One of the benefits of being a wedding photographer is the opportunity to discover and work at new and exciting venues. Fforest Weddings has been on my wish list for a few years and it was well worth the wait. This exclusive rural wedding venue is located on Fforest Farm, a charming rustic holiday resort, so only has a limited number of weddings per year. Located in the Pembrokeshire village of Cilgerran, in an area that benefits from beautiful woodlands as well as hidden treasures of unspoiled beaches and secluded coves along the West Wales coast. The farm has been created as a haven designed for relishing the pure joys, serenity, and splendour of outdoor existence amidst an exceptional natural setting. Spanning 200 acres along the river Teifi gorge, it neighbours the Teifi marshes nature reserve, mere moments away from Cardigan town, where the team also run the Pizza Tipi.
Isobel and Tom were married at Fforest Weddings in October 2023, and were perfectly suited to the bohemian atmosphere the farm has to offer. The day started at the renovated Georgian farmhouse, Ty Fforest, where the bridal party were getting ready. Later on I caught up with Tom and his ushers who were preparing for the day in the glamour camping area, cocooned in the warmth of the insulated dome tents. Once ready everyone made their way along the woodland paths to the Big Hat Tipi for the marriage ceremony. The lodge and the covered pavilion with its communal fire pits provided the shelter for the wedding guests to mingle and enjoy the afternoon drinks. The wedding breakfast was served in the Project Barn, which overlooks the vegetable garden that supplies the kitchen. Isobel and Tom were great to work with, just allowed me to wander around and capture natural occurring scenes. We did a few family and friends group shots during the drinks reception and a couple of times they would stroll the grounds on their own, or be making their way to the next location, this which allows for the opportunity to create some candid portraits, albeit with the odd pause in some nice photogenic light.
“One of the reasons we booked Sacha in the first place was his approach to photography, neither of us wanted to spend our whole wedding day posing for photos instead of enjoying ourselves and we got both an amazing day and a gallery of gorgeous photos!
Sacha is quiet as a mouse and half of the time you’d barely know he was there snapping away, some of my favourite photos are of moments I didn’t even know that he was there for, and that speaks massively for his skill. We didn’t feel as though we were being followed by a camera, yet every perfect moment was captured. We couldn’t recommend him enough. The photos we got back are absolutely beautiful, natural shots that we will treasure forever.”