Weddings in charming Welsh Churches

October  6th 2012

St Crallo's, a lovely Welsh wedding in February

A wedding at St David's beautiful church in Abercrave in 2013

A nice wet Sunday morning and time to have a look at the interior of a church where I shall be covering a wedding in February. No point in going on a sunny summer’s day when I’m trying to reassure myself that I shan’t need to use flash during the service.

     What a joy, the church looks stunning from the outside and has a large area around it, where if it is not pouring I can perhaps grab some formal shots before the guests set off across the Brecon Beacons to the reception. Despite the large number of soldiers amongst the guests presumably they are driving rather than yomping.

     The interior stained glass windows are an attractive mix of ancient and modern style and the walls are a charming light cream colour with none of the dark nooks and crannies that older churches have. (Photographer chortling with glee as no need to fight with the vicar about how and when a flash gun may be used!) And if, with permission, I do use one at all, lots of light walls to bounce it off.

Light and bright, the church of St David in Abercrave, a photographers delight

   

    The main thing to note is that many of the parishioners park their cars on the asphalt entrance.  Hopefully the bride and groom can discourage this or they will  lose the picturesque background this handsome building makes and our chance of getting some formal groups in the can before everyone gets into the chocolate fountain waiting at the reception venue!

As yet no details on their choice of vehicle?!

For more beautiful brides in picturesque churchyards click this link

    

Wonderful Welsh Wedding Venues

   October 4th 2012

        The idea for this blog was to dig out some of the loveliest places to get married in this great country of Wales. However once you start searching your archives for pictures it is so easy to get sidetracked. Maybe this time I’ll stick to my brief!

The Brecon Beacons softened by distance

Last weekend I visited Brecon’s Castle Hotel where I shall be covering a wedding early next year. It’s a most delightful spot with views over the Brecon Beacons making them look pretty and tame, which they definitely, are not. Every time I set off to visit a picturesque castle within their remit the mist comes down and the road simply disappears in front of me!
      Being a natural wuss and not keen to join the sheep grazing goodness knows how many hundreds of feet below me, I always find myself scrambling petrified through a perilous three point turn, above an invisible precipice and creeping back home.

Brecon Castle attached to the Castle Hotel

         Hopefully the February weather will be more clement than the deluge that was this past August (not difficult) and the couple's driver won't lose me on the mountain road from the church to the hotel (or should that be hell)! 

         Once we get there this floodlit ruin and its comfortable adjacent lodgings should provide a welcoming retreat from the wild welsh countryside and a romantic backdrop for a most attractive couple's photographs.

Margam Park still my favourite Welsh wedding venue

Not everybody can hold their wedding ceremony in a Castle or stately home with ruins. Some because  religion or budget will not allow it, but even if the ceremony takes place elsewhere, in Wales you are never far from a dramatic castle, and often, time allows after the ceremony, for the couple to visit a place that is special to their relationship.

Coity Castle near Bridgend is a very special place to newly wed Ali and Darren Wyatt

For beautiful bride Christina 'La Torre Redonda' in Nerja is as romantic inside as out

   The wedding ceremony solemnised in the stunning catholic church in Nerja on the Costa del Sol, lovely Christina also appreciates the informal romance of the Round Tower in her reception venue.

For more Castle venues and happy couples see my website 

     The next place on my visiting agenda must be St Donat's Castle near Cowbridge back home in Wales, which looks to have it all, drama on the exterior, scenic views including beaches, a romantic interior and a wonderful banqueting hall. All that's missing seems to be a clanking knight in armour ? Surely that can be arranged?

Buttonholing the groom

I’m still dreading the couple who walk up the aisle and justify this ditty 

from the Mikado:

The flowers that bloom in the Spring tra-la

Have nothing to do with the case.

I've got to take under my wing tra-la

A most unattractive old thing tra-la

With a caricature of a face,

With a caricature of a face.

