I'm so excited to be blogging about this one because it was quirky, loving, cheerful and an exceptionally special day for 2 gorgeous thirty-somethings in love. Leading up to the wedding I was a little nervous because Lucy & Frank are friend's of mine and I guess the pressure was on because of this. My husband, baby and best friends were also guests at the wedding and it would be the first time they had seen me at work.
I joined the beautiful bride and her 3 young bridesmaids at 8.30am at Marsh Hair dressers in Caerphilly. We had some bubbly and Ted kindly brought us bacon and sausage rolls. Thank you Ted.
I then left Lucy and called Frank, who was staying at the Travel Lodge with his 2 sons, to ask if he wanted me to pop by and shoot some groom prep. It was a spontaneous decision as this wasn't requested before the wedding and I had a little time. I got there at the same time as the button holes arrives from Samara's Best Buds... they were stunning and incorporated their beer theme brilliantly with silk hops set in natural fresh flowers to compliment. You would never have known the hops weren't real (silk ones because they are out of season).
I then went to Lucy's house, where the girls were getting ready but on the way stopped to pick up 8 teal helium balloons as I had a shot in mind with the bridal party holding balloons. Not something I'd normally do but Lucy & Frank were happy for me to try different things at their wedding, which is always a bonus :-).
What I loved most about the bridal-prep part of the day was the shoes... Lucy had a stunning short full circle 1950's inspired wedding dress which was off set by the most lovely pair of Ruby Shoo's one of my favourite brands. The girls had gorgeous coloured teal dresses offset by funky Cons, 2 pairs sparkly and a plain white pair for Orla, the oldest bridesmaid... AMAZING!
The bouquet was gorgeous with the silk hops running throughout and the girls had silver wands, each with a small corsage of duplicate bridal flowers woven in to it.
The ceremony took place at Ystrad Registry Office, Caerphilly, which is a lovely light and airy room, perfect for taking photographs. The traffic on the way was too busy that a few guests were late but mostly everyone got there on time. What I love most about Ystrad Registry office is the gardens behind. It is a mixture of landscaped cut grass which is perfect for formal photos and has wild grasses at the back and a lovely bridge and paths, perfect for romantic images of the bride and groom. There is also a large blue shipping container in the corner of the gardens which many may see as an eye sore... I saw it as an opportunity and bagged some stunning shots of Lucy and Frank in front of it.
The wedding reception was in Newbridge Memo which is a recently refurbished gem of history in the area. Inside the ballroom is the perfect size for a wedding. Round tables with a long bar, the Memo has a sense of nostalgia with it's art deco design. The ballroom is attached to a theatre that they use for local productions and I knew I had to use it for the photos. Because of the venue and Lucy's style I wanted to give the reception images a filmy look so have gone for a matted black and white for a timeless feel. You really could think we were back in 1955!
It was at the venue that the beer theme came into it's own... favours of beer glasses with our names on, specialised beer from Grey Trees Brewery, Otley Brewing Company, TudorBreweryWales, The Untapped Brewing Companyand Williams Brothers Cider. Which went down a treat!
Arrival drinks were a cocktail made by the couple in a teal colour.. as I was a working guest I opted for the non alcoholic version, though I was told the alcohol one was very strong!! Lucy had hand made labels with guest's names on and used beer bottle tops.
The tables were decorated with teal helium balloons by 'Balloons by Bev' and the food, buffet style was by Gaffaccino's in Ystrad Mynach... WOW!! They provided so much food.. and it was all delicious. They also provided the wedding cake, which was a large chocolate cupcake and in the evening there was at least a 100 cupcakes.... yumm..
Lucy & Frank's first dance was to Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' and they finished the evening with a delicious hog roast..
An amazing day, thank you for asking me to be your photographer. Always an honour to do a friend's wedding xxx
