Royal Wedding Day Review

Well, I did it. Proved myself a loyal British citizen. Dragged myself out of bed at 5:30 to watch HRH Prince William marry Catherine Middleton. I'm normally a loyal Today show viewer but I couldn't deal with the random "experts" they were interviewing whilst trying to figure out what was going on ;) so I chose BBC America and they did an excellent job.

So my initial review of the Royal Wedding:
- The Queen looked good in her sunny yellow outfit
- Princess Beatrice & Eugenie's hats and outfits. Really? Beatrice looked like she had an alien on her head. Seriously, someone needs to take those two in hand.
- William looked pretty handsome in the uniform of the Irish Guard. I loved how he waited in the knave with Harry so he didn't accidentally see Kate before she walked down the altar.
- Kate looked beautiful. Bravo! Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen designed a wonderful dress. The Queen loaned Kate a Cartier tiara and her parent's gave her a beautiful pair of diamond earrings incorporating the acorn design of their new coat of arms. I wasn't loving the ever so slightly limp veil and the flowers were completely underwhelming but you can't have it all!
- As Kate got into the car with her father to take her to Westminster Abbey you could see one of the official wedding photographers taking pictures. She was wearing a full black skirt, super tight silk green halter top and a miniature black top hat. Not sure how appropriate/unobtrusive that was...
- Westminster Abbey was beautifully lit and filled with trees, a stunningly historic venue.
- Kate's sister and maid of honor Pippa wore white. She looked stunning but I couldn't help but think she looked a little too bride-like.
- The ceremony was lovely and they looked really happy. I can't imagine the pressure and nerves if you know 2 billion people are watching you!
- Loved the happy little waves from the newlyweds, the new Duke & Duchess of Cambridge as they rode in their carriage to Buckingham Palace.

I planned on having a couple of glasses of champagne but it was too early - perhaps I'll have one this afternoon! I promised you a picture of me in a hat for Royal Wedding day so courtesy of Susan Ashe here you go:


Don't worry - I wear unobtrusive black to photograph weddings but this was a pre-wedding race day in Saratoga last year and I was there as a guest with Mr H. Who needs a purse when you have a stylish black Nikon D3s...


Did you watch the wedding? Thoughts? Did you cry? Did you feel for Kate when you saw her hand shaking as she walked up the aisle on the arm of her father? I have a wedding to photograph in York, Maine tomorrow and I'm so excited. I'm in full-on wedding fever mode!

Weddings in the UK vs. US. Differences between the British & the American wedding...

Day 4 of ROYAL WEDDING WEEK on the blog! If you're catching up, you might want to check out:
Monday's post on planning your wedding timeline **here** including the itinerary for the royal wedding tomorrow!
Tuesday's post on engagement pictures **here**
Wednesday's post on shot lists and family formals **here**

And today with less than 24 hours to the wedding of HRH Prince William to Kate Middleton, I thought it might be fun to talk about differences between weddings in the UK and the US. As I grew up in the UK and attended more than my fair share of weddings there and now live in the US as a wedding photographer I feel I am extremely qualified on this topic ;)

Before the wedding
The concept of the bridal shower is relatively unknown in the UK although it's just starting to take off thanks to the various US wedding shows on UK television. The US bachelorette party is called a hen do or hen party in the UK and the bachelor party is a stag do.

Who to invite...
At the royal wedding there will be huge numbers of family, friends, charity workers, politicians, dignitaries and members of the general public at the wedding ceremony, a number of these people will be invited to a reception hosted by the queen, a select 300 will then join the party hosted by Prince Charles and then there's talk of some kind of night-club set up with disco balls for the die-hard party people.

Generally for UK weddings you are invited to the "day" (A-list) or the "evening" (B-list). This sounds kind of bizarre but it's true and no one is offended. Close friends/family - usually 50-100 people - will be invited to the wedding and wedding breakfast (food at a wedding is always called the wedding breakfast even though it isn't breakfast and it's usually eaten mid afternoon) and then less close friends/family/coworkers (maybe another 50-100 people) are invited to celebrate at the party in the evening usually with a buffet and cash bar. Even more strange as I'm thinking about it - there is often a gap of an hour or two in between these two events. If you are invited in the day, you are expected to stay for the evening so you usually find yourself killing time in the bar of the hotel or country house.