Bride and groom share a moment during the wedding ceremony

       The brides all look beautiful, we take that for granted. White dresses, joy, and weeks of being the centre of attention spread beauty onto the most ordinary face. And funnily enough as soon as you stick a flower in his buttonhole, every layabout, couch potato, lager lout, curmudgeon, skinflint and bluebeard suddenly becomes a dapper Prince Charming.

Bridegroom with lily, an unusual buttonhole

      Even the most rumbustious of small boys, or large ones, become aware of their 
importance and the glamour of the occasion when suitably buttonholed.

Page boy and is that a wedding day chrysanthumum?

There is something about a wedding day that adds charm to any face. Happiness,
or is it just modern make up?  Perhaps it is something to do with the flowers? A rose by any other name?
Stick a rose in his buttonhole and every man is Romeo.

Bridegroom and pageboy matching roses, ties and handkerchiefs.

Ushers may be the exception!  There is always one.........proving the rule.

More buttonholed bridegrooms and gorgeous brides on my website

Bride and groom, no caricatures here, even with buttonhole obscured

Striking fear into your wedding photographer

When discussing their wedding day, there is one phrase that bridal couples, very occasionally, come up with, that reduces me to goldfish status ie: mouth open, blowing silent bubbles and totally unable to communicate!

         “We only want a couple of pictures”.
 I might understand if the words came from an older couple who consider themselves un-photogenic and dread ploughing through 500 plus images of themselves, looking less attractive than they were in their youth, but the older age group are much more positive. 

         Older couples seem to know exactly what they want "Two hours flat " and then please disappear photographer. Or the full works. 

Bridal bliss looks wonderful at Coity Castle

When they order an album this age group know how to make a big effort and look wonderful.
Looking wonderful is not the only issue here. For those 'plighting their troth' who do not marry 
in church, how should such a momentous day be recorded, if not by photographs and an album, preserving the photographs for posterity? Even more importantly these albums are charming records to be enjoyed by their children (and the children from previous marriages) and their children
ie: the grandchildren of the bridal pair. All of which is right and proper and exactly how it should be.
 (And what's more the kids love them).

 I would like to explain to those who who utter these words, as a prelude to trying to book a photographer for an hour or two, my first thought which is:

          "But I might not get anything!"

The one thing that strikes terror into the heart of any photographer, let alone a wedding
photographer, is the chance that he/she might not have the opportunity to do justice to
 the subject (in his/her own judgement).
          During the event the best photographs may not come from from any of the set pieces.
          The arrival of the bride
          The ceremony
          The kiss
          The walk down the aisle
          The cutting of the cake
          The first dance
          Or even from the photographs of the couple immediately after the ceremony in
the twenty or so minutes allotted to the photographer (although often this time does
produce lovely shots which form the anchor stone of the album).

Wedding day magic, they do it with mirrors

 Reluctant subjects are not unusual, some men consider their wedding day as a chance for a binge with their mates.........
          On one occasion the bride and groom were not speaking by the time it came to cutting the cake, let alone sharing the first dance.  So there simply were no pictures of these moments. However having got some delightful shots earlier, with a bit ofcreativity, the album was a great success. (With the bride at least).
         Did they live happily ever after.......... so far history does not relate!

Moved to tears by the beauty of his bride

    For more touching moments on my website just click here      

        

Cherubim and Seraphim

Wedding day chores for the bridesmaids.
Did I mention that it is the matron of honour's job to look after the little ones?
Good thing the matron of honour is her Mummy!

Wedding day nerves

Wedding day doubts

"I don't think I've had the training for this!"

That's quite enough of that nonsense

Wedding cherubs at play

Wedding day putti:
No need to create a list of chores for  these little darlings. Their function as pages and flower girls at our weddings, is to make everybody smile! 

Maybe some of them can strew a few flower petals or try and carry a train? 

However the less able they are with their designated tasks, the more enchanting they become.

