Leigh Hayward Photography, LLC

I feared my husband and I would be awkward with taking photos, but she made it light and fun! After our engagement session, I knew our wedding photos would turn out beautiful. On the wedding day, Leigh was so prepared, and she really helped calm both mine and my now husband’s nerves. She definitely exceeded our expectations. Thank you, Leigh!

ne for us. She took our engagement pictures and our wedding photographs, and we are extremely pleased. She was a joy to work with and a fantastic source of encouragement on a very stressful day. She chased away alligators, showed me a movie in my ride to our First Look and helped calm my nerves. Choose Leigh - you won't regret it!

forth with Leigh for months before I was able to finally meet her! When Leigh showed up I felt like we had been friends for forever. She is wonderful, so easy going and literally is amazing at what she does! You can see her passion for photography in her work. Sometimes you can feel so awkward posing for pictures but with Leigh all we did was laugh! My mom broke her elbow and was in a cast and was so embarrassed to have family pictures taken. Leigh made my mom feel so comfortable and worked her magic to hide my moms cast in a lot of our pictures! When I received the pictures from Leigh I instantly had tears in my eyes. I have beautiful pictures that I will treasure for a lifetime! I have not only gained a family photographer but also a friend. All I can say is go with Leigh, I promise you that you will not regret it! Leigh, you are the best ever!!!

oordinator (Seabrook Island). We obviously loved her portfolio of work, but it was her positive and radiant energy that really sealed the deal for us. She was extremely responsive in her communication, and even took the time to do an in person meetup/test shoot when we were in town. She immediately felt like a friend we’d known for years! Leading up to our big day, she sent very helpful communication like a questionnaire to determine all the “must have” shots, and some tips and tricks for preparation. When our wedding day arrived, it was quite the adventure! An unexpected monsoon of a storm popped up, and I was a bundle of nerves and stress. Suddenly the oceanfront wedding on an outdoor terrace between two palm trees that I had envisioned was looking like a no go. But Leigh kept me distracted and smiling through my rollercoaster ride of emotions - infusing the chaotic situation with her humor, and sharing little peeks of pictures she’d been taking of the reception space. She didn’t bat an eye or break a sweat as she hustled from photo location to photo location with a big grin, the storm clouds rolling in around us. I don’t know how she did it! Although we had to go to our rain plan and pivot to a covered ceremony on the porch, it was intimate and beautiful and Leigh captured that beauty so perfectly in the photos. The most special part was when the rain cleared after the ceremony, and my husband and I got to do our own little photo shoot at the original ceremony site. Leigh didn’t miss a beat - she whisked us over there on the golf cart to work her photography magic. We got our special moment between the palm trees on the water. And let me tell you… the final product of those pictures literally made my heart stop and jaw drop. People always tell you your wedding day flies by, but it REALLY does feel like you blink and it’s over. In the days following our celebration, I found myself asking my husband, “Did it really happen? Did we really get married? It doesn’t feel like it happened!” And then those pictures arrived in my inbox… Leigh worked her magica fairy powers and delivered a sneak peek of photos just two days after our wedding, and I was brought to tears. It was the most stunning and special proof that we did the thing. And when the final gallery hit my inbox less than a month after our wedding?! My heart exploded (and of course tears came to my eyes). Not only did she manage to capture all of the gorgeous little moments that pieced together the story of this most important day of our lives (no big deal), but she organized the gallery and included a section with her favorites AND put together a highlight video. Again. This woman is MAGICAL. The one thing that I do have to groan about for a moment… how are we ever going to narrow down our favorites and decide which pictures to display in our home?! You have given us too many amazing options to choose from. We love you, Leigh!!!!

ith ease. When that fell through and all my original plans changed she helped me pick a venue and floral inspiration when I explained my vision. My day was beautiful because of her great ideas and advice. I’m a covid bride and had two weddings in order to celebrate with all those I love and when we got her photos back my husband said “Wow. These are amazing” after only seeing two wedding detail photos! She captures moments in the day that show a intimate look between husband and wife, a look of care and love from grandparents and a giggle fit between the maid of honour and bride. She is so personal and friendly that all my friends and guests loved her and were complimenting me on how great she is. I was impressed with just how many photos we got back from her when we had a small ceremony and wedding day. Leigh got all the details that made my fairytale meaningful from my bouquet charms to my ring pillow. She has an eye for creative shots and works wonders with a flowing veil! My husband and I will treasure her photos forever and couldn’t speak highly enough of the part Leigh played making our day dreamy.

he process. We are truly blessed to have worked for her.

