I’ve photographed weddings at Sant Ffraed House before, but Lucy & Louis’ day was one of those weddings that just had everything come together perfectly. Beautiful people, an incredible church ceremony, amazing winter light and one seriously good party to finish.
If you’re looking through Sant Ffraed House photos while planning your own wedding there, hopefully this gives you a really good idea of just how much variety there is throughout a wedding day at this venue.
The day actually started away from Sant Ffraed, at Lucy’s parents’ stunning home. It was such a beautiful setting for bridal prep and had a really relaxed feel to the morning. I always love this part of the day because there’s so much going on without anyone really thinking about the camera — hair and makeup, people coming and going, champagne being poured and that gradual build-up of excitement as everything starts to feel real.
Lucy looked incredible, and the house gave us loads of beautiful natural light to work with before heading over to the ceremony.
St Patrick’s Church Wedding Ceremony
Lucy & Louis were married at St Patrick’s Church in Newport, which is such a stunning church.
There’s something about a proper church ceremony that photographs beautifully. The architecture, the light, the scale of the building and all the reactions between friends and family as the ceremony unfolds.
The lighting in this church is always stunning.
I’d also previously photographed the wedding of some of Lucy & Louis’ friends, which always makes a wedding day feel that little bit more familiar. Seeing familiar faces again and being trusted by another couple in the same friendship group is always really nice, and it made the day feel incredibly relaxed from the start.
After the ceremony, everyone made their way over to Sant Ffraed House for the reception.
Winter Wedding Photos at Sant Ffraed House
The winter light was absolutely gorgeous.
It had that soft, dreamy quality that you only seem to get at certain times of year, with this beautiful low light coming through the trees around Sant Ffraed House. Winter weddings sometimes get written off because people worry about shorter days, but when the light behaves like this it can be incredible.
I always keep an eye on what the light is doing throughout a wedding day, and as soon as I saw how good it was looking, I took Lucy & Louis outside for a quick wander.
Nothing too posed or complicated. Just the two of them together, walking around the grounds and enjoying a bit of time away from everyone.
Those little ten-minute breaks are often enough to create some of my favourite photographs from the whole wedding.
Sant Ffraed House itself also gives you so many different options for photos. You have the iconic red-brick house, the lake, trees and grounds outside, and then completely different opportunities once you head indoors.
The K-Room at Sant Ffraed House
The K-Room is the main bar and reception space at Sant Ffraed House, and it’s one of the things that gives the venue such a different feel in the evening.
This was where the speeches took place, and later it completely transformed once the dancing started.
The speeches had loads of laughs and reactions, which is always what I’m watching for. I’m rarely just photographing the person holding the microphone — I’m looking around the room at Lucy & Louis, their parents and all their friends because that’s normally where the best moments are happening.
And then came the dance floor.
Sant Ffraed House Dance Floor Photos
This one was brilliant.
Once the music started, the dance floor filled up and pretty much stayed that way. Loads of energy, people throwing themselves into it and everyone having a proper laugh together.
This is probably one of my favourite parts of a wedding to photograph because people completely stop thinking about the camera.
You get people singing at each other, jumping around, grabbing their mates and generally causing chaos.
Exactly how a wedding dance floor should be.
The K-Room works brilliantly for this too. During the day it feels light and elegant, but once the evening kicks in and the room fills up, it takes on a completely different atmosphere.
Lucy & Louis had such a brilliant group of people around them and that really comes through in the photographs. From the calm of bridal prep and the church ceremony through to that dreamy winter light and the madness of the dance floor, there was so much variety throughout the day.
Sant Ffraed House Photos
If you’re planning your own wedding here and looking for Sant Ffraed House photos, hopefully Lucy & Louis’ wedding gives you a feel for what the venue can look like across an entire day.
My approach is relaxed and natural, with most of the day focused on real moments as they happen, mixed with some beautiful portraits without spending hours away from your guests.
Sant Ffraed House gives us loads to work with too — beautiful grounds, the house itself, the lake, the K-Room and some amazing evening light when the conditions line up.
And when the dance floor gets going like this one did, even better.
If you’re planning your own Sant Ffraed House wedding and would like to chat about photography, get in touch and tell me a little about what you have planned.
Suppliers:
Venue: Sant Ffraed House
Florist: Apple Blossom in May
Videographer: Tom Smith
Content Creator: One More Bridesmaid
Stationery: Paper Date
Dress Designer: Made With Love Bridal
Suits: Moss
Make Up Artist: Make Up By Charl T
Hair Stylist: Lauren Gosling Hair
Live Music – Drinks Reception: Jordan Marks Music
Live Music – Pianist, Sax, Band & DJ: Satori Weddings
