Renaissance Golf Club, Haverhill, MA Wedding :: Rachel + Mark

Hello! Today's wedding comes to you from Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill, MA. Southworth - the  parent company of Renaissance - reached out to The Wounded Warrior Project with an offer to host a dream wedding for local engaged military veterans. The Wounded Warrior Project put them in contact with Rachel and Mark who met while they were in Fort Drum for physical therapy after both serving in Afghanistan.

The Renaissance team asked me if I'd consider donating photography services for this July 4th wedding and of course I said yes! I mentioned the plan on my Facebook page and within hours so many generous and talented New England wedding industry colleague had jumped on board offering all sorts of products and services for the Wounded Warrior cause.

Soirée in Andover, MA designed these beautiful invitations and other wedding stationery. I've worked with Trish and her team a number of teams and they're super creative with amazing attention to detail:


My day started at Renaissance where everyone was getting ready. A bunch of big shout outs seem appropriate at this point:

First of all to Jim of Boston Wedding Films who not only put together a beautiful little engagement film for Rachel and Mark but also worked tirelessly to film this wedding. It's always an absolute treat to work with the BWF crew - they're totally unobtrusive and when you see the resulting film you can't help but wonder how they managed to capture the most amazing moments.

Another yay/thank you to the talented Sarah who offered to shoot alongside me. Sarah's sweetie is in the military and as soon as she heard about this wedding she immediately contacted me.

And finally to the AMAZING crew of Interlocks Salon & Day Spa. I mentioned to Interlocks owner Ginny that this wedding was happening and before I could even send over the information TEN of the Interlocks team, yes TEN hair and make up artists had volunteered their days off! If you're looking for the most wonderful spa experience ever then take a little trip up to Newburyport, the only downside is that you'll never want to go to any other spa!

A little peak at Rachel's dress: 

Rachel & Mark's daughter Scarlett was having a blast with a make up palette!

Silver shoes on and it was time for Rachel and Mark to see one another:

Cast your mind back to July 4th - you might remember warnings about Tropical Storm Arthur - the weather turned out to be nuts! We had torrential rain and huge gusts of wind but luckily we made use of the covered balcony for Rachel & Mark's first look:

The rain was fierce and so we took advantage of the beautiful Clubhouse for the rest of the pictures:

Scarlett was a fan of Rachel's dress :)

We took some relaxed pictures with family, friends and the wedding party. Waaaay better to do them early in the day when hair and make up is fresh and then you can enjoy talking and mingling with your guests (and a glass of champagne!) at cocktail hour:

Sadly with the torrential rain we were unable to have the ceremony outside but it was just as emotional as Rachel and Mark made personal and heartfelt vows to one another. Reverand Deacon Economus conducted the ceremony perfectly (the shot of Mark crouching is Sarah's image):

The Renaissance team pulled out all of the stops for cocktail hour:

Guests entered the ballroom which looked amazing with tall romantic centerpieces from the amazing Les Fleurs team (if you're in the Andover area you MUST MUST MUST stop by the store, they have the most amazing flowers, plants, gifts for your home and more). Cakes for Occasions created this masterpiece of a wedding cake! 

Rachel & Mark were introduced and went into their first dance: 

Creative toasts were next! Including dancing and choreography from the bridesmaids!

Rachel and Mark cut into the delectable cake. I can happily assure you that the cake tasted as beautiful as it looked!

Parent Dances:

DJ Greg Gates of Entertainment Concepts had the dancefloor packed!

Rachel & Mark - congratulations on your marriage! Thank you for your service, it was a honor to document your wedding day!


Hugest thanks to all of the incredibly generous New England wedding vendors who came together to support the Wounded Warriors cause - Renaissance, Boston Wedding Films, Interlocks Salon, Entertainment Concepts, Les Fleurs, Soiree and Flair Bridesmaids

If you'd like to see more weddings at Renaissance Golf Club you can check out:

Jenn & Eric's outdoor wedding at Renaissance Haverhill

Stephanie & Mike's Renaissance Golf Club Wedding Pictures

Renaissance Haverhill Wounded Warrior Wedding :: Elm Bank Engagement Pictures :: Rachel and Mark

It's a wordy blog post today but bear with me. As a photographer I  take pictures. Occasionally I have the chance to give pictures. Over the years I've had the honor to volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, Help-Portrait and other charitable and non-profit groups.

I was therefore intrigued to get an inquiry from one of my favorite wedding venues asking me if I might consider photographing an upcoming wedding on July 4th 2014. Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill, MA has amazing grounds, the ballroom is beautifully elegant and Holly and the whole team make it a joy to work there.

The parent company of Renaissance - Southworth - had reached out to the local Wounded Warriors organization with an offer to host a dream wedding for some local, engaged veterans. They would be donating the venue space and the catering and were now contacting other wedding industry professionals to see if they might want to get involved.

