Last spring, Leah and Corey were married at Gellifawr Woodland Retreat, a truly stunning venue nestled in North Pembrokeshire.
The day promised to be beautiful from the outset — beginning grey and overcast, but with blue skies and golden evening sunshine forecast.
I was joined by Craig from Pristine Videography, one of my favourite videographers to work alongside.
Leah got ready in the venue’s prep room with her bridesmaids and family. The atmosphere was relaxed and full of laughter. Leah had made personalised, hand-painted wine glasses for everyone, which were absolutely adorable and such a thoughtful touch.
For the detail shots, we initially used Seren yn Codi as the room wasn’t quite ready to move into. We laid out Leah’s beautiful shoes, jewellery and invitations on the incredible signing table made from tree offcuts. While there, we spent some time with Anita from Lush Bespoke Blooms, who kindly gave me a few flower heads to incorporate into the flat-lay details.
We then went to find the groom and photograph his prep, this can be done easily when they get ready at the venue.
A little later, we moved the bridal gown, shoes and accessories into the bridal suite for a few photographs before dressing. The dress looked stunning displayed on the four-poster bed, with gorgeous flowers styled on the occasional chair. Leah then joined us and we stepped out briefly while she got into her dress — I always photograph the fastening of buttons and final adjustments so it feels natural and unobtrusive.
Once ready, shoes on, I captured some beautiful window-light portraits of our gorgeous bride.
It was then time to invite Leah’s dad in for the first look. There were lots of emotions, and you could clearly see just how proud he was of her.
Leah had also told me she wanted a first look with her mum before seeing her bridesmaids. As the venue hadn’t been told, we quietly set this up ourselves. I positioned her mum on the circular paved area, facing away, and Leah walked out and stood behind her. When we asked her mum to turn around — oh, it was just lovely.
Next came the bridesmaids. I positioned them outside the prep building, also facing away, and guided Leah towards them. Their reactions were an absolute joy to photograph.
After capturing those moments, I headed up to see Corey, who was waiting patiently in the ceremony room. He was clearly nervous but wearing the biggest smile.
Harp music played as the bridesmaids entered one by one, followed by Leah and her dad. She had the biggest smile on her face. As soon as their eyes met, you could see Corey instantly relax.
The ceremony itself was beautiful and full of laughter. I carefully moved through the floral arrangements to photograph the first kiss from a central viewpoint, surrounded by flowers — it looked stunning.
Confetti and welcome drinks followed, with plenty of celebrating. I stepped back to allow everyone to enjoy the moment, capturing lots of natural, candid images. Then the male voice choir began — and everyone absolutely loved it.
I then moved on to the group photographs. Leah and Corey had provided a fairly large list, so I made sure enough time was allocated to get through them all. It’s always worth remembering that the longer the list, the longer it takes — but they were keen to make sure everyone important to them was included.
During the drinks reception, I also photographed the room set-up. This is something I do whenever possible, unless the room has been styled the night before. Leah and Corey’s décor was colourful, joyful and suited both them and the venue perfectly. This also gave them a chance to enjoy some time without a camera on them.
As guests were being seated, we took a few moments to capture portraits of the couple with the venue as a backdrop. I’d hoped to use the circular paved area, but there were rather a lot of bees, so I decided it was best to keep everyone safe — you can never be too careful!
We then moved into the wedding breakfast, followed by speeches — and there were plenty of them.
More celebrating followed, along with an epic first dance that led straight into a packed dance floor.
Later, when the sun was lower in the sky, we stole Leah and Corey away briefly for some portraits around the venue’s beautiful grounds. The softer light was perfect — less harsh, richer colours, and ideal for a few sun flares. I loved the fun photos on the swing (I always love a swing!). We didn’t keep them away for long, as they wanted to be part of the party — it’s always about finding the right balance.
They soon returned to their guests and danced the evening away as the sun set.
A very good day indeed.
Venue: Gellifawr Woodland Retreat
Brides hair: Hair by Gabi
Brides MUA: Mared Davies
Bridal gown: Eva Ashley
Bridesmaids Dresses: Ever Pretty
Suits: Dyfed Menswear
Florist: Lush Blooms Bespoke Flowers
Videography: Pristine Videography
Photography: Kate Richards Photography
Cake: Honeysuckle Bakery
Musicians/Band/Male Voice Choir: Cor Meibion Morlais, Sounds Familiar, Honey Fungus
