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09
Jan
2018
Nutcracker Ballet Wedding – Elin & Matt

Nutcracker Ballet Wedding – Elin & Matt

Treowen House - Elin & Matt

Nutcracker Ballet Wedding

I first met Elin and her family at the Bride & Groom Show at the Cheltenham Town Hall back in January 2017. We hit it off immediately excitedly chatting about her vision for their wedding, discussing some of my photos and what I can do to perfectly capture their day. We met up again a few weeks later where I got to meet Matt and most importantly Mali, their gorgeous little Cockapoo! My approach is tailored to the couple, some don’t want any specific shots of them together others have loads of ideas and love for me to plan a few things out for them, which is exactly what I did for Elin & Matt

Even at this fairly early stage Elin had a clear plan which took in wedding prep and the ceremony in Ebbw Vale, then the reception at Treowen House in Monmouthshire. A geographic factor which had put of a few photographers but not me. I love visiting new locations and relish the challenge of finding something to throw into the mix for my couples to consider!

So with that in mind a few months later I put a day aside and set off to Ebbw Vale to have a look around the church, then scope out a mountain road I had found between there and Treowen House. And what a road! I took a few snaps to send to Elin and Matt of the amazing scenery and they loved it, and factored it into the proceedings! I finished at Treowen House and again took a few snaps of areas I thought would be a nice back drop.

The ceremony was at 11am, and with a 90 minute drive from my home and the chance of snow, I preferred the lower risk option of staying near the church. When I mentioned this to Elin, quick as a flash she offered me a room at her auntie’s house! So after a very hospitable stay with Babs & Peter, I made the short drive around the corner to Elins parents to start what would become one of my most enjoyable days of shooting of 2017.

The beautiful low winter sun bleeding in through the windows allowed for some great shots of the team getting ready, and the snow still hanging around from the deluge the weekend before made for some great photo opportunities.

​The ceremony was held at St Davids Church Ebbw Vale, a mammoth 30 second walk from Elin parents’ house, and met at the gate by Mali to give a good luck lick

The Reverend was wonderful, actually asking me where I’d like to stand and where shall he go to not be in the way of Elin entrance. I am always so grateful for this approach, as it allows the couple to get the best possible images of such an emotional moment.

​As a result of my recon trip, the plan next was to head over to Treowen house via a mountain road that I had found. The temperature was sat at around 1 degrees, with fairly strong winds and snow on the ground but we soldiered on!

I had to work extra quick to keep the time out of the car to a minimum, and thanks to Elin & Matts trust in me we got some great images in a very short time. I love them!

​Treowen Manor House is like a 17th century time machine! Well a time machine turned into a Christmas wonderland by Elin and her band of merry helpers! What a transformation, and attention to detail. Below are just a small selection of detail shots, along with everyone relaxing into the drinks reception.

Couples have loads of ideas for entertainment for the guests, some go for magicians, caricaturists, garden games to name just three. However Elin being a dancer, elected for a professional dance class for all the guests ran by Finestep!

Now changed into a variation of her main wedding dress, Elin led the way as the party tackled the dance moves. Great fun, and highlight recommended!

And that was pretty much that. Honing in on my 14th hour of shooting, I started to pack up my gear and consider a job well done, not only an incredible wedding day of shooting, but an incredible wedding year, truly ending on a high.

2018 is shaping up to be at least a match too. A few weeks off from shooting whilst I exhibit at 4 wedding fayres(!), get on top of some admin as well as keep on top of a busy time for bookings. Oh and as I write this I have just had a wedding book back at Treowen House later this year! I can’t wait to go back!

Thanks Elin & Matt. I was truly welcomed into the family and had a wonderful weekend.

 

If you have enjoyed this blog, you can read more here and to see my latest work you can see loads on my galleries page

Suppliers and people of note in creating Elin & Matts day:

Dress – Coco Couture
Hair – Rhiannon Bethen
Make up – Emma Foote
Catering – Sarah Baker (Sarah Ebenezer)
Sweet trolly, post box, cloths – Welsh chair company
Flowers – Alison Withey
Cake – Babs Paulson & Sarah Behan
Logs – Steves logs
Drawing of St Davids Church – Ffio Hopkins
Dance classes – Finestep

Special credit to the entire Withey & Hopkins family for working until 3am finishing of the amazing décor

Lee really captured the magic

lee hawley photography creative candid natural wedding photographer gloucestershire nutcracker ballet christmas themed

Matt and I met Lee at our first wedding fayre and from the moment we saw how natural and honest his photos were we knew we had to book him for our wedding. We couldn’t believe how much prep work he did before our big day, visiting all the venues and possible locations for photos (even doing a little dancing before hand to ensure he gets the perfect shots). On the day Lee was amazing. He managed to capture every special moment that was shared at our wedding without stealing anyone away from the action. Even my very camera shy bridesmaid was captured in some beautiful photos without her even knowing the camera was there. Matt is very shy and because of Lee’s thoughtfulness and general demeanour he felt comfortable all day, without the pressure of having to pose for photos. As for me, I had lots of ideas but Lee (with his create mind) made them a reality and I can’t thank him enough. All our family and friends have commented on how lovely Lee was and comments like “I didn’t know he was there then” have been the response to many photos. Matt and I would highly recommend Lee as I don’t think anyone else could have truly captured our magic like he has!

Elin & Matt

Photography As Unique As You Are

This is not formal wedding photography

I tell your wedding story naturally and creatively. No awkward poses, no saying cheese. My goal is for you to feel like you have a friend as your photographer, and by doing that I capture you at your most you.