At US weddings I kind of prefer the idea that you're invited or you're not and there's usually just one meal and an open bar. Of course most people have somewhat of an A-list and B-list and if enough of the A-list decline and you've timed your invitations correctly you can then invite your B-list ;)

Groomsmen don't exist in the UK
Well, at least the name is different! They're called "ushers" and help to seat your guests and generally do groomsman style duties.

Who pays?

The bride's family has historically paid for the wedding in the UK (kind of like the US) but it's becoming more common for the groom's family to contribute or perhaps pay for the evening. And some couples will pay for the wedding themselves.

In the UK it's custom for the bride to pay for the bridesmaid dresses unlike in the US where the bridesmaids usually have to pay for their own (kind of unfair if you're stuffed into a poufy yellow meringue a la 27 dresses...!)

The Banns of Marriage
Once you have a marriage license in the US you can get married. In the UK you have to worry about the "Banns". If you're getting married in a church in England or Wales then the "Banns of Marriage" have to be read at three previous church services to give people the opportunity to raise their concerns if the marriage isn't legal ;) This isn't the case in Scotland so sometimes people will elope to Gretna Green (first village over the Scottish border) so they can get married as soon as they have their marriage license.

The wedding ceremony
I've photographed weddings in all sorts of locations in the US and it's very common for couples to write their own vows. The majority of weddings in the UK will take place in a church or registry office and there are set scripts to follow. The UK marriage ceremony doesn't include the "you may now kiss the bride" but couples can request that the priest or vicar add this.

At the reception
The grand entrance isn't really as common in the UK and it's almost unheard of to announce all of the family members and bridal party members individually.

Speeches vs. toasts
At US weddings there is usually a brief toast/welcome by the father of the bride, a toast by the Maid/Matron of Honor and then a last toast by the Best Man. In my experience these are usually over in 5-20 minutes tops.

At UK weddings there are speeches. Epic long speeches! And they're all given by the men :( The father of the bride will usually talk first, mostly about his daughter and then he'll welcome his new son-in-law into the family. The groom follows and will thank both parents (there's no rehearsal dinner concept so gift/flowers might be distributed at this point) and talk about his new wife. Finally the best man will deliver his speech - he always starts by saying how lovely the bridesmaids look and toasting them, and then he'll tell some stories about the groom and finish with a toast to the happy couple. The best man speech can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes, I've seen some with slideshows even!

Here's my husband in action as best man(bottom left) at his best friend Kevin's wedding in 2009:

In the picture above you may notice the piece of paper with names and times written on it. The British are a nation of happy gamblers - there is almost always at least one betting shop in every village - and to make the speeches a little more tolerable a bowl will be passed round and you bet a pound (approx $1.5) and you guess the time for the best man's speech. The winner takes it all (although it's polite to give it to the bride and groom to spend on their honeymoon). There are usually at least three people in charge of timing, ending as the best man raises his glass for the final toast and it can get pretty exciting ;)

Parent dances aren't usual in the UK, you might of course dance with your father if you're the bride or your mother if you're the groom but it isn't usually announced as a formal event with a specific song

Dress code
At most US weddings I would describe the dress code as evening wear - guys in suits, girls in cute little dresses maybe with a wrap, shrug or jacket for the ceremony - a good percentage of weddings are black tie with tuxedos for the men and long/cocktail dresses for the ladies.

UK weddings are all about the hats, or more recently the "fascinators" which are decorative small headpieces often involving feathers that clip to your head. I remember trying to explain the concept of the fascinator to a US friend who looked puzzled and said "So grown women stick a bow on the top of their heads like a parcel?" Umm, I guess. For the day (the ceremony and wedding breakfast) ladies will usually wear suits or dresses with a coordinating hat or fascinator. It's a big no-no to wear white or black. For our wedding in Las Vegas I decided on a black and white color theme (I'm always thinking about how it'll look in pictures!) and at first both of our Mom's were a little taken aback at the thought of wearing black to our wedding (generally black is seen as kind of funereal). If you're only invited to the evening you are not expected to wear anything on your head.

