Sian & Andrew - The Barn at Faenol Fawr | North Wales Wedding Photographer

October took me back to one of my favourite local venues, the Barn at Faenol Fawr, for the wedding of Sian and Andrew. Situated in Bodelwyddan, just outside St Asaph, Faenol Fawr is surrounded by North Wales countryside and has a great mix of old buildings, gardens and open space. The Barn itself is a brilliant wedding venue and, being somewhere I photograph regularly, I always know there are plenty of options for photos whatever the weather decides to do.

For October, we were actually pretty lucky with the weather. It was a decent autumn day with enough good conditions to get outside and make the most of the venue, without having to spend the entire day watching the forecast. It was an amazing wedding to be part of, with a great crowd, plenty going on and a really relaxed atmosphere throughout the day.

Wedding Prep at Faenol Fawr

The morning started at Faenol Fawr with the usual mix of excitement, last-minute preparations and plenty of interaction between Sian, her mum and the bridesmaids. Hair and makeup were underway with Sinead from Look Fabulous by Sinead and Bianca from Nirvana in Rhyl, while I worked through the usual dress and detail shots.

The dress from Wed2b was ready to go, although there were still a few alterations to sort out with Mum before Sian could get fully ready. Once everything was in place, we had the dress reveal with the bridesmaids, which brought plenty of reactions and a few laughs.

The Gents

Over with the lads, things were a little more straightforward. The suits from Suit Culture were looking good, so we grabbed some jacket and buttonhole details before getting a few solo and group shots.

The guys were in good spirits and, as usual, it didn't take long before everyone was ready to head into the ceremony.

I also took some time to photograph the venue décor before guests started making their way into The Barn.

The Ceremony

The Barn at Faenol Fawr is a great space for a ceremony. There's plenty of character to the building, but it still feels relaxed and intimate, which worked perfectly for Sian and Andrew.

Sian's entrance was followed by the usual mix of nerves, smiles and plenty of emotion from the guests. The vows were exchanged, rings went on without any problems and then came the first kiss.

After signing the register with their witnesses, Sian and Andrew made their way back down the aisle and out into the autumn afternoon.

Drinks Reception

The drinks reception had a great atmosphere, with guests catching up and enjoying themselves while Dave the Sax provided the soundtrack. There's something about live sax at a drinks reception that instantly lifts things, and Dave did a great job of keeping things moving.

Once everyone had settled in, I took Sian and Andrew away for around 10 minutes for their couples shoot. We made use of the grounds around the Barn and Faenol Fawr, taking advantage of what was left of the autumn light.

The important thing with these shoots is keeping them relaxed and not disappearing for ages, so 10-15 minutes was plenty of time to get a good variety of photos without taking them away from their guests for too long.

We then worked through the remaining group photographs before everyone headed in for the wedding breakfast.

Wedding Breakfast & Speeches

The room looked great, with the flowers supplied by Sian adding to the overall setup. As always, I grabbed a few shots of the smaller details, including the rings, before everyone took their seats.

The speeches followed and there was a good mix of laughs, stories and a few more emotional moments. Plenty of reactions from the guests too, which is always where the candid photos come into their own.

Evening Do

The evening celebrations started with the cake cutting, with the cake supplied by Rebecca Hurd, before Sian and Andrew took to the floor for their first dance.

Another brilliant wedding at Faenol Fawr and another reminder of why it's one of my favourite venues to work at. Sian and Andrew were great to photograph, the guests were up for it and, considering it was October, we were handed some pretty decent weather to work with.

A really enjoyable autumn wedding from start to finish, and a pleasure to be there to capture it all.

North Wales Wedding Photographer

As a North Wales Wedding Photographer, who works all over the country (and even overseas) I'm fortunate to work with some incredible wedding suppliers. Here's a list of all of those who featured to create Sian & Andrew's special day. Venue - Faenol Fawr

Make up - Look Fabulous by Sinead

Hair - Bianca from Nirvana, Rhyl

Flowers - Bride

Dress - Wed2b

Suits - Suit Culture

Cake - Rebecca Hurd

DJ/ Band - Dan Porter

360 Camera/Video - Lit Events

Sax - Dave the Sax