For more beautiful cherubs on my website just click here

Hot hats for the brides' mum

Amanda Redman’s mother wears a great hat and is so happy for her glamorous daughter 

Wedding day hats for Mums 

 (in my day we called her Mummy but this is only acceptable nowadays for the under tens). A gorgeous  looking hat and one that ensures only air kissing for the starry cast on Amanda's wedding day.

Wedding day kiss for bride's best friend, her mum

       Married at King Arthur's hotel in Reynoldston on the Gower peninsula Lindsay and her mother manage a loving kiss despite the stylish outfit and hat. Those tiny feathers won't be poking anyone's eye out.

The wedding of Carlos and Raquel

      Helped by a very discreet hat, Carlos’ mother gives him a reassuring hug as his new bride goes forward to sign the register.

For more Mums in wedding photographs on my website just click here

Wedding day hot shoes

 Bridal pumps, peep toed with a touch of glass

White wedding sandals, 

Wedding stilettos for Rachel, white again

         Wedding day photographers are not renowned for their stylish footwear, like many artists the aim is to be, not even comfortable, simply unaware of their own feet.

        Looking at really hot shoes for the bride on her wedding day, I come to the conclusion that there is only one colour and that, of course is white.
       Exploring the designer shoes on line it is easy to go snow blind there is so much white.          Investigating designer shoes with an eye to the budget so many brides are on nowadays I found that £700 is an entry level price (not sure you can get white Jimmy Choo's at that price) although in sales prices can start at around £400, unless you want a hand printed designer flip flop which will cost a mere £195.

            I would have thought that wedding guests might stay away from flip flops however........

Silver shoes and designer flip flops wow!

For more bridal wear see my website patsyfaganphotography.co.uk

Tasks for Bridesmaids

What do I need bridesmaids for you may ask yourself ..... and some of the answers may surprise you.

Chief Bridesmaid singing for her supper ?

•Chief bridesmaid is leader of the pack, which means she will round up all the others and any flower girls and pages for, rehearsals and on the day itself. She is not usually a child



•As chief bridesmaid she should help you to choose your dress


•She should attend your dress fittings with you (this may be for several days or even weeks)

•The chief bridesmaid should carry the crucial ‘bride kit’ on the day itself, which might include make-up and (specifically lipstick, powder and blotting sheets), tissues, safety pins, paracetamol (in case the bubbly begins to take its toll) and glue for any nail or eyelash extensions
 and the bride's mobile (switched off of course).

•She should walk down the aisle behind you and hold your bouquet when you reach the altar and be ready to catch it when you throw it

•She's the special someone to share a crafty smoke with after the ceremony

Bride sharing a drink and a cigarette

•She should be up for arranging your  hen night and any other planning you need help with
, and talking you out of going to the outer Hebrides, Croatia or Mykonos on the grounds that air travel isn't good for your complexion.

•She may be required to make a speech or even sing an aria

On your knees girl

•As chief bridesmaid she should help you get dressed, find your shoes, fasten your zip and help arrange your veil or tiara

Bridesmaids, helpmeets on the day

•As chief bridesmaid she'll carry a fan and a stole, in case you are too hot or too cold,  and she will pop the cork on the champagne to get you through the rigors of the ceremony


For more of my pictures of beautiful brides and their bridesmaids click here for my website

Traditional task for bridesmaids

•However for this last task she will be only one of many, it's called keeping the bridegroom happy!

Back to Front Address the Dress

  The wedding photographer never sees the moment  the bride sets out to choose her dress.

       Do brides buy wedding magazines for months in advance and keep pages of the styles they like? Do they rush to the high street and try on everything in sight? And what about the net? We don't know if anybody ever decides in advance to buy a wedding dress on-line or only in desperation after weeks of failing to shop until they drop and only succeeding in trying-on until they drop. 
       Somehow it doesn't seem very romantic buying a wedding dress on the net. So is girlie enthusiasm and anticipation of the shopping spree ahead of them a necessary part of the build up to the special day?
       Or do some families decide to keep costs down and look on Ebay perhaps? Maybe they should. I’m amazed by what I’ve seen. Gorgeous creations with amazing descriptions: 
       One shoulder, with mermaid and trumpet (oh how I want a mermaid with a trumpet), champagne flower, organza flower, and dozens of sweetheart necklines, lace ups, and bright satin waterfalls. 

