A wonderful wedding, and a joining of two nationalities on Friday the Thirteenth! Obviously not a superstitious couple, Sharyn and Jort Ossebaar tied the knot at Fonmon Castle, in the Vale of Glamorgan in true style. It was an absolute pleasure to document their big day for them and you could really tell that the planning was meticulous.
I met the girls in H2O Hair Salon in Barry at around 9:15am where they were all very excitable from the outset. Reminiscing on their history together I captured some really great shots of the fun and laughter that started here and continued for the rest of the day. The girls at H2O were awesome and everyone was very happy with the results, using the ‘vigorous head shake’ test to see if enough hair spray had been applied for everything to stay in place all day!
The girls left and I then met them at Sharon’s Parents’ home in Barry where the preparations continued with Champagne and Make up. I was honoured to spend this time with the girls and Sharyn’s parents and captured some great moments and got a little arty with her shoes too!
At about 12:20 I headed off to Fonmon Castle (Slightly later than anticipated) to get there in time to see Sharyn arrive in the Classic Red Mk2 Jaguar (Inspector Morse style) and grab a few shots of the not so nervous Jort and the wedding guests.
The ceremony was held in the library which had been adorned by ‘Perfect Finish, Barry’ and was looking immaculate. All the colours tied in together, The flowers, The Chair Covers, the Bridesmaids dresses and even their clutch bags!. All efficiently organised by the beautiful bride.
With readings in Welsh, English and Dutch the ceremony was perfect. I did not have much space at the back to move around but managed to ‘capture the moment’ as always from my little spot.
Moving into the garden and the stunning grounds after the ceremony for some home baked welsh cakes and fizz, the sun was beating down for an April day (so much better than the usual showers) and Sharyn and Jort greeted all their guests with a big cwtch after not seeing many friends and relatives for some time due to living in the Netherlands and the nature of each other’s busy jobs.
A fabulous day for it, Sharyn even managed to get a bit of a tan whist being in the garden for a few hours. Firstly for the drinks reception and then for a quick photo-shoot with me in Fonmon. We also managed a shoot in some rape seed fields, before heading off to the Copthorne Hotel for the wedding reception in the evening.
My first wedding at the Copthorne also, I was so impressed with the efficiency of the guys there – It was like a military operation done with precision and finesse. Again ‘Perfect Finish, Barry’ had provided the Chair covers to match the ceremony and Sharyn’s Bridesmaids and the overall feel and look of the room was outstanding.
All the tables were named after wild animals due to Sharyn and Jort’s love of going on Safari and I was invited to join them for their wedding breakfast sitting on the Elephant table! The food was outstanding and I have a great time with Sharyn’s friends from university also being ready to pick up the camera when a photographic opportunity presented itself.
There was a sweepstake on the length of the father of the bride speech which was organised and won at 29 minutes or so (no fix apparently) by the compare for the day – Richard, who gave the winnings to the Bride and Groom who then passed this on to Cancer Research UK, a charity that is close to their hearts, mine, and I’m sure most families. Sharyn and Jort had already donated a cash sum for each guest rather than favours on the table and I’m sure CRUK welcomed the additional donation.
After the Wedding breakfast the room was then turned around again by the Copthorne staff in their efficient manner and after the guests re-entered the cake was cut and the party got underway. The first dance was done immediately after the cake cutting and whist Jort made his was off the dance floor, loads of guests jumped on dancing the night away to a mix of Dutch and British tunage!
I hope you enjoy viewing my blog ffotos as much as I enjoyed capturing the day and welcome your comments.
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