Wedding Photographer Hensol Castle

I was super excited to meet Kate and her mum at a wedding showcase a few years ago. More so when Kate told me she needed a wedding photographer Hensol castle AND that she is a dancer! I could barely contain my excitement! We chatted excitedly and it wasn’t long before I was booked as their wedding photographer at Hensol castle!

Roll on a few agonising years of waiting and here are some highlights of Kate and Gregs wedding photographer Hensol castle! It really was the most amazing day and it certainly wasn’t spoilt by the copious amount of rain that fell! I asked them some questions about them and their amazing day, here is what they told me:

Where did you meet and how long have you been together?
We met 12 years ago in school! I went away training as a dancer and in my last year we got back in contact before I moved home. That was 5 years ago!

Where did you get married?
My grandad is buried in Llantrisant parish so the church is very close to my heart. Greg was in hospital having a shoulder operation in the vale, during his stay we went for a walk and come across Hensol castle, Greg asked did I want to book our wedding! We didn’t view any other venues we fell in love with the place! And what girl doesn’t want to get married in a castle? Hensol castle is the perfect place for wedding photography too!

Tell me a little about the amazing decor- who designed and made it happen?
 
I bought and made a lot myself! I’m the fussiest person in the world but I want to mention Laura smith who workes as part of Hensol castle team, she was amazing with us, she met up with us so many times for me to take pictures, decided where I wanted things and to measure nothing was too much trouble! I was so worried as I had a store room full of things for them to place out! And everything was perfect!
Our colours was very neutral I found a piece of ribbon that was a champagne colour that I tried to match the bridesmaid dresses up to, everything else was white and ivory. It all looked so elegant and classy in our wedding photography!

We got engaged in NYC we kept this as our theme using shops and attractions in New York as our table names.

Suppliers

Moss brothers Cardiff   supplied the suits and I highly recommend them. We decided to go for black tux and braces as the wedding was very neutral we also thought this would go well with the castle and kept classy. It certainly looks great in the photographs and makes a classy twist for our wedding photographer Hensol castle

Where did you get your dress? Vera wang bridal London- I was very lucky girl! It was such an elegant dress that complimented my body shape and the details were just exquisite!

Who was your makeup artist  Kathryn kift makeup artist

Who was your hair stylist Vous by Lyndsey

What cars/ transport did you have? (Website if possible please)
 
Prices cars  supplied  Annabelle for the bridesmaids and mother of the bride Southernbelle – bride and groom

Perfect days wedding cars -Lord Asquith – for the groomsmen and family

Who made your cake? Again please describe any special features (Website if possible please)
 
Scrumdiddly made our stunningly elegant 5 tire wedding cake and Vale cake boutique made a variety of different cakes for my cake cart

Who was your florist? 
 
Who was your florist? Hilary floral design! Flowers were a huge part of our decor! We had them everywhere! Hilary and the team were amazing!

Who was your jewellery designer?  Tiffany & co Pearl dainty bracelet

What brand were those incredible shoes? Jimmy choo – the feathers were amazing!!!

Other…

Was there anything else that you feel made your day truly special or any other comments to share?  Justin was amazing with us! He arrived early and was with us until the end! We can’t thank him enough for his patience! “We create” boys were fantastic with us and we can’t wait to see our video! James our singer made the atmosphere incredible during the church and our wedding breakfast And juke box was Fantastic for the evening entertainment!Feedback- was there anything else

Justin Harris Photography could have done differently or better?  Justin and his team were amazing and I will highly recommend him to all couples getting married especially if they need wedding photographer Hensol castle! We wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to photograph our special day!!

If you are looking for a wedding photographer for Hensol castle here are a few other links you may like- Hensol castle wedding slideshow & Hensol castle wedding photography blog 

Full gallery is online HERE!

Wedding photography Hay-on-Wye

I was so excited to meet Joy & Josh. When they told me they needed a wedding photography Hay-on-Wye & began to tell me about their plans for an exclusive, luxury wedding venue from Josh’s childhood with a festival vibe, silent disco & marquees mixed in with a dollop of boho chic!

We soon met up even with a slight distance between us (Bath & Swansea) & I’m not sure who was more excited as we went through the plans & shared photos of the venue & talked about the plans! Joy & Josh booked me there & then for their wedding photography Hay-on-Wye & I for one counted the days until their big day!

I asked Joy & Josh some questions about their day – here is what they told me:

Where did you get married and why did you choose the venue?

The wedding was held in the grounds of a truly unique property owned by Lyndy Cooke, former director of the Hay festival (currently founder at hand held events) and dear family friend. This place is very important to Josh (the groom) as he grew up with many childhood memories of him & the groomsmen climbing the trees & playing in the grounds. To be able to get married here was truly an amazing & unique opportunity. 