It was about 4 or 5 years ago now that it felt like we were flying back and forth to the UK as all of our friends seemed to get married at once and although I religiously back up my client's pictures I am terrible at organizing my own picture files. So I've pulled these from scans and emails but you get the idea:

Top left I'm being a bridesmaid at my best friend Taanya's wedding in a purple dress with asymetric jeweled headpiece or fascinator. Top right is Paul and me with my parents at my cousin Amy's wedding to Graeme, I'm bridesmaid again this time in sparkly pink! Bottom left and middle has Paul and I at a fun British wedding, I added a black feathered fascinator to my bright pink dress. And on the right is me and my Mom (with a cream feathered fascinator) at Amy's wedding.

Oh, and how could I forget the key element of a good British wedding? The hymns! It's usual to sing at least two or three hymns at UK weddings - Jerusalem is very popular and will most likely be sung at "And did those feet in ancient times, walk upon England's mountains green..." You can watch this video and learn the words so you can sing along tomorrow morning!

And that's it for today! Now you know what to expect if you ever have to attend a wedding in the UK! Or perhaps you've already been to one?

Shot Lists - must have wedding pictures and family formals

Day 3 of Royal Wedding Week on the blog. Today we're talking about shot lists and family formals. I'm wondering if the official photographer will have a list from William and Kate saying things like:
- Grammy isn't too keen on Camilla so make sure they're on opposite ends of the family pictures
- The tiara I'll be wearing has been in the family for 600 years so I'd really like a close up shot of it
- At some point during the wedding I'll be told whether I'll be a princess or a duchess and I'd love it if you can get my reaction when I find out
- Jay Z and Beyonce might be singing between courses and we'd like a picture with them after our first dance

Ha ha but there are usually some must-have shots for each wedding. Some of the crazier bridal magazines take it to extremes publishing lists they suggest printing and giving to your photographer "500 must-have pictures your photographer MUST get!"

To me, this is kind of like deciding to have dinner at an Italian restaurant but insisting the chef uses a French recipe that you've found online. Most couples do a lot of research into choosing their wedding photographer and although personality and budget must be considered, you usually choose a photographer because you love the images they make. And if you love their pictures and trust their vision, you probably don't want to make them spend the day hunting for and checking off moments that happened at someone elses wedding.

Now of course a good chef will want to know that you have an absolute passion for say...capers or that you can't abide...tarragon and they'll tailor your dinner accordingly. So by all means tell your photographer if the handkerchief wrapped around your bouquet belonged to your great grandmother or that you can't stand your cousin's new boyfriend and you want a family picture without him in it. But you probably don't need to email your photographer a list that reads:
- Bride walking down aisle
- Vows
- Rings
- Groom kissing bride
- Bride and Groom cutting cake
- And 495 other critical images
(or if you do , you should probably think about hiring another photographer!)

Thanks to my couples letting me know about truly personal and unique elements of their wedding I made sure to capture the wooden soldier and book of messages for Corey's brother who was serving in Iraq at her wedding:


And the moment when Lunda surprised Jonathan by having a watch delivered as a gift moments before their wedding ceremony:


I am sure I would have photographed these pictures anyway but if there's something very special/important to you then it's always a good idea to mention it to your photographer and I can make sure I'm in the right place at the right time. Likewise, if there's any kind of surprise happening at your wedding, it's also good to let me in on the secret! Usually when people sit down to their salads and appetizers this is a good time for me to change out memory cards, refresh batteries etc as not much happens. However I was forewarned that Rene Rancourt would be making a surprise appearance to sing the National Anthem at Danielle & Kevin's wedding so I was ready:


The other kind of shot list is a helpful reminder of family pictures that are important to you both. What you don't want to do is go crazy with this list and turn your wedding into a 4 hour portrait session. Luckily, in the world of Leah Haydock Photography, the family formal shot list is a brief but very important document that gives me important information I wouldn't ordinarily be aware of to make sure I get any critical pictures for you.

About 2-4 weeks before each wedding I send out a homework document to my clients, they confirm all of the times and locations, note any unusual moments planned/items of significance they'd like photographed and fill in those must-have family pictures.

When it comes to family pictures, as you start making your list you should ask yourself:
- Who actually wants this picture? Am I including this picture because I think I should?
- What will happen to it? Will it be framed? Be included in our album?
- How much time do we want to spend doing family pictures?

