Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel Wedding :: South Boston, MA :: Renee + Kevin (Part II)

Yesterday I left you on the edge of your seats as Renee and Kevin were about to see each other for the first time on their wedding day at the Renaissance Hotel on the Waterfront in Boston.

The decision on whether to do a first look is always up to each couple - I'm happy to explain the advantages/disadvantages and what the impact is on the timeline. Renee & Kevin wanted relaxed family pictures before the ceremony so they could enjoy cocktail hour with their friends and family and so a first look was in order.

Kevin is a happy groom:


And this picture is so perfectly Renee. She was all "Look at my shoes and check out my short dress hiding underneath this skirt!"


One of my 2010 brides recently told me that she regrets not doing a first look as the wedding day flew by so quickly and she felt like she barely had a second alone with her new husband. When you're planning your wedding day timeline I highly recommend blocking a good 30-60 minutes throughout the day for the two of you - be it a first look, couples portraits after the ceremony, sneaking outside after your entrees...


This was totally unprompted by me. I turned to change lenses and as I looked back Renee and Kevin were taking a moment to practice their (very impressive) first dance:


Renee was awesomely laid back to work with through the whole wedding planning process. She had only 3 "must have" pictures. Here's #1


After the first look everyone hopped onto the trolley (yes - doing a first look means that the entire wedding party can then travel together - more fun and might even save you $$$ on separate limos and trolleys)


With the chilly foggy weather and the threat if impending rain we decided to head to the Waterfront to get some relaxed family pictures. Remember the ideal location for family pictures - relatively quiet, nice shade, nothing too windy/exposed:


I always recommend keeping family groups and combinations as simple as possible otherwise your family pictures can spiral from a most manageable 30 minutes to well over an hour:


And then it was time for Kevin's family:


Loved Kevin's nieces on the left:


Hello ladies! Second from the left is the lovely Katie who will be starring in my wedding this Sunday as sister of the groom :)


Wedding party pictures in motion:


Wedding party pictures stationary:


And of course I couldn't forget a picture of Kevin and his groomsmen. Some more excited than others ;)


This kind of behavior wouldn't normally be tolerated on this family blog but they're almost married so I think we're OK:


For the image above we'd climbed some steep stairs and Renee slipped off her shoes. Hence she's not wearing any on the climb down but I really like this picture:


Did I mention Renee's dress had pockets? Pockets in wedding dresses are just so awesome. Henceforth I decree that any bride with pockets in her wedding dress will be granted 2 complimentary pages in the wedding album!


We had a little time and headed down to the waterfront:


Time to get back on the trolley and go get married:


This was image #2 of the "3 must-have picture list" so I thought I'd share it with you biggie-sized:


And that's all for today. Coming up next is the wedding ceremony, a brief stop at the Boston Carousel for more wedding pictures and the wedding reception. Hoorah!

Newburyport Engagement Pictures :: Meg and Dave

"But wait!" I hear you say, "Who is this lovely child? Surely she's too young to be getting engaged?" Yes :) This is Ada and she is Dave's super cute daughter who joined us for the first half of Meg & Dave's engagement session in Newburyport. If you'd like to see Meg & Dave's mini-session pictures from the winter and read more about their first date in Starbucks you can click **here**

I adore the next picture.


I asked Ada to show me some of her moves and she happily complied - until her awesome little pink sparkly shoe went flying ;)


I know, I know, you thought this was an engagement shoot, I'm getting there. Wouldn't you have been photographing away if you had a subject as cute as Ada.


So after a little while we left Ada in the capable care of Dave's Mom Marilyn - it was remarkably cold in Newburyport despite the May date - and pootled around for some relaxed couples portraits:


As a photographer you get to glimpse into your subjects' lives and I can just see how well Meg and Dave fit together. They're so comfortable with each other:


There's also a lot of smiling:


And plenty of laughing:


And even some kissing:


We thought it only appropriate to return to the original Starbucks - scene of the first date:


Ada wanted to come out for one more picture:


And off they skipped into the sunset to live happily ever after:


Meg & Dave - you guys are SO great. I can't wait for your wedding at the Rose Garden in Lynch Park on June 4th! And Ada - it was a pleasure to meet you - I have a feeling that you will be the best flower girl in the world ever.

If you'd like to see more engagement pictures in Newburyport you can click:
**here** for Kristin & Zach's pictures with their daughter Autumn
**here** for Arianne & Roger's pictures on Salisbury Beach and Newburyport

**here** for fall engagement photos of Lauren and Dave

And if you'd like to chat about your own engagement or wedding photography then you should totally email me (leah@leahhaydock.com) or check out my website (www.LeahHaydock.com)

Union Bluff Meeting House Wedding :: York, ME :: Diana + Jeff (Part IV)

Hello!

Want to play catch up?

Jeff & Diana got ready for their wedding at the Union Bluff Meeting House in York, ME, had a lovely first look and Diana found out they would be honeymooning in Bora Bora **here**
You can meet their wedding party **here**
Jeff and Diana had their wedding ceremony at St Christopher's Church in York, ME **here**
We took some lovely family and wedding party pictures at Nubble Light **here**

I figured you might like to see some of the photographs from Diana & Jeff's wedding reception at Union Bluff Meeting House. The Union Bluff Meeting House is such a great venue for a wedding venue in York, Maine. It's right on the ocean and the staff are wonderful.


