Education. Education. Education. Jerry Ghionis Workshop in Denver, Colorado

I interrupt my usual program of wedding related blogging to bring you a little review/update on a photography workshop I attended last week.

One of the things I love about being a photographer is that you never stop learning. There is always something that you can work on and it's really important to me that I push and challenge myself to improve year on year.

In 2010 I set myself an objective of improving my reception lighting and after much reading, discussions on forums, a number of workshops and seminars and spending a LOT of time setting up all sorts of crazy lighting in my kitchen I feel like you can pretty much throw any reception set up at me and I can make it look good!

For 2011, my fourth year of photographing weddings, I decided I wanted to continue my understanding of light and take my couples and family pictures to the next level.

You'll notice a common theme - light. According to Wikipedia: The word photography derives from the Greek words phōs (genitive: phōtós) light, and gráphein, to write. The word was coined by Sir John Herschel in 1839

Often the difference between a good photograph and a great photograph is how the photographer sees and uses light. In my opinion, Jerry Ghionis is one of the best if not the best wedding photographers in the world for his skill and talent in finding and capturing the light. Whether it's his stunning & glamourous couples portraits or his meaningful & touching family pictures, he has this ability to make the ordinary totally extraordinary.

So when I found out that Jerry, who is based in Australia, was coming to the US to teach a series of photography workshops I knew I had to sign up. I could have attended a local class in July but that's a crazy busy time for me so last week I headed out to Denver, CO for a whole week of nothing but the study of light and posing and direction and business and just a little karaoke...

Of course it was considerable investment - both time (a whole week away from my husband and the dogs without editing, finishing off album designs, blogging!) and money (thousands of dollars for the workshop plus flights and hotel) - but I'd say to anyone thinking that they can't afford such a workshop, they almost can't afford not to! You'll develop a better understanding of light and get incredible tips for posing and directing. You'll leave a better photographer, a better business owner, heck I think most of us came out of it committing to be better people in general.

So if you're wondering what actually happens at a week long photography workshop...

Monday was critique day and although it was completely nervewracking, each of us survived and left at 7pm with pages and pages of notes. Tuesday, we watched Jerry in action and started putting various techniques into practice. I think there's a tendency to assume that once you're charging tens of thousands for wedding photography you only have beautiful locations and beautiful people to photography but Jerry showed us his mad MacGyver skills with example after example of how he made absolutely amazing photographs in very ordinary situations. In the pictures below you can see how we used just window light and a simple navy curtain in a somewhat cluttered location:

Side note, Jen is an incredibly talented photographer in California who was doing double duty as one of our models and I'm so happy to count her as a new friend now (along with 9 other new photography friends and 1 old one ;)


Each of us then had 10 minutes with our "model" who also happened to be Jerry's wonderful wife Melissa. Melissa is originally from Massachusetts and she's one of the most kind and funniest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Oh and she's amazing to photograph:


Jerry then demonstrated the fun you can have in a dark room with a video light:


Wednesday kicked off with shooting in the bright Colorado sun. Most of the time it's tempting to run for shade to avoid harsh shadows and whilst I still prefer shade for family pictures to avoid squinting I think most of us were astonished with how amazing pictures in the midday sun can be. Patrick was one of our models and Jerry set up this shot by having him lean against a dirty black SUV window...


I totally get that most of my couples don't want to remember their wedding day as one long posing experience but equally many of them will look to me for a little direction in how to stand, what to do with their hands etc. Ultimately, who doesn't appreciate a little help in standing a little taller, slimmer, more elegant...

Walking is more complex than you think - seriously! - you're trying to catch a split second where your couple has a great expression and their limbs aren't awkwardly waving in mid-air. Jerry gave us some excellent tips and tricks for beautiful walking shots:


So now you're probably thinking, well it all looks like a lot of hard work. I thought this Jerry guy is supposed to be fun?! I'm happy to report that there was much laughing during the week, and with this being Jerry's first time in the snow, Melissa made sure to share her tips for making top snow angels:


We also had another individual 10 minute session with a model so we could implement what we'd learnt and have our images critiqued again. I had 10 minutes with Tammy who was such a good sport in the freezing conditions. The challenge was to come up with a beautiful image in the parking lot surrounded by storage containers...


