Hyatt Regency Boston Wedding Photographer :: Aubrey + Mike (Part II)

Ooop - a little later than expected - you just try getting any work done when you have your parents-in-law AND your parents visiting :) - here's part II of Aubrey and Mike's wedding. We just left St Bernadette's Parish in Randolph, MA, if you missed part I you can click **here** for the short limo ride into Boston. Mike popped open a beer and Aubrey let out a happy sigh of relief:

We stopped in the Public Gardens for some relaxed couples and wedding party pictures:

You'd like to see the flowers close up? Sure! Flou(-e)r were responsible for these beautiful bouquets 

As we got out of the elevator at the Hyatt Regency in Boston I spotted this kind of cool textured wall and couldn't resist one last picture before we joined cocktail hour. 

This was the second time I've photographed a wedding reception at the Hyatt Regency Boston. The first time was all the way back in 2009 (hello Denise and Krikor!) and the ballroom has been updated since then. It's absolutely beautiful and the uplighting added a wonderful warm glow:

I feel hungry just looking at this, don't "Longevity Noodles" just sound yummy? There are not many options for Boston Hotels that will allow you to bring in outside caterers but I believe both the Hyatt Boston and the Hyatt Cambridge both allow this.

Konditor Meister made the wedding cake, loving the pink peonies:

The newlyweds were announced...

...I could show you all kinds of pictures from their first dance but I love this one mid-twirl surrounded by their happy paparazzi friends and family:

Toasts were funny and touching at the same time:

We had a bonus mini tea ceremony for some guests who were unable to attend the earlier part of the day: 

Aubrey then danced with her father. Before you look at this picture I want you to click on **this** link which will take you to You Tube so you can listen to the song that they danced to (I had it playing whilst whilst editing this wedding and I defy you not to cry!)

Mike danced with his mom ending in the biggest bear hug I've ever seen:

I remember looking over the timeline for Aubrey & Mike's wedding and thinking "wow - we have so much time - from the tea ceremony to the church ceremony and then reception" but it FLEW by! Andria and her team from Infinite Events were just amazing, one of my favorite planner/coordinator teams, they know EVERYTHING that's going on and do an amazing job of gently moving things along to stick to the plan. 

Once the cake was cut it was time to get the party started and everyone had a blast on the dancefloor:

At one point I looked over from the dancefloor to see a big commotion in the corner and found a yard of beer being passed around. They say that being supportive of one another is critical to having a happy marriage and I like that Mike supports Aubrey in everything she does ;)

One last night time picture (the Hyatt has a beautiful patio area outside the ballroom). Aubrey & Mike - thank you SO much for having me along on your wedding day. It was such a pleasure seeing you both so incredibly happy and having so much fun. You gallery is uploading as we speak...

Vendor list:
Best Boston Wedding Planning Team: Infinite Events I can't say enough good things about Andria and her team, heck Aubrey and Mike even thanked Andria in their wedding program which says a lot!
Wedding Ceremony Location: St Bernadette's Parish, Randolph, MA
Wedding Reception: Hyatt Regency Boston (Jenn Kobasa and the whole Hyatt team were fabulous) Awesome Hair: Kris Pavao 508-560-5068
Lovely make up: Kelly O'Keefe kelly@blushweddingday.com
DJ: 5 Star Events (Dave Hodges) 508 591 0710 Dave was great, excellent music and always gave me a heads up before any toasts/dances etc. Great guy!
 Florist: Flou(-e)r (the bouquets were so fragrant! Beautiful centerpieces too)
Boston Hyatt Regency Wedding Photographer: Leah Haydock
Videography: Christian and Nate of Brighter Lights Media (fun to work with and nice guys too!) Transportation: Roman Limousine Caterer: China Pearl Cake: Konditor Meister

How fun was that? I have 2 engagement shoots coming up today/tomorrow then it's Daniella & Mark's wedding at the Taj Boston followed by Jessica & Jeremiah's wedding at the Harvard Club and then Lauren & James wedding also at the Taj Boston! Make sure you "LIKE" Leah Haydock Photography on facebook to see some sneaky peeks and blog alerts!

Hyatt Regency Boston Wedding Photographer :: St Bernadette Randolph, MA :: Aubrey + Mike (Part I)

Wedding season is well underway for me and over the next couple of weeks I have SO much to share with you! I'm sitting on three fabulous weddings and three amazing engagement shoots so make sure to check back regularly.

I'll start with Aubrey & Mike's wedding as it's their one-month anniversary today! I was really excited for this one; not only were Aubrey & Mike a joy to work with but they were having a very multi-cultural event. We started with a Chinese tea ceremony, followed this with a Catholic ceremony at St Bernadette's Church in Randolph, MA and incorporated Filipino wedding customs of coins, veil and cord. And as if things couldn't possibly get any better I got to work with Andria and her team from Infinite Events, Andria is the most PHENOMENAL wedding planner, she's so calm and collected, knowledgeable and unflappable and I highly recommend her!




Love this image of Aubrey and her dress although first of all it was time for her to put on her dress for the tea ceremony: 


A quick shot of Aubrey and her bridesmaids before she opened a gift from Mike, Aubrey has the best happy expressions:

The festivities started with traditional Chinese wedding games, for those unfamiliar with this custom here is a helpful little explanation. All I can say was that I had a pain in my side from laughing, so much fun!
Door Games: When the groom picks up the bride in the morning, she is usually in her room with her bridesmaids and other close girlfriends. In order for the groom to get in the door and see his bride for the first time, he has to satisfy the bridesmaids' requests. They can make him do anything and at the very end, will negotiate an "open door lai see", an amount of money they want in a red envelope. Since "8" is such a lucky number in Chinese (sounds like "forever"), bridesmaids will ask for $88888. =) Of course, that's not reasonable, so eventually, they accept some amount in the red envelope, which is usually a nominal amount. 

Aubrey's bridesmaids had the guys hop up and down, do some push-ups, pass a tennis ball between their chins and then sing "You got that lovin' feeling" at the top of their voices.

Mike and Aubrey had a little time together before we headed over to Mike's parent's home for the Chinese tea ceremony:

This was the second tea ceremony I have photographed, at one point Aubrey got overwhelmed with the well-wishes and gifts:

Then it was back to Aubrey's parents home for her to change into her dress for the Catholic wedding ceremony:

Aubrey and Mike were married at St Bernadette's Church in Randolph, MA where I had a most enjoyable chat with Deacon Thomas Burke who presided over the beautiful ceremony:

I always shoot with an assistant or second photographer (varies with the size/timeline of the wedding day) I had the amazing Lindsay Flanagan along with me for the day and she got this beautiful image of Aubrey's parents just before they walked her down the aisle.

I love Mike's expression as he watches Aubrey walk towards him: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is all for today, come back tomorrow for pictures in the Public Gardens and an eight course wedding reception at the stunning Hyatt Regency Boston. You can also click **here** to get to my official facebook page, if you click "like" you might just see some extra sneaky peek pictures before tomorrow!