Bethan & Ian's wedding at The Vale Resort →

As soon as I met Bethan and Ian I could see that their wedding was going to be all about sharing it with family and friends. I also picked up quite soon their passion for rugby so it was no surprise on the day that the wedding was rugby themed, from red bridesmaid dresses and stunning red roses in the bouquet representing Bethan's passion for welsh rugby and table names showing various clubs. The whole wedding reflected them as individuals and as a couple perfectly and they are so meant to be together.

I met them at the most beautiful church called  St Dochdwys, which was Bethan's family church. I was made so welcome by the father who was actually retired but made a special appearance to marry the daughter of his close friends. Many priests can be difficult to work with and mostly seem to dislike having photographers present but he was truly amazing and was an absolute pleasure to work with. This personal touch was beautiful and I know it meant the world to both Bethan and Ian, and even made me shed a few tears in parts.

The reception was at the lovely Vale of Glamorgan hotel and the staff looked after the guests and me very well. The highlight for me was seeing Bethan and Ian's parents engage with the Photo Booth by In House Entertainment. They were so much fun. I actually felt like a guest because the atmosphere was so warm and intimate. The Vale's resident DJ got everyone doing the YMCA on the dance floor and after that it was non stop action all night.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Coupe, I thoroughly enjoyed your wedding and thank you for choosing me to be your photographer. Here are some of my favourites.

Sophie & Cordell's Bryn Meadows Wedding →

Aww I first met Sophie at my own wedding in 2013 and she hadn't been going out with Cordell very long.... A welsh lad and a girl from Liverpool had met in Butlins, both on family holidays, before long Sophie had uprooted and moved to Wales where she knew no one except Cordell. Being determined and over all a super lovely person she settled in quickly and within that time they had baby Eva, she'd gotten her masters degree and they were planning their wedding...

Being Sophie and Cordell's friend I was privy to the wedding planning, which was so much fun. When they asked me to be their photographer I was over the moon and a little nervous. It's always worse doing it for someone you know, especially when your husband and 2 year old crazy toddler are invited too..

It pretty much rained all day on the day so all the group shots were inside Brynmeadows. I did manage to drag them out for a few seconds in light drizzle and we made use of the balcony in the bridal suite.

The wedding was great - so much going on with Harley's hilarious speech and entertainment provided on the tables in the form of beer pong. Food was great too and obviously I ate with the other guests being part guest myself. It's always a bonus when food is provided for us photographers but rarely do we get much to eat so a full 3 courses was a real treat. Thanks both for inviting me to be part of the wedding as well as your photographer. Here are some of my favourites from the day...

Martin & Chris's Wedding @ Cardiff City Hall & Park Plaza Hotel →

Wow Martin & Chris's wedding - such a lovely intimate affair with only 12 guests and done in a way which reflected their personalities and challenged the 'norm' by doing it differently. I loved it. and feel really honoured to have been part of their special day. 

This was my first same sex wedding to cover but hopefully not my last. I'd known Martin for many years as he manages my favourite place to have coffee in Caerphilly. Only 2 weeks ago I was there and we started chatting and that's when he told me he was getting married. I joked and asked if he wanted to book me to take photos and before I knew it we were sitting over a coffee planning all the amazing shots we could take around Cardiff City Hall. I insisted he checked with Chris first and a week later the 3 of us were discussing weddings, photo preferences, how they met and some stuff I can't repeat here ;-) 

The wedding was a Monday, which is getting more popular but their reason wasn't price or anything like that. It happened to be the anniversary date of when they met over a decade ago. They also got ready together in the Park Plaza Hotel, arriving later than they should have with not even time for a whisky to calm the nerves. Martin left a bit earlier to meet his parents at City Hall whilst Chris stayed behind to help his parents. Perhaps the only traditional part of this wedding was Chris arriving fashionably late with less than a minute to spare.. but he made it and it was lovely. A quick and simple ceremony after they walked down the aisle hand in hand together.

After confetti, group shots and mingling Chris, Martin and I went for a stroll to the gardens behind City Hall, to the museum and then into town. They were so happy for me to try new things so I got to use a smoke bomb for the first time and Martin clambered all over the buildings like he was in the Next catalogue ;-). We tried some slow shutter speed shots in the middle of town and finally some coloured gels back in Park Plaza.

I stayed long enough to capture some images of the table which Chris's mother had prepared with lots of thought and love. She'd made a wedding cake and it all looked so pretty. Then a glass of prosecco to celebrate with the grooms and I left them to the amazing food at Park Plaza.

Congratulations Chris & Martin, thank you so much for inviting me to take your wedding photos. Here's a photo summary of your special day...