Thursday and Friday were spent on individual mentor sessions, reviews of our marketing materials and general business and my mind is still spinning with all of the ideas and information that Jerry shared with us.

Thursday evening was our group night out and as you can imagine after 4 incredibly long days in a room we'd all gotten to know each other pretty well. We ended up in a rather bizarre but surprisingly popular Czech bar in Denver and karaoke was mandatory. I will spare you the stories but let's just say there's a reason this was only the third time I have ever sang out loud in public. My new friend Jen saved my life by singing the "Are you calling me Darling?" chorus of "That's not my name" by the Ting Tings.

Everett brought his camera and caught this shot of the group. Unfortunately this means that Everett isn't in the shot and also Barb is missing (oh, the stories I could tell you about the amazingness that is The Barb):

For any photographers on the fence about attending a Jerry Ghionis workshop I really can't recommend it enough. Frankly, by the end of Wednesday I felt like I'd had my money's worth and we still had two days of business and marketing to go. Jerry is not only incredibly passionate about what he does but he's an excellent teacher. It's a very specific talent to be able to break down what you do and how you do it and Jerry is so so generous with his knowledge, experience and time. Here's his schedule of workshops (plus he's doing a North America tour with Sandy Puc' that would probably be pretty awesome too if you can't make it for a whole week) **here**

And in the spirit of continued education I head out to Las Vegas tomorrow for WPPI - Wedding & Portrait Photographers International - not only do I get to learn EVEN more and check out the latest new photography products available but I get to meet up with many of the Denver crew again!

Vendor Spotlight :: Flair Bridesmaid, Boston, MA :: Bridesmaid dresses

Cast your mind back to last winter...do you remember the Vendor Spotlight posts I used to do on the blog? I'd pick a vendor I've enjoyed working with at a recent wedding and then I'd interview them so you got to know them too? In the wedding craziness of Summer and Fall the vendor spotlights kind of fell off the to-do list but they're back!

Coming up in the near future I have interviews planned with a wonderful calligrapher, make up artist, florist, wedding planner and much more. They're all talented professionals in the wedding industry who my couples have loved working with and who I want to spread the word about. I don't post about anyone I haven't worked with/met personally (I've had some vendors ask to be interviewed but it doesn't work like that!)

So for your reading delight today I have the Vendor Spotlight trained on...FLAIR Bridesmaid Boutique in Boston, MA

Yes, just a couple of doors down from the Burberry store in Boston is a little discrete sign at 10 Newbury Street announcing Flair Bridesmaid Boutique:


You step out of the elevator on the fourth floor to be greeted by a veritable bounty of bridesmaid dresses in every possible style and color:


I spent an hour interviewing Lindsay and Stacey about Flair Bridesmaid Boutique and they shared all sorts of tips and secrets for bridesmaid dress shopping which I'm delighted to now share with you. And I'll intersperse this blog post with pictures of the stunning dresses in the store:


Leah: So tell me about Flair and how it came to be?
Lindsay and Stacey: Christine is the owner of Flair and when she was planning her own wedding she struggled to find a great selection of bridesmaid dresses all in one place and so in 2003 Flair Bridesmaid Boutique was born. We aim to offer brides a collection of modern sophisticated and original dresses in all sorts of styles and colors in an unparalleled bridal shopping experience.

Leah: When should brides start thinking about bridesmaid dresses?

Lindsay and Stacey: It's never too early!!! Bridesmaid dresses often set the color and compliment the theme of the wedding so it's a great decision to make early in the process. Also, it can take more time than you think for your girls to get their measurements, visit the store if they're local or fill in the paperwork if they're not and get fitted etc. Don't feel like you have to wait until it's exactly 6 months before your wedding! We probably dress around 400 weddings each year and so the boutique can get really busy! We only see brides and their bridesmaids by appointments for a truly personal service so we recommend booking earlier rather than later. Having said that we have helped out girls with last-minute dress needs, as late as 6 weeks before the wedding but some of the designers will charge a rush-fee.

