This was my second time to photograph this special family, after Charis and Jamie’s wedding almost two years ago, so it was lovely to meet everyone again on another happy occasion.

Eva wasn’t quite three weeks old at the time of this session and was an absolute joy to photograph. We decided on a very ‘natural’ session style, and made great use of some fantastic colour in Julie and Philip’s living room, providing a great background for the images.

Added to the available light coming through the french windows, which was diffused with blinds, the light in the session area only needed one additional soft-box, left on continual lighting mode to balance things out and keep the look very ‘natural’, always my preferred kind of lighting for delicate newborn photography.

The resulting images have captured Eva at three weeks old, in as natural a way as possible. We also of course managed to capture some shots with Mum and Dad, together with Julie and Philip at the end of the session.

If you know this wonderful family, please leave them a personal comment below. All of the images from this special location-based family portrait session will be available to view from this page, once Jamie and Charis have been into the studio at the end of January to see the images for themselves.

This time the questions relate to timings on a wedding day, and is an area we receive many questions about throughout the year. I’m always on hand to provide any advice I can to our couples, and it often relates to questions about ‘how long…’ things take.

You can read the full article here, or buy the current edition of the magazine from any good book shop, newsagent or supermarket for £2.95. If you’d like to read the many back editions of my Q&A’s, please click here.

If you’d like to read some of our own FAQ’s in relation to wedding photography, please click here.

Thanks as always must go the couple featured in the group photo above, Sian and Tom from their big day last summer. (They were also featured in the Sep/Oct Q&A here.) Thanks guys.

It was only just over a month ago that I last photographed this fun-loving couple, with their Pre-wedding shoot at Oxwich beach on Gower, taking place in mid-November. (Click here if you’d like to see the images from this session.)

My last wedding of 2012 started off with an early morning trip down to Mumbles in Swansea, to meet Joanna and her two bridesmaids at ‘Patrick’s with rooms’, where I found the preparations in full swing in the ‘Midnight Blue’ room, a colour which was to feature throughout the day.

I left Joanna just after her bridesmaids had finished helping her into her dress, for the short drive from Mumbles into Gower, heading for the beautiful St. Teilo’s church in Bishopston, one of my favourite Gower churches to photograph a wedding in.

Here I met Lisardo and his best man and ushers, as guests started to arrive ahead of the bridesmaids and later Joanna with her Dad.

After a beautiful church service we headed off to the King Arthur Hotel in Reynoldston on Gower, a favourite Swansea wedding venue of mine, especially for a winter wedding. The weather meant that a planned visit to the beach at Oxwich was cancelled, as frequent heavy rain showers, a blustery wind and incredibly low light levels made photography outside very difficult.

However on arrival at the King Arthur Hotel we had a small ‘dry’ break in the rain and made full use of the protected grounds and gardens to facilitate a short outdoor ‘bride and groom’ shoot, with Joanna and Lisardo changing into Hunter ‘weddingtons’ and donning gloves, with Joanna also putting on a full ‘wedding dress coat.’

After 20 minutes and with the remaining light fading fast, we headed inside for a warm up and for some ‘must-have’ creative Xmas wedding shots of Lisardo and Joanna with their hand-made Xmas tree baubles.

This was followed with some carefully selected group shots of friends and family, before ending with some fun shots of Joanna and Lisardo with their bridal party at the bar, and relaxing on the sofa’s.

A candle-lit wedding breakfast with a superb meal was next, and this was followed by cake-cutting and speeches.

If you know this lovely couple please leave them a personal message below. If you’d like to be notified when all of the images from this special day are available for viewing, please leave a comment below and ‘Like‘ our Facebook page here.

It was my pleasure to capture the winter wedding story of Lyndsey and Gareth’s big day on Saturday at the picturesque Brecon Beacons wedding venue, Peterstone Court Hotel, near Brecon in Powys.

Snow and ice on the high Beacons roads made my trip from Swansea to the hotel picturesque and hazadous at the same time, but I safely arrived at 8.30am for Lyndsey’s preparations. Lyndsey got ready with her bridesmaids, one of which (Vicky) is a former bride of mine from 2009, together with her Mum, a few friends and her two nephews.

With snow flurries, sleet and rain showers throughout the morning, mixed in with the odd brief sunny spell, the weather remained cold and conditions outside the hotel very icy throughout the day.

