera, and somehow gave us the most beautiful record of it in the process. She is also just the coolest, kindest, most loving person, and we consider her to be more like a friend.”
BEHIND-THE-SCENES
venue: The Driftwood Lodge ~ florals: Dragonfly Floral ~ planner: Revel Together ~ DJ: DJ Paz, Heart of Gold DJs ~ Food: Sonoma County Catering Co ~ HMU: The Powder Room ~ Cake + Dessert: Blooms End ~ photographer: Rachelle Derouin [35mm film developed by Underdog Film Lab]
