Boston Harbor Hotel Wedding :: Our Lady of Victories :: Elizabeth + AJ (Part II)

If you missed part I then click on this link:
Boston Harbor Hotel Wedding Photographer and catch up on how Elizabeth & AJ's wedding fell smack bang in the blizzard of 2013!

The wedding ceremony at Our Lady of Victories had been pushed back from 3pm to 6pm and when the travel ban was lifted at 4pm it seemed like everything was coming together! The limo bus arrived at Isabella St full of guests only to find that the street had yet to be plowed. No worries! A thin path was quickly shoveled and we made it into the church.

You'd expect a lot of couples to be freaking out about the weather/changes in plans/snowy walk to church but Elizabeth and AJ couldn't have been more relaxed. As the wedding party made their way through 3 feet high snow banks, people living in the apartment across the street were cheering and shouting their congratulations:

Best man Mike helps AJ with his boutonniere (loved the anemones from Les Fleurs in Andover, MA):

And with that, we have a wedding about to happen people! A blizzard couldn't stop them!

With the blizzard and travel ban, my original second shooter hadn't been able to get into Boston. We have a great community of photographers in New England and I posted on one of our forums to see if anyone was available on Saturday who lived closer to Boston. The talented Johnny Arguedas agreed to shoot with me (and also spent almost 4 hours digging out his car and shoveling to get to the church on time!), Johnny got this image from the balcony:

More proof of the crazy snow banks:

Elizabeth and AJ decided to forgo riding in their private limo back to the Boston Harbor Hotel kindly suggesting it would be more comfortable for their grandparents. The next two pictures were taken on the limo bus, surrounded by friends and family sharing travel and weather stories, the newlyweds only had eyes for each other:

Back at the Boston Harbor Hotel, the Wharf Room was perfectly decorated and waiting for the wedding reception, some details and set up pictures:

Loving the black and white candy bar:

While I waited in the Wharf Room for the wedding party and Elizabeth & AJ to make their entrances, Johnny was outside with everyone. I have no idea what's going on here but I'm loving the interaction between Best Man Mike and Maid of Honor Audrey and Elizabeth & AJ in the background:

The wedding party made their way out first - bonus points for the snow angels entrance:

Introducing the new Mr & Mrs. Mansor:

Happy and proud parents:

Fabulous toasts, I especially loved Mr Arthur Senior :)

Heartfelt parent dances:

We snuck outside for 60 seconds of night time pictures on the harbor:

District 21 of Night Shift Entertainment totally rocked it out - amazing band - packed dancefloor:

And that ladies and gentlemen is it for this almost-spring like afternoon. I have a cute family session coming up next week and then it'll be Lori & Tom's wedding (which is happening next Saturday!) 

Elizabeth & AJ - thank you for choosing me as your wedding photographer. It was of the most memorable weddings I've ever photographed! The two of you were so incredibly relaxed, your friends and family treated it like the giant happy adventure it was and it was a honor to document the day. Wishing you a lifetime of love, laughter, health and happiness!

If you'd like to see other weddings both of these Boston venues check out the links:
Fall Boston Harbor Hotel Wedding Photographer
Our Lady of Victories Wedding Pictures
I'll be back at the Boston Harbor Hotel three more times this year and I can't wait - it's such a beautiful venue and the whole team are amazing. Special thanks to Cortney and team who was amazing through this whole wedding! You couldn't be in better hands if you're planning a BHH wedding!

Wedding at the Colonnade Hotel, Boston, MA :: Alison + Matthew (Part VI)

All good things must come to an end but luckily this is only the end of the blog post of Alison & Matt's wedding at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston, MA. Long after these blog posts are buried on the interwebs I predict Alison & Matthew will be enjoying a long and happy life together.

So let's recap:

I took some engagement pictures of Alison & Matt at Boston Harbor **here**

The bride and groom got ready in their respective suites at the Colonnade hotel **here**

Alison stepped into her wedding gown and everyone cried **here**

Matt & Alison said "I do" at Our Lady of Victories Church in Boston, MA **here**

We had lots of time for relaxed wedding pictures in the Boston Public Gardens **here**

Guests enjoyed the delicious food art at cocktail hour back at the Colonnade Hotel **here**

In between I've talked about the importance of planning your wedding timeline and how impressed I was with the Colonnade Hotel as a top Boston wedding venue, you can check out their website **here** and then contact me **here** to hire me as your wedding photographer ;)

So we're at Alison & Matt's wedding reception and guests had taken their seats in the Huntington ballroom which is not only a beautiful venue but also has a raised ceiling and good lighting which all make for lovely pictures. Add in the blue and purple uplighting on the awesome band, Manhattan Touch and I was in reception venue heaven.