I met Gareth with his best man and ushers in the ceremony room for a few photos of the guys together. The room looked fantastic with it’s Xmas decorations and two roaring fires, complete with Xmas stockings hanging from the mantelpieces!

Fashionably late, Lyndsey arrived for the civil ceremony with her Dad, and mixed in with the usual readings were some Xmas carols, accompanied by Neil (one of Gareth’s ushers,) on the piano.

Mulled wine followed the ceremony and as guests relaxed we had fun with the carefully selected group/family photos. All taken in the library while the rain and sleet continued to fall outside.

After the group photos Lyndsey and Gareth braved the weather for a few photos outside the back of the hotel, with it’s views across to the nearby Brecon Beacons, still with snow-capped peaks. We then headed back inside for photos with the trees, before the wedding breakfast.

Guests were seated and entertained with the speeches and cake cutting before enjoying a wonderful meal as the afternoon slipped into evening and then night.

If you were at this special day or know this lovely couple, please leave them a personal comment below. All of the wonderful images from this special day will be available to view from this page, as soon as Lyndsey and Gareth have been into the studio for their champagne preview session, to see them for themselves first.

I was delighted to be contacted by Picton Castle in Rhos near Haverfordwest recently and asked to supply one of my images from a 2007 wedding to be featured in their latest printed advertisement.

The image above which will feature in the advertisement, is from Claire and Steven’s wedding which took place in August 2007. To see more of the images from their special day at the beautiful Picton Castle wedding venue, click here to see their blog post.

If you’re planning your own wedding at Picton Castle in 2012, 13 or 14, please contact us to check my availability for your big day at one of the premiere wedding venues in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, West Wales.

It was my pleasure to document the story of Natalie and Warren’s wedding vows renewal on their 15th wedding anniversary last week in Swansea, South Wales.

The story of the day began at home in Swansea with Natalie getting ready with husband Warren and their two boys, Alex and Tom. The family was later joined by bridesmaids and other family members, enjoying the pre-ceremony build-up and festive preparations.

We left the house in darkness to make the short trip through the village to St Samlets church in Llansamlet for the wedding vows renewal service. Unlike a wedding ceremony, Natalie arrived at the church along with Warren and the boys, before walking down the isle together as a family, accompanied by their two bridesmaids.

After a beautiful service which included lighting candles for friends and family no longer with us, Natalie and Warren were accompanied by close family and had the chance to view their original entry in the St Samlets church marriage register. After this presents were handed out to all the children, followed by Warren and Natalie walking back down the isle, 15 years to the day after they did it for the first time!

After a cup of tea and biscuits together everyone joined us back inside the church for a few carefully selected family and group photos, before making their way down into Swansea to the Grape and Olive restaurant on the 27th floor of the Meridian Tower, which is currently Wales’ tallest building.

The views from the function room in the Grape and Olive over all of Swansea and the bay were simply breath-taking and the perfect backdrop for a relaxed and fun evening.

If you know this wonderful family please leave them a personal comment below. All of the images from this special day will be available to view from this page, as soon as Natalie and Warren have seen them for themselves first.

It was my pleasure to document the story of Claire & Marc’s winter wedding on Saturday at Llangyfelach Church in Swansea, and later at the stunning Miskin Manor in Cardiff.

The story of the day began at Claire’s parents home in Llangyfelach Swansea, where Claire got ready with her two bridesmaids, Mum and Dad and brother. I then made the short 2 minute trip in the car to nearby Llangyfelach church, one of only three churches in Wales to have it’s bell tower completely separate from the main building.

I met Marc and his best men and ushers in the pub next to the church, calming nerves with a ‘pre-match pint,’ and after a few images of the guys relaxing, we moved across the car park into the church grounds for a few shots of the guys together, before Claire’s bridesmaids arrived.

The bridesmaids and Claire’s Mum arrived looking fantastic, before the car returned to collect Claire and her Dad.

After a lovely church service we made the most of the long church path to capture some great images of Claire and Marc walking away from the church, towards the eagerly awaiting guests who were all armed with confetti at the church gate!

We then made the 40 minute trip down the M4 to Miskin Manor, one of my favourite Cardiff wedding venues for the wedding reception. With time and the weather still on our side, on arrival Claire and Marc joined me straight away for a walk around the beautiful grounds and lawns, which in even in December were more than usable for their ‘bride and groom’ photos.

