The Orangery, Margam

Wedding of Demi & Sean

October 31st, 2024 • The Orangery, Margam

Before I arrived with Demi to start her bridal morning coverage, I wanted to make a stop at The Orangery. I always like to try and get some images of the venue before everything kicks off as part of the story, and if I’m lucky, everything is set up and I can get those all-important detail shots before the room is flooded with people.

As I stepped into the room, I was absolutely blown away… the setting here is gorgeous! Being an orangery, it was originally built to grow citrus trees and protect them from the British climate, and one of the main requirements for this was light. Lots of light. This room is lined with twenty seven floor-to-ceiling windows, and when I arrived, the early morning sun was shining through each and every one of them. It’s difficult to put into words just how beautiful this looked, so take a look at the pictures and judge for yourself!

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that some of the room decor isn’t quite what you would normally expect for a wedding. Until of course, you realise that Demi and Sean were getting married on Halloween! The happy couple had chosen a beautifully understated gothic theme, matched with autumn colours and subtle nods to the season. After taking it all in and getting the shots I needed in the bag, I headed over to see Demi and start her bridal cover.

As I arrived, everything was surprisingly chilled. Demi was pretty relaxed (and if she wasn’t, she did a good job of hiding it!), and the bridal party were generally just having a good time. It wasn’t long before everyone was ready, and we made our way over to The Orangery. I went to greet Sean, who was excited to get things underway, and also trying to keep a special guest – their pet Lurcher – under control!

Soon, everyone took their places and the bridesmaids began their precession into the room. As ceremony spaces go, it’s quite a long walk to get to the front, but for me this is ideal – it means that everyone can be nicely spaced out and I can get a nice unobstructed view. When it was Demi’s turn to walk down the aisle, accompanied by her father, the room really came into its own; the bright open space of the 18th century architecture, combined with the autumn décor and Demi’s gorgeous black dress, made for an absolutely beautiful scene. Soon, the ceremony was complete (despite their Lurcher not wanting to sit in the side-lines, preferring instead to be centre-stage with Mum and Dad!), with Demi and Sean exchanging rings and being pronounced husband and wife.

Every Halloween for the last several years has been a bit of a washout, but happily, my run of good luck with not having a wet wedding in 2024 continued! That said, after the ceremony we only had about 40 minutes or so of daylight left, so we set about getting those all important group shots before I led Demi and Sean away briefly to capture some beautiful portraits. The light lasted just long enough, and we were even treated to some lovely backlighting as the sun broke through the surrounding trees. With these in the bag, it was almost time for the afternoon celebrations!

Before food was served, Demi & Sean had opted to hold their speeches. Sean is a bit like me, in that he’s not really a fan of public speaking – but despite the nerves, he delivered his speech beautifully and confidently. The most powerful speech for me though was the one from Sean’s grandfather, who had sadly passed away before the wedding. Suspecting that he might not make it to the day, his grandfather had written a speech to be read in his absence, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I had to wipe away a tear or two from behind the camera.

After the speeches it was time for the food. To allow more variety for the gathered family and friends, rather than a three-course meal, Demi and Sean opted for a hot buffet… and it was soooo good! As I’ve already said, The Orangery is a big open space, but the room was filled with the delicious smells from the variety of foods on offer. The curry in particular was my personal favourite! No time to rest on my laurels though – with the food done, it was soon time for the cutting of the (gorgeous) cake and first dance, which the newlyweds performed beautifully.

It also wouldn’t be an (almost) winter wedding without sparklers, so we grabbed some shots with those before I took Demi and Sean to one side for a shot I had been planning for a while. Aside from The Orangery itself, just outside are part of the ruins of Margam Abbey. When the night draws in I love getting shots of couples in an archway or something similar and lighting them up with flash, and these ruins gave me the perfect opportunity. Not only that, in the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to do something that I wouldn’t normally do… so I used a coloured gel to turn the flash red, and brought in the core bride and groom party for some spooky fun!

Before my day was over, we grabbed a couple more portraits with flash up by the castle (The Orangery keeps on giving!), and once back inside, also captured a bit of a spontaneous father and daughter dance which was lovely to see! Before heading home, I said my farewells to Demi and Sean, who are one of the most genuine and loveliest couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. The Orangery is a beautiful venue, and I very much hope to be back again soon!

Venue:

The Orangery, Margam

Dress:

Devil Night

Hair & Makeup:

Bleedin Beauty

Flowers:

Boney Bee Baby

Suit:

Suits Direct

Cake:

Nathalie’s Cupcake Madness