photography | Cwtchweddings

Rob and Amy’s wedding took place in a lovely little Methodist church in Llanishen, Cardiff . Although the wedding had forecast rain , the sun was out in full force .

After an impromptu second breakfast down the road , my second photographer and I made our way to the grooms house at 11:30 to find a very chilled atmosphere. Rob wasn’t near getting ready and so we made our way to the brides house instead , where preparations were in full swing .

The brides house was full of character and provided a fantastic backdrop for photographs . The bridesmaids pink flowers were laid out on the lounge table and the walls were decorated with hundreds of photographs of family. There was a really nice homely feel to it all .

Amys mum was busy making alterations to flower baskets and this made for a fantastic couple of shots as in the background the preparation of the bride and bridesmaids could be seen .

There were lots of mirrors and traditional wooden frames that made beautiful framing portrait shots .

I particularly like to look for details and as I chatted with Amy’s mum , she showed me a magic book that she enjoyed looking at with the girls when they were kids .

After taking a number of shots , Owen and I ( photographer ) headed back to the grooms house . Here the groom and best men and friends were starting to get suited .

I went upstairs after Rob had showered and took a few shots of him getting ready in the mirror .

I came back downstairs and all the men were helping each other with their cravats , and I got some more mirror and group shots . It was made all the more interesting with the best mans little boy crawling about in between.

We took some group shots in the garden outside the house then we made our way back to the brides house.

At the brides house, the bride put her dress on and her twin sisters both made last minute alterations and these also made great photos .

I took a shot of the bride at the top of the stairs . I like this shot because it shows she is ready to leave the single life and become a wife . The sunlight streamed through the windows onto her face and the photographs on the side wall also was a nice touch.

As Amy came down the stairs , I called the bridesmaids in for a lovely cwtch (hug) at the bottom of the stairs .

I asked Amy to sit down in the lounge and she was very relaxed . Again the many family photographs adjoining the walls made a fantastic background .

Another shot I liked was Amy hugging the bridesmaids In the same area of the lounge .

After this Owen and I made our way to the church . Owen photographed everyone on the way in and I concentrated on photographing the waiting best men .

The limo arrived with the window open and I got some nice shots of the bride waving out of the window .

Inside the church I took some great shots of the best men laughing and joking with the groom as he awaited .

The bride walked down the aisle and I aimed my camera at the looks between groom , bride and father of the bride .

I always think that hands say a lot about the way a person is feeling .

During the hymns I sneaked upstairs to get some incredible aerial views of the church and the service in progress .

Of course , the first kiss as husband and wife.

Outside, the pageboys and bridesmaids threw confetti and I enjoyed capturing them recycling the confetti !

Out to the church gardens where we took some group shots as the sun continued to hold

I then took the bride and groom to the back of the church and did some pre planned portrait shots chosen beforehand at the practice ceremony .

There were also some impromptu shots ; this one really summing up the happiness of Rob and Amy and the day as a whole .

Although it was unlucky for Rob to get stung on the leg by a bee, we had a great laugh taking some shots of Rob trying to locate the bite . This showed a relaxed and light side to the whole day as well as the great characters of the bride and groom . It also made Owen and I burst into hysterics !

We got to the reception in Whitchurch Rugby Club which has been overhauled to make a great venue .

The room was decorated with attention to detail and the balloons made it for me as they made a lovely background to all of the shots of the night .

The speeches were made and captured some lovely bride and groom reactions to what was said .

For the first dance I used a 50 mm portrait lens and ‘dragged the shutter ‘. This always gives the picture a dreamlike quality and ambience .

I was suprised to see the grooms’ mother and father make their way to the dancefloor and got some amazing shots of them dancing. They really rocked that dancefloor ; they looked so happy and full of life !