South Wales Wedding Venues

South Wales Wedding Venues

I am going to be completely honest about this and this is by no means an exhaustive list of South Wales Wedding Venues. They do cover a decent area and I have photographed at these 4 over the last year or so. I like them and they are all slightly different but exceedingly gorgeous in their own way. If you are getting married and looking for a venue then why not check these four. I will also be looking at Cardiff Wedding venues in the next few weeks but for now …

St Donats Castle

It’s in the name. If you are looking for a Castle then this one is certainly worth checking out. St Donats Castle is near to Llantwit Major and is on the same site as St Donats Arts Centre. The castle is used for some of the year as a college and probably best to try and fix a date when the students are not around – although to be honest, you will not see them most of the time when a wedding is on. The setting of the Castle on the coast is also a massive bonus and as a photographer, there is almost too much choice for places to take a bride and groom. The rooms and grounds always look great and for sheer size and scale, you cannot fail to be impressed by the great hall where the wedding breakfast is served. This room is also used for the evening entertainment and will allow a massive dance floor as well as a staging area for the band / DJ. I highly recommend this venue and am lucky enough to be a photographer that the venue themselves recommend me – so worth checking out my blogs from this venue including Kate and Damian’s and Gemma and Ian’s.

Fonmon Castle

Another Castle but one very different from the one above. I love Fonmon Castle and actually photographed my first ever wedding there back in 2006 and I can remember how nervous I was and how I felt I could never do the venue and couple justice … it rained and the couple were relaxed (and still good friends of ours) so I think I got away with it. It is one of my favourite South Wales Wedding venues and it is another venue that gives huge amounts of scope for any photographer. The main room that they use is not massive but has lovely light for the ceremony and always looks great in photographs as well as being a nice room. It is also the wedding breakfast room. The grounds of the castle are big and great for wandering and taking photographs – especially when you have a bride and groom with you. There is a small piece of woodland, large grass areas, a nice little farmers gate and a folly! Yes, a folly! That is on the one side of the gardens the other is more formal but equally worth a trip. The photographs from below show a rather fabulous wedding in August where the day ended with the first dance that takes place in the hallway downstairs and this is great for getting a high vantage point to photograph the dancing. It’s not easy at most venues to get up high and here you have ample opportunity. You can see more weddings from Fonmon castle here and here.

Oldwalls, Gower

Oldwalls is always mentioned in these sort of lists as it is continually voted as one of the best South Wales Wedding venues. I just wish it was closer to Cardiff! It is a purpose built wedding venue and with large grounds and a large marquee for the wedding breakfast and evening entertainment. It is also close enough to many beaches – so a quick nip to the beach is easy enough if you fancy photographs on the beach then it is doable. The last time I was there I was lucky enough to have sun through the whole day so shots in the morning at some of the accommodation that is owned by Oldwalls was easy and sunny and this lasted through to the evening when we went to a field behind the cottages for a 10 minute shoot. I always find that because Oldwalls only does weddings it is well organized and does great food – again nothing to fault this venue either. Well worth looking at and like the others worth a visit. You can see a full wedding from my last time at Oldwalls – here.

Lyde Court, Hereford

Now this South Wales wedding venue was new to me before last August and I absolutely love Lyde Court. I want to go back there soon. Whereas the first two on the list have the wow factor of a castle this has the wow factor of a gorgeous barn, stunning grounds, great accommodation and beautiful rolling countryside to use as a backdrop for photos. I was blown away by this venue and this was helped by the fact that the ceremony was performed on the lawn outside the barn. It was great. One of those days where you know you are going to get great photos but still sweat hard so that it is extra special. The barn is situated just on the outskirts of Hereford and was worth battling the logjam that is Hereford on a Friday afternoon! There is plenty of scope for photography here amongst the rustic buildings and other outdoor spaces. Again – perhaps too much choice. The main events take place inside the barn – which can be a little dark so it takes a bit of skill to get great shots but once you have the exposure and focus right you are guaranteed a stunning set of photographs. The stonework is great to shoot against and whether photographing the speeches, ceremony or first dance you know it will look special. My only wedding at this gorgeous venue can be found here. If you are getting married here then please, please please let me know as I would love to talk about how I can capture your day.