It was a real honour to be asked to photograph Carrie and Warren’s wedding, but this time we were also the witnesses. The four of us arrived at Llandudno registry office for a lovely ceremony. The couple couldn’t take their eyes off each other and rarely have we heard vows spoken with such confidence and sincerity.
We then took some shots in the hallway before moving outside. It was brilliant to be able to offer the couple a full 2 hour photo shoot - a real rarity at weddings. The couple’s shots at weddings are usually squeezed in around a full program but this was very different. We took a casual walk through Llandudno town and onto the beach. The photographs here are lovely and the couple who profess to not like having their pictures taken were amazing: simple directions allowed us to really capture how much getting married meant to them both. The pier provided a great backdrop and every two minutes passers-by were wishing the couple well.
We finished off with some dramatic shots on the Orme. By this time the couple were experts and we needed to give only minimal direction. The results are amazing and the couple are over the moon with the final images.
Ruth and Steve's wedding, Henllan, Denbighshire
The beautiful village of Henllan in North Wales made a perfect backdrop for Steve and Ruth's wedding photos. We started off with some loosely posed shots at the couple's stunning cottage; the roses in the garden made perfect props, and our easy, laid-back style of photography quickly relaxed and settled Ruth and her bridal party. This made for some of our favourite shots so far this season.
Then we hotfooted over to the church to hook up with Steve and his best man, who looked great in matching morning suits. The wedding ceremony in the village church was traditional in style and matched the immaculately kept building. The crowd were in great voice and the hymns were sung with real gusto, a fitting tribute for the happy couple.
The rolling Denbighshire hills made a brilliant backdrop for the formal photographs, and we were really pleased with the confetti shots despite the wind doing its best to spoil the moment.
The wedding breakfast was in the village hall which had been decorated immaculately. Hessian and muted tones complemented the building and really worked with the relaxed style of the day.
Ruth's mum made the cake and it looked fabulous; the icing roses looked so real - another of a hundred personal touches which really made this a special day for the couple. The wedding speeches were awesome, really heartfelt - at several points Alex and I had lumps in our throats and tears in our eyes. Ruth and Steve have a special connection and this was a special day for everyone involved.
Natalie and Dean's wedding, The Beaches, Prestatyn, Denbighshire
The team at the Beaches Hotel in North Wales provided their usual warm welcome to Natalie, who looked amazing for the getting ready photographs. Some lovely touches were evident - we especially liked the personalised dress hangers. The use of Scrabble tiles throughout the day was a brilliant idea and really complemented the bohemian chic styling. The flowers were stunning throughout the day: the mixture of dusky pink and white went so well with the hessian and log roll styling in the main room and really helped give the whole day a lovely coherent feel.
A trio of vintage Rolls Royces delivered everybody in the main party to the beautiful St Melyd's church, where a triplet of male voice singers blasted out some contemporary songs in a traditional church style. The big voices in the small church sounded awesome and, I bet, did little to settle Dean's nerves.
The ushers looked brilliant in grey tweed and mustard bow ties and braces and they did a brilliant job in helping to make the day run smoothly. Dean's nerves were soon settled; once Natalie entered the smile on his face was amazing: bursting with pride, genuine love showing on every muscle in his face.
Back at The Beaches, courtesy of the Rollers, the guests were treated to drinks and canapes and then escorted upstairs to the patio for more drinks. The sun was trying desperately to come out and so we took advantage of the nice light to get the formal family shots done. The speeches were brilliant, just the right length and sentiments expressed with sincerity. After the meal the patio games proved a real hit and, punctuated with cigars and Buckfast wine, spirits were really running high.
There was time for some quick posed photographs during the cutting of the cake, which was a work of art! The stunning naked cake with matching flowers made an amazing centre piece. After the cake there was a lovely first dance which saw the kids join Mum and Dad, before Natalie's dad took over and danced with the new bride - which all the guests loved.
In the evening the band came on, and I have to say they were pretty awesome. They did two full sets and there was even a guest singer, Dean Binnsy, who really blew the crowd away.
The final shots of the day were saved for the single most competitive game of Jenga ever - to be fair I think there was £20 on it! Natalie's dad was the winner but he was pushed right to the wire before the blocks all tumbled down.
All in all it was an amazing day - so glad we were part of it.
Emma and Neil's wedding, Pentre Mawr, Denbighshire
What an amazing day at Pentre Mawr country house - Bre and Graham and the team do an amazing job, really going the extra mile to make the day go to plan. The wedding looked brilliant; everything had been thought through and there was a really lovely feel to the entire day. Neil and Emma were such a fun couple to work - with really chilled out and up for making some really cool photographs. Wedding photography in North Wales throws up some weather challenges from time to time but the conditions in Llandyrnog were amazing: warm and cloudy, which makes for great light to get amazing photographs that I know Neil and Emma will look back on for years. When a couple look at each other like this on their wedding day you know it’s going to last.
The styling of the day was bohemian which works perfectly with the venue, one of our favourites places in North Wales for wedding photos. One of my favourite touches was the wedding cake - it smelled amazing and looked even better. A nice addition was the American game cornhole, which had all the guests competing for hours to throw bean bags through holes in a board. The table plan took influence from the places that the couple have visited which was a fantastic touch as well. We can’t say enough about the couple, who both looked amazing and were a real pleasure to work with. The smoke grenades provided a real buzz and made for some great images and we even managed some light painting photography with sparklers towards the end of the day.