For example, you'll probably want a picture of the Bride & Groom with the Bride's Parents and then a picture of the Bride & Groom with the Groom's parents. There's a good chance they'll be framed on your parent's mantelpiece and in your wedding album. Therefore a good picture to take.

And then you might list out picture of bride and uncle, picture of bride and aunt, picture of bride and uncle and aunt, picture of bride and groom and uncle and aunt. This would be worth thinking about a little harder. If you wouldn't dream of putting all four images in your wedding album but you're close to your uncle and aunt and want to give them this picture for Christmas then maybe instead of four pictures we just do the last one of the four of you thus saving you 15-20 minutes.

Each family combination/group you add to your list can take 3-5 minutes. You have to call the people, get them all in position, make sure we have the guy's jackets buttoned or open, fix flowers that have fallen off, wait for your brother who ran to the bar to get a drink and wait for your sister to come back from the restroom!

My usual recommendation is something like this:
Bride & Groom with Grandparents (we take this one first so elderly/unsteady Grandparents aren't waiting for too long)
Bride & Groom with Bride's immediate family (parents, siblings, significant others of siblings)
Bride & Groom with Bride's parents and siblings
Bride & Groom with Bride's parents
Bride with Bride's parents
Bride with Mom, Bride with Dad
I then repeat this list with the Groom's family and in around 20-30 minutes we have documented the important family members in relaxed but totally frame-worthy images and everyone can go and relax at cocktail hour. Of course this list may be extended if we have divorced/remarried parents and couples might add in additional images of say Godparents or close nieces/nephews. Here's a screen shot of a couple of shot lists we just finalized for April/May upcoming weddings:


Once we have the family picture shot list finalized, the couple must give copies of the list to someone who actually knows who the people are! These family or wedding party members can then find the people quickly and check the group off the list. I remember one wedding I assisted at maybe 5 years ago where family pictures took 2 hours as no one knew where they should be, I was wondering through cocktail hour asking random guests to point out family relatives. Essentially, you want your photographer photographing not looking for people!

All of my couples get the high-res images after the wedding so it's helpful if family members don't stand behind me and try to take duplicate pictures. Your eyes can't help but move when they see movement and it's sad when I have family pictures with everyone looking in different directions due to the "paparazzi" behind me!

And of course it isn't a blog post without some examples of lovely relaxed family pictures. I always suggest finding a nice shady spot for images so people aren't squinting in the sun with a plain darker background as the focus is on the people!

Perfectly relaxed pictures of Alison & Matt with both sets of parents and individually with their siblings. We took these in the Public Gardens and you MUST get a permit if you're planning on pictures there!


At winter weddings sometimes you have to take family pictures indoors, I love these relaxed images with Becky's family:


Keeping it simple with Stephanie's parents at her wedding to Tim:


All of these pictures with Lori's family at her wedding to Kris ended up in the album or framed:


And if your schedule allows then it can be fun to put a note in your program asking ALL of your family and friends to join you after the ceremony for a giant group picture:


I try to learn names for family pictures but I'll often end up saying "OK, Mom, we'll have you here next to your daughter. And Dad, you're going to stand just here" I'm guessing you can't do that with the Queen is the Grandmother of the Bride & Groom ;) That's it for today! Useful? Informative? Too long?

What should we wear for our engagement photos?

It's day 2 of Royal Wedding Week on the blog and today we'll be talking about engagement pictures. The uber-talented Mario Testino (who I got to see talk at an engagement at the Museum of Fine Art last year) took the official engagement pictures of Prince William and Kate Middleton and I thought the two pictures released struck a good balance of formal and relaxed.

I could of course copy and paste the pictures but that would be naughty (respect the copyright people!) so I'll link to **this** article in Vogue where he discussed some of the behind the scene moments. Interestingly, Mario explained that he gave Kate advice on which dress would look best in the pictures and helped her pick the white Reiss dress she wore.

Engagement pictures should reflect your personalities so you should choose clothes that you feel comfortable in and represent who you are. Having said that, there are certain colors/styles that photograph better than others so I provide my couples with a nifty little document with all sorts of helpful hints and tips and suggestions on what to wear and how to prepare for their engagement shoot and I thought I'd share some of these here...

Presenting...Leah's Top Ten Tips for looking fabulous and relaxed in your engagement photos (lot of great examples at the end!)