Leah: Which designers do you stock?
Lindsay and Stacey: Coren Moore, Jenny Yoo, Badgley Mischka, Anna Elyse, Siri, Lynn Lugo, Dessy and Seams which is local to Boston. Some designers start at size 00 and others go up to a size 28-30 so we have dresses for all sizes and shapes!

Leah: What about accessories?

Lindsay and Stacey: Absolutely, we offer custom sashes by a.b. Ellie. Sashes are a perfect way to customize each dress and they're also wonderful for adding a unique element to your wedding dress. You can almost think of the dress as a shell or a blank canvas and your sash as the perfect finishing touch.


Leah: So, what's different about the Flair experience?

Lindsay and Stacey: Well, first of all we have such a great selection of dresses for girls to choose from in one place, everything from modern minimalist dresses to more glamourous sophisticated styles. And the dresses aren't like a standard dress off-the-rack in a clothing store. Many of them are boned for support, the beautiful fabrics are lined and they'll fit so much better.

We also have a selection for all budgets with some dresses starting at around $150 and others coming in at $400 plus. We only see brides and their bridesmaids by appointment so it's a very personal service and we can advise on colors, trends, and styles to suit all shapes. We've worked with bridesmaids with just one or two bridesmaids and we've also dressed a bridal party of 14 girls all in different dresses!

Leah: Is that a wedding dress I see in the window? So Flair isn't just about bridesmaid dresses?

Lindsay and Stacey: Flair has always focused on bridesmaid dresses but as our designers have added bridal gowns to their collections we've been happy to offer them too. We don't tend to have many of the heavy, beaded more formal dresses instead we have beautifully light and modern wedding dresses:


Leah: What trends are you seeing for 2011?

Lindsay and Stacey: We're seeing a lot of gray dresses; darker grays, lighter silvers and platinum as it's a great alternative to black and still a very elegant neutral. [Note from Leah: Love gray! It looks beautiful with a pop of color in your flowers - yellows or oranges and wonderful with spring green and whites]

A lot of girls are going for short-short too this year. Dresses in mini or cocktail length. These are also some of the easiest dresses to re-wear to parties or to dinner with a cute little jacket. One-shoulder dresses have also been popular so far. It's probably split about 50:50 into weddings where all of the girls are in identical dresses/color and those where they have a choice of style or color.

Leah: I imagine you have some bridesmaid groups where all of the girls have different body sizes and shapes...

Lindsay and Stacey: Oh, all the time. We have SO many dress styles that we really have something for everyone. One of our favorite dresses is the Nolan dress by Coren Moore. The sweetheart neckline is super flattering for everyone and the full skirt also looks amazing on all shapes. It's one of our favorite dresses for a group with different body types and it comes in size 0 to 22. We also have some beautiful one-shoulder dresses that work well with all sizes.

Meet Nolan:


Leah: So what should a bride know before making her appointment to come in?

Lindsay and Stacey: Don't feel that you need to bring ALL of your bridesmaids! In fact, it's best to bring just 2 or 3 girls with you. If you have a group of 10 it'll be almost impossible to settle on just one dress or color with everyone having a different opinion!

It's great to do a little homework before you come in to make the most of your appointment, do a little research online or with bridal magazines and perhaps have some ideas on styles and colors as a starting point. Tell your bridesmaids to wear a strapless bra and/or their shapers/Spanx if they plan on wearing them so they can see how the dresses will look.

Leah: Excellent advice! What about other information would you share for choosing bridesmaid dresses:

Lindsay and Stacey: OK, here's our top ten tips:

1. Consider color before style. Your bridesmaids will almost act as decor at your wedding and especially if you have a larger bridal party you'll see the color you choose almost everywhere!

2. Don't get hung up on numbers! Just because you're a size 6 in Banana Republic doesn't mean you'll be a size 6 in all dresses! Dress sizes vary with styles and with designers and it's so much better to choose a well-fitting size rather than obsessing over numbers! [Note from Leah: Amen!!! And this goes for brides too. If your dress fits well you'll feel more comfortable and confident at your wedding. Even the teeny-tiny bride can have back fat and underarm bulges if her dress doesn't fit well!]

