As a busy Cardiff wedding photographer, I’m lucky enough to frequently capture wedding photography at Cardiff Castle. Gemma and Dan chose the perfect venue for their spring wedding. (Blog continued below the most important bit, the photos!)
On the day, Gemma and her bridal party got ready at her friend’s house, so I got there early so I could capture those all-important bridal prep images. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was electric as the bridal party were on top form.
I also got the chance to catch up with Dan and his grooms party who all looked very smart in their petrol blue three-piece suits. I loved the connection of Dan helping his son get ready. Once ready there was the chance for some champagne before guests started to arrive.
Gemma looked absolutely stunning in a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline into a ruche skirt with a side slit that allowed her to walk freely. It skimmed Gemma’s petite frame perfectly and gave her an amazing silhouette in all of my images. Bridesmaids wore gorgeous pink dresses and there were two flower girls who looked adorable and performed their duties perfectly. The adults in the bridal party performed their duties as well but were definitely not as well behaved as the flower girls. This wedding was a beautiful chaos!
Experienced South Wales wedding photographer
The wedding ceremony was held in The Undercroft which is one of the oldest parts of Cardiff Castle dating back to the 15th century. The medieval stone vaulted Undercroft is hugely atmospheric but dark. As an experienced Cardiff Castle wedding photographer, I had planned for the light issues by setting myself up and positioning myself in advance and by using flash photography. If you are booking a photographer here, make sure they know how to shoot in low light conditions because this is the ultimate in low light conditions!
Gemma was walked down the aisle by her dad. Their young son was the ring bearer and their daughter was one of the flower girls. It was very sweet to see them having special roles to perform on the day. After a lovely ceremony everybody enjoyed a drinks reception in The Undercroft bar and courtyard. Giving me the chance to take some great candid images of guests mingling and enjoying themselves.
Gemma and Dan were very keen on a documentary style of photography with as few posed images as possible. This approach was greatly helped by the fact that Gemma and Dan’s guests were all so much fun and totally photogenic. I really was spoilt for choice.
I did manage to organise everybody outside on the lawn for a fun confetti moment and some group images. One of my favourite images were off the bridal party doing yoga poses. One bridesmaid pulled off a very impressive pose that ensured that if a day visitor to the castle happened to look in a certain direction at that moment, they may have got to see more than they’d bargained for.
Storytelling South Wales wedding photographer
Whilst all the fun took place outside, The Undercroft was being dressed ready for dinner and once ready it looked amazing. Guests were seated first and then Gemma and Dan were welcomed rapturously by everybody. Speeches happened before the meal which is always a good idea as then the speech-givers can relax for the rest of the day.
Now, as a Cardiff wedding photographer, I have heard a lot of wedding speeches so believe me when I say that the speeches at Gemma and Dan’s wedding were really good. There was heart felt speeches by Gemma’s best friend Geraint and by Dan’s brother who was best man. These were perfectly followed by Dan’s hilarious speech that included him playing the ukulele. One way or another, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
After the meal, as guests were happy milling about the castle and socialising, I quickly whisked Gemma and Dan away for a few minutes to the old part of the castle for a romantic portrait shot in the fort, they only wanted one as they wanted a total documentary wedding.
Documentary wedding photography at Cardiff Castle
Evening celebrations were held back in the Undercroft and there was a live band. To say that Gemma, Dan and their guests were up for a party would be an understatement and I getting onto the dancefloor to get some fantastic images. It is one of my favourite times of the day!
A gorgeous wedding at a premier Cardiff wedding venue for this lovely couple. Congratulations to Gemma and Dan for getting married. And thank you for having me there to tell the story of it. I loved every second!
I’ll leave the last words to Gemma and Dan. Here’s what they had to say about working with me.
“There’s absolutely nothing we would change with our booking with Keri. Everything about it exceeded our expectations and he made the day (as well as the build up to it) all about us. Everything that we asked he did with a smile on his face. His quality of work is superb and it is 100% value for money in fact we think should be charging more. He even stayed longer than a few of the guests just to make he sure he shot everything. Our guests took a real shining to Keri and will be booking him for theirs. We cannot thank you enough”