Stacy & Mike, New House Country Hotel wedding photograhpy
I first met Stacy and Mike when they arrived at a nice pub I'd chosen for our meeting. Said pub was shut so we went to what Google said was the nearest alternative. Note to self: don't ever do this again!! I wouldn't go as far to say the pub was rough, but I was surprised to see my windscreen wipers still attached, and the windscreen come to that.
The landlord could be described as a 'character', but Stacy probably better described him as a 'bit rapey' which made me laugh out loud on the way out, just as we needed a silent getaway - I knew exactly what she meant, but I'm sure he's fine! I knew that the wedding back in Wales at New House Country Hotel was going to be fun. A lot of fun!
Stacy and Mike spent about 98% of the day cracking up at each other or with their guests, the other 5% was when they said their vows. They did not leave each other for long all day, and the connections between them was amazing for documentary-type photos. This great humour and relaxed fun ran through the whole day and it was lovely to witness and be a part of.
New House is up on a hill overlooking Cardiff in the distance. Stacy and Mike both wanted to get some shots with Cardiff in the background. Trying to manage expectations, I was keen to make this a weather dependent option, but everything fell into place perfectly!
As the sun went down, the cold crisp air created the clearest conditions and the twinkling lights of Cardiff in the background was beautiful. With my assistant for the day, Geraint, holding the flash unit behind them we got some incredible shots that I LOVE! Great work from Stacy and Mike too as it was FREEZING!
Patience was a virtue here as we needed several shots for combination in post-processing!
New House County Hotel is a lovely venue, with a great couple of lounges and a library, all great backdrops. Stacy, Mike and the crew were happy to try one of my crazy ideas for a posed shoot. Not my usual approach, but a tick in the box of continual-improvement-and-experimentation for me!
With a great venue, beautiful couple, amazing friends and family the day was always going to be a belter, and it did not disappoint.
Here is a selection of some of the day's images.... enjoy.
- Nick Church