3. Do a little homework before coming into the store but keep an open mind! Sometimes we'll have a bridesmaid who will insist that she'll only wear a v-neck style or can't do strapless and they'll be pleasantly surprised when they try on a dress that we recommend.

4. Neutral colors - grey, black, navy, nude - look sophisticated and can often be worn again as they're the least "bridesmaid-y"

5. It's best to have each bridesmaid do their alterations locally as it's easier for them to handle the logistics. For Boston-based girls, we recommend Newbury Tailor at 116 Newbury St.

6. Set a budget and be careful about trying on dresses out of your budget! We're happy to only show you dresses that fit your budget but if you decide to try on some of the more expensive dresses there's a good chance you'll be tempted to splurge!

7. Don't be scared of strapless! They can often provide more coverage than some of the deeper cut v-necklines. Most of the designers will also offer optional spaghetti straps that can be attached later in the day for dancing. Some girls have had custom wider straps made from sashes for a really unique look.

8. Consider Flair if you're looking for a fresh wedding gown! We have beautiful lightweight modern wedding dresses that are perfect for a more informal wedding or beach wedding.

9. You can change things up with bridemaid dresses in one style/complimentary colors or one color/different styles if your girls don't want to look identical.

10. It's never too early to start the process especially if you have a larger group! So make your appointments as soon as possible.

And I bet by now you're thinking "Who ARE Lindsay and Stacey?" and "How do they know SO much about bridesmaid dress shopping?" Well here they are, I made them pose for a little "action" shot checking the Flair appointment book. They're super friendly and knowledgeable about the dresses in-store and they're actually both getting married this year so they 're going through the whole wedding planning themselves!

And here's the all-important details:

Flair Bridesmaid Boutique is at 10 Newbury Street, Floor 4, Boston, MA

Website: www.flairbridesmaid.com

Blog: http://flairbridesmaid.blogspot.com/ check it out for great ideas on how to re-wear your bridesmaid dresses

Call for your appointment at 617-247-2828 or email boston@flairbridesmaid.com
Flair is closed on Monday, open 11 - 7 Tuesday - Thursday, 11 - 6 Friday, 10 - 6 Saturday and open two Sundays each month.

I actually heard about Flair Bridesmaid Boutique from one of my wonderful 2010 brides, Erin. Her bridesmaid dresses came from Flair and they were a beautiful blue/green silk design by Dessy:


So that's it from me for today! If you don't have your bridesmaid dresses yet, call up the Flair ladies and make your appointment tout de suite! And tell them you read about them here. And if you don't have a photographer for your wedding then email me at leah@leahhaydock.com or call me at 603-571-LEAH

If you'd like to catch up on some oldie but goodie vendor spotlight interviews from last year you can read about:
Eyelash extensions **here**
Uplighting and lighting design **here**

Video **here**

Make up **here** and an older one but still great recommendation **here**

Let me know your suggestions for other vendor spotlight interviews, I can't guarantee I'll have someone to interview (I only like to feature vendors I'd be happy to recommend) but I'll try!

Happy Valentine's Day

I was in Denver, CO last week for a photography workshop that's pretty much changed my life, I'm still working through my notes and pictures so more on that later this week. In the meantime, I thought I'd wish everyone a happy Valentine's day.

Wikipedia tells me that Saint Valentine's Day has been around since 496AD despite the reputation as a "Hallmark Holiday" and it's a day for celebrating "love and affection". I'll admit in the past I've had Valentine's days where I'm all "where are my flowers!?!?" but I think there's a lot to be said for the little things that happen not on Valentine's Day...