We ended this 30 minute session of shots with a few photos inside Miskin Manor, next to it’s almost famous Christmas tree, and on the fantastic wooden bench inside the main entrance. Next up were the family and group photos.

Claire and Marc had selected 8 important shots that captured all of their guests, vital for a winter wedding as this meant that these photos were done and dusted within 15 /20 minutes, ensuring all of the important images were captured, but guests were not left freezing outside for any longer than required. In fact we spent more time on the ‘girls’ and the ‘boys’ groups, than we did with the few family shots. I’ve included two my favourite of these above, the image of the girls keeping Claire warm with a hug, and the guys wearing their brightly coloured odd socks.

Claire and Marc were then announced into their wedding breakfast for the speeches, which took place before the meal. The cake was cut at the end of the main course and I ended my story of the day with a few Xmas themed shots of the sparkling wedding rings on the tree, and an external shot of Miskin Manor lit up at night.

If you were at this wedding, and/or know this lovely couple, please leave them a personal comment below. (Many of our couples access this sneaky peak blog while on honeymoon and love to read your comments and thoughts on their special day.)

All of the images from this special day will be available to view from this page, as soon as Claire and Marc have returned from honeymoon and been into the studio for their Champagne Preview.

It was my pleasure to photograph Caroline, Davide and Isabella, together with Caroline’s parents this week, at their family home in Swansea, South Wales.

At five and a half months old, it was the perfect time for Isabella to have her first professional photos taken, and she was an absolute ‘star’ in front of the camera, helped by the fact that she was able to relax in her own home, surrounded by her favourite and familiar things, something unique to this kind of ‘on-location’ portrait photography.

We started the session with a few ‘family shots’ and typical studio lighting, before changing to a continuous lighting system to provide more ‘natural’ light, allowing us to capture some wonderful shots of Isabella on her Dad’s baby blanket, and on her favourite activity mat.

Mum and Dad joined Isabella on the floor for some informal family shots before we ended with a few images of Isabella on her own, enjoying her books and toys.

If you know this wonderful family please leave them a personal comment below. All of the images from this beautiful location-based family portrait session will be available to view from this page as soon as Caroline and Davide have been in to view the images for themselves.

We are pleased to announce that Amazing Retreats, a company specialising in Exclusive Use hotels and unique luxury properties across the UK now recommends Nic Cleave Photography to couples planning their weddings at one of their many luxurious venues across the UK.

The screenshot above shows the two galleries of images Amazing Retreats is currently using to advertise the new amazing Swansea wedding venue, Plas Cilybebyll. (Click here and here to see my last two weddings from Plas Cilybebyll.) If you’d like to see the two galleries of images on the amazing retreat website, please click here.

Amazing Retreats will be opening new hotel Plas Rhianfa in Anglesey North Wales, and another one, Stanbrook Abbey in Worcestershire at Easter next year, and Nic’s images will be used to advertise these two luxury venues too. So if you’re planning a wedding at any of these venues, or indeed any of the other fantastic venues owned by Amazing Retreats, contact us today to check if your wedding date is still free for Nic to capture the story of your ‘Amazing Day’ at you Amazing Retreat venue.

It was my pleasure to meet Lisardo and Joanna, one of my December 2011 winter wedding couples on Saturday, for their Pre-wedding shoot on Oxwich Beach on Gower, Swansea in South Wales.

Down for the weekend from their Berkshire home, Joanna and Lisardo will be getting married at the beautiful King Arthur Hotel at the end of December. This Pre-wedding shoot had been in the diary for quite some time, so we were pleasantly surprised to see that the weather was playing ‘ball’ (despite the strong wind,) as we found the beach bathed in low winter sunshine with some blue skies for most of our hour on Oxwich Beach.

Joanna and Lisardo are planning to have their ‘bride and groom’ photos on their wedding day taken at the beach, so this session was the perfect opportunity to explore locations and try out different ideas for their wedding photos. Pre-wedding shoots also provide a great opportunity for me to pass on tips and techniques to couples, to ensure that they will look their best in their wedding day images, and the three of us had a lot of fun as we tried out some of these ideas.

If you know this wonderful couple, please leave them a personal message below. You can now view all of the images from their Pre-wedding shoot on Oxwich Beach, by clicking on their thumbnail image on this page.

To read more about our popular Pre-wedding shoots, please visit this page.