I will admit that I wasn't familiar with the Wounded Warrior Project and my initial thought was "Oh, but I don't work on July 4th!" - for the last 11 years we've spent the day at our friends enjoying lobster, beers, hanging out in the pool at "The Annual Bennett Family" get together. And then I spent a little time looking into the the Wounded Warrior Project - The Greatest Casualty is being Forgotten - whose mission is to honor and imposer wounded warriors. Thinking about the very great sacrifice that men and women in the military make, I figured the very least I could do would be to give up my July 4th hot dog and beer and photograph the wedding of this very deserving couple.

I mentioned the plan on my Facebook page and reached out to a couple of super lovely and talented wedding industry colleagues and friends and was amazed at the response. Before I'd even managed to finish explaining all of the details some of New England's very best wedding vendors had volunteered  products and services worth over $30,000! It's a wedding dream team!!!
- Les Fleurs, Andover, MA agreed to donate the wedding flowers - bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces
- Soiree, Andover, MA offered to provide the wedding stationery - invitations, programs, escort cards
- Flair Bridesmaid Boutique, Boston, MA were delighted to dress the bridesmaids and flower girl. Rachel just went into the store and the Flair team also provided a wedding gown, veil and accessories!!!
- Cakes of Occasions agreed to donate a delicious wedding cake
- Boston Wedding Films offered to make the wedding film!

But let's back track...the year was 2010, the location was Fort Drum in upstate New York when Mark and Rachel met for the very first time.

They were both returning from serving in Afghanistan – Mark a Cavalry Scout in the National Guard and Rachel an interrogator on Active Duty. Both had suffered injuries and after stints in multiple hospitals overseas, they returned to Fort Drum for physical therapy. Apart from being one of the few females there, Rachel first caught Mark’s eye with her bright pink Nike sneakers – a sharp contrast to the Army grey T’s and sweats they all wore. A courtship ensued.

Now medically retired from the Army, Rachel and Mark got engaged this past summer. As new, full time students with a baby, and because Rachel had dreams of a beautiful, Great Gatsby-themed wedding, they expected to wait a few years before getting married. The plan was to wait and save, so that their dream wedding could be realized.

About the time they got engaged, Southworth (the parent company of Renaissance Golf Club) had reached out to the local Wounded Warriors organization with an offer to host a dream wedding for some local, engaged veterans. When Mark heard about the opportunity through a Wounded Warriors email, he replied on a whim, but thought little of it afterwards. He didn’t even mention it to Rachel. The two were surprised and thrilled to hear that they had been chosen.

I'm so excited to be able to photograph the wedding and a few weeks ago I met up with Rachel and Mark on a VERY chilly fall day to take some engagement pictures. They brought along their adorable daughter Scarlett who joined us for some pictures. I was also. The ridiculously talented Jim from Boston Wedding Films (whose wedding films make me cry even when I don't even know the couple) came along to meet Rachel and Mark and surprised us all with a fabulous little behind-the-scenes video.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Here's Jim's video - love!!! Click on the little play button in the bottom left:

If there are any other wedding vendors who might want to get involved to really make this a dream wedding  - justice of the peace, ice sculptures, espresso bar providers, fireworks team, candy bars,  (just brainstorming here!) - then shoot me an email (leah @ leahhaydock.com) and I can put you in touch with the team. And with I'm getting back to enjoying time with my family in the UK for the holidays. I hope you all have a safe and happy holidays - Merry Christmas!!! Happy Hanukkah!! Wonderful Kwanzaa!!! I might have a little holiday message on December 25th...:)

Renaissance Haverhill Golf Club Wedding Pictures :: Jenn + Erik

Hello! Today's wedding is coming to you from the beautiful state of Maine where Paul and I are enjoying a "staycation" - basically we're eating and drinking our way around all of the beautiful places we never usually get to (Camden, Rockland, Bar Harbor, Kennebunkport...) - I highly recommend it! The actual wedding took place at Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill, MA - one of my favorite venues to take wedding pictures at - and it's one of my very favorite 2013 couples - Mr & Mrs Wolf!!!

The invitations were all individually made by Erik's stepmother at Quilling Card (along with handmade quilled flowers at each place setting)

Pay attention to the poses of the little figures on this wedding program...I may have decided to try to duplicate them later with the real wedding party ;)

Jenn was in the safe (and soothing) hands of Joanne of Joya Beauty so obviously she was going to look amazing. Joanne jokingly asked me if I only work with absolutely stunning brides :) Hair was by the lovely Jeanette Ruppert.