I've said it before and you know I'll say it again - lighting design makes a WORLD of difference to your wedding - whether it's something as simple as hundreds of votives and twinkly lights for a DIY wedding or stunningly elegant wireless LED lighting designs with lanterns and other unique looks from Boston Uplights (read my interview with Paul from BU **here**) - it will be money SO well spent for the effect on ambiance, atmosphere, mood and of course your photographs.

Off topic again - sorry - here are Alison & Matt making their grand entrance:


The next picture is a great example of what I'm talking about when I mention having interesting lighting at your wedding reception - whether it's integral to the room or additional lighting elements.

I actually just got an email last week from a photographer whose work I really admire asking if I would consider doing a workshop on reception lighting. Whilst I appreciate the kind inquiry I am continually learning and evolving my lighting and wouldn't dream of trying to teach anyone what I know at this point ;) but for those who might be interested...

I mostly use a relatively high ISO (gotta love the minimal noise with the Nikon D3s), a low shutter speed to bring out the warm ambient light of the chandeliers and the band lighting and a fairly wide aperture to throw the background out of focus (and let in more light). I add a kiss of backlight or rim lighting with a couple of strategically placed off-camera strobes and then have an additional strobe on my camera (usually bounced over my shoulder and back to create a softer look). You could also look into gelling your strobes which is something I plan on playing around with next year.

Was that interesting to anyone? I write my blog very much for wedding clients and don't plan on including much technical photography info unless someone out there finds it interesting...

Liking this picture a lot:


And this one, see how the off-camera flash adds a little separation from the background:


And then Matt got his "dancing with the stars" moves on:

Time for salad and I thought you'd like to see the table set up:


I love my eggplant purple Le Creuset for cooking casseroles and hotpot so when I spotted the baby red Le Creuset of fall vegetables that accompanied the beef tenderloin I figured it was too cute not to photograph:


Toasts from Alison's dad, her cousin Ashlee ("Alison is the sister I never had") and Matt's brother John ("I may be the older brother but I've always looked up to Matthew") were heartfelt and funny and very personal:


Alison and Matt's reactions:



I'll often mention when a great band or DJ kept the dancefloor full and it's always true. But Manhattan Touch took keeping the dancefloor full to a whole new level. People were dancing on the dancefloor, off the dancefloor, around their tables. Excellent variety of songs - 60's to soul to current pop - and the perfect combination of slow and fast songs to keep everyone engaged. I believe the image in the middle is of all the girls doing "single ladies". Also love Alison & Matt's Moms watching the dancing in the bottom left:


Except for during the family pictures/couples portraits I try to be as unobtrusive as possible during each wedding. So catching this moment between Matt and Alison as they took a break from dancing required some precise photography ninja skillz:


Alas, I'm not completely invisible all the time. As I downloaded the wedding files, I noticed a bunch of images which made me really laugh. It's like Matt's thinking "Who are you?! Why are you taking my picture?"


Beautiful cake from The Icing on the Cake:


Alison danced with her dad:


And Matt danced with his mom:


Sometimes it's the little in-between moments of a wedding that help tell the story of the day, My "bride radar" went off as Matt danced with his mom and Alison watched with her parents:


Always time for a quick group picture with college friends - especially if they've brought a flag:


The new trend in bridal capes:


And that, Ladies & Gentlemen, brings the wedding of Alison & Matt to a close.

There's just time for a vendor list for this most excellent wedding:
Ceremony: Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church, Boston, MA
Wedding venue: The Colonnade Hotel, Boston, MA

Photographer: Leah Haydock Photography
Wedding Dress: Christina’s Bridal of Andover
Bridesmaid dresses: Christina’s Bridal of Andover
Wedding Stationary: Soiree, Andover, MA (Alison gives them top A+++ marks!)
Flowers: Les fleurs, Andover, MA
Hair: Patricia of Salon Matteo, Milton, MA
Make up: Janice from Bobbi Brown, Neiman Marcus, Copley Place
Cake: Icing on the cake
Video: Mavid Productions
Band: Manhattan Touch

Oh go on then, one last picture taken right at the end of the night:


Oh Alison & Matt, what to say? Words can't describe how happy I was to be your wedding photographer. It was such a perfect day and I have no doubt that you're going to be incredibly happy in your lives together. Hugest congratulations to you both!