All day at this wedding I was singing Iggy Azaleas "I'm so fancy" in my head. I just want you to know that before we get into it…
It's not often that I get to photograph the big snazzy stately wedding venues like Sant Ffraed house! Weddings for me are all about working with the right people rather than anything aesthetic related like venues...it just so happens that most of my couples have a more rough and ready approach to their planning choices. But today we get to mix the fun and the classy together with M&C and their gorgeous so fancy wedding!
SO! Fun story, I was actually introduced to Matt & Connor by my own husband, Killian who is a very talented barber at Hounds the Barbershop (you should totally check him out) when we did a little promo shoot for the barbershop. My Killian did the hair styling, Matt did the modelling and I took the photos and luckily, when it came around to wedding planning I stuck in Matt’s mind! Hooray!
When I tell you I don’t think i’ve worked with a more chill couple - I do not exaggerate when saying they were practically horizonal (which is wild when you see how gorgeous and perfect everything looked!) They really trusted their suppliers to understand their vision and very much with a “do what you think works” approach. Which, as a supplier myself would like to say is so lovely to hear that level of trust.
The wedding day itself was a beautiful spring day in May. Blue skies and the gardens of Sant Ffraed were in full bloom as was the ceremony room thanks to the amazing floral creations of Tina at Forever Green Blooms. I met the guys for prep in the morning along with A LOT of family and friends who were easily enjoying making their way through the Champagne crates 😅 But hey - a lot of happy bodies and a little chaos mean one thing - lots of happy candids (which you really should know by now is my favourite.) After some fun, fizz and gifts myself, Matt & Connor made our way up to the suite in the main house for final (and slightly more calm) prep time before the ceremony itself.
The ceremony was celebrant led (YAY! - Also my fave) and my first time working with Vicky who is one of the most thoughtful, expressive, kind and understanding celebrants i’ve ever met. She was fabulous and such a help with getting the best shots throughout the ceremony. It was such a personalised moment of the day with lots of family involvement throughout including readings and a hand-fasting and the guys even included a bit of their nerdier side with their entrance music (cheeky bit of Starwars!)
Post ceremony it was time for bloody loads of confetti and to lean into that relaxed vibe the guys were really hoping for with drinks and snacks in the sunshine. Lots of laughter and even a little bit of magic from a guest who was also a magician. How handy! As always, we kept couples photos easy breezy with a quick 10 minute frolic in the fields - i’m never want to keep you from the fun of the day!
And the fun did continue into the late afternoon and evening with dinner, more Champagne, a very special choir performance and some slightly tipsy group shots with the groomsmaids (Yes, the tipsy made it better!). The evening finished off with literal fireworks on the dance floor and great live music, everything you could want from a wedding day and turns out - you don’t need to stress about it either! 😂
VENDORS:
VENUE: Sant Ffraed House
Photography: Carmel McCabe photography (myself)
Suits: Dyfed Menswear
Flowers: Forever green blooms
Styling: Oh so curious
Celebrant: Hwyl Ceremonies
String quartet: Caradog Strings
