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!

 

I felt very privileged to shoot the wedding day of some lovely friends of mine, Matt & Laura.  I was so excited to photograph this wedding because I knew it was going to be just beautiful…I wasn’t wrong!  Our boy Matthew has been guest to, I believe, HUNDREDS of weddings so we were really proud that it was his turn this time.  What a wonderful couple they make too!

On the 9th of June, my day started with Gloucester Girl Laura, and Gloucester is where we lay our scene.  I met with the bridal party at Brockworth Court, where they were getting ready and also holding the reception.  This was not actually an official wedding venue.  Laura was very cunning when it came to choosing the location.  She has passed by this gorgeous place many a time to visit her grandparents nearby and always loved the look of it.  So, she went to the house, knocked on the door and hey-presto!  <– A good tip for brides who want a unique wedding venue where you can possibly strike a great deal!

The gardens were bounteous in locations for the couples shots.  I had so many photos to choose between that I love of Matt & Laura.  They were so easy to photograph and I couldn’t pick out of the selection, so I’ve put them all up!  I wanted to give a big thank you to all the groomsmen and the bridal party as well.  You were great fun and the photos are a success because you were up for a laugh and had some fab ideas.  Well done to you all!

The evening party took flight with a beautiful rendition of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’ sung by Pete Boddington and it soared higher into the night with an amazing band that Matt himself performed in.  Buzzing with high energy, some awesome covers were delivered with the gorgeous lead singer, Maddie Holland, having to contend with some over enthusiastic guests dancing and singing/possibly screaming along (One of them being my husband…Oh Dan)!

This was a rather perfect day, all the way through to the very end.  Laura, you looked so stunning and I am so happy for you both, that you have found your missing pieces in one another.  I really believe you two make a fantastic fit together and of course, I wish you all the greatest happiness in your future together.

The lovely Jess & Paul became ‘Mr & Mrs’ on the 2nd of June.  I was so excited for this wedding as it was packed full with the vintage theme- Right up my street!  She and her family worked so hard to put all these beautiful details together.  Along with many other things, they made the cupcakes which were divine, put together the bounteous sweetie bar and Jess MADE her bouquet!

I met the Bridal Party at the reception venue where they were staying in Elan Valley Hotel just past Rhayader town in Powys.  These girls were so relaxed and laid back, it was great to hang out with them through the ‘getting ready’.

For the ceremony we headed to the quaint little church over looking the Elan Valley reservoir.  This ancient church remains untouched from modernization. It was so stunning but this posed quite the challenge by not having any lighting and not being allowed to use flash for the majority of the time.   The antique oil burners made a lovely atmospheric lighting though.

At the reception, we had great fun with the props and games around the hotel.  There was croquet on the lawn, giant naughts & crosses, a huge american car cut out and, my favourite, the ‘photo booth’!  This was an amazing wedding and all those who worked to put it together should be greatly commended!

The evening reception was absolutely buzzing (in the good way!).  The swing band were on fire and really got the party going and on into the night.  Apologies to anyone who has now got some rather incriminating shots.  I will leave them in Paul & Jessica’s possession!

I hope you guys have had an amazing honeymoon and feel recouped after putting together such a gorgeous wedding!  I wish you all the best for your future.