1. Wear clothes that fit you. Seriously - and I am guilty of this in real life ;) - if your jeans are a little too tight or that dress is a little too small not only will you feel a little uncomfortable but you won't have a nice smooth silhouette in your pictures. Don't get hung up on the number on the label!

2. Choose a complimentary color palette for the two of you. No need to do matchy-matchy unless you dress alike everyday in real life! Lie the two outfits on the bed together and check that they don't clash. A pale blue button down shirt is my go-to choice for guys - great with all skin tones and compliments everything from a cute little black dress with statement jewelry to a gorgeous little top with your fav jeans.

3. Now put on your chosen complimentary outfit and take a good look in a full length mirror in good light. Do a little happy dance. Is your shirt riding up? Are you having to pull and adjust any hems or sleeves? Can you see your underwear (skin-tones are usually better than bright white which can show up with flash)? Do you like how you look from the side?

4. Consider the background of your location...if we're photographing in a park or on the beach then jewel-tones like fushia, emerald, purples help you stand out against the background. It's also good to avoid bright white (takes your eye away from your face) and bright red or green (can reflect back on your skin making you look overexcited or seasick)

5. Hair and make up! I know it can feel like costs are out of control when you're planning your wedding but you've invested in professional pictures so you want to love how you look in them! Consider scheduling your hair and makeup trial before your engagement shoot or maybe bump your regular hair appointment out to coincide with the shoot - heck, even a $15 blow out at Supercuts and a mini-makeover at the Bobbi Brown or Mac counter in a department store will add a little polish! There's a reason why Hollywood stars spend all day in hair and make up before the Oscars!

6. These pictures will be around for a long time! Think timeless/elegant/classic/relaxed. So this might not be the best idea to try out some cool new trend that you're not sure about. Patterns also date faster than solid colors. If you're at all self conscious about your weight (who isn't these days!?) don't hide in loose baggy clothes which will bulk up your silhouette - think well-fitted, add a belt or choose an A-line/flared skirt to show off your waist.

7. Unless you want your purse to have a starring role then I'd suggest putting a lip gloss in his packet and leaving it in the car (out of sight of course!) - with both hands free it's easier to hug/hold hands/dance/do a cartwheel (I'm joking on the last one - or am I?)

8. I'm somewhat of a shoe-a-holic. I'm not ashamed to admit that sometimes I'll stand for a while in my closet just admiring my shoe collection. Although one must suffer for fashion you don't want your feet to blister on your engagement shoot! So feel free to bring a pair of flip flops to wear for walking between locations which you can then just throw off to the side while you slip those 5 inch Louboutins back on

9. You'll be getting pretty close and snuggly (that's a technical photography term I'll have you know) so unless you lunch together you might want to skip the garlic in your pasta that day! I offer complimentary mints throughout the day ;)

10. Break the rules! If your all-time favorite sweater is a little tight and striped red and green but you love how you look in it then by all means ignore everything I just wrote!

And now it's time for pictures to show you some fabulous and relaxed examples:

Love this picture of Neeta and Rich under the blossom in the Public Gardens - see how the stunning pink of Neeta's dress makes the picture pop:


If Erin or Jeffrey had worn green then I may have lost them in this super-wide shot:


How adorable is Stephanie's elegant yet modern strapless polka-dotted dress, it fits amazingly and the chunky woven belt adds just the right amount of interest (and Tim coordinates perfectly in the background!):


And here's the most amazing example of clothes complimenting without matching (this was actually an anniversary shoot for my photography BFF Kate and her husband Josh so you'd expect her to get the clothing right):


For engagement photos inside Fenway Park you might want to do primary colors to pop against the brick walls and green seats:


Here's Lindsay looking adorable in an elegant grey silk jcrew sleeveless shirt (I know it's jcrew because I have the same one in orange but I don't look half as cute as Lindsay!) with Matt:


Who doesn't love a delicious pair of heels? Loved the ones that Alison wore when I photographed her engagement pictures with Matt in the North End:


Yummy Starburst summer colors on Julie and Steve pop against the green of the public gardens on a sunny day:


When I saw Bridget's super cute little green jacket for her engagement photos in Boston with Matt I was beyond happy. Ladies - you don't have to wear black!


