Seaport Hotel and Wintergarden Wedding :: Boston, MA :: Wendy + Jane (Part I)

I had great plans to be blogging every day this week...I've got tons of good stuff lined up...but who am I kidding?

I'm currently in Las Vegas at WPPI (one of the biggest photography conventions in the world) and my week has been a blur of
- attending educational events (um hum, honestly :)
- looking at amazing new albums and other products in the tradeshow. I'm a big fan of nighttime portraits and for years have been using a somewhat interesting set up of gun lights so I was very excited to get my hands on/pre-purchase the new Icelight which will hopefully be arriving at my house in April...
- catching up with wedding photographer friends (my photography bff Kate and I got a two bedroom suite in the MGM Signature and it's working out fabulously :)
- making new wedding photographer friends
- eating too much (seriously, so many amazing restaurants in Las Vegas)
- drinking just a little (it only seems appropriate to wander the bright lights with a glass of champagne in hand)
- going to great/weird parties sponsored by various photography companies (Fujifilm hosted a bizarre event last night where the guys manning the bar were dressed in bath robes - suffice to say we left fairly promptly)
- checking out the amazing stores on the Strip (did you know there isn't a jcrew in any of the malls? very sad day for me when I found that out, I made up with some Tory Burch instead...)

You'll notice that email/blogging etc don't feature heavily on my above list :) but I'll be home on Thursday and normal service will resume!

Nnyhoo...enough about me...Jane and Wendy have been married for 18 days already!!!! 18 days! Where has the time gone? And although they've seen a few teeny tiny teasers on my facebook page, they've been so patient! (what do you mean? you didn't know I have a facebook page? you haven't liked it yet? you're missing out!!! Head over there now and hit LIKE and you'll get to see even more lovely pictures! Maybe I just uploaded one of my favorite pictures of Jane and Wendy just moments after their first look...better go check it out...)

February 4th was a beautiful blue-sky crisp winter day and Jane & Wendy were getting ready with their families and wedding party in a beautiful suite at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. First up a few details (and a shout out to Gracie Lou Events who were running the show seamlessly that day!):


Jane's shoes were custom dyed by Shoes To Dye For in Natick, MA and I hear only good things! This little blue guy was attached to Jane's bouquet, he's a little knitted Nac Mac Feegle:


I loved all of the wedding stationery:


Oh I'm such a tease, a little sneak peak at Jane's dress:


I won't get into details but Jane's Mom had been very sick in the run up to the wedding. This is Jane was holding her hand while hair and make up was happening:


I've said it before and I'll say it again. Having professional hair and make up on your wedding day is one of the most important investments you can make. Not only will you look amazing, you'll feel amazing! And when the hair and make up dream team is Lena of Hair that Moves and Joanne of Joya Beauty I am SO happy because they're beyond professional, super lovely and kind and - this is HUGE - they are ALWAYS on time taking away the stress that so often happens when hair and make up run late...
Jane looks luminous here:


Wendy got into her beautiful suit, hung out with her brother, last check in the mirror before heading down to the bar with her family for a relaxing bloody mary :)



I'm a big fan of parent first-looks, it's awesome to see the reactions when they see their children about to go get married. Adore these pictures of Jane's Mom:


And then it was time for Wendy and Jane's (chilly) first look. I know they say a picture says a thousand words and I think these actually do. What they don't tell you is just how fantastic Jane and Wendy are. I felt truly lucky to be able to photograph their day and to get to know them both during the whole wedding planning process:


How happy is Wendy? This is my favorite pictures today :)


And Jane may be wiping away a little tear but I feel fairly confident that it was a happy tear...


A quiet little moment:


Amazing wedding party PLUS willingness to freeze for their friends PLUS fedoras EQUALS:


The indoor winter wedding ceremony was only the second time I've shed a little tear in 5 years of photographing weddings), here's the Wintergarden reception pictures. Say hello in the comments if you're feeling chatty :) and I might do a bonus post with photobooth pictures....

Fairmont Battery Wharf :: Boston, MA :: Wedding Photographer :: Malinda + Danny (Part II)

If you missed the getting ready and wedding detail pictures then you can catch up **here** and today we're still at the beautiful Fairmont Battery Wharf for Malinda and Danny's first look. By now I think you all know the gazillion reasons why a first look makes a lot of sense but if you'd like a reminder you can click **here** for the real life experiences of couples who chose a first look.

Malinda decided to brave the rather chilly temperatures and meet Danny in the courtyard just outside the Fairmont Battery Wharf, with a little nod Danny turned around to see Malinda walking towards him:



I really see the first look as time for the couple alone, it's not me saying "Look here, do this", it's their time. But I love how with no prompting there is almost always a little spin:

Wow, is all I can say:


Malinda and Danny are so adorable together:


Doing a first look enabled us to take relaxed family and wedding party pictures before the ceremony. Everyone is looking fresh and we have nice flattering natural light. Not to mention that everyone gets to enjoy cocktail hour!



Loving the flowers, Malinda's Matron of Honor Jacquelynn was 8 months pregnant and an absolute trooper!


One last picture of the almost newlyweds before the ceremony:

Coming up is the ceremony, beautiful but chilly couples portraits on the Boston waterfront and then the wedding reception at Mamma Maria in the North End.

Fairmont Battery Wharf :: Boston, MA :: Wedding Photographer :: Malinda + Danny

BOO! Did you miss me? I've been a busy bee with a lot of interesting projects not to mention two winter weddings, a lakeside engagement shoot, two vendor interviews and a 3 week visit from my parents :) But I'm back. With a vengeance. And this little 'ol blog won't know what's hit it in the next few weeks. So let's get started.

On New Year's Day most people are waking up late, perhaps with a little headache after staying up and celebrating the new year. And then some people are getting married! Malinda & Danny had the most beautiful intimate winter wedding in Boston's North End on the first day of 2012 and I was there to photograph it for them.

I was going to post this in one mammoth blog post but no! It's Valentine's Day, a day for romance so let's revel in the loveliness with multiple blog posts and wedding photographs! We started at the Fairmont Battery Wharf in the North End, awesome staff, beautiful rooms and the most amazing ballroom with skylight over the dancefloor....

Hello sparkly ballet flats:


Malinda's beautiful gown is Amsale by Kleinfeld Bridal


Pretty earrings:


Danny surprised Malinda with a matching necklace from Long's Jewelers:


Check out the eyelashes on Malinda!


Loving Malinda's little birdcage veil which I believe was from etsy:


Over in Danny's room, clothes were laid out:



Ties were being tied:


And Danny took time out to read a note from Malinda addressed to "my husband to be":


The gown is on...the veil is in place....


It's time for the first look....or maybe the relaxed family pictures...or maybe we'll go straight to the ceremony...decisions, decisions. What would you like to see?

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