"A wedding day with a difference...!"
Location: Ffestiniog Railway and Plas Tan y Bwlch
Date: 15th September 2007
Event: Rebecca & Jonathan's Wedding Day
The Day: It's 15th September, 2007 and Jon and Becky are preparing to tie the knot at a very special ceremony at Plas Tan y Bwlch, Gwynedd.
Set in acres of beautiful grounds and gardens against a backdrop of stunning Snowdonian scenery, this impressive venue makes an ideal place to enjoy a memorable wedding day. Rebecca arrives in her wedding dress complete with tiny butterfly motif - the theme of the day - and the ceremony begins.
They have chosen Sally Marie as their wedding photographer after coming to meet her at the studio and admiring the work on display. Rebecca is an accomplished artist and so has a very clear idea of the way she wants her photos to look - natural and relaxed, not too formal but nothing abstract. They want a good record of their guests and wedding party, and they'd like the photographs to be unobtrusive without being overly journalistic.
This is a wedding day with a difference however, as after the ceremony in the grand and ornate stately-home-esque Plas Tan y Bwlch, Rebecca, Jonathan, their families and guests are celebrating in style aboard a steam train on the Ffestiniog Railway. The bride and groom depart Plas Tan y Bwlch, heading for the station not in a vintage Bentley or Rolls Royce but in Jon's cherished rally car (with a cheeky push-start from all the wedding guests!)
Appropriate and fitting, as the couple met working on the railway where Jonathan is chief engineer. They even have their own "headboard" on the front of the train announcing the couple's wedding and, of course, a couple of butterflies!
A leisurely train ride soaking in the breathtaking mountain views with a glass or two of champagne is the perfect way to complete the occasion, with the train eventually arriving back at Tan y Bwlch station for more celebrations and a live band!
One relaxing honeymoon in Turkey later and Jon and his new wife are back on Welsh soil and ready to re-live their amazing day through their wedding photographs. Arriving at the studio suntanned and happy, they sit down with a welcome cup of coffee and view the images from the day.
It takes a while to narrow down a list of favourites and, as they are both too spoiled for choice to chop the list down any further (and as they said themselves, "we want them all!"), they decide to select around 60 favourites to make up a stunning Graphistudio bound wedding book, with small hardback copies for parents and mini softcover copies for friends and guests, and those who couldn't make it on the day itself.
They also managed to choose one image to take pride of place above the mantelpiece, professionally framed and mounted and a happy reminder of the most special day of their lives.
Being a professional illustrator and artist, we wanted to show Rebecca something a little more creative and personal, so we designed a wedding book display incorporating her butterfly theme, a wedding verse and some favourite wedding photos. You can view the full display book designs by downloading the pdf at the top right of the web page.
Bridal magazines and wedding planners will often advise couples, when choosing a wedding photographer, to ask to see an album from ONE wedding, rather than a mixture of "cherry-picked" examples. This is a good way to make sure you really do like the overall style of wedding photography and not just the "cream of the crop" images which may not reflect an average album.
Sally Marie Photography has a studio and gallery on the high street in Barmouth, where couples can come and meet the photographer and browse through previous wedding albums from different couples. We also have examples of Graphistudio wedding books at the studio, which are truly worth a look if you've never seen one before. You can view a selection from Rebecca and Jon's album on-line by clicking the pdf link in the top right.
But nothing gives a better idea of service standards than a word-of-mouth referral, and we were very happy to receive this feedback from the couple after the wedding:
"We have just arrived back from honeymoon in Turkey and before we catch up on our sleep we'd just like to say how fantastic you made our day feel! It was relaxed and very enjoyable (and that is really saying something because we both shy away from the camera!) We both will be highly recommending you to other happy couples (especially any couples getting married on the Ffestiniog Railway). Thank you once again and we can't wait to see the photographs!"
For more information on wedding photography, the Ffestinog Railway or Rebecca's illustrations and artwork, just contact us on 01341 28 11 93 and we'll be happy to help!
