On the 6th June 2022 I photographed my first wedding at the Sant Ffraed House since it has been fully renovated and revived to a world class wedding venue by the team behind the Oldwalls Collection. All I can say is wow! The hard work involved behind the scenes must have been immense, to not only prepare the Edwardian mansion but also build a new bar area and function room, all whilst maintaining the gardens. And I could not have wished for a more elegant wedding to start this new journey at Sant Ffraed House. My photographic coverage began in the morning, as I split my time between the bride and grooms preparation locations within the Monmouthshire countryside of South Wales.
Upon arrival the guests of the wedding are greeted with a meandering private drive that cuts through fields of wheat, the road offers views of the rolling countryside and also of the charming architecture afforded by the historic mansion. Today’s marriage ceremony took place in the main house, where Joe waited patiently for his bride with his best-men, his brother and father. If you have been following my work for a while, the more observant might recognise his brother, as I photographer his wedding a few years earlier, Charlotte and Dan at Fairyhill. I must say these brothers know how to throw a good wedding! It is always a pleasure catching up with former brides and grooms and they were also a handful of other friends amongst the guests, for whom I had photograph their weddings. I am eternally grateful for word of mouth recommendations, it really is very humbling to be chosen to record a wedding day and not an honour I take lightly. In part it may well be my unobtrusive approach for which I gain my recommendations. I do think photographing a wedding is bit of a balancing act of letting the day flow naturally so couples can actually enjoy their day and the company of those they have invited, and also stepping in at the right time to organise a few groups and portraits that may have been requested. Even with the portraits I try to make them as natural as possible, a lot of time it is the hand in hand stroll to the nice view or great light that allows for the most pleasing portraits. I was joined on the day my by good friend Richard from, Aurora Wedding Films, a videographer whose experience and faith in his own skill also allows him to produce excellent films without having to control the whole day.
“Joe and I are thrilled with the pictures “
