Lauren got married at the gorgeous Italianate mansion Gliffaes Country House in the Brecon Beacons, to her equally gorgeous actual Italian Antonio – or Nino. It was a very chilly but sunny November day – here are some of our favourite images.
Lauren and her bridesmaids did their own hair and make-up and had a lovely relaxed time of it.
Now let’s take a peek at Nino and the boys…Lauren and Nino managed not to see each other prior to their 4pm ceremony, tucked away in neighbouring rooms!
All the men of the bridal party had different versions of these great Periodic Table cufflinks. I love how grooms always come up with some fun colourful touch for their outfits.
One of the readings in the ceremony was this very moving piece, Fidelity by D H Lawrence:
Man and woman are like the earth, that brings forth flowers
in summer, and love, but underneath is rock.
Older than flowers, older than ferns, older than foraminiferae,
older than plasm altogether is the soul underneath.
And when, throughout all the wild chaos of love
slowly a gem forms, in the ancient, once-more-molten rocks
of two human hearts, two ancient rocks,
a man’s heart and a woman’s,
that is the crystal of peace, the slow hard jewel of trust,
the sapphire of fidelity.
The gem of mutual peace emerging from the wild chaos of love.
Lauren’s grandfather was the perfect choice to read it and he delivered it very memorably.
By this time we were racing the light to get outside and make use of the lovely grounds for photographs but we all braved the chill to capture the last of the winter sunshine.
So much work went into designing the place names – each guest had their own envelope in American ‘escort cards’ style. As well as directing them to their table, they contained cards with conversation starters to help them get to know the other guests at their table, and quiz questions to keep everyone entertained. What a thoughtful idea…
There were even more quizes at the tables in case anyone got a quiet moment! And the place markers must have taken Lauren and Nino so much time to put together! They were lovely polaroids, not of the guest but of someone who signified that guest; a famous mathematician if you are a maths teacher for instance, or your favourite poet or singer. A lovely personal touch that must have taken immense hours of planning.
Nino is a very talented landscape photographer (can we just say how much we love it when a photographer chooses us as their photographers! ;)) and as guest favours he put together lovely photo books showcasing the Brecon Beacons. I overheard someone questioning the title “On the Rocks” when they only just got married(!) but inside was printed the ceremony reading above, meaning that this landscape is the firm foundation of their marriage…”underneath is rock.” I love it!!! I really am a hopeless romantic.
I’m going to get all sappy again now, because Lauren’s dad gave one of the most moving Father of the Bride speeches I’ve heard and I wish I’d written it all down at the time! It was about the speedily-passing joys of fatherhood…”She’s born, I blink and she’s betrothed…and everything in between was incredibly wonderful….”
As the parents of a 3-year-old who already has her wedding and her multiple careers planned out, we empathise even now with that feeling of wanting to snatch the time back!
The joint Best Men were hilarious and creative, although I think Nino laughed less than most when they ripped his mint-condition vintage comic out of its wrapping. I was a little shocked too I have to say, but Vince’s concentration never wavered and at least the moment is preserved if not the comic!
There was a whole table of little boys who were well catered for with masses of presents from the couple to keep them occupied. The best of all were these real cameras and Official Photographer passes. I’m afraid there may have been more photos of us on those cameras than anyone really wanted – sorry guys!!
Congrats to Lauren and Nino and thanks for having us along on your awesome day! All the photos from the day are available to view and purchase on the Clients page of our Wedding Photography web site.
