An Intimate Wedding at Oldwalls
Nick and Nadine
Photography by Catherine & Angharad photography
The Venue
We chose Oldwalls because my parents are from Mumbles which is a 20 minute drive to Oldwalls. We went down to view the venue and it just stood out for us. The staff were so professional and really knew what they were talking about. The venue itself was just beautiful. Yes we originally planned for a big wedding, but it suited an imitate style perfectly.
There was also accommodation on site which was perfect for those who were travelling down for the wedding.
The staff made a massive difference from start to finish. They were friendly and nothing was too much hassle, everyone was so happy on the day. It was one of Oldwalls first wedding back after lockdown, and one of the first weddings in Wales after restrictions eased and you could see that the team were happy to be back doing what they do best.
The Ceremony
We opted for an intimate wedding ceremony. We originally planned a big wedding with 120 guests, but due to the COVID restrictions, we had to reduce our guest numbers down to 30. We were both really nervous in the build up to the day, but it was everything we could have imagined and more.
We had Megan Morris playing the harp with beautiful welsh songs and classical music playing throughout the day.
It was such an emotional day, we just couldn’t stop crying! We were just so apprehensive, but there was no need to be. Everything turned out perfect. The ceremony was really special, knowing our closest family and friends were there to celebrate our special moment was truly magical.
The Details
Our bridesmaids were in light blue with peachy coral flowers throughout the venue. Our stationery was rose gold/silver foil and navy blue.
We had Eve Francesca Designs do our flowers. We went for big bouquets, peach & ivory, with lots of roses and foliage. For the button holes we had flame lilies from Zimbabwe (Nick’s family).
The Food
The food at Oldwalls was outstanding. We attended a food tasting event back in October 2019 and it was so difficult to pick our favourite food!
We decided on a Goats cheese salad to start, followed by Welsh Lamb or hake for the main, and crème brulee or caramelised pear tart for dessert. Everything was amazing, I had hake and it was so fresh and light. The guests raved about the Welsh lamb, saying how well cooked & tender it was.
For the cake we had 2 tiers, lemon sponge with curd & buttercream, cake pops too & cupcakes – it was gorgeous, rich and chocolatey.
Restrictions
Initially we had booked a band called 24K through Music HQ, but they weren’t able to play due to the covid restrictions. So we decided to have a solo singer with a guitar – Lloyd Jerwood. We weren’t sure what to expect. Lloyd played with his guitar at low level, and it was out of this world! It went down a storm.
Planning our wedding during COVID was stressful. Luckily we were organised, our booked suppliers knew what our day would look like. With weddings cancelled from March – July us being in August was in a grey area, we didn’t know what the restriction would be or what could we have.
We made a pact to get married if we physically could, and once we changed our mindset, we were so excited and really looking forward to the day. We had a call from Oldwalls in May to see what we wanted to do, whether to stick with the date if we could or postpone. We had a lot of discussion about what to do, and wanted to make sure everyone was happy. Once we knew the wedding could ahead, we decided to go for it.
We were so glad we didn’t postpone. The day was perfect.
We were given the option to have a live stream of our wedding as Oldwalls had adapted the venue and installed a live streaming camera ready for other coupes but we decided we weren’t going to and to let our videographers do their thing.
Our wedding coordinator Nicola Bowden wasn’t able to be there on the day, so she watched it from home and really enjoyed.
For any couples going through the same thing, we say try & forget the current circumstances and remember that the wedding is about the marriage. Anything else is a bonus! Change your mindset, and you will be not disappointed, it will still be special. Adapt and make the best of it.
Suppliers
Venue: Oldwalls Gower
Photographer: Catherine & Angharad photography (Shootproof)
Florist: Eve Francesca designs
Dress: Martina Liana bridal @ Laura May, Cardiff
Hair: Lara Johnson Lifestyle
Makeup: Jody Amner