carlie statsky photography » modern wedding and portrait photographer

I could not be more excited about Robyn and Tobin’s amazing Holman Ranch wedding feature in the newest issue of The Knot magazine. We had a dream team of vendors who all helped to bring this day to life, including event design and planning by Coastside Couture, flowers by Laughin’ Gal Floral, cakes by Edith Meyer, catering by Grapes of Wrath and videography by Bigtime Video Services. The Knot magazines are always full of beautiful ideas and inspiration, so if you’re newly engaged, check them out for sure.

I’ve always loved 7 x 7 magazine, so I was beyond excited to hear that they wanted to feature Jessica & Tim’s Cornerstone wedding in their annual weddings issue. You can see Jessica and Tim’s full wedding here.

Nancy and David chose the Swendenborgian Church for their wedding, and the history and warmth of the space set the perfect tone for an event as intimate and heartfelt as theirs was. I loved that there was a big old fireplace lit inside the church, candles glowing on every wall, and big approving smiles on the faces of David’s two daughters throughout the day. Every moment of that day was filled with emotion, from the ceremony to the speeches, and you could really sense the love between these two. I’m so honored to have been a part of such a sweet and playful day, and I wish these two a lifetime of happiness together!

I had to post a little preview of this amazing wedding at Thomas Fogarty Winery, there was beauty in every direction and in every detail that day. A big thanks to all of the vendors who helped bring Shannon and Richard’s vision to life including Janece and her team at Every Elegant Detail, Amy Burke Designs, J’Beautique, Thomas John Events, Studio MSV and Studio Cakes. Much more to come from this lovely day…

I loved everything about this organic and bohemian styled shoot that we did at Dig Gardens here in Santa Cruz, and I’m beyond excited that Style Me Pretty featured it today. See the full post here.

Here’s a little preview of at what’s to come from Meslissa & Casey’s Clos La Chance wedding. This was so much more than just a beautiful, well-designed wedding, it was an awesome party full of heart, with laughter and tears all around.

This was the wedding that made me want to turn full country, buy a horse and live happily ever after the at a place like the Reid Ranch. All I can say is that I absolutely adore this couple and I loved every second of their gold country wedding at the River Highlands Ranch. A big thanks to Kendra from Pfieffer Event Planning for making this day a photographer’s dream. Much more to come…

I felt like I had stepped into a fairy tale when I arrived at this property that’s tucked into the redwoods in Scott’s Valley. The homeowner was gardening in the sun when I first arrived and I watched in awe as tiny birds literally flew into the palm of her hand. Unfortunately this will be the very last wedding held at the Mackenzie Creek, so I felt lucky to get to experience the charm and beauty of the space with this wonderful farewell wedding. Keeley used to work in the wedding industry, so the girl definitely knows how to throw a party! She thought of every last detail and the day was a relaxed and fun one thanks to all of her preparations and the help of co-ordinator Denise Addesso and her team from The Wedding Connection. Highlights of the day included seeing Keeley’s mom reaction to the locket sewn onto her bouquet with a picture of her grandmother in it, their first look, and moments later watching their dog lay down in between them and then look up at them in approval. I also loved the bunting-covered pizza station serving gourmet pizzas fresh out of the outdoor oven, the giant pink and green balloons over the dance floor and all of the moves that happened on that dance floor, (especially the moment when the record scratched in the middle of a sentimental father/daughter dance, and the two started rocking out together and inviting everyone to join them.) We couldn’t be happier for these two, and we know that they’ve taken some of the magic of Mackenzie Creek with them.

shoes: Jimmy Choo

cake: The Buttery

dj: Nick Handley

Some things are just meant to be. When I first met with stylist Laura Cook and we both had on the same wooden cuff bracelet and the same handbag I took that as a sign that we were destined for some quality collaboration, and this shoot was the first of what I hope will be many projects together. From the very start we knew that we wanted DIG gardens in Santa Cruz to be our location. DIG is not only a beautiful space for events, but it’s also a garden store and nursery, so it seemed fitting to unify the shoot with the theme ‘love grows.’ This shoot was inspired by all things organic, bohemian and local, and I loved how Laura blended vintage and modern elements to make this wedding so full of character. Laura also did an amazing job sourcing all of clothing and accessories, helping to design all of the printed goods and then styling everything from the alter, to the table, to the models. We had a stellar team of vendors, each of whom helped to bring our vision to life, (please look below for the full list) and I was in heaven photographing this gorgeous couple as well as all of the unique details including invitations and menus that were printed onto thin slices of wood, signature rye-jito cocktails, a turquoise fisheye toy camera, and the whole wedding party holding up a ‘love grows’ sign in front of a vintage cadillac. A huge and hearty thanks to everyone who helped make this day happen, it inspired me as a photographer and I hope it offers some ideas those in the process of planning their own big day.

venue and flowers: DIG gardens

concept, co-ordination and styling: Laura Cook

makeup & hair: Sarah Viraphanth of Mimi & Taylor Salon

jewelry: Cameron Marks Boutique

feather earring and feather and suede place settings: Fly Love Jewelry

printed materials: (menus, escort cards, wine labels, love grows signage & invitations) Heidi Allen at Probos Creative

cadillac: George Purnell of Rides 4 Brides

bride’s dress: vintage …and additional accessories sourced from Urban Outfitters, Piperlime and Stripe

Tahoe has to be one of my favorite places on earth, and this wedding reminded me why I especially love it in the summer. It’s the blue sky behind the majestic views, the wildflowers, the smell of the pine trees and the warm nights that I crave, and we got to enjoy all of those things throughout this amazing wedding weekend at Northstar. Lori and Nick are awesome people and they put a whole lot of themselves into this wedding, making it an intimate, fun day filled with thoughtful details. I loved that each guest was greeted with a Tahoe welcome bag and a s’mores kit for late night marshmallow roasting around the big fire pit. After the ceremony everyone enjoyed a big family-style dinner, then were lured onto the dancefloor with good music and a basket full of colored flip flops and were later welcomed to join the after-party for sliders and some more celebrating. There were so many highlights that come to mind that day, like their emotional first look, all of the great speeches and the double dutch and footloose-inspired moves on the dancefloor. This was definitely a destination wedding to remember, and we couldn’t be happier for our new friends!