Meanwhile the ever-awesome Audrey was hanging out with Erik and the guys

Liking the custom monogram on Eric's shirt:

Jen got into her wedding dress from Casblance bridal and there were some sweet moments with her parents:

On a wedding day I'm so focused (ha) on light, composition, observing and anticipating the next moment that it's rare I get choked up/overly emotional. But just like Jenn's Aunt Roe and Mom Michelle I had to blink rapidly and swallow the lump in my throat when Jenn "talked" with her Grandmother on Skype and showed her her wedding gown and flowers:

Alex drove Erik over to the location for the first look, Audrey captured this first bump:

Erik waited patiently to see Jenn for the first time:

I've said it before (and I'll say it again ;) having a first look is a great way to:
a) have some private quiet time together on this momentous day where everything else will go by in a blur (you can't exactly have a conversation at the top of the aisle with the priest standing inches from you)
b) take all of the "formal" pictures when everyone is looking fresh and perfect
c) relax and enjoy cocktail hour - champagne, hors d'oeuvres and time with your closest friends and family - vs. spending your first hour as newlyweds standing in a line and smiling at the camera

Jenn seeing Erik for the first time:

Not sure Erik could hold on any tighter:

Jenn and Erik allocated tons of time for pictures before the ceremony which was awesome - I captured some shots of both of them individually and together (Audrey whispered to me at one point "Wouldn't it be awesome if every couple was like Jenn and Erik?" and she was so right! I can't explain how amazing they were to work with (Whatever you think Leah! You just tell us where to go! We trust you!) - they're two of the nicest people I've ever met and they go so well together - it barely felt like work!)

See? Could they be any cuter together?!?!

Jenn & Erik had a whole fleet of party buses and limos but our location for the first look had a little construction happening on the access road and I was concerned that the party bus wouldn't fit. I asked them if they'd be OK hopping in my car for a few minutes and they were all "Sure! No biggie!" It can be challenging to drive and shoot (rest assured we were at a stop sign ;)

Once we had passed the construction we hopped on the party bus. The guys' socks amused me:

We then arrived at Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill, MA to do the "formal pictures". Remember the wedding party program above?

Jenn and her bridesmaids:

Erik and his groomsmen:

We took some relaxed yet mantel-worthy family pictures. I loved Erik's grandparents, his grandfather made sure to tell me how proud he was of all of his children and grandchildren:

Jenn & Erik had little bubble wands for their friends and family to blow at the end of the wedding ceremony, I asked two of the groomsmen to do a trial run:

Thanks to Chris and Simeon for giving it their all:

Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill is one of the very best wedding venues north of Boston in my opinion! The ballroom is beautiful, the outdoor ceremony site is set amongst the trees, the grounds are spectacular for pictures and Holly and the whole team are a joy to work with. I could have photographed Jenn & Erik all day but we had a wedding ceremony about to happen.

Jenn added a bird cage veil as a surprise for the wedding ceremony:

Seriously Jenn? Who actually looks this good in real life?!?!

Unplugged ceremonies - awesome for so many reasons not least because your friends and family are present in the moment with you, looking at the ceremony vs. their cell phones. Loved the little note Jenn and Erik had in their programs

Jenn's dad proudly walked her down the aisle:

Loved this setting for the outdoor ceremony:

Extremely happy newlyweds with bubbles! A much safer alternative to sparklers, just as pretty and allowed by almost all venues.

Jenn's uncle Hank performed the super personal ceremony (including poems and thoughts from Jenn & Erik's parents) and I loved the giant bear hug he gave Jenn after the ceremony:

We were all done with official pictures and Jenn & Erik were ready to go mingle with their friends and family at cocktail hour but Holly kindly procured a golf cart and took us out to this cute bridge where we took pictures for approximately 4 minutes - hors d'oeuvres to eat people!

Guests enjoyed seasonal pumpkin ale with a cinnamon sugar rim and signature drinks at cocktail hour whilst "signing" the fingerprint tree that...wait for it...Erik actually drew himself!

Perfect timing - twilight with the Renaissance club house in the background

Loved these black antique lantern centerpieces from the amazing, the wonderful Les Fleurs in Andover, MA. Pretty wedding cake from Chickadee Hill Cakes:

Erik extended his wolf pack from 1 to 2:

First dance as newlyweds:

The night flew by with fabulous toasts, a beautiful blessing, heartfelt parent dances and even a hora!

Whilst I was all up in the middle of the hora, this was Audrey's view:

DJ Michael Siagel was a joy to work with (the kind of great DJ who checks that you're ready before making any announcements) and he played awesome music:

As we left, Jenn & Erik were still dancing the night away:

Jenn & Erik - I'm super happy you're married but super sad as it means I don't get to talk to you both and photograph you any more! You could have been a better couple to work with - it was an absolute pleasure! Wishing you both a very long and happy life together in NYC or wherever you end up!

Oh go on then, one more picture:

Now I'm off to eat more lobster...