The first of my wedding photography tips is for the Groomsmen. If you have a mobile and/or car keys on you, please don’t put them in a trouser pocket. It is not a good look in the photos. Place them in the inside jacket pocket where they won’t show.

Tips for the Bridal Party

It is a good idea for the Bride to have an ’emergency’ kit to hand when getting ready and throughout the day. Here are some suggestions for things to include in your kit. A pair of nail scissors to cut hanging tags and labels. A needle, thread and safety pins are always handy. An emery board to scuff the soles of new shoes. Hair pins, as the day wears on hairstyles can need a quick fix. Plasters in case your wedding shoes begin to rub. A pack of tissues, there are always tears at a wedding. I carry all of the above items in my camera bag, there aren’t many weddings where these items don’t get used. Other useful items include a lint roller, spare shirt buttons and bra tape.

Brides, please give yourself enough time to dress. Allow at least thirty minutes to put on your bridal gown if has a backboard and lacing or tiny button fastenings. Bridal shop assistants fasten the dress at a fitting with ease. The reality on the wedding day is quite different. I usually see a nervous Mum, Sister or friend who has never actually performed this task before, let alone tried to perform it with a set of acrylic nails. A crochet hook is a handy instrument for those tiny button fastenings.

Wedding Planning Meeting

It is essential to have a wedding venue meeting with your photographer. This way you can scout out the best locations for your photos in advance. Couples who have planned the details of their photography with me end up with the best results. I also recommend to my couples that following our planning meeting they go away and do a little homework. Look on Pinterest and in Bridal magazines to find photography ideas that will work with your venue and the style you want to adopt. Also, see how couples stand together in photos, what to do with their hands, whether they at the camera or at each other, etc. This all helps your photography to flow on the day and eliminates the element of surprise.

Share your planning details with close family members and the wedding party. It is important that they are all gathered in the right place in time for the group photos. You can lose twenty minutes of your photography time if a family member has wandered off to check in to a hotel. Let them know in advance if they are required for any special photos.

And Finally…

Those of you getting married in Church, have a conversation with your Priest or Vicar as to what photography they will allow. I am often told that no photographs are to be taken in church during the ceremony. This can be upsetting for a couple if this is a part of their wedding day they especially want documented. I always ask my couples to let me know what photography will be allowed for their wedding service, thus avoiding any disappointment.

Another good wedding photography tip is to buy yourself a wedding brolly. I work on the assumption that if you have purchased a brolly to keep the rain off during your bride and groom shots, you will never actually need it. Very rarely has this proved me wrong. And, anyway, a few brolly and welly shots can be fun.

Finally, do keep your photographer updated with all your wedding plans, we hate to miss a photo opportunity on the day.

I hope you have found my tips and suggestions for your wedding photography helpful. If you have a wedding planned and would like some further information please get in touch.

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Outdoor weddings in Ceredigion have become increasingly popular in the last few years. During the pandemic special rules applied to allow couples to get married in the great outdoors. Now those rules are here to stay. Outside wedding ceremonies present a natural and charming backdrop for a couples wedding day.

The law in England and Wales now allows couples to choose a legally binding wedding ceremony in a licensed outdoor space. As long as a venue has a licence for a civil ceremony, a wedding may take place anywhere within the venue’s boundary. At this point in time it is not possible to hold your ceremony in a garden, field, wood, beach etc. without a licence, unless you choose a celebrant to lead your ceremony. However, this is under review and may well change soon.

Outdoor Wedding Ceremonies

Outdoor weddings provide great opportunities for me as a photographer. I find they are generally more relaxed and informal. They allow me to work with natural light, which is always my preference for wedding photography. I am able to capture images with a backdrop of beautiful scenery or the ambiance of the setting chosen. Working outside can also mean more space to work in and move around in order to capture those special shots.

The only downside to an outdoors ceremony can be the weather! A venue will usually make a judgement call on the morning of the wedding as to whether an outdoor wedding can go ahead. In poor weather the ceremony may need to be moved to a more suitable inside space.  You may choose to ‘brave the weather’ and supply colourful brollies and wellies for each of your guests.  Either way, it is a good idea to let your guests know of your plans in advance so that they can dress accordingly.