I bought my current car about 2 years ago and a couple of months back I mentioned to Paul that it must have a HUGE container for the windshield-wiper fluid as I hadn't needed to fill it up since I bought it. He laughed and told me that he just fills up my car each time he fills up his truck. And you know what, I'll take that over the heart-shaped box of chocolates :)

And because I don't think I've ever done a blog post without a picture, here's the Kate Spade shoes I wore on Saturday night next to Paul's shiny tuxedo shoes. We were guests at a Bat Mitzvah party and had a lot of fun with some great friends and even a little slow dancing ;)


Update: I posted this around 1pm. At around 2pm the dogs went crazy as the flower delivery man came up the drive. So not only do I get my windshield fluid taken care of but there are now 2 dozen roses looking rather lovely on the top of the piano :)

Mistral Restaurant, Boston :: Wedding Reception Photographs :: Becky + Duke (Part IV)

If you need to catch up, you can find getting ready and detail pictures **here**, Becky and Duke's emotional first look **here** and their winter wedding ceremony at the Seaport Winter Garden Atrium in Boston **here**

We're now in the private dining room at Mistral Bistro in Boston for their wedding reception and I must tell you phenomenal the Mistral team were. I can honestly say that it is the first time I have ever been asked "What would you like for dinner and when would be the best time for you to eat it?"

Let me explain how amazing that is - usually the wedding venue will feed vendors - photographer, video, band or DJ - after all of the guests have eaten. This means wasted time as frankly, no one looks good in pictures whilst they're eating dinner. Usually as we sit down to grab a few bites (very welcome after working 8 hours but believe me that no one becomes a wedding photographer for the food!), the couple will be ready to cut the cake and do parent dances. It's the strangest thing. Asking your wedding coordinator if it's possible to have your photographer fed at the same time as your guests is therefore a pretty smart move.


The private dining room at Mistral is perfect for a small wedding reception, it's romantic and atmospheric and the flowers from Winston Flowers complimented the set up perfectly.


Becky and Duke met at the party of a mutual friend who had also gone to culinary school and so they're self-proclaimed foodies which was one of the reasons they chose Mistral. The champagne was flowing and their guests enjoyed signature thin crust pizzas, beef and foie gras ravioli, tuna tartare wontons, lemon arancini and shrimp tempura, grilled tenderloin, roast duck, wild mushroom risotto and pan roasted cod:


Happy guests:


Duke opened up the floor and Becky's father did a beautiful first toast:


Maid of Honor, Tara had written a totally brilliant poem and then Best Man, Ben closed with a head rub and his congratulations to the newlyweds:


Let them eat cake!


The cake was beautifully wrapped for guests to take home and they got to enjoy Mistral's trio of desserts:


Geeky photographer moment: The ceiling in Mistral is a beautiful dark dove grey and the walls are lined with windows and beautifully patterned silk curtains and it's dark. Really dark. Many photographers will "bounce" their flash off the ceiling or the walls for softer lighting but in this case it's not really possible. This is the moment where you are super happy you've attended numerous off-camera flash workshops and you joyfully pull out 4 off-camera strobe lights and pocket wizards and get creative with your lighting...

Becky had shared with me that the wedding reception was kind of "like a dinner party on steroids" and I think they pulled it off beautifully!


And that, ladies and gentlemen is the end of the wedding preview pictures. Becky & Duke - I hope you're having a wonderful wonderful time on your honeymoon and hopefully seeing these pictures will bring it all back. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, health, happiness and amazing food! Thank you for choosing me as your wedding photographer!

If you'd like to see my website you can click here: www.LeahHaydock.com
You can befriend me on facebook: www.facebook.com/LeahHaydock
I occasionally tweet (in fact - those little updates at the top of my blog come from twitter): www.Twitter.com/leahhaydock

Or send me an email if you'd like to schedule your own winter wonderland engagement pictures or chat about your wedding plans at leah@leahhaydock.com


And....my super photography friend Kate McElwee, who's an awesome photographer in her own right, felt like shooting a winter wedding so she came along as my over-qualified second shooter. We like to trade one or two weddings with each other each year so I owe her my services at an upcoming wedding now ;) You can pop over to her blog here to see her take on the wedding :)

Boston Winter Wedding Photographs :: Seaport Winter Garden Atrium Ceremony :: Becky + Duke (Part III)

This blog post is a little later than expected due to some snowy roof/flooding issues. As I mopped up the water and dealt with finding someone to take the snow off the roof I was thinking how nice it would be to get away to sunnier climates. Like Hawaii. Which is where Becky and Duke are on honeymoon right now!