The arrival of the bride.

      There are dresses puffed up like parachutes, dresses squeezed like tubes of toothpaste, headless silhouettes, and models wrapped and strapped like Egyptian mummies.
        I’m surprised at how snow blind you can get just checking through a few pages of these fabulous angel cake creations.

For more wedding photographs on my website just click here

The wedding over, the bridal couple leave the church

          From Disney to da Vinci, via Watteau and St Patrick. 

         What are these names, railway stations, racehorses? Probably. But on-line they are wedding dress designers and there are thousands of them. The models are elegant, pouty, sultry, gorgeous,  cute, haughty, sexy, glamorous or downright ordinary but none of them look remotely like a bride.

            Why is that?
             What is the difference between models in wedding dresses and a bride?

              It's the excitement, the glow, an aura surrounds the bride. The models may be graceful, beautiful, and have wonderful figures, but not one of them has an atom of the pride and joy of a real, live bride in her dress, on her day.

For more wedding photography and brides in beautiful dresses visit my website

Glamorous wedding day memories

Years of wedding day photography leave me in no doubt that sunny skies and fabulous seascapes  provide a wonderful setting for any wedding. If your budget runs into the tens of thousands and you can afford to bring the entire family and many of your friends to a top end resort in Antigua or the Costa del Sol your photographs will be fabulous and you will have a day to remember all your life.

Galleon Bay in romantic Antigua in the Caribbean

     Wonderful Hotels with beautiful grounds proliferate in the high end, jet setters paradise venues of Caribbean Islands, Marbella on the Spanish Costa del Sol, and the French Riviera. If money is no object what better way to spend it, than to bring all your family and friends on a holiday of a lifetime to celebrate your wedding. 

       The warm turquoise seas and white sandy beaches of the Caribbean live up to and exceed expectations while the life style of T-shirts and flip flops is relaxed and simple, however the mosquitoes at certain times of year are ferocious, so brides to be should pack anti-hystemine tablets and repellents to be on the safe side.

        The French Riviera is well known for it's sophisticated locations, boutiques and yachts and Marbella on the Costa del Sol has a similiar vibe with wonderful churches and old town scenery.                      

Probably the only downside to both are the hideous coastal motorways and the constant roar of traffic.

  

        On their wedding day the bridal pair stroll in the grounds of their Spanish Hotel

    The gorgeous grounds of King Arthur's Hotel in Wales are not very different, the lake is a little smaller but the green countryside surrounding it seems to go on forever. Bring your own swans and, yes of course, an umbrella, just in case.  

King Arthur's Hotel Reynoldston on the Gower peninsula, not so different



For  more pictures of King Arthur's Hotel, Margam Park, and Swansea venues click here

Marquee surrounded by beautiful grounds

      However, much nearer to home are some outstanding wedding locations in South Wales: 
 the Castle Hotel Brecon, Margam Park in Glamorganshire near Bridgend and many scenic areas on the Gower peninsula and Swansea Bay.

Margam Park historic wedding venue in West Glamorganshire Wales

The weather is cooler and the historic stones are older.

Hot enough for a barefoot walk in the grass above Swansea Bay in Wales

Gower peninsula Wedding proves Cakewalk for photographer

       Probably the only easy 'bride and groom with wedding cake' moment I ever had was in Reynoldston on the Gower. So delightful were the couple with each other over the tricky job of cutting the cake that they provided an entire page of pictures for their album. 

Gower Peninsula, Swansea. A piece of cake.

     In theory it should be easy, you the bride should wave the knife around foolishly (as if you'd never cut a cake before) until your new husband steps forward in manly fashion to help you cut the wedding cake, this should produce a charming image and make your photographer very happy.