Outdoor Wedding Venues

As preparation for wedding season for 2023 is underway I thought I would share a few venues that may be able to accommodate your plans for an outdoor wedding ceremony in Ceredigion.

Ynyshir Hall, Egwlysfach – Ynyshir can provide a truly magical setting for your wedding day. They can cater for up to 35 guests. They offer outdoor ceremonies in a secluded woodland area or in front of their large pine tree.

The Shed at Mwnt – This beautiful location offers both stunning countryside and sea views as a backdrop for your wedding day. This rustic, country venue will host your outdoor wedding ceremony on the gently sloping land of the Ceredigion coastline.

The Garden Pavillion at Falcondale Hotel, Lampeter – The stunning country house hotel is located in the Teifi Valley. Get married in the garden gazebo which is set in a secluded area of their 14 acre grounds.

Finally, if you are planning an outdoor wedding in Ceredigion and would like to chat about your photography then please get in touch.

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The wedding industry has been hit particularly badly by Covid-19. This time last year my wedding season was fully booked for what looked to be a spectacular year ahead for my business. I had a few early season weddings in February, but by late March it became clear that a dark cloud would hang over the spring and summer ahead. Little by little my couples moved their wedding dates to 2021 in order that they could go ahead with the large event they had dreamed of.

Here we are, one year later and we are all back in ‘lockdown’.   We face severe restrictions on weddings and talk of these restrictions not being lifted until much later in the year. I fear some of those postponed weddings may still choose to move their wedding once again to a date sometime in the future. However, for those of you willing to adopt a little flexibility to your plans and rise to new challenges, weddings will still take place this year, just as they did last year.

What is the smaller and micro wedding?

Micro weddings and smaller celebrations are currently growing in popularity. As a wedding photographer I have witnessed a move in this direction over the last few years.  With couples wanting to move away from a ‘traditional’ wedding day in favour of a more relaxed and intimate occasion.  So what exactly is the difference between a small and micro wedding? The main difference is size. A small wedding is typically for couples wanting to invite only 30 to 60 guests, usually immediate family and close friends only. Small weddings most often take on the usual components of the day such as a cake cutting and first dance. A micro wedding will have less than 20 guests and will have a ceremony and reception but often in a less traditional format. A micro wedding might include an outdoor ceremony, a woodland picnic, or perhaps a private setting in a restaurant or hotel.

For the predicted 36% of couples who will go ahead with their wedding this year let me assure you it will still be a truly amazing day although perhaps in a different format to the day you originally planned. We now know that it is safer for us to be in outdoor open spaces to help prevent the spread of infection. Outdoor weddings are expected to grow in popularity as couples adopt social distancing measures to help keep their guests safe.

My weddings last summer were a wonderful example of this.  I photographed ceremonies under homemade garden gazebos, enjoyed lakeside champagne receptions and roamed Castle grounds. Luckily the weather was kind.  We can’t always rely on the great British climate but I do anticipate a moving trend towards outdoor weddings.

What to expect?

Small and micro weddings are personal and intimate. There is nothing to stop you having the day you always dreamed of and planned for even with an exclusive guest list. By cutting down the guest list your ‘nearest and dearest’ will feel like VIP’s and you will eliminate the distant relatives you rarely see and the fair-weather friends. This is an ideal opportunity to get creative with your planning.  After all, your budget may go much further with fewer guests.

Make sure to prioritise the ‘must-haves’ for your day, whether that is the dream dress, amazing flowers or that extra-special venue. Smaller weddings allow for the personal touch from venues and catering to cakes and favours. Whatever the size of your wedding make sure your day is documented by your wedding photographer. Capture your day and share your photos with those family and friends who were not able to attend.

Photography at small and micro weddings

As a wedding photographer I love that a smaller wedding allows me more time with a Bride and Groom to capture those wonderful ‘just married’ shots. A small group of guests eliminates much of the pressure of herding large groups of guests between locations and endless large group photographs.