Katy's turquoise top works great here in these fall Newburyport pictures. Sean is also looking very sharp in his jacket:


Another rule breaking image - Kristine & Marc's neutral colors work really well on the beach and show off the calm they feel around each other.


And that's it for today! Tomorrow we're talking shotlists and family formals. Let's imagine Princess Diana (RIP) was still here and would be attending the wedding on Friday, I imagine there would be strict instruction for the photographer not to stand her next to Prince Charles & Camilla ;)

Are you liking Royal Wedding Week on the blog? Just wait until Friday's post when you'll see me in my best hat! I have an AWESOME wedding in York, ME on Saturday so next week will be a veritable feast of beautiful wedding pictures!

Planning your wedding timeline just like Prince William and Kate at the Royal Wedding!

So I'm declaring it ROYAL WEDDING WEEK on the blog in honor of the upcoming wedding of HRH Price William and Kate Middleton. I love me a good royal wedding. I was 4 years old for Charles & Diana's wedding and still remember watching it on TV. Being a little older now ;) I plan on getting up early on Friday morning and watching with a Mimosa perhaps...

So the schedule for this week:

Monday: Let's talk about wedding timelines

Tuesday: Engagement pictures

Wednesday: Family formals and shotlists

Thursday: The difference between weddings in the UK and the US (for new readers, I'm originally from the UK but I've lived in the US for 9 years and been photographing weddings for 4 of them)

Friday: General wedding observations and a picture of me in my best wedding hat :)

Sound good? Would you like something different? Will you be watching the Royal Wedding? Let's talk in the comments!

So - for today - let's talk timelines. The official timeline for the Royal Wedding was recently released (it's at the end of this blog - remember to take off 5 hours if you're watching on the East Coast to account for the time difference) and literally every minute is accounted for e.g:

10:51am Bride departs for Westminster Abbey with her father

10:58am Bride arrives at Westminster Abbey

11:00am Marriage service commences

Now if you're marrying the future King of England, your wedding is being planned by a slew of royal advisors, all roads are closed to traffic, you have an entire police force at your disposal AND approximately 3 billion people will be watching your wedding then you can have this kind of timeline. Should things get off track there will be a cry off "Off with their heads!"

But for the majority of couples planning their wedding timeline, it's probably wise not to try to plan your day with this insane level of detail.

Once a couple book me to photograph their wedding I love giving them advice on how to best plan their timeline with a focus on finding the optimum time for photographs - making sure we have enough time, the best time of day for the sun, figuring out if they want to do a first look etc - whilst remembering that this is a wedding and not a photoshoot!

And we come up with nice simple documents like these below which are helpful for figuring times for transportation, hair and make up, flower deliveries etc

Usually we'll start with the time of the ceremony (as this is usually somewhat set in stone) and then work our way backwards (travel time to ceremony? will we do a first look? family pictures before the ceremony? what time do I need to arrive for getting ready coverage?) and then forwards (receiving line? travel time to reception? different locations for portraits? sunset time for beautiful twilight pictures?) and it'll all come together. Sometimes we'll chat on the phone to figure all of this out, sometimes we'll meet in person over a glass of wine :)

Ten top tips for planning your wedding timeline:

1. Allow more time than you think you need. Seriously - no one is ever upset because there is a little extra time. Conversely if you run out of time and have to miss cocktail hour or cut your pictures short then it's such a shame.

2. Be generous when allocating travel time - unless you're royalty there will be traffic on the road! I like using google maps to get the basic travel time and then adding on at least 20% extra time.

3. Consider the time that the sun will be setting. A good photographer will be able to find good light/shade throughout the day but if you can try to avoid pictures between 11am and 2pm then it saves everyone squinting in the harsh midday sun

4. If your dress is corset-style lace up or you have lots of teeny tiny buttons to fasten with a crochet hook you should allow at least 20-30 minutes to get dressed!

