Tag Archives: Photographer

Micro-Wedding Photography for Your Most Cherished Moments

wedding bride and groom by salem photographer louise michaud photographer at the house of the seven gables

As a photographer, I absolutely love specializing in micro-weddings!

When you hire a photographer for micro-wedding coverage, you get 1-4 hours behind the camera to capture all of the most cherished parts of your amazing day.

 Think of all the things that you love the most about weddings- the intimate moments, the cake and champagne, music and dancing, and having a wonderful time with your loved ones as you celebrate new members of your family. All of these moments will be captured in time with micro-wedding coverage.

Let me give you an example of one of my recent micro-wedding shoots in historic Salem. While my session with the couple was short and sweet, it was one of the most memorable weddings I have attended as a photographer.

Hazel and Ken are a sweet couple from Salem who wanted to hire a local photographer for their wedding at the House of the Seven Gables. Hazel went to preschool there as a little girl, and they have a beautiful garden right by the pier.

They hired all local vendors for their celebration, from the remarkable florals to the delicious cake. They even had the Hot Tamale Brass Band come and provide fun and lively New Orleans jazz, since a few of their members are originally from Salem!

The day began with formal portraits at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, followed by the wedding ceremony in the garden at the House of the Seven Gables, atop the beautiful compass rose.

We took family portraits right after the ceremony in the garden, and then the band escorted us down the pier to take pictures by the family boat. This part was truly fun and memorable!

They had a small reception afterwards with all the traditions, from the first dance to the cutting of the cake. We got some amazing shots and captured the most memorable moments of the ceremony, all in just 3 hours!

It was so much fun getting to document and be a part of this sweet and memorable experience. If you are planning a wedding soon, I would highly recommend getting micro photography coverage to ensure that your most cherished moments go down in history.

You can contact our studio any time to plan out the photography logistics for your event, and we will walk you through the steps of making the process smooth, memorable, and a lot of fun!

A Springtime Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

Springtime is a time for renewal and new beginnings, making it the perfect time to start a journey. Lana and Kevin celebrated a beautiful new life together with a historic Hawthorne Hotel wedding, taking advantage of our warming weather to also snap some great shots in some of the iconic Salem, Massachusetts, locations.


Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography, Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

We absolutely love to see the green coming back to the Salem Common and surrounding areas–the lighting in this photo makes it one of my favorites from the day!TQ9A0684-Edit-Edit

Both Lana and Kevin are professors, and I think you can see from the energy between them that they were a kind, wonderful couple to share such a special day with.

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The dress Lana chose was very unique–a light grey with custom lace. Her stunning hair and makeup were done by Makeup Eden and Salon Sage here in Salem.

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography, Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

 

Of course, who could resist a snapshot of this little fellow escorting his bridesmaid down the aisle?

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography, Hawthorne Hotel Wedding

 

Those of you familiar with the Hawthorne Hotel will also notice their own fresh look in the Grand Ballroom–the walls have been painted, lightening the room significantly. We absolutely love it!

Congratulations, Lana and Derek! It was a pleasure celebrating with you.

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LMP Wedding Planning Timeline (Part 5 of 5)

This post concludes my very special Wedding Planning Timeline–enjoy!

The Day of Your Wedding

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography

Present your parents and one another with any gifts you have to give.

Give your wedding bands to the Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Give the Best Man the Officiant’s fee envelope to be handed off after the ceremony.

Bring light snacks and water to keep yourself satiated throughout the day. This is very important! Many brides get so busy that they forget to eat and stay hydrated—take care of yourself

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography

Breathe—this is a special day. The planning is over and whatever will happen will happen—so let go and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

 

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography

Stay tuned! We’ll be doing another post with a timeline specific to working with your photographer with details about how we typically work with our wedding couples here at LMD.

LMP Wedding Planning Timeline (Part 4 of 5)

As you get closer to your wedding, no doubt part 4 of the LMP Wedding Planning Timeline will prove helpful to you. Have additional tips? Let us know!

The Month of Your Wedding

Review your RSVP list and contact anyone who has yet to respond.

Meet with your photographer a week or two prior to go over the specific details of what you want and how they will photograph the wedding/ceremony, etc. You’ll want to provide them with a Must-Have list of shots. (More on this in a later post.)

Have a pre-wedding haircut (and color, if applicable) about two weeks prior. This is true for the bride AND the groom—you don’t want to be getting this done too close to the wedding day.

Give your venue and caterer a final guest count. Make sure to include the vendors who will also be present the day of your wedding—photographers, band members, DJs, etc.

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography

Plan the reception seating chart. Don’t wait until the last minute to do this!

Attend your bachelor and bachelorette parties. We recommend that you avoid holding these the night before the wedding (consider 2-3 days out instead).

Press and/or steam your wedding gown, if necessary.

The groom should have a final fitting and pick up his formalwear. Always try it on before you leave the store—sometimes pieces are missing or sleeves are the wrong length. Find out before you go so corrections can be made.

Ask the Best Man and Groomsmen to attend fittings as well.

Hand off place cards, table cards, menus, favors, and any other items for the tables to your caterer and/or reception site manager. They’ll take care of this for you.

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography

Call your transportation company to confirm pick up times and locations.

Ask friends and relatives to help collect out-of-town guests at the airport.

Deliver the welcome bags or baskets to the hotel concierge. Avoid individualizing your welcome packages—while it may be a nice touch for your guest, it proves difficult for the hotel check-in staff when they have to find the right bag for the right guests!

Have a mani/pedi a day or two before your wedding. Enjoy the time to just relax.

Pay off any final balances to vendors prior to the wedding day—you don’t want to be worrying about this the day of your wedding.

Attend your rehearsal ceremony/dinner. Let everyone know what time they need to be ready for the photographer and where they need to be—this is especially important if your formals will be done before the service. You don’t want to rush your photos because someone is missing from the wedding party.

Hand off your marriage license to your Officiant.

If you have gifts for your attendants, give these to them the night before the wedding—especially if it’s something to be worn during the wedding.

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Wedding Photography, Boston Wedding Photography

Creative Headshot and Portrait Photography

With all of the weddings I do and post about, it may come as a surprise to know that I love shooting headshot and portrait photography. I recently had the opportunity to photograph a stunning model and actress, Erica Snow, for a headshot session in my studio. As you can see below, she is a natural in front of the camera, which made the shoot all the more enjoyable.

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Headshot and Portrait Photography, Boston Portrait and Headshot Photography

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Headshot and Portrait Photography, Boston Portrait and Headshot Photography

 

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Headshot and Portrait Photography, Boston Portrait and Headshot Photography

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Headshot and Portrait Photography, Boston Portrait and Headshot Photography

Louise Michaud Photographer, Salem MA Headshot and Portrait Photography, Boston Portrait and Headshot Photography

Makeup Eden and Salon Sage are to thank for the great job on her hair and makeup.