Set in the hills above Cardiff, New House Hotel is a beautiful country house wedding venue with some of the best views across the city. Surrounded by gardens and countryside, but still only a short distance from Cardiff, it’s such a great setting for a wedding. As a New House Hotel wedding photographer, I had the pleasure of photographing Kirsten & Mitchell’s wedding here, and this was one seriously fun day.
New House Hotel has loads of character, with the old Georgian house, beautiful gardens and those incredible views looking out over Cardiff. The ceremony was actually inside the glass pergola allowing everyone to take in these views! From a photography point of view there is plenty of variety too, whether it’s using the house itself as a backdrop, wandering through the grounds or making the most of the views from the hotel.
Kirsten & Mitchell’s wedding had such a chilled feel to it from the start. They were surrounded by an amazing group of people and everyone just seemed up for having a good time. There was so much laughter throughout the day, loads of messing around with their mates and plenty of those little moments happening in between everything else.
That kind of wedding is always perfect for the way I like to photograph. I’m much happier letting people enjoy themselves and capturing what actually happens rather than constantly stopping the day to set photographs up. Some of my favourite images are normally the ones where nobody has any idea I’m taking them. So friends laughing together, reactions during the speeches or something ridiculous happening in the background!
Wedding Photography at New House Hotel Cardiff
One of the things I really like about photographing weddings at New House Hotel is how much space there is to work with. The hotel sits in an elevated position in Thornhill, with huge views across Cardiff, while the gardens give us plenty of options for relaxed couple photographs without needing to disappear for ages.
I always try to keep couple photographs pretty relaxed. I normally take the couple away for a short walk at some point during the afternoon and then, if the light is good later on, we’ll head back outside again for another ten minutes or so. It means we can get a completely different look without Kirsten & Mitchell feeling like they’ve spent half their wedding day having photographs taken.
And with these two, relaxed really was the theme of the day. Nothing felt overly formal or forced. They could just enjoy themselves, have a laugh with their friends and family and let the day unfold.
That’s exactly what I want the photographs to show when they look back through them, not just what everything looked like, but what it actually felt like to be there.
The speeches brought even more laughs and reactions, which are always some of my favourite things to photograph. I’m constantly watching everyone around the room during speeches rather than just concentrating on whoever has the microphone. Half the story is normally happening amongst the guests!
Then came the evening.
And this is where things went slightly crazy.
The dance floor was already good fun, but then one particular track dropped and the whole place just erupted. Everyone piled onto the dance floor and suddenly it went from a wedding party to absolute chaos. Exactly the kind of chaos I love photographing!
People jumping around, singing, arms everywhere, mates grabbing each other and completely forgetting there was a camera anywhere near them. These are always some of my favourite photographs from a wedding because there’s absolutely nothing posed about them. You’re just photographing pure reactions and people having the best time.
Kirsten & Mitchell’s wedding was basically everything I love about photographing weddings. Chilled, loads of laughs, brilliant people and a dance floor that went completely nuts by the end of the night.
What more could you want?
New House Hotel Wedding Photographer
If you’re planning your own wedding at New House Hotel in Cardiff and are looking for relaxed, natural wedding photography, I’d love to hear from you.
My approach is mostly documentary, capturing the genuine moments, laughter and people that make your wedding yours, mixed with some relaxed portraits of the two of you without spending hours away from your guests.
New House Hotel is also a brilliant venue for photographs, with its Georgian country house, gardens and incredible views across Cardiff giving us loads of opportunities throughout the day.
If you’re looking for a New House Hotel wedding photographer, get in touch through my website and tell me a little about what you have planned.
Suppliers:
Photographer: Imagine Photography
Venue: New House Hotel
Make Up Artist: Emily Walker
Florist: Flowers by Grace
Dress Boutique: TDR Bridal Birmingham