5. It's nice if you can both get ready in the same location (different floors of the hotel for example) as then you can have pre-wedding pictures of both of you

6. Consider doing a first look so that you get a beautiful private moment between the two of you (I use very long zoom lenses so I get your reactions but I can't hear what you're saying), you'll still feel all of the emotion of the ceremony and we can do a bunch of pictures before so that you get to enjoy the champagne and hor d'oeuvres of cocktail hour - mmm

7. Don't go last for hair and make up if you're the bride. It's usually good to be second-to-last so that someone else can be done whilst you're getting dressed/putting on a veil. If you want your maid/matron of honor/sister/mom to help you get dressed make sure she's ahead of you in the hair and make up line and dressed so they look lovely in the pictures vs. being in sweats with wet hair ;)

8. For a receiving line after your ceremony you should plan on greeting guests for 30-90 minutes depending on numbers (approx 10-15 seconds per guest - Hug! "Congratulations! You look beautiful! How are you?! This is my new husband/wife!" Kiss!) - and bring hand sanitizer so you don't get sick on your honeymoon after kissing/hugging 200 of your closest friends and family ;)

9. Think carefully about your must-have list of pictures for family formals. Each picture can take 3-5 minutes to gather the people, set up the shot, take a number of pictures in case of blinking. More about this on Wednesday...

10. Let me know if you'd like me to steal you outside just after sunset for some lovely twilight pictures (weather permitting!). Give me 5 minutes and I'll wield my little video light for some magical pictures like these:

At Neeta & Rich's wedding at the Hyatt Hotel in Cambridge we went outside to make some images with the Boston skyline in the background:


Here's Stephanie and Tim out on the balcony at their wedding reception at Hillview Country Club in North Reading:


If I'm photographing a wedding in Boston and the limo happens to drive along Commonwealth Ave I can't resist some wedding photos at night like this one of Becky and Duke:


Erin & Jeffrey took advantage and sneak out and celebrate being married at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA


I photographed Lori & Kris outside at Groveland Fairways in maybe 3 minutes and this picture was actually used as part of a background for Train's performance of "Marry Me" at the 2010 American Music Awards on ABC last year :)

Are you convinced about sneaking outside just after sunset now?

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is it for today. As promised, here's the official timeline for the Royal Wedding - will you be watching?

8.15am and 9.45am: The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.
9.50am: Governors-general and prime ministers of realm countries, the diplomatic corps and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey.
10.10am: The bridegroom and best man Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.
10.20am: Members of foreign royal families arrive at the Abbey from Buckingham Palace.
10.20am: Carole Middleton and son James leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.27am.
10.25am: Members of the Royal Family (except those listed below) leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.30am.
10.35am: The following members of the Royal Family leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.40am: The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugenie of York, The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence
10.38am: The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.42am.
10.40am: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.
10.48am: The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey. They arrive at the Abbey at 10.55am.
10.51am: Kate Middleton, accompanied by her father, Michael, leaves the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey
11.00am: The marriage service begins
12.15pm: The carriage procession of the bride and groom with a captain’s escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by the Queen’s procession with a sovereign’s escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.
12.30pm: The bride’s carriage procession arrives at Buckingham Palace.
12.40pm: Members of the Royal Family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.
1.25pm: The Queen and the bride and groom, together with their families, appear on the balcony.
1.30pm: Fly past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain memorial flight.

Did you like this post? Here's an older post on planning your wedding timeline with some sample wedding schedules http://leahhaydock.blogspot.com/2010/06/planning-your-wedding-day-timeline.html

Easter Wieners 2011

Regular blog readers might remember the Easter Wieners of 2010 or the Christmas Wieners from just a few months ago...this year was somewhat less successful ;) Let's just say that there's a reason I'm a wedding photographer vs. a pet photographer.

I probably should have just kept it simple as the bunny ears and antlers have worked in the past but I was tempted by these ridiculous blue and yellow Easter dog outfits with bunny rabbit tails and "snuggle bunny" appliqued on the back.

Issue #1 Wiener dogs have long little bodies and the fit wasn't so great. Here's Coco Chanel.


Issue #2 The Petco outfits were kind of lame and the ears wouldn't stand up so they looked like loser bunny dogs:


Issue #3 The wiener dogs are not particularly well-behaved. Tiger Woods doesn't understand that each lens has a minimum focusing distance and insists on sticking her nose in my lens resulting in blurry pictures:


Issue #4: Did I mention they don't follow direction well?


Issue #5 They don't really like wearing clothes. Here's Coco giving me her best sad face so I'll take the outfit off:


Issue #6 Tiger Woods is easily exhausted and had to lie down half way through the shoot:


This is probably the best picture of both of them. At this point Coco was point blank refusing to open her eyes.


