Wedding Photography at Llechwen Hall Hotel Near Pontypridd
The Nelson Suite at Llechwen Hall Hotel is over 300 years old. The low ceiling and rustic beams demonstrate this perfectly.
Llechwen Hall Hotel is an award-winning, 3-star wedding venue between Abercynon and Nelson in the Welsh Valleys. It is just north-east of Pontypridd and at the top of a steep hill (Mount Llanfabon in fact) with beautiful panoramic views.
The venue has won several awards including the Best Wedding Awards Co-ordinators category of the Welsh National Wedding Awards 2018.
Before the ceremony, the groom meets with guests in the main lounge. It’s the perfect place to relax before the main event.
Also relaxing in Llechwen Hall Hotel’s lounge was this pair, and I couldn’t resist taking this cute shot.
The hotel has a rich history dating back to the 1700s when it was a country residence. The building has had many uses over the years, including a school during the war, night club and even a stopover jailhouse. Since 1990 it has been run as a successful hotel and wedding venue, with only one change of ownership in that time.
A Point of Interest: The word ‘llechwen’ apparently translates from old Welsh as ‘white slate’. The name is a reference to the slate that originally covered the roof.
It was Christmastime when I photographed the wedding of Tamara and James. The couple’s colour scheme on these cheeky bridesmaids worked well against the other festive colours.
Wedding Bookings at Llechwen Hall Hotel
Useful to Know When Booking Your Wedding:
- You need to book your registrars from Caerphilly Register Office.
- A personal tour may be arranged by calling the Wedding Team on 01443 742 050 or emailing weddings@llechwenhall.co.uk.
- The venue hosts regular Wedding Fayres and a Summer Showcase – make the use of this to see what Llechwen Hall can add to your day.
- A £750 deposit is payable within 10 days of your wedding booking.
- The Llechwen’s AA Rosette-awarded chefs provide catering – you cannot provide your own catering arrangements (but why would you want to?)
- A downloadable wedding pack with a wealth of information about pricing, packages, menu options and extras is available here.
- There is a discount for guests needing accommodation the night of your wedding. Full details are in the wedding pack.
- A choice of Three Wedding Packages are offered with prices ranging from £69 to £115 per person.
- The venue invites you back on your first anniversary for a complimentary 1-night stay!
Guests start to filter out of the front door of the Llechwen Hall to head to the Nelson Suite which has a separate entrance.
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I took a sequence of the bridal party entering the Nelson Suite: This was my favourite because of the shy look on this little bridesmaid’s face as she processes down the aisle.
Llechwen Hall Hotel Wedding Venue Rooms
**Please note that despite having 3 wedding spaces, the hotel will only book one wedding per day to provide you with the best service**
The Garden Marquee: Seating for 50-300 wedding guests. On Friday and Saturdays, there is a minimum requirement of 80. The Marquee has a bar, dance floor and outdoor terrace for drinks and canapés in fine weather.
The Nelson Suite: Seating for 20-90 wedding guests. On Friday and Saturdays, there is a minimum requirement of 40. The oldest part of the hotel, the room has buckets of character with low ceilings and old beams. It benefits from a bar and toilet facilities.
The Oak Beam Orangery: This wedding room is unavailable Friday to Sunday due to it being the hotel’s main restaurant. But for Monday to Thursday wedding days, the room is perfect. It caters for 20-40 guests for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, but not the evening reception.
The bride walks down the aisle with her father. I wonder how many tall people have hit their heads on those beams over the years!
Llechwen Hall Hotel and Your Wedding Photographer
I have found the venue to be extremely photographer-friendly, and the staff were keen to help me make the most of my time at the venue. It means that you will end up with the best possible photographs of your day and ones that you will treasure for a lifetime.
My photography is all about natural moments (although I do take a few posed shots). Llechwen Hall provides plenty of opportunity for both, with beautiful buildings and stunning surroundings featuring numerous unique backdrops.
As Tamara and her father arrived at the ‘altar’, it was all a bit chaotic as their daughters didn’t know what to do next!
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Your photographer will have to be quick to catch meaningful moments like this: A kiss from father to daughter as he gives her away on her wedding day.
The Nelson Suite is relatively narrow, but there is room for me to move around to take photographs of the couple from different angles.
Also Consider>> The Splendid Manor Parc Hotel.
I took this in a sequence of shots of the exchange of rings: I love the look that Tamara gives her groom.
Readings, Music and the Personalisation of Llechwen Hall Hotel Weddings
I always advise the inclusion of readings and music into your ceremony where you can. For me, anything that provides a way of taking a more diverse set of photographs is a good thing. And it will make your day more memorable and personal to you. Llechwen Hall allows for this, but it must be discussed with the Caerphilly registrars beforehand as they will be conducting the ceremony.
The first kiss is another important shot. I usually ask couples to slow down a bit here as it can be very fleeting. They don’t usually object!