And of course to enjoy a honeymoon you have to get married so without further ado let's get to the winter wedding ceremony in the Seaport Hotel Winter Garden Atrium Courtney and Laura from Corinthian Events were the absolutely superb event planners and everything was handled with meticulous precision and attention to detail.


The Winter Garden Atrium is the most amazing venue for a winter ceremony in Boston - you're indoors and toasty warm but the glass walls and ceiling and all of the green plants and trees make it feel kind of lush and tropical despite the snow. The beautiful silver chiavari chairs were from Peterson Party Rental (781-729-4000) and Winston Flowers were responsible for all flowers on the day


Guests arrived to the music of the Boston String Quartet (they also played through the champagne reception immediately after the ceremony and I was overjoyed to hear "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey - I would highly recommend them if you're looking for a string quartet in Boston!

Tom proudly walked his daughter down the aisle:


I posted Duke and Becky's first look **here** and for those sceptics (fyi my spell check is telling me that should be skeptics...really? maybe that's another one of those strange English-English vs. American-English changes? anyway, I digress!) who worry that seeing each other before the ceremony takes away from the momentous feeling and emotion I don't think you need to worry:


Becky's sisters did readings and it was lovely to see how happy they are for Becky and Duke:


And by the power vested in me by the state of my blog, I now pronounce you husband and wife and you may kiss your bride:


Usually at this point, the newlyweds are announced to the guests and they walk back down the aisle together.

But wait!

Becky had a surprise in store! I think Duke had an inkling that something was up when he saw the thirteen young men smartly dressed in chinos and blazers sitting as guests at the wedding ceremony. As you can see from the reactions - laughter, clapping, nodding of heads and even singing - it was a very good surprise:


And the reason for the delight? The Dear Abbeys! Boston University's all-male A-Capella group. They were AWESOME! Singing "All you need is Love" by The Beatles. Steven is their business manager (stvoranges@gmail.com) should you want to book them your own event - absolutely wonderful!


Happy Newlyweds!


In the reception area of the Winter Garden Atrium, there was champagne and little morsels of deliciousness awaiting the guests. Remy from Above And Beyond Catering (www.aboveabc.com or email remy@aboveabc.com) did a phenomenal job keeping the champagne flutes full and the little endive leaf hors d'oeuvres circulating


It was a lovely relaxing time for Becky and Duke to mingle with their guests and enjoy one more song from the Dear Abbeys - You are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne and of course for a picture of the guys with the newlyweds:


I rode in the front of Becky and Duke's limo to Mistral (depending on logistics/timing/locations it often makes more sense for me to do this on the wedding day, saves me getting split up from you whilst looking for parking, I just need to know in advance so I can make appropriate arrangements for my car) and we stopped at Commonwealth Ave to take advantage of the twinkly lights:


Bye bye Becky and Duke. See you in a few days for your wedding reception at Mistral, Boston, MA. Mmmmmmm

Winter Wedding in Boston :: Seaport Winter Garden Atrium + Mistral Restaurant :: Becky + Duke (Part II)

Annnnnnnnd....I'm back. Yes, back from the shoveling of the snow. Here's the thing, shoveling is fine as long as you have somewhere to put the snow. Once the snow banks are over your head it starts getting a bit miserable. Anyhoo. This is a blog about wedding photography so I'll spare you my shoveling sob story.

Yesterday I shared some pictures of Becky getting ready **here** and so today it only seems fair that you get to meet Duke:


Way back last year when Becky booked me we talked about the wedding timeline and it soon became clear that doing a first look would be a great idea. We also figured out that due to the sun setting early pushing the ceremony forward by just 30 minutes would give us a wonderful "outdoor" wedding feel despite it being January, thanks to the light and airy feel in the Seaport Winter Garden Atrium:


For those new to the blog or to wedding photography in general you might be thinking what is a first look? It's essentially a private moment for the wedding couple to see each other alone before the wedding ceremony, it then enables them to do the majority of "formal" pictures before the ceremony so they can celebrate with their friends and family at cocktail hour and the reception.