Of course Mr H was in charge of dog wrangling so you'll see his hands and feet in the outtakes video below:


So there you go! Happy Easter! We're off to have a lovely Easter lunch with our almost-family friends. I'm brining these very cute looking little chocolate mousse egg shells except I think I messed up the quantities so it's kind of like a chocolate soup. Mmmm

Next week in honor of the Royal Wedding I will be blogging EVERY SINGLE day. And I'll be wearing my best hat throughout :)

Rooftop Boston Engagement Pictures at Night :: Renee + Kevin

Renee and Kevin are all kinds of awesome. If you've been reading for a while, you might remember **this** post from last year when I took some relaxed pictures of Renee and Kevin in the Public Gardens and at Fenway Park. The time had just flown by and in just a few more weeks, Renee and Kevin will have their wedding at the Renaissance Boston. Last night we caught up for a mini shoot and to go over their timeline and the plan for pictures.

Meet Renee and Kevin - again!


We were deciding on a location when Renee suggested just meeting at their house. It's great to have pictures of you both in your first home together so I thought this was a most excellent idea. Plus Renee made a truly splendid vegetable dip which only enhanced the overall picture making experience.


They have the most phenomenal view from their rooftop deck - you can literally see the whole of the city but before we get to that how about a little hug:


Kevin is a little reluctant about the whole picture taking thing - Mr H is totally on the same page - so I decided to take a desensitization approach. We'd all have a little beer/glass of wine then pop outside for 2 minutes of pictures. Then back inside for another drink. Then back out again. Repeat as necessary. Good plan Leah :)

Here we are outside again. And wouldn't you know it, Kevin smiles and the whole world lights up:


The sun had just dipped below the horizon and the twinkly lights of the Boston skyline were just visible so it was time to head outside again:


Renee is absolutely hilarious, I get the best little wedding updates on email from her. SO looking forward to taking pictures of her as a bride!


Late night kissing on the rooftop = good times


Renee & Kevin - I hope you like your speedy sneak peek! Seriously so excited for your wedding!

Do you know Renee & Kevin? Will you be at their May wedding? Leave your name and say hello in the comments and I'll work diligently to take a picture of you looking cool/hot/awesome/bringing sexyback on the dancefloor ;) And if you don't know Renee and Kevin and wish you did, you can just come back at the end of May to see their wedding pictures. Happy Friday!

Engagement Pictures on the Beach and Newburyport, MA :: Arianne + Roger

Do you remember Arianne & Roger and the story of how they met?

Last time you saw them we were in the depths of winter in Boston **here** and it was soooo chilly that we planned a quick spring shoot and it came around so quickly! Arianne was home for spring break from medical school this week and as luck would have it we had a perfect blue sky day for our beach shoot. It seems somewhat ironic as we currently have 6 inches of snow on the ground...


The best time of day for pictures is usually a couple of hours after sunrise or before sunset - you get beautiful soft golden light (bear this in mind if you're planning an outdoor wedding ceremony - noon makes it kind of tough!) but I think it's all too easy to play "safe" and only shoot in open shade. The sun can be your friend ;)


And after 5 months of snow and rain and winter boots and wellingtons do you know how happy I was to see Arianne & Roger's matching sneakers! Love!!!


Do you see what I mean about embracing the sun? Arianne - I can't wait to photograph you as a bride! I think I'm almost as excited as Roger to see you in your wedding dress!


Roger looking pretty sharp too:


I really love this picture, might be my favorite from the shoot:


If I had to give each picture a name I'd maybe call it "safe" or "secure"...


I asked Arianne & Roger if they'd like to go to Newburyport for a little while and Arianne was all "ooooh - would there be any hot chocolate?!"


Arianne & Roger are officially adorable:


The old-fashioned gas lamps in Newburyport lit up with perfect timing:


And then it was time to go home (via Joppa Fine Foods for me to stock up on yummy cheese and wine!). Arianne & Roger - I hope you enjoy these little preview shots - lots more to come and I can't wait until your June wedding!

If you'd like to see my website you can click here: www.LeahHaydock.com
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Or send me an email if you'd like to schedule your own spring engagement pictures or chat about your wedding plans at leah@leahhaydock.com