Tom and Sophie are genuinely one of the most lovely and well suited couples I have had the pleasure of meeting and working for.  So their coming together in marriage on the 25th of May was a truly joyous day! A very sad occurrence was the last minute hospitalisation of the mother of the bride, Ronnie. At least, through the wonders of modern technology, she was able to see the ceremony from her hospital bed, I just hope the pictures give her a window into what happened for the rest of the day as she had such a great part in making it as pretty as it was! (The funky bouquets and bunting and various other details were made by Mummy R! She’s back on her feet now, happily.)

Despite all of the emotional set backs, the weather was glorious, and everyone was in the mood for some serious posing and a right ol’ laugh! (Note in particular the dicey-looking usher’s shot on the ladder- luckily, no-one was hurt!) So many great shots… Thanks to everyone for being such good fun, and for letting me sample the delicious ice-cream!

Sophie, you looked so amazing and it was about time a groomsman sported a dicky-bow- very cool!  Well done guys for making such a beautiful wedding day and being so strong despite difficulties.  I really look forward to doing the family photo shoot with you all!

 

On the 1st of September I got to photograph the wedding of the beautiful Hannah and her lovely man Tim.  I started off at the Family home of ‘E George & Son’ at Pontdolgoch Mill in Caersws, Powys.  I know I have said this about a lot of my brides but Hannah truly was the most laid back bride I’ve ever worked with!  Her bridesmaids were so sweet and supportive…and very diligent with the champagne!

So after a rather relaxed morning of all the girls getting ready, we went to Tregynon Church for the ceremony.  I was received by the eccentric, very chatty but very adorable vicar who got to be a part of the whole day, being a good friend of Tim’s.  It was a lovely ceremony that included two readings.  One by Hannah’s brother, Dan and another by their friend, Anwyn, who read ‘These are the Hands’.  I nearly choked up because I read this poem at my sisters wedding-where I did actually blub (not pretty)!  Durning the signing of the register, an amazing performance was given by a local choir.  I thought this was such a wonderful idea.  Again, this was very emotional!

Afterwards, we got to take some photos around Tim’s family farm.  I really enjoyed this bit, getting to embrace the rustic and unique setting that holds a lot of meaning to the couple.  Backdrops that are realistically gritty always make for great photos; amazing colours and textures with such contrast between the location and the bride & groom in all their finery!  It also lends opportunity to some very humorous shots (Look to the Groomsmen photos!).

The evening reception was beautiful.  A marquee constructed in the field next to Hannah & Tim’s house (how convenient?!) was filled with these lovely young trees and a long stream of paper lanterns that glowed above the heads of the guests.  I learned that the families who make up our farming community really know how to look after their own and I was made to feel a part of that at this wedding.  Everyone treated each other like family! Hannah and Tim were so hospitable and made sure we were all cared for, which was very kind, thank you!

You guys are such a lovely and well matched couple.  It was a pleasure to capture your wedding day and I wish you all the best together with your beautiful little Florence.

On the 14th of July I shot the wedding of Joseph and Uma, which was based in the grounds of the family home in Crickhowell-just next to Abergavenny .  This was an amazing wedding- beautifully unique and quirky.  They had installed some pieces around the garden that made for great photo opportunities- The wooden door, a massive old rusty saw covered in pot plants, a tractor…and so on and so forth!  But I loved the old caravans most of all.  These had been on their property for a long time, they seemed to be apart of the land.  The colours were wonderfully vintage and I loved the whole rustic look!

They did the legal stuff the day before which left a ceremony of songs, united congregation blessings, readings, a few Hindu traditions and of course, the vows between the bride and groom.  With the official bits out of the way, there just seemed to be a wonderful sense of ease and fun.  The location was set amidst the black mountains and had some outstanding views, so of course, they had to have the ceremony outside come rain or shine- and the rain certainly came!  This however was the fantastic part, no one really cared…they just popped up their umbrellas and carried on!  It actually added to the atmosphere, the fog and mist over the mountains was stunning.

Flowered archways were made for the entrance into the aisle, which was a surprise for Uma (you may notice the photo of her reaction).  As well as bunting that lined around the seating area, the scene was bursting with colour.  I just couldn’t bring myself to do too many black and white photos as I thought it a shame to get rid of all the vibrancy.

The marquee that was set up for the food was decorated with lovely personal features.  Lots of photos of both families, travelling and when Jo and Uma met.  All this made you really feel a part of their family and part of the celebrations.  Mind you, every person there that wasn’t a blood relative seemed to be as close as family anyway- this was really nice to see!

Music and singing played a very big part throughout the day.  The congregation took part in singing ‘Walking on Sunshine’ amongst others and they even managed to harmonize under the direction of a talented uncle-  It was fantastic!  A touching performance was given by our groom Joseph and his violin as a tribute to his beautiful new wife.  Following that, some stunning songs were played by friends of Joseph and Uma.  They were all ridiculously talented and it was a privilege to listen to them all.  At this point I wish I was a videographer so I could hear it all again!

Anyway, I’ll shut up and let you look on to the photos.

Joseph, Uma, you are the most beautifully bohemian couple I have had the pleasure to photograph.  Your creativity made for an outstanding wedding day!