I can’t quite believe it’s the last of August, can you?! I’m lucky my submissions inbox has been filled with beautiful weddings this summer, and Catrin & James’s day is a highlight! This gorgeous pair were married in Wales (more Welsh weddings please!) in a graceful, intimate celebration with closest family and friends. They chose lovely Dewi & Vicky of Fox & Bear Photography to capture their day – and it’s amazing. More, as always, on @englishweddingblog!

Wedding photographer’s website

Fox & Bear Photography in North Wales: https://www.foxandbearphotography.com

Wedding photographer review

We were completely sold on working with Fox & Bear from our very first contact with them when Dewi sent a personalised video to say hello in response to our enquiry. That’s one example of the many personal touches you get when working with Fox & Bear – we were delighted when they were available for our wedding day!

We had two experiences with Dewi – a pre-wedding/engagement shoot on a misty December day on Llanddwyn beach where we put on our walking boots, chatted and got to know each other (and our dog, Keith, came along for the day), which really put us at ease. Then the wedding day; Dewi’s friendly, calm and chilled approach meant the day was a joy and created a fun environment. Dewi has a fantastic eye for capturing moments, and Vicky’s beautiful editing has given us photos to treasure.

Your best wedding moment or memory

James – my favourite moment was when Catrin walked down the aisle, she left me speechless!
Catrin – walking down the aisle is one, as I was so happy and relaxed, I had zero nerves. Also when James and I shared our vows privately on the beach after our ceremony.

Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)

We both wanted a really intimate wedding ceremony (we had 18 guests). Our families don’t get the chance to see each other often, with mine in North Wales and James’s in London. Our priority was for them to spend quality time together. On the day we incorporated readings that honoured our heritage, my mum with a Welsh reading and James’s dad gave a blessing.

Videographer name + review

We hit the jackpot and had a dream team with our photographer/videographer. The super talented Kim Ritter produced two beautiful videos for us. We had a couple of calls with Kim in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding; we talked about our vision for the video, our plan for the day, and generally got to know each other. She’s such a friendly and down-to-earth person. On the day Kim quietly captured the moments of connection in a natural way and she had amazing patience with us as there were a couple iterations of the video. The end product was perfect – I cry happy tears every time I watch it as it was everything we envisioned.

Venue name + review

Plas Brondanw, Llanfrothen Mynydd Ednyfed, Criccieth. We held our ceremony in the orangery at Plas Brondanw, the room was a perfect fit for our intimate ceremony and the gardens a beautiful backdrop for our photos. We hired Mynydd Ednyfed country house in Criccieth and we couldn’t have picked a more ideal venue. It’s a self catering accommodation so it was great to have the whole place to ourselves. We wanted to create that comforting feeling of being home, and Mynydd Ednyfed delivered that and more. It will forever be a special place for us.

Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!

James wore a navy Hugo Boss suit Catrin wore the Katherine dress by designer Alyssa Kristin with Jimmy Choo’s, and in the evening swapped her outfit for a mini sequinned dress from Mango and a pair of white converse high tops.

Dress or suit shop name + review

Catrin – I had a great experience at The White Closet in Didsbury. It was the first shop I went to, it had a fab selection of dresses, and the appointment was really relaxed so I enjoyed every moment.

Florist name + review

I bought my bouquet from Hidden Botanics, and James and I made the centrepiece for our wedding breakfast.

Catering

We had the most incredible grazing boards by Millie’s Grazing, and private chef Steven Williams created a delicious bespoke menu for our wedding breakfast.

Cake maker name + review

My amazingly talented friend Llinos Jones made our wedding cake. One tier was chocolate and salted caramel, and the second was a vanilla rainbow cake (James’s favourite and a surprise for when we did the cake cutting!)

Stationery maker’s name + review

Another DIY projects, we made all our stationery using Canva; the invites, individual menus, itinerary for the weekend and bilingual order of ceremony.

Hair + makeup name + review

Makeup – Lois Jones
Hair – Ypdws Elin
My hairstylist and make up artist were superb! I could have spent hours more at the trial sessions as they’re both so easy to get on with and are genuinely lovely people. I enjoyed every moment of getting ready as Lois and Elin made me feel calm and at ease.