Llechwen Hall Hotel & Caerphilly Marriage Schedule Signing Rules
In 2021, the wedding register went online, and there is now a ‘schedule’ signing at the end of the ceremony. Many register offices now allow the signing of this, but Caerphilly is one that prefers no photos be taken at this time.
So this is still one part of the day when I don’t train my camera lens on the couple. However, during this time, I take some photos of the guests who are generally more relaxed and interacting now that the most official part of the day is over.
The signing table is at the front of the room at Llechwen Hall, which is generally the norm for most wedding venues. There is a small window behind the couple, so I use a little bounce flash to counteract any haze resulting.
One of the ‘dummy’ register shots. Due to register office rules, this part of the day has to be staged. Not all couples want this.
I just had to take this: as the signing was going on, this little bridesmaid (and the couple’s daughter) decided to pick up one of the decorative candles. Fortunately, due to health and safety at the venue, it wasn’t real and was quite safe!
The length of the aisle isn’t huge at Llechwen Hall Hotel but is quite enough to take a lovely sequence of the couple leaving the ceremony.
The congratulations started before the couple had even left their ceremony. Tamara’s grandma couldn’t wait to give her granddaughter a massive hug on the way out. For your photographer, moments like this are amazing to capture.
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I love it when they aren’t looking into my camera… It makes for much more natural wedding photographs with a documentary feel.
A Llechwen Hall Hotel Team member greets the couple with Prosecco as they exit out into the fresh December air.
Wedding Confetti, Congratulations and Group Shots
The Confetti Sequence
Bio-degradable confetti is allowed in the grounds of Llechwen Hall Hotel. Their website suggests that if you use non-biodegradable confetti, a clean-up charge may be applied. If you don’t want to use either, then bubbles have become a popular alternative. Either option is well-worth considering, as this moment makes for a lovely wedding photography sequence.
It’s great to get two wedding congratulations going on in the same shot. In the Garden Marquee, there’s enough space to be able to achieve this.
Emotive Congratulations Shots
Depending on the running order of your day, there will come the point, shortly after you are married, that your guests will want to congratulate you.
For me, the best place for this is in the natural light outside. Daylight is the best light for photography and will be a welcome change after your ceremony’s artificial light. Llechwen Hall Hotel has many locations that are ideal for this.
However, often the congratulations start unexpectedly, and your photographer should be ready to leap into action when they do.
Another precious memory: I never lose sight of how important these moments will be to the couple and their family in years to come.
I took this primarily to show the door and bar area of the Garden Marquee. The venue is spacious with lots of room for the children to run around and play.
During the early drinks reception, there’s often a time when the adults don’t do much except talk and drink. But with the children, there’s always something going on like with these two tormenting this apparently headless boy!
It’s also essential for your photographer to take portraits of guests at their tables. More posed but equally precious.
Posed Group Shots
I like to arrange the posed shots as soon as I can after the ceremony. It is a time when the guests are still all together and usually won’t have started drinking or eating. I work through these shots quickly so your guests can relax soon after. It’s also good to take the couple off for a wander and some wedding portraits of the two of you alone together. Again, Llechwen Hall Hotel has many excellent locations for some beautiful and artistic photography.
The groom with his father and brother: Even though it was a wedding in Wales, there was a very Scottish flavour to the day!
A standard family portrait, but I went deliberately wide to show more of the Llechwen Hall Hotel building. The green extension in the background is the Oak Beamed Orangery.
Llechwen Hall Hotel FAQ’s
Q. WHY GET MARRIED AT LLECHWEN HALL HOTEL?
A. For the whole experience. Everything is planned and laid on for you in a choice of rooms. But the quality of the interior and rural location in the Welsh Valleys make this a standout wedding venue.
Q. IS PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED OF OUR WEDDING CEREMONY, VOWS AND SIGNING?
A. Absolutely, at least for your ceremony, including vows. How much movement and any restrictions are down to the registrars. Happily, the Caerphilly registrars are very relaxed and keen to help you and your photographer take the best photos. The only restriction they have is with the signing of the register for data protection reasons. They set up a ‘dummy’ afterwards though for posed photos.
Q. DOES LLECHWEN HALL HOTEL ALLOW CONFETTI AFTERWARDS FOR A NICE SEQUENCE OF PHOTOS?
A. Biodegradable confetti is allowed outside the venue. Non-biodegradable may incur a clean-up charge.
Q. WHAT IS THE LIGHT LIKE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE THE VENUE?
A. The Nelson Suite is relatively dark, so bounce flash, or another artificial light is required. The other venue rooms are lighter, and pro-grade cameras can cope with this well. I tend to use a bit of bounced fill-flash in most indoor situations.
Q. HOW CAN WE BOOK YOU TO TAKE OUR WEDDING PHOTOS AT LLECHWEN HALL HOTEL?
A. Email me, fill in the form on my Contact Page or phone 07947 613070 any time to chat and discuss your wedding day photography.
A final kiss – and with their daughter in the background for good measure.
Llechwen Hall Hotel & Restaurant
Llanfabon, Nr Pontypridd,
Mid Glamorgan,
CF37 4HP.