. The pictures are absolutely perfect.

d she is, her personality is the best! She’s so positive and truly your friend on your big day! I couldn’t have asked for better communication with her during the wedding planning process. Her photos are gorgeous and her gallery deliveries are very quick. If you’re looking for a “light and airy” Charleston photographer, look no further!

iggest mistake of booking a family photographer. Don’t do that yall. I’ll spare the details on that. But let’s just say I’m so thankful I reached back out to Leigh and she was indeed available for my new date (third times a charm, thanks Covid) she was so willing to talk and provide me with sample timelines and ideas to make the time frame that I was able to afford work for us. Fast forward to wedding my wedding day 6/5/21. She arrived at my venue SO BUBBLY, ENERGETIC, Professional yet friendly & my gosh it was such a breath of fresh air when she walked in to greet/meet me. I had a morning of snappy vendors and she was So far the opposite of that. We didn’t have a lot of time .. 3 hours.. but she came in and got right to work moving things around and telling me her plan. If she was flustered due to the mess of a bridal suite we had, she did not show it one bit. Her photos didn’t show it either.. which by the way I had back in 4 freaking days. And they were PHENOMENAL! Usually I would cringe when looking at photos of myself, but nope not these! I have quite the large divorced family and let me tell you Leigh didn’t skip a beat. She worked along excellently with my videographer and all of my family complimented how sweet she was. One of the qualities I admired the most (other than her enthusiast personality) was her ability to not waste time and her assertiveness. She was open to me giving her ideas on shots but by no means did she depend on that. Brides, my advice is to book a wedding photographer! Like I said I originally did not book Leigh but if I had just paid the extra money to begin with I could have had her a full day. If she’s out of your budget make cuts other places.. signs, decor etc bc none of that will matter. What WILL matter is all the beautiful photos you will have to look back on bc the day truly is a blur. My photos are amazing over 450 photos in 3 hours and to me before I was even home from my honeymoon!!! What’re you waiting for?! Book her‼️

to anyone in the Charleston area!

ng during covid wasn't easy and she was with us every step of the way; even deciding to drive to another city for our wedding when our plans changed. She was always organized, energetic, thoughtful and knowledgeable of the shots that would make us look the best. She's a total professional and we feel lucky to have not only met her but to have had her as our photographer! In addition to being a great human and totally gifted, she worked to give us structure throughout our wedding day by coming up with a shot list that encompassed everything that was important to my husband and I. This made it easy for us to tell people where to be and when which was the lifesaver that I never knew we needed. Overall, hands down, Leigh was one of our favorite parts of our wedding experience and although I'm excited the planning is over, I'm going to miss being in communication with her so often. She was the best and we can't wait to hire her again for family photos down the road!

asy and made us look good! Throughout our planning process, she was always responsive and asked questions to get information that we wouldn't have even thought to mention! The day of the wedding she was incredibly professional, and many members of our bridal party mentioned how lovely and easy she was to work with. We were amazed by how quickly we got our completed gallery of photos, and all of them are beautiful! I've looked through them hundreds of times already! I would highly recommend booking Leigh for your wedding day!

