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Beautiful Christmas Wedding | Gwesty'r Emlyn Hotel | Emma & Tom


The bride wears a white fur stole and lace sleeves as she embraces the groom. They look at each other, there is warm colour in the sky behind them
Emma & Tom having a little cwtch in the grounds of the castle at Newcastle Emlyn
When I first met Emma and Tom, it was for their pre wedding shoot at Rhossili on Gower. And I have to tell you that from that day I knew these two were awesome people because after we had a little mixup with the meeting point and managed to park in completely different car parks that were half an hour's drive apart, nearly getting swept up by the waves on Llangennith beach and hiking up the cliff as fast as we could, they drove me back to my car without hesitation and saved me that night from a long walk in the dark! They're two of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure of photographing!

The wedding took place in December at the gorgeous Gwesty'r Emlyn Hotel in Newcastle Emlyn. It's a venue I've had the pleasure of shooting quite a few times and I was looking forward to it. It was a freezing cold day but the sun was shining so you might say it was the perfect crisp winter's day. Both Emma and Tom were getting ready at the hotel so I was able to photograph them both getting ready, which is awesome as we get to see both sides of the story leading up to the ceremony.


The couple chose their young nephews as ring bearers and read personal vows to one another. They used a celebrant for their ceremony, which added another lovely personal touch. On their exit the guests showered them with snow-like confetti, which was gorgeous but it got EVERYWHERE!




On a winter wedding I'm always keeping an eye on the weather and the light, and to make sure we didn't lose too much light before their portraits, we decided to head straight over to the castle after the welcome drinks. It was a little icy on the paths and so we didn't venture right up to the castle ruins, but were able to get some gorgeous images with the rolling hills and the castle in the background. When we got back to the hotel, we spent some time with the bridal party getting some lovely group shots.


The couple chose an elegant look for their decor, with white florals and greenery.


Just before the speeches, we headed back outside to take some portraits in front of the Christmas lights adorning the High Street of Newcastle Emlyn. It's such a beautiful display!

The speeches were great fun as the tables were furnished with bottles of the family's favourite tipple - Emma's Dad encouraged guests to take a shot at certain points of the speech, which of course made for some great photos!

After speeches wrapped, we headed outside for sparklers, the couple cut the cake and we rounded up family for some photos together.


Emma's bridesmaid, her childhood friend, sang their first dance song in a special moment for them both. It was beautiful to watch! Then guests joined them on the dance floor for a good old boogie!



I worked alongside some incredible suppliers on this wedding, whose links you can find below:
Venue: Emlyn Hotel
Stationery: By Jo Stationery
Photo Booth: Ultra Photobooth
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