This was an amazing wedding!

…I could stop there, but if you know my track record for chatty blogs, of COURSE I’m going to tell you all about it!

So, on the 20th of September I travelled with my second shooter, Tania, to the stunning venue of Gregynog Hall where they were going to be having the ceremony.  Tania stayed there to capture shots of Carl and his boys while I travelled back to Churchstoke to be with Emma while getting ready.  This is where the renowned Pugh family live and where they were holding the reception later on in the day!

This was a lovely wedding to do, as Emma was bridesmaid for a previous Bride of mine, Marian – who in turn was Emma’s bridesmaid here!  Marian’s husband, Paul, was also best man for a Groom I shot the wedding of back in June; AND the lovely couple Tom and Hannah Pugh, who I did the wedding for in August, are cousins with Emma! What a teeny world we live in!

I was stunned with the beauty of Emma’s dress – I’d never seen anything like it.  I adored the low back line that was sheer with delicate flowers running all the way down – she looked amazing!  It was lovely to see Carl’s reaction as she walked down the aisle.

Now for the ceremony: I had a very unique experience of getting to directly face Emma and Carl as they said their vows, while Tan shot from the back.  The ceremony seemed to fly by and before I knew it, we were outside throwing confetti.

I really enjoyed taking Emma & Carl around the woods at Gregynog Hall for their couple shots.  We had planned this route while doing their engagement shoot!  It was just stunning.  We sadly didn’t get round our whole route but there was a party to get to!  What a party too…we came back to an amazing tipi-style marquee that I got to have an arial view of.  They sent me up in a cherry picker  for family shots – It was AWESOME!

The detail that was put into this wedding was sublime.  From the stunning flowers everywhere to the delicious little welsh cakes and even a flaming magician, there was intricate thought and creativity everywhere!

I apologise for the couple of incriminating dancing shots, but it had to be done (the ones I have put up aren’t even the most embarrassing!).  The dancing was fantastic and the Band just spurred them all on.  And to top it off, I managed to get a shot of Carl working his moves (they didn’t have a first dance).  Only Elvis could get him on the floor!

Congratulations Emma & Carl, what a wonderful day!

On the 5th of September I travelled to the stunning location of Lyde Court in Hereford for Katie and Spencer’s wedding. This is a 17th century stone barn and it was right up my street, brimming with rustic charm!

I started off in the main house with Katie and to be honest, I felt like a kid in a candy shop – there were so many beautiful areas to take the accessory shots.  Every room was unique and arty and elegant – I LOVED it!  Anyway, before I get carried away…

It was a lovely morning, Katie and her family were all getting ready together but she was completely chilled out and bubbly.  It was a pleasure to be around her, she was just so happy!  I have a feeling she is always like this as well because I met Katie and Spencer a couple of years ago at another wedding I did…I was looking through those photos from Jess & Pauls wedding recently and she had a beaming smile in every shot!  Also, she and Spencer were quite the dancing fiends and I have proof once again of them burning up the dance floor!

Moving onto the ceremony, they had it all laid up outside facing into the open barn which made for a very relaxed and informal atmosphere.  The guitarist and singer performed as Katie came down the aisle and there were quite a few soggy eyes after that!  At one point, their gorgeous little niece scampered up underneath their hands and stood with them as they were saying their vows – it was SO cute!  Spencers sister, Natalie, also gave a reading which was a lovely touch to the proceedings.

As soon as the drinks and canapes started, the party started too.  There was a great social, fun-loving vibe through all the guests and Katie and Spencer actually managed to go around all of them for a chat – that was about 120 people!

When we did the couples shots, this is when I got to see them for who they are together.  A team.  Katie & Spencer work together beautifully and you can see they are best friends too – which has to be the greatest foundation for a marriage.  Although 7 years in the making, they are obviously pros at this!

So much effort was put into this wedding.  All the decorations and extra details made for a fantastic day.  The children’s tipi went down a storm, the tables were decorated beautifully and the band in the evening rocked our socks off!

This was an awesome wedding and Katie and Spencer, you are an awesome couple!

On Wednesday the 6th of August I photographed the wedding of Tom Pugh & Hannah Love.  For those of you who don’t know this lovely couple and are wondering, ‘Why a Wednesday?!’, Tom is from the renowned Knighton family butchers and in our sleepy little town, we still hold the tradition of half day Wednesdays…So only losing a half day at the butchers was much better for our carnivorous Knightonians!

The wedding was held at the stunning location of Walcot Hall in Lydbury North, Shropshire.  I can’t stress enough how much I loved this place – it had so many beautiful little areas for photos, and the house itself was filled with quirky antiques!  So I started my day with Hannah in the Bridal Suite at Walcot and as we had plenty of time before the ceremony kicked off, I got chance to roam around the big corridors to take photos of various accessories that Hannah was going to wear.  (I did check with her whether she found the old rocking horses creepy or not!)

Despite the fact that Hannah has been with Tom for 10 years and has two beautiful little girls, her nerves were brewing.  She didn’t like the idea of being centre of attention!  She did very well to distract herself by doing her own make-up and that of her Maid of Honour, Clare, and before we knew it, her six remaining bridesmaids were piling into the room and getting very emotional at the sight of their sister/aunty in her bridal dress!

Thankfully, the weather stayed dry enough for them to have the outdoor ceremony they were desiring.  Cast in front of a beautiful fountain, Hannah walked down towards the aisle, taking a few more deep breaths before she joined Tom (who was slightly teary eyed!).  After the ceremony, while the guests were distracted by Pimms, I took Tom and Hannah off for their couple shots.  Despite both of them having quite a shy disposition, they both did really well…at one point, they did so well in distracting themselves with conversation, they zoned out from my direction!

There were so many great locations for photos. I loved the Groomsmen shots with the wood chopping shed, and then they managed to coax Tom on to the Lion!  The Summer House was gorgeous for the Bridesmaid shots, I especially like the one of Hannah with her girls behind her.  I think one of my favourites, however, is the one of her niece reacting to the sight of their dessert platter – what a cutie!  I’ll wrap things up now though and let you decide for yourselves which one is your favourite!

This wedding had a real sense of family closeness and I think that is what made the day so special.  The black and white photo of Tom & Hannah with their girls on the dance floor sums it up beautifully!

Tom & Hannah, you guys make a wonderful family and I hope your marriage makes you feel even more complete.  Many congratulations and I wish you both all the best for your future…

See you in Tuffins!