Celtic Handfasting Elopement with a 70s Retro Afterparty

Kat

Arianna Fenton

November 1, 2024

The idea of splitting a wedding over two days—a smaller, intimate ceremony on the first day, followed by a larger, more laid-back reception on another day—gained popularity during the pandemic and remains a popular choice for post-COVID couples. This approach reduces the pressure of formality and having "all eyes on you" during the vows, making it feel more like a personal moment rather than a performance. It also allows for a more relaxed celebration with everyone else afterward. This is exactly what Sioned and James chose to do when they married this summer.

Eco-Friendly, Tolkien-Inspired Wedding in North Wales

Kat

Fox and Bear

April 25, 2023

When Ayeisha and Tom started planning their May 2022 wedding, they knew they wanted it to reflect their values. They spend a lot of their free time in nature, are both vegan and the environment is super important to them, so these for the main references for the day,

Relaxed Rustic Wedding inspired by a Welsh Copper Mine

LJ Stocks

Fox & Bear

June 17, 2022

Kirrie and Siôn took inspiration from the stunning colours of an old copper mine, Parys Mountain on Anglesey, for their day. They had their bridesmaids and groomsmen choose their own outfits based on the colours from said mountain – resulting in a lovely mix of pink, copper, burnt orange, green, burgundy, silver, blue and black.

Red, Yellow & Blue Cardiff Covid Wedding

Sophie Cooke

Bobbie Lee

December 6, 2021

Botanical & Animal Inspired Welsh Wedding with a Sequin Bridal Cape!

Sophie Cooke

Lowri-Ellen

April 1, 2020

Mirain and Jak were introduced by a mutual friend who was fed up of them both making bad relationship choices! “He knew we were both going to the same festival in a few weeks, and started a WhatsApp group for us... then left us to it!” explained Mirain. “I can honestly say that I’d fallen for Jak before we even got to the festival. He moved in with me the following weekend!”

Tropical, Tiki Themed Wedding with Flamingos, Crocodiles and Hawaiian Shirts

Sophie Cooke

Sarah Elvin

November 2, 2019

Liz and Marcus wanted their spring wedding to represent them so they went for a tropical and fun theme. They wanted their guests to walk in and be met with bright, colourful decor and for them to feel like they were in their tropical-themed house, so they knew they were in for a good party!

A Chilled Out Cottage Garden Party Wedding in Wales

Kat

Through The Woods We Ran

September 17, 2019

Hollie and Adrian wanted their wedding to feel relaxed and just really chilled out. They decided to host their reception in their own back garden which meant they could do exactly what they wanted. The ceremony was held in their local parish church, just a stone's throw from home, which they decorated with all the flowers and foliage! In fact the flowers ended up being their single biggest cost of the otherwise DIY wedding, but they provided exactly the look they were after for their day.

Rustic, Welsh Barn Wedding with Dashes of Disney

Sophie Cooke

The Wild Bride

March 13, 2019

Aly and Dan knew they didn’t want anything too formal or traditional for their wedding, and have always loved a rustic vibe, so with Sugarloaf Barn in South Wales right on their doorstep, they didn’t have to go very far to find their perfect venue!

Sassy and Romantic Two-Day Festival Wedding in the Welsh Mountains

Ellie Kime

Jessica Withey

April 13, 2018

ARE. You. Ready. For this wedding? It's the lushest wedding of all time - full of good vibes, gorgeous people and INCREDIBLE suppliers. Brace yourselves, get a good drink in hand and take a breather because you're going to need to mentally prepare your mind and body for this two-day festival anti-wedding. Captured by the incredible Jessica Withey Photography and immortalised in video by the super cool Costa Sisters Productions... 

Pagan Wedding at a Medieval Hobbit Village

Kat

Glen Danzig

February 12, 2018

Stefanie and Loren picked 22nd to 24th September as the weekend to celebrate their wedding, chosen to coincide with the autumn equinox. The bride being an alternative wedding planner herself meant she handled everything. She also put together all the flowers (with her team of helpers!) and the groom created the invitations.

‘Through the Ages’ Wedding Inspired by Music, Fashion & Performance

Kat

Marni V

September 20, 2017

Seb and Liam's Easter weekend wedding was inspired by music, fashion, the 1980s and their love of performing. They wanted the opportunity show off and dress up. "Wen feel like the bride often gets all the fun at straight wedding and we wanted to be in the spotlight!" they laughed, "We thought it would be great for our guests to be dressed in an unusual way so that they felt special and different."

Metal & Pagan Handfasting Wedding in Wales

Rachel Webb

Assassynation

April 28, 2017

Sadie and Aaron initially wanted a Steampunk wedding, but after two years of planning it developed into an outdoor event in the Welsh hills with a dash of gothic, a hint of metal, and a sprinkle of pagan thrown in for good measure!

Bohemian Glamping Wedding in Wales

Kat

Tim Bishop

March 18, 2017

Sally and James' first meeting was unusual to say the least! "James sent a text to an old work colleague seeing if he fancied a catch up", said Sally. "Unbeknown to James his friend had recently got a new phone and no longer had that number. 250 miles away, in Hull, I had just got a new phone and the network provider had reused the number. I received a random text asking to meet up and I jokingly replied! 11 years, 3 kids and a mortgage later we finally got married! Coincidence or fate!?"

