Ellenor and Huw’s Military Wedding at St Pierre

Wedding preparations at St Pierre

A calm start before the church

Ellenor and Huw both got ready at St Pierre, with hair and make-up starting early in the morning. This gave me time to photograph the important details and the natural build-up without rushing anyone.

The wedding car arrived to take Ellenor and her father to St Tewdrics. Their journey gave them a quiet moment together before walking into a church filled with family and friends.

St Tewdrics Church in Mathern

A traditional military wedding ceremony

Huw waited inside St Tewdrics while Ellenor made her way through the churchyard with her father. The historic church, military uniforms and close family atmosphere made the ceremony feel distinctive from the moment she arrived.

I photographed the ceremony quietly as it unfolded, including the reactions, the signing and the moments between the formal parts. The photographs tell the whole ceremony without turning it into a performance for the camera.

A military guard of honour

The moment everyone was waiting for

After the ceremony, Ellenor and Huw walked between a uniformed military guard of honour outside the church. It was one of the most personal parts of their plans and brought their story into the wedding in a way no generic decoration could.

They followed it with two confetti photographs. The first used the guard and confetti cannons, then everyone gathered in a line beyond the church gates for a second burst. It was lively, slightly chaotic and exactly the sort of moment that looks best when people are allowed to enjoy it.

The best photographs came from the celebration, not from forcing everyone into perfect positions.

Back to St Pierre Country Club

Portraits that did not take over the reception

Guests arrived at St Pierre shortly after the church ceremony. We organised the requested family and bridal-party photographs efficiently, including a photograph of all the guests on the lawn.

For Ellenor and Huw’s couple photographs, we used the castle exterior, stone archway and grounds. These locations are close together, so we could create variety without disappearing for an hour. They were soon back inside enjoying their wedding breakfast, speeches and guests.

Read my full St Pierre Country Club wedding photographer guide for more advice about the venue, portrait locations and wet-weather options.

Speeches and the evening celebration

The formalities finished and the party started

The speeches brought plenty of reactions from the room before Ellenor and Huw moved into their first dance. Once the dance floor opened, the coverage stayed documentary and relaxed. I concentrated on the expressions, friendships and small moments that they would not have seen while they were in the middle of it all.

Before finishing, we used St Pierre’s illuminated stone archway for one final portrait. It took only a few minutes and gave the gallery a completely different evening finish.