Each of my weddings last summer was drastically reduced in guest numbers.   This allowed me considerably more time with each couple to capture those important Bride and Groom portraits. This is always my favourite part of the day and that extra time meant more opportunity for creative couple shots. I also found that these smaller gatherings made for some great documentary style images. Somehow guests seem more relaxed in these settings.

Latest trends indicate that micros weddings, elopements and smaller, intimate gatherings are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Weddings will continue to take place, just as they have through time, after all you can’t ‘lockdown’ love! So come on folks, embrace the idea of a smaller celebration, get creative and make it spectacular.

If you are planning a small or micro wedding and would like me to document your day then please get in touch, I would love to hear your plans.

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Pinterest is an amazing FREE resource when it comes to planning your wedding day. Literally thousands upon thousands of gorgeous pictures and ideas at your fingertips. All the inspiration you could possibly need to make your day special. There are Wedding boards with flowers, dresses, hair and make-up, venue details… the list just goes on!

All these images can be very overwhelming when you first start out on Pinterest. My advise is to set up several ‘boards’ for each area of your wedding planning. For example, one named “Dress Inspiration’, one for ‘Wedding Photography Ideas’, or perhaps ‘Rustic Barn Decorations’. Then gradually add your pins to build your wedding dream. If you just pin to one Wedding board you will end up with an unruly array of pins. By setting up individual boards you can also then share ideas with your suppliers and anyone else involved in your wedding planning.

I always encourage my couples to set up a Wedding Photography Board on Pinterest. This is the place where we may both pin our ideas. We look at inspiration for backgrounds, poses, props, settings, etc. for their Bride and Groom’s wedding day pictures. It helps give me a clear understanding of the style of photography they like and the feel of how they want their own photos to look. By the time we meet up for the wedding planning meeting a month before the big day I already have a great insight into who the couple are are what they want to achieve. As a photographer this is invaluable.

It is very easy to get carried away with your pins. One useful tip is to write a little description of why you chose to pin an idea or what you like about something each time you pin. This can be a very useful reference especially if your wedding planning takes a year or so. I love it when my Bride’s pin a photography idea and write a little note. It helps me understand why they like a particular shot or idea, it gives me a little peak into their world before our wedding day photo shoot.

On a personal level I love Pinterest because it gives me so many ideas to try out at a wedding or on a lifestyle photo shoot. It helps me stay current. I love to see what is on trend for this year’s wedding season and in photography generally. It offers me an opportunity to embrace new ideas.

So for me… it’s a PIN every time!

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In all my years as a wedding photographer I have seen the wedding industry and imaging technology change beyond belief.  However, I still find it impossible to be in two places at one time!

I spend considerable time planning each wedding with my bride and groom and yet it is often still tricky to capture every moment of their special day.  On occasions where everything is in one venue it is possible to document most of the details of the day. However, as soon as there is more than one venue in the mix logistics become difficult.

One of the major problems is traffic.  Only last week I was photographing Zoe and Simon’s wedding at the recently refurbished Frensham Pond Hotel.  Thank goodness for my second photographer!   Myself and the bridal party were stuck in holiday gridlock somewhere in Hampshire.   We arrived at the venue forty five minutes late for the ceremony.  Luckily my second photographer was able to keep shooting and reassure the registrars that we were on our way.

Another advantage of two wedding photographers rather than one at the start of the day is being able to capture the bride and the groom’s morning preparations.  This is a great time for some fun photos with all the Groomsmen and a chance to see both sides of the wedding day story.  After all the Groom is just as important as the Bride.

What I especially love about weddings with two photographers is the range of shots captured.  It allows for all the detail shots, candid guest shots, a selection of shots from quirky angles and a different perspective of the day.  Earlier this month I especially enjoyed working as a second shooter at Sophie and Chris’s wedding at Hilles House.  A different perspective on the day for me.   Allowing me to capture the Groom and his party meeting up in the pub for a pint.  As well as photos from the back of the church, guests chatting amongst themselves and some quirky group photos.

At the end of the day the decision for one or two wedding photographers lies firmly with the client and what their budget will allow.

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