I truly invest in my couples, spending time to understand what makes you tick. Even if you don’t really know what you want, in a brief chat over coffee I will understand how best to approach your day, resulting in you being relaxed and able to enjoy your wedding and resulting in a set of images tailored to you.

​To receive my latest brochure and full price list, please complete the simple form . I’d also love to hear a bit about your day! Packages start from £695.

This is not a wedding production line, you will not be added to any mailing lists and I will reply to you in person

Posted by Lee Hawley
14
Dec
2017
Manor by the Lake – Sarah & Kenny

Manor by the Lake – Sarah & Kenny

Manor by the Lake - Sarah & Kenny

Manor by the Lake Winter Wedding Photography

When writing these blogs and I’m thinking about the day, my overwhelming emotion is always “what an amazing day!”, because they nearly always are. But I’m aware that if I just write that every time it’s not very interesting, and also devalues the fact it really was an amazing day! But this really was an amazing day!

I first met Sarah and Kenny more than a year ago, and in what felt like no time at all we are sat back in their living room a fortnight before their day running through the final details!

I arrived at Manor by the Lake bright and early, and once again the weather gods were on my side, with clear skies and a gorgeous autumn sun low in the sky. First “job” was to get the settings photos. All the details that have so much time poured into them need capturing!

Manor by the Lake has a few different bride & groom prep options, and the great thing about them being close together is I can easily flick between them for the couple of hours leading up to the ceremony.

For their day, Sarah was getting ready in the Coach House with Kenny already suited and able to enjoy private access to the Rock Bar, which is basically an epic man-den, decked out in retro pop-culture memorabilia, and features a jukebox, pool, table football and most importantly a bar!

​The Coach house being a more traditional bridal prep space, and then once ready Sarah moved up to the bridal suit to get her dress on.

​The hope was to have the ceremony outside, a decision that sits with the registrar’s, some of which can at times be a little (how to be PC?) “un-motivated” to play ball. But as you won’t find a nicer November day, I was hopeful, and thankfully the lovely registrars for the day were only too happy to hold the ceremony outside!

This is good news for me. Just have click the highlight gallery button to see the ceremony. How gorgeous is all of it!

With Sarah and Kenny having no preference on the location for the confetti, I knew what would be best for my camera! So whilst they had a quiet moment together I gathered the guests into the sun with confetti in hand. A regular feature of “my” weddings now is to take a silly amount of confetti shots, facilitated by my awesome Sony A99ii’s ability to take an insane amount of photos per second. Which means I can also put together these nice little confetti slideshows!

Shooting weddings in the winter months are a double edged sword for a photographer. Technically you need high end equipment due to losing the sun early in the day, and most importantly you need to know what you are doing to maximise image quality and not miss a shot. I also resist flash where possible, especially for candid moments as it does tend to make people aware they are having their photo taken!

However the upside is that the daylight you do have, is often with a beautiful low sun which I love to work with. Thankfully the sun was still out when Sarah & Kenny joined me for just 10 minutes in the grounds of Manor by the Lake to snap some shots of them together. As iv said before, I love couples shoots. It’s one thing being able to capture nice images of things unfolding, but it’s another to be able to create an environment for stunning photos and place two people who have no experience having their photo taken within it! It’s a challenge way beyond an ability to use a camera well, it’s mostly about having a vision in your mind, and being able to translate that into a real image by putting the couple at ease, gain their trust, not make them feel awkward, and in my opinion to be quick!

I love this set of shots, and also love how it meant Sarah & Kenny were only away from their party for 10 minutes. It’s a day that flies by, don’t tolerate your photographer demanding hours from you!

The speeches came after the wedding breakfast, and before you know we are into the evening guests arriving and party time!

​A huge thank you to Sarah & Kenny for having me, and to Manor by the Lake for being so helpful.

It was a joy working with you both.

Lee

 

Testimonials

Absolutely Incredible

manor by the lake

We recently had the honour of Lee as our photographer at our wedding and he is absolutely incredible. Lee has been brilliant from start to finish. He is very professional, creative, efficient and extremely easy to get along with. It is clear he is very passionate about what he does.

On the day of our wedding Lee was very discreet and he captured every special moment. We are both overwhelmed with the images he has taken and we have received so many comments and compliments from friends and family. Words cannot describe how good Lee is. A picture paints a thousand words and one of our favourites is the photo using a smoke grenade. This is just one example of Lee’s creativity. Lee is a true gentleman, an absolute pleasure to work with and someone I would recommend to anyone without a moment’s hesitation. Lee, thank you for making our day complete and providing us with memories that we will both cherish for the rest of our lives.

Kenny & Sarah

To View Sarah & Kenny's Gallery Click The Button

If you have enjoyed this blog, you can read more here and to see my latest work you can see loads on my galleries page

Photography As Unique As You Are

This is not formal wedding photography

I tell your wedding story naturally and creatively. No awkward poses, no saying cheese. My goal is for you to feel like you have a friend as your photographer, and by doing that I capture you at your most you.

I truly invest in my couples, spending time to understand what makes you tick. Even if you don’t really know what you want, in a brief chat over coffee I will understand how best to approach your day, resulting in you being relaxed and able to enjoy your wedding and resulting in a set of images tailored to you.

​To receive my latest brochure and full price list, please complete the simple form . I’d also love to hear a bit about your day! Packages start from £695.

This is not a wedding production line, you will not be added to any mailing lists and I will reply to you in person

Posted by Lee Hawley in Homepage Posts