Who was your dress designer and/or supplier
It was so important for me to have an Australian designer to bring a bit of Australia to my big day. Anna Campbell definitely didn’t disappoint. The store I got this from (Perfect Day Bridal) was incredible! There was only three stores in the uk that stocked this designer and I was lucky enough that one was 20 min from my house!

Who supplied the suits
Josh’s suit was Italian linen and was tailored by Gabucci an amazing menswear store in bath.

Who was your venue decorator?
The marquee was designed and set up by the wonderful Martin Powell of Acacia marquees. We wanted the DJ set up to be like a festival.
We wanted people to be able to have a chilled drink on the hay bales in the sun and then bust out some serious moves on the main stage. Then party away in the silent disco till dawn.
If it was possible to combine vintage, garden party, boho festival into one I guess that would describe the theme. The flowers were a massive part of creating the asthetics. The lovely mother of the groom, Steph, spent months and months planting hundreds of seeds!

Who was your makeup artist
Jess was brilliant and hilarious. She made me feel comfortable and beautiful & also knew Justin, our wedding photography Hay-on-Wye!
 
Who was your hair stylist? 
Jenny and Beth from hair comes the bride were the perfect fit to create the whimsical look to compliment my dress and hair piece. Not only was their work impeccable but they are also really good friends. They took the time to really listen to what I wanted.

What cars/ transport did you have?
Josh’s uncle’s Jaguar! He also kindly agreed to chauffeur for the day

Who made your cake? 
Monkland cheese dairy
We wanted a local dairy to provide the cheese and we decorated it.
We were lucky enough for our guests Bronwyn and Marion Lally to make the lovely Victoria sponge.

Who was your florist? 
 The florist Debbie from the hibiscus room carefully selected the most beautiful roses that matched the bridesmaid dresses perfectly. We wanted some blues in there to match the grooms tie. The bridesmaids absolutely loved their garlands!
Who was your jewellery designer? Please describe any special features (Website if possible please)
 

The lovely mr Katz from E Katz & co jewellers in Hatton Garden, Chancery Lane. This place was of particular importance as it was where the grooms father bought the grooms mothers ring and also where josh bought my engagement ring.

Tell us a bit about your wedding photography Hay-on-Wye 
 
Justin was absolutely brilliant as a wedding photographer Hay-On-Wye and I have already recommended him to people! From start to finish he has been amazing. His friendly approach and attention to detail as well as his amazing photography skills meant we have the wedding photographs we wanted an will always cherish.

For more images click here!

I’ve known Charmaine (& her mum) from her modelling & pageant days & I was so excited to hear she was getting married & at Clearwell Castle!! As a wedding photographer, Clearwell Castle  is just a dream location! The portrait photographer realized that the wedding grounds & interior make such an amazing backdrop for bridal portraits & of course general wedding photography! Sometimes things just fall in place & are meant to be. Charmaine & Toby got married in June but we only met a few months prior! Not only did they manage to book me a for a mid August Saturday for their wedding photography but also Clearwell Castle as their wedding venue! As you may know, if you are planning a wedding; most popular photographers & venues get booked up years in advance; especially on Saturdays in the summer! Of course Charmaine just loved my style of wedding photography that is so inspired by fashion photography & the rest is history!

When we arrived  at Clearwell Castle hair and makeup was well under way & everyone was so calm! I love photographing the getting ready stage; its one of my favourite parts of the day. I love capturing the nervous excitement, shooting the wedding dress and all the details and I just love seeing that moment when the dress is on & the bride is just WOW!!

It was nice as even though there is always 2 photographers when you book me; as everything was happening in the castle, I was also able to have some fun in the grounds with the guys & the three(!) best men &  ushers! This duty is usually sole left to my 2nd photographer.

The ceremony & reception were both held in Clearwell Castle & all the close family were there which always makes it special.

After the ceremony we photographed the groups outside Clearwell Castle; I think this is an important duty of a wedding photographer to record the family as it is so rare that we all get together. Of course we do it swiftly & as stylishly as possible (& even have some fun sometimes!) with the castle as the backdrop! We then photographed the couple around the grounds & inside of Clearwell castle which, I think you’ll agree is just an amazing place!

Food & reception followed by the speeches then the guests were able to mingle around the castle, continuing the celebrations with a little bit of croquet on the lawn. It really was an amazing day for a very special couple! Here are the highlights of their wedding day.

Dress www.cariadbridal.co.uk

Flowers: www.poppiesoflydney.co.uk/

Suits: Moss Bros

Makeup: Jessica Meyrick

Hair: Reds hair company

Photography: Justin Harris Photography

If you’d like to consider me for Clearwell Castle wedding photography please get in touch! xox

Full gallery here: http://clients.justinharrisphotography.co.uk/charmaineandtoby/