I usually find a good place for the groom to relax and then have the bride come in to meet him. I like to stay as far away as possible so they can talk amongst themselves so I'll use long lenses:


I recently was emailing back and forth with one of my 2011 brides who was trying to decide whether or not to do a first look (hello Bridget, I hope you don't mind me sharing my email!) on this very topic and so I'm going to copy and paste some of the email here.

My thoughts/experience on a first look:

1. The whole "tradition" of not seeing each other stems from the olden days of arranged marriages, the groom didn't get to see the bride until she met him at the top of the aisle, this was so he wouldn't run away if she was ugly. You are most definitely not ugly and I distinctly remember Matt telling me "Bridget is hot" so I don't think you need to worry about this.

2. I think that brides sometimes have this kind of romanticized idea that their groom will see them and be overcome with emotion. In reality, the nerves will be high (especially if you haven't seen each other all day) and it's kind of hard to express any type of emotion or even say hello or talk as you have hundreds of guests watching you plus the priest will start the ceremony immediately.

3. Such a lot of time and effort and money goes on planning this day of celebration yet some couples miss out on so much time together with their closest friends and family because of an outdated tradition (interestingly most other traditions from that time - wearing a veil to ward off evil spirits, not living together before marriage, the groom standing on the right side of the church so his sword-arm is free to fight off attackers looking to steal his bride - are often ignored)

4. Cocktail hour - and this is my opinion only - is frankly one of the best parts of the wedding. Champagne, music, delicious hor d'oeuvres, mingling with friends and family hand-in-hand as newlyweds. And it seems such a shame to spend cocktail hour taking pictures :(

5. If we've done all of the pictures before the I get to spend cocktail hour taking wonderfully candid pictures of your guests, detail shots, room set up etc and you don't necessarily need a second photographer

6. And of course, when you hire me as your wedding photographer you have comprehensive coverage so if you choose to do a first look and pictures before the ceremony you essentially get hundreds more beautiful images with no additional overtime charges.

I just did a little survey with my 2010 couples that did a first look, not one of them regretted it and I'll be publishing the results in the next few weeks. Here's just one of the comments:

"I would highly recommend a first look. I think having time before the ceremony to take pictures eliminates some of the stress of worrying about getting back to the reception, keeping your guests waiting, trying to rush family into their positions etc... Seeing your partner for the first time on your wedding day will feel special no matter where you are"

So there you have it, of course if a couple decide they'd rather not see each other before the wedding it's all good because I am a super-fast photographer and I can totally get all of the frame-worthy family and wedding party pictures in a short window of time.

And back to Becky & Duke's wedding...I really need to work on the brevity of my blog posts...feel free to leave a note in the comments - are you here for the pictures? do you even read my ramblings?

Here's the moment they first saw each other:


I'll usually move around in a super discrete manner to capture both of their expressions; this monumental moment isn't usually something I'll trust to an assistant but on Saturday I had my photography BFF Kate with me. Kate is a phenomenal photographer in her own right (more on that tomorrow or Friday) and once or twice each year we'll shoot with each other just for fun/to try out new ideas/bring the creativeness and so I had no qualms trusting Kate to catch Duke's expressions, I love the framing with the chairs on the bottom right:


Sometimes brides will mention that they're worried that the first look moment won't feel as "special" if it's before the ceremony...umm, just the two of you, alone, you can say what you like, hug and kiss vs. seeing each other in front of 200 of your closest friends and relatives and being unable to say anything...


Love love love this picture:


Of course, one of the advantages of doing a first look is that you have lots of relaxed time for family pictures, here's Becky's family. True story - as I took the picture on the top right of Becky and her sisters I turned to see their parents Kathy & Tom holding each other and just beaming. I said "Look at the three of them! You two obviously did something right!" and Becky's Mom replied with "and we had a lot of fun doing it!" Love it!


Duke's family. Is it just me or does Duke's father Vito remind you of a taller Anthony Hopkins?


It was a little chilly but we thought we'd venture outside for a couple of outdoor portraits:


And then it was time for Becky and Duke to walk back inside to get married!!!

Ceremony tomorrow......!!!