but also someone who took the time to understand how the ceremonies were unique. We spoke with a few photographers, but the vibe and connection with Leigh was instant. She was so positive and open to listening to our needs, understanding the cultural aspects that would be needed, willing to do the research and customized a package for us that would include our multiple event wedding weekend! Leigh has sooo many qualities that we could go on and on about. Right from the time we connected, Leigh’s positive attitude and inclusive personality put us at ease for our big day(s). From taking our engagement pictures, sharing research and inspiration pics, discussing our timelines, to the actual wedding weekend, she was always quick to respond, lend a helping hand or advice (even cleaning up our hotel suite so we can come back to a neat place), but also - go with the flow! Planning a multicultural ceremony in Charleston in the middle of a pandemic was really tough - but Leigh never once skipped a beat! Her photography skills and attention to details are evident in our pictures - this was super important to us as Indian weddings are very colorful and we wanted the vibrancy to shine through. Leigh’s personality makes it easy to click with her right from the start - this is EXTREMELY important when trying to take and “fake” pictures. Her directions and ideas never made us feel uncomfortable or awkward. Furthermore, Leigh is ALWAYS up for a challenge - one of the locations we wanted to take our engagement pictures at was a bar/restaurant where we had our first date. Leigh loved the idea, IMMEDIATELY contacted the restaurant and set everything up...so our engagement shoot went smoothly. Similarly, she was in regular communication with us about potential photoshoot ideas, wedding timeline, things needed, and was very patient as we threw many different needs and ideas at her. We appreciated her questionnaires and regular emails as it came in handy when wrangling all involved parties on the day of in a seamless manner! Last but not least, we could not be more thrilled with our galleries!!! The photos that Leigh takes not only exhibit every detail that we would want, but also bring out the love and happiness we felt and continue to feel when we look at them! With the many ceremonies we had, it’s important to know what’s going on in order to capture the right moments, and Leigh took the time to learn in order to get the best shots possible. As we want to use our photos and our wedding to increase the diversity and inclusivity scene in Charleston, we are thrilled to have Leigh be a part of this journey! 100% would recommend her over and over again!

onal and organized which makes the planning and booking process easy, and her creativity behind the camera never disappoints. Leigh also has the best personality, always upbeat and positive, that keeps our models relaxed and having fun. Her work is stunning and we feel fortunate to have her join us in The White Room to help create gorgeous marketing content.

the highest quality, we couldn't be happier with the final product. I would highly recommend Leigh and her mother for any upcoming marriage in the Charleston, SC area.

da to SC and chose Leigh to be a part of our special day because of her wonderful reviews and amazing portfolio. She did not disappoint!!! Leigh showed up with several Fanny packs of every essential one might need on their big day. Snacks, wipes, Bobby pins etc. I love a lady who is always prepared! That was just the beginning of what became an incredibly fun day!. My wife and I had a very small elopement ceremony at the Battery and then requested to walk the city and take pictures as we go! Leigh was more than excited for this adventure and it definitely reflects through our photos. She is so full of positive vibes and makes you feel super comfortable. As a same sex couple this was very important to us that we felt comfortable during our session. Leigh is a genuine, kind soul and has a true eye for capturing the beauty around us. Our picture truly do tell a story of our love. There is no way to ever possibly thank her enough her for creating these memories that we will cherish forever.

e had her come take photos after the small ceremony we ended up having, and it was wonderful! She puts you at ease, and gets wonderful shots! All of my family couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful she was!

ays responsive, flexible and professional. We look forward to working with her again!

will capture all of the little details that you did not even know you wanted. I highly recommend her for any shoot you need!!!

vow renewal in Puerto RIco and we plan on bringing Leigh with us!

cious and beautiful memories for our daughter’s wedding. We will be forever grateful for her!

ty. After the wedding, my husband said “I hope her pictures are as great as she was!”. Leigh did not disappoint! The photos were ready in just a few weeks and all of them were beautiful. I would not hesitate to use Leigh again. She is a joy!

es just enhance all of the beautiful details that she captures. We had our engagement session with Leigh and right away she made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. When she arrived on our wedding day, she was full of energy and positivity. She got our wedding pictures back to us in three weeks, which is amazing! Her work is so beautiful and I cannot recommend her enough. We have gotten so many compliments on how beautiful our wedding photos are.