       Estepona on the Costa del Sol provided another great moment with a wedding cake, not that this couple showed any interest in cutting it.

Wedding on the Costa del Sol, Estepona

Not the cake anyway.

Wedding at the Gower golf club in Swansea Beccie and Simon cut their cake

         This pic is really what as a photographer I'd rather didn't happen. I don't encourage couples to look straight at me when they cut their cake but I don't want to be posing everything up and telling them what to do either. In the end, as I hadn't seen the groom look this happy and relaxed all day, it seemed to be one to go with.

          To look at more Swansea weddings and more of my pictures click here

             

Photo-journalistic Wedding Photography

      Looking at wedding websites on line, both in Wales and in Spain, I see that for many wedding photographers, the current buzz word is photo-journalism. I imagine that the suggestion is that the photographer shoots what he sees and not the line-ups of family and friends so dear to the hearts of brides and their families the world over.

      For somebody who was a photo-journalist for 25 years (ie: earned my living as a photographer and occasionally wrote articles for newspapers) it’s irritating because it’s incorrect. Anything except hard news, war zones (and even here, history relates, a slightly singed teddy bear has been known to be strategically placed in scenes of devastation to increase the pathos) and sports photography, were totally posed and controlled by the photographer.

Wimbledon 1986 we were not disappointed

   A slice of photo-journalism specifically for everybody who knocks Andy Murray 

      In the late eighties, Andrew Castle, shared two things with Britain's current number one tennis player. His christian name and the fact that he was the British white hope and number one. His highest singles ranking was 80 and in doubles he made it once to the third round of a grand slam tournament but as far as I remember he was never vilified the way our current number one is. In fact he was never vilified at all, he was charming, good looking and we all knew that, "it wasn't the winning that mattered, it was the taking part", after all we were British and that was the British way. Ooh how we've changed.

Andrew Castle down and out in 1986

     In this era of vastly higher tennis ability and achievement Andy Murray has committed only one crime: he has allowed the British public to hope! And so far he has not quite delivered what they want. 

        How greedy and impatient we are!

        Nobody can doubt how talented and committed our gravel voiced Scot is. 

       Don't give up folks, remember Ivanesovic, always there or thereabouts until his last and final slam.




And for a photo-journalistic style of wedding photographs
Go to: patsyfaganphotography.co.uk

Choosing your Wedding Photographer

   You have your dress (or you have at least fallen in love with a dress or several!) You have chosen your accessories:

Margam Park between Bridgend and Cardiff a beautiful wedding venue

 You have booked your dream wedding venue, and now it’s time to choose your wedding photographer…

http://patsyfaganphotography.co.uk

A beautiful bouquet and a happy bride

    It is a big decision because your wedding lasts but one day, and your photographs will last  a lifetime.

  So I thought I would share a couple of tips with you:

1. It is really important to meet your potential wedding photographer.

Try to schedule a meeting as early as possible with your preferred wedding photographer. There may be several within your price range whose style of work you like. You may not personally like him/her (the first one you meet), so time to choose another one. It is perfectly acceptable to see several photographers. Not only to look at albums, but to see that you get on really well (after all, this person is going to be with you in some of the most amazing moments of your life!) (However think twice about the young and beautiful! You may get wonderful pictures! Flirting with the man/woman behind the camera definitely adds a sparkle to your eyes but too much flirting on the day may well annoy your other half, unless he/she is super tolerant).

2. Picture Perfect.

Many photographers nowadays offer an engagement shoot. For those of you who love being photographed, this needs no explanation! It is an opportunity to have a gorgeous image of the two of you on your wall in the year building up to the wedding. But, for the majority of the world, who are camera shy, perhaps I should explain… An engagement or “pre-wedding” photo shoot will help you feel more comfortable on the day: there will no longer be a stranger behind the camera but someone who feels like a friend. It also gives your photographer a chance to see what angles flatter your face (and those of your other half). Unless you are both professional models some angles will flatter you more than others.

  Your wedding photographer can create magic that you might not have thought of