Monmouth wedding photos & video, at Caer Llan,.
South Wales wedding photographer and videographer explore the wedding fairytale charm & mountain view of Caer Llan in Monmouth.
Autumnal colours, handmade touches & SO SO SO much laughing.
““You need photographers and videographers that almost blend in to the wedding party, so that everyone forgets that they are there and enjoys themselves, to create relaxed natural photos, and they did that perfectly. ”
”
Hand in hand walking for their wedding photographs at Caer Llan, Monmouth.
Caer Llan wedding in Monmouth - Photos & Film.
From the start, working with Corrina and Tom didn’t feel like work. They jumped at the chance to do their pre wedding shoot at Bishops Wood amongst all the flowering, but let’s say ‘aromatic’, garlic. They also agreed to climb a tree to get the perfect shot of them suspended above the river on a low hanging branch. It was a shoot that set the tone for the wedding, Tom’s dry humour making me laugh as much as Corrina.
Tom & Corrina K I S S I N G … Just casually chilling in a tree overhanging a stream in Bishopswood, Gower.
They got married at Caer Llan in Monmouth, as it was my first time shooting there, I imagine I shared their reasons for falling in love with the venue. The view… Not just the 25 acres belonging to Caer Llan itself either, but the sweeping vistas of the Vale of Usk and the cluster of Welsh mountains on the horizon.
Corrina and Tom had told me that they had clicked with the owners Vicky and Jake instantly and I could feel how the connection between them made the day that much more relaxed. Finding out that Caer Llan has belonged to Jake’s family since 1969, and that he was just one week old when his father purchased it, made perfect sense. The property has always been his home, and he too is now raising his own family there, the personal touches are exactly that!
Vicky was encouraging of Corrina’s DIY approach to decorating the venue; and I was blown away by the amount she had achieved herself: hand embroidered table number hoops, the order of service with lino printed logo, family wedding photo hoops, table names written by her own hand in calligraphy font. No wonder she has just started doing this professionally at Corrina Ann Art.
By staying at Caer Llan for the whole weekend, Corrina and Tom had the luxury of avoiding having to rush around. The ceremony, reception and evening do were all there, so we had plenty of opportunities to exploit the beauty of the venue as no time was being lost travelling between places. In feedback given by Tom noted, “You are so aware of the landscape in your photography, Amy said on our wedding day, "can you stand there because I love these red leaves?", yes we can, this is why Corrina wanted to get married in Autumn (She also has a love of red leaves!) And then same again with the film, we wanted it to be natural. We loved how you used the surroundings, you framed the guests through a window, or from the reflection of a table.” Yes, my heart did do a skip and a jump at this high praise! We feel so seen!
Talking about feedback, I send every couple a post-wedding questionnaire, to collect accurate info for blog posts like this, and hopefully a raft of compliments, but Corrina and Tom are the only couple to have ever responded to a question with an “unconventional fairytale”. I was blown away by the cuteness overload that is their love story, and if it’s good enough to have appeared in their ceremony’s order of service, then it’s good enough to be included here in full. I’m smitten. “In a land far far away on the west coast of Wales, Cinderella first met her Prince Charming. When Dave Buttons, her new flatmate, invited some friends from home to visit him at University, Cinderella never imagined one of them would be ‘the one’.
At first, Cinderella was not wooed by his long hair or band member image, instead they became firm friends bonding over fancy dress, too many shots of pumpkin juice and miserable hangovers.
Prince Charming however, thought Cinderella was the prettiest maiden in all the land, and was particularly impressed by her ability to demolish the ‘ultimate’ Welsh breakfast, while he could barely finish off his small portion.
Years of banter went by, until one day Cinderella realised that she was extremely excited about Prince Charming's upcoming visit. His recent trip to the royal hairdressers helped a little too. Cinderella gave herself a pep talk before attending the Ball that evening. "Don't drink too many shots of pumpkin juice and tell Prince Charming that you’ve developed a crush on him..." And she didn't. Instead, Cinderella drank too many shots of pumpkin juice, and kissed him.
And then, before the clock struck midnight and her carriage turned into a pumpkin, she disappeared into the night, to wake in the morning with a very sore head wondering if the whole thing was a dream. Prince Charming just thought Cinderella had perhaps had one too many shots of pumpkin juice and decided it would improper to speak of the kiss.
Until one night, like a scene from "The Hangover" (not your typical Rom-Com) while searching for their friend Dave Buttons, who was thankfully not on the roof, Prince Charming grabbed Cinderella's hand, setting off fireworks in her belly. And Cinderella knew.
However, it was now Prince Charming's turn to disappear, on a royal visit to Australia. A year went by, and the two continued to think about that night. So, upon his return, Cinderella didn't waste any time in telling him that it was not the pumpkin juice talking and that he was in fact her Prince Charming, and so began their happily ever after… Which included a future in which they would take on the fastest Zip Line in the world together and even climb Snowdon.”
After reading this, it probably comes as no to surprise to you that their wedding day was one full of laughter and old friends. Corrina’s gorgeous dress had the sort of free-flowing skirt (All About Eve) that allowed her to roam freely in the gardens and get among the autumn leaves without any bother. The dancing was joyous, with hair swishing without regard for the prior styling, and the band, The Big Easy Band, got a hearty singalong response to every song. Sweet dreams are made of this.
Wedding film from Caer Llan in South Wales.
Caer Llan wedding photographs, South Wales.