Won't you come on in, find your escort card and enjoy a little scallop wrapped in bacon?


As their guests mingled, I took some pictures of a proud grandfather with his granddaughters:


The new Dr & Mrs Vachon were announced:


First dance:


These two were in their own little world on the dancefloor:


Joe gave such a wonderful toast about how he expected to have good teeth by visiting his dentist (Jeff's dad) but didn't expect to find his best friend. And then he spoke beautifully about how Diana is just perfect for Jeff:


Diana's father toasted and eyes started to fill up:


I love how during the blessing Diana and Jeff were both sneaking looks at each other:


Cake Cutting:


So many sweet moments as Jeff danced with his Mom:


Diana's dad showed off his moves as he led her around the dancefloor:


Dancefloor fun:


Diana & Jeff - what can I say? You were both so AMAZING to get to know and it was an honor to document your wedding day. I'm looking forward to designing a beautiful album for you. And even better that I'll get to see you both again at Catherine & Rob's wedding in October. Wishing you both a lifetime of love, laughter, health, happiness and wheel of fortune fun.

One last picture of the newlyweds on York Beach:

Are you getting married? You should totally call me (603 571 LEAH) or email me (leah@leahhaydock.com). If it's 2011 then you're out of luck :( I'm completely booked but if it's 2012 then quick! quick! there are still some dates left. Happy Tuesday!

Union Bluff and Nubble Light Wedding Photographer :: York, ME :: Diana + Jeff (Part III)

Quick recap:
- Jeff & Diana got ready for their wedding at the Union Bluff Meeting House in York, ME, had a lovely first look and Diana found out they would be honeymooning in Bora Bora **here**
- You can meet their wedding party **here**
- Jeff and Diana had their wedding ceremony at St Christopher's Church in York, ME **here**

You know I like to impart useful information about weddings with each blog post so here are my thoughts on choosing a location/time for family pictures.

The ideal location is quiet, nicely shaded (consistent light, not dappled through the trees), has a darker background so that your focus is drawn to the people and if we can shoot in late afternoon then it's just perfect.

So as a general rule if a couple tell me that they want to take pictures on/around NOON on a beach then I will strongly advise them against this for the following reasons:
1. The light is terribly strong and harsh at midday with NO shade. This means everyone will be squinting like crazy and have dark racoon shadows under their eyes unless we bring lighting equipment (which will likely blow away)
2. Family pictures are about the family! Not the beach. For family portraits you usually want to be able to see the people, the faces, the expressions. If the people are little tiny subjects in a wide beach shot this doesn't really work.
3. The beach can be crowded and you'll have people in the background.
4. Your family and friends may not want to get sand all over their shoes
5. It can be windy and hair will be flying everywhere.

Having said all of that I am now about to show you family pictures taken at Nubble Light on the rocky beach overlooking the ocean. And it was just after noon. BUT...
1. It was mostly overcast and cloudy
2. It was April so the tourists weren't fully out in force
3. Jeff and Diana were super cool and trusted my advice on locations. Much as they wanted pictures at Nubble Light if it had been crazy-sunny out then they would have been more than happy to head to the alternate location.
4. We were on rocks so no harm was done to shoes and it wasn't particularly windy
5. I've shot at Nubble Light before (click **here** and **here** to see a beautiful elopement from last year at the Maine Lighthouse) and I knew that if I shot down on the groups not only would everyone look great but I'd be able to use the darker rocks as my background.

And that's the lecture over ;) so you can make lovely wedding images at the beach at noon but you need a number of stars to align...and here's the proof:

Whilst Diana's dress was being bustled, I took some pictures of the guys:

The guys also had studier shoes than the girls so I thought I'd make them run around a bit to keep warm ;)


And of course if I'm showing you Jeff and the groomsmen you'll want to see Diana and the bridesmaids. We took these pictures earlier in the day at the Union Bluff meeting house. I am loving the nude color shoes:


And one more:


And back to Nubble Lighthouse for some family wedding pictures. Here's the newlyweds with Jeff's parents Rick & Yvette:


And some more, adding in Jeff's sister Catherine and her soon to be husband Rob:


And here's the newlyweds with Diana's dad Al and Kathy:


I love love love this picture of Al with Diana and her sister Andrea:


And of course if we're at the location of the most photographer lighthouse in Maine I thought it only appropriate to include it in some of the pictures:


Calm:


If I were to name my wedding photographs this one would be called "Close-up on Happy"


And therefore this one might be named "Far away on happy"


Time to head back to the Union Bluff Meeting House for cocktail hour:


With one more stop by York Beach where the sun had come out to play:


Guess what's next....yes! wedding reception photos at Union Bluff Hotel and Meeting House...the first dance! the toasts! the electric slide! the twilight pictures of Jeff & Diana on the beach! You don't want to miss it! OK Leah, that's enough with the !!! key.

If you'd like to read more about shot lists and family pictures you can check out this post **here**

You can also call me at 603 571 LEAH or email me at leah@leahhaydock.com if you'd like to chat about your own wedding plans. 2012 is already starting to book up....