Ancient Woodland Welsh Wedding

Kat

Hannah Miles

August 25, 2015

Nel and Matt were married in a restored 600 year old gate house at the edge of an ancient oak forest. The wedding was held on the eve of summer solstice. "We just wanted a relaxed wedding where everyone could enjoy the surroundings and the significance of where we were", said the bride. "Luckily the weather was on our side! As having all of our friends and family in one place is a once in a lifetime event, we didn't like the idea of taking off to a hotel whilst everyone else was still enjoying the night, so we camped on site with the rest of our friends in a bell tent that our bridesmaids had decorated beautifully."

Handmade and Relaxed Vintage-Inspired Welsh Wedding: Steven & Beth

Kat

Daffodil Waves

February 10, 2014

Steven and Beth were married at Penarth Fawr Medieval Hall in June. Their reception was held in a marquee in the grounds of Gorwel Cottage, a holiday rental with sea views over Cardigan Bay and Pwllheli harbour. They didn't have a huge budget and so they homemade as much as they could including the flowers and stationery. They also had an afternoon tea and evening BBQ as their food which was a lot cheaper than many of the other options that they looked at.

DIY Vegan Wedding: Sarah & Steven

Kat

Toast of Leeds

May 15, 2013

There was no doubt in my mind that I had to share this wedding with you. My heart skipped a beat as I clapped eyes on the beautiful Sarah and her stunning movie starlet-esque red wedding dress from The Couture Company and I flicked through Toast of Leeds' photographs holding my breath. What an utterly beeeeeeeautiful wedding. "Our venue was Buckland Hall in the Brecon Beacons National Park, a country house in the Welsh mountains, that we could personalise and make our own for a long weekend", Sarah began. "We had free reign of the house and grounds, which we decorated with family photos and personal belongings that we've collected during our time together. Sixty of our guests stayed on the night of our wedding and close family the night before. The ceremony was held in a room with views of rolling park land, the River Usk and snow capped mountains beyond."

Two-Day Welsh Waterfall Wedding & Seaside Blessing

Kat

Lucy Little

May 10, 2013

Dan & Charlotte had a two-day wedding celebration in Wales. They started off planning just the Saturday wedding by the beach with a pagan blessing, as this was what Charlotte really wanted. However they soon realised that legally, and for family reasons, they would need to have another ceremony with a registrar present, in a venue sanctioned for wedding ceremonies. "I did view having to have both ceremonies as a bit of a compromise", Charlotte explained, "But rather than just doing the legal bit in a quick service on our own in a registry office or something, we set about finding somewhere just as beautiful for that part and made it into it's own distinctive day. We also really wanted our wedding to last a bit longer than the usual one day which is why we split it into two. I would advise anyone planning their wedding to think about spinning things out a bit! It's all over so quickly on the day and we really treasured the extra time we gave themselves over the weekend to spend quality time with everyone that came to celebrate with us."

A Boho & Rock n Roll Fusion Wedding: Ioan & Anona

Kat

June 18, 2012

The Welsh wedding of Ioan & Anona was planned with everyone in mind - themselves, their friends and their families. It was important to them that their wedding would be an enjoyable day for everyone in attendance. "On one hand we wanted quite a traditional wedding that would keep the parents happy but also one that both our friends and ourselves would feel bore our own individual stamp," the groom told me. "I play guitar in a hardcore punk / rock band and am obsessed with old 70s riff heavy rock and classic album art so I was really keen to ramp up those kind of aesthetics. Anona’s mother was quite keen on a 'spring flower' theme and whilst initially I worried those two influences would clash spectacularly I think in the end it all came together and balanced each other nicely."

Bohemian England Meets Mexican Fiesta: Francesca & Iain

Kat

August 15, 2011

This time last week I blogged a wedding at the beautiful Fforest Farm Campsite in Wales. I loved the location so much that when Francesca & Iain sent me their wedding at the same venue I didn't hesitate to want to share it too! I think it really interesting to see two different weddings at the same place actually and to see how different a venue can look with a different couple's aesthetic and vision stamped on it. Francesca described her wedding theme to me as "Bohemian England meets Mexican Fiesta." I just love how they brought this out with ideas such as the decorations from Lisa Piercy, the paper goods by Thunderwing Press and the amazing screenprinted napkins personalised by Leonie Flower. I'm also swit-swooing over the flower garland head wreaths worn by Francesca and her bridesmaids. This is a wedding trend that I hope doesn't go away any time soon. I love it!

A Handmade Campsite Wedding: Maria & Chris

Kat

August 8, 2011

A campsite in Wales played host to Maria & Chris' fabulous wedding. With the help of their friends & family the couple pulled a lot of the wedding together themselves. The flowers played a huge part in the styling of their day as Maria explained, "For the flowers I wanted it to look as though we had picked them all from the fields that morning and used whatever we had lying around to put them in. We had been collecting vintage china for some time and used the various jugs, bowls and cups & saucers for the flowers on the tables. The campsite also had some rustic enamel jugs that we used too. Some of these Flowers I had ordered from the florist (Peonies, Cornflower, Lavender, Margharites etc) but the rest my Mum, her neighbour and my Auntie's had brought with them from their gardens! The Tipi was decorated with ribbon and Ivy from my Parent's garden too."