An Anglesey Wedding, and Signature Portraits at Plas Cadnant
At the beginning of August I had the pleasure of photographing Yasmin and Tom's wedding, and it was one of those days that reminds me why I still love this work after thirty years. The warmth between them, the ease of the day, and an Anglesey light that behaved just as I hoped it would.
They married at the beautiful St Tegfan Church in Llandegfan followed by a reception at Carreg Bran Hotel in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.
What made the day a little different was where we went for their portraits.
A hidden garden beside the Menai Strait
We were fortunate that Plas Cadnant opened its gates to us for Yasmin and Tom's Signature portraits. If you do not know it, Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens sits just outside Menai Bridge, a two hundred acre estate in a quiet valley overlooking the Menai Strait, with the mountains of Eryri beyond. It has been described as one of North Wales' best kept secrets, and having spent a day there with a camera, I understand why.
The gardens were first laid out in the early nineteenth century and then left largely to themselves for the better part of seventy years, before a long restoration began in the 1990s. What that restoration uncovered is remarkable for a photographer: a walled garden with curving walls and a still pool, a secret valley garden with a river and waterfalls, and woodland paths that turn a corner into something you did not expect. For editorial portraits, it is a gift. Every few steps offers a different frame, a different quality of light, a different mood.
Why local knowledge matters
A setting like this does not photograph itself. Knowing where the day light falls, which corner holds colour late into the day, and how to move quietly through a garden so that the couple can simply be together, is the difference between a snapshot and a portrait that belongs in print. That is what three decades of working across Anglesey, Gwynedd and Snowdonia gives me: not only the famous views, but the quieter places, and the relationships that occasionally open a gate that would otherwise stay closed.
My approach is unchanged wherever I am. Around eighty percent of a wedding is quiet documentary, real moments left undirected. The remaining twenty percent is a few considered minutes of editorial direction, worn lightly, which is what we did at Plas Cadnant. Yasmin and Tom were free to enjoy their time out together, and I worked around them.
Yasmin and Tom
Photographing Yasmin and Tom meant a great deal to me, because our paths first crossed long before their wedding day. I taught them both some years ago, in an earlier chapter of my life, and when Yasmin and I fell into conversation again at a wedding fayre, one thing led gently to another. There is a quiet privilege in being trusted to photograph the wedding of two people you have known for years, and it is one I held close throughout their day.
If you are planning a wedding on Anglesey or across North Wales and you would like photographs that feel true to the day and look as though they belong in a magazine, I would be glad to hear from you. I am currently booking 2027 and 2028, and I take a limited number of weddings each year so that every one has my full attention.
Tell me about your day, your venue and the photographs you hope to hold in thirty years, and I will come back to you within a day - Check Availability here.
Suppliers, with thanks:
Wedding: Eglwys St Tegfan, Llandegfan, Anglesey
Signature Portraits: Plas Cadnant, Menai Bridge, Anglesey
Reception: Carreg Bran Hotel
Dress: The lovely Sue at Bay Belle Brides @bay_belle_brides
MUA: Beauty Chaos @beautychaos
Hair: Selina from 'RIAH' and Esther from 'Hair by Esther'
Mens Attire: Cavani of Chester
Florist: Vivaldi Flowers @vivaldiflowers
Cake: Rebecca Hurd Cakes @rebeccahurdcakes
Photography: Martin Japheth Photography
