Crissy & Dan’s Gower Wedding: A Day Filled With Love, Laughter and Sea Air

A Wedding Close to My Heart

Every wedding I photograph feels special in its own way, but there are some days that stay with you long after the camera is packed away.
Crissy and Dan’s wedding is one of those days.

Not just because of the stunning setting, although St Arthur’s Hotel in the Gower is the kind of place that looks like it was built for love stories, but because of who they are to me. Photographing a friend’s wedding brings a different kind of emotion. A deeper connection. A bigger responsibility.

You’re not just documenting a day.
You’re capturing memories for someone who already holds a piece of your heart.

And from the moment I arrived, I knew this day was going to be one that lived on in my mind for a long time.

The Gower: A Setting Made for Storytelling

There’s something incredibly grounding about the Gower.
The sea breeze, the rugged coastline, the gentle hum of waves in the background… it’s like nature is forever exhaling around you.

St Arthur’s Hotel sits high enough to catch the best of that coastal light. Soft. Clean. Wrapping everything it touches in a quiet glow. And on Crissy and Dan’s wedding morning, that light felt particularly special — like the world had softened itself just for them.

As I walked into the venue, I could hear the familiar wedding giggles already beginning. The fizz of excitement. The rustling of dresses. The low hum of last-minute preparations. That sweet, chaotic energy that fills the air on a wedding day.

But underneath all of that, there was a stillness.
A calm.
A sense of rightness.

Because this was Crissy and Dan’s day. And everyone there knew how loved they are.

Bridal Prep: The Quiet Moments Before “I Do”

There is something so intimate about bridal prep. Those soft, pre-ceremony hours where nerves and excitement sit side by side.

When I entered the room, Crissy was already glowing. Not just in the “wedding makeup” way — but in the way a person radiates when they’re stepping into something huge and beautiful.

Her dress hung quietly in the corner, catching the window light. Her bouquet lay on the table like it was waiting for its big moment. Friends laughed, tears were dabbed away, and the room became full of those lovely little pockets of emotion I love to photograph.

But there was one moment I’ll never forget:

Crissy pausing, taking a slow, deep breath, and looking out the window.
A moment of grounding.
A moment where you could see everything hit her at once.

And I clicked the shutter.

These are the moments that matter. Not posed. Not rehearsed. Just real.

The Walk to “I Do”

The ceremony set in the grounds of the St Arthur’s Hotel was full - friends and family all leaning forward just slightly, ready to see the bride they love walk down the aisle.

When Crissy appeared, everything shifted.
The chatter stopped.
The smiles widened.
And Dan… well, you could see in his face that this was one of the biggest moments of his life.

As she walked toward him, the two of them locked eyes in that unmistakable way couples do when the rest of the world fades away.
It didn’t matter how many people were there.
In that moment, it was only them.

The ceremony was simple, heartfelt, and full of laughter, exactly the way a wedding should be. They said their vows with shaky voices, held hands a little too tightly, and sealed it all with a kiss that was met with applause full of love.

After the Ceremony: Joy Spilling Into the Afternoon

Once the confetti had settled and the congratulations had wrapped around them like a warm blanket, the afternoon unfolded in the most beautiful, effortless way.

We wandered outside, where the sea breeze carried laughter across the grounds.
Couples mingled. Kids darted around tables. Glasses clinked in celebration.
And I followed Crissy and Dan through little pockets of sunlight, photographing them as they drifted in and out of moments with each other.

What I loved most was how naturally they fell into connection. No need for heavy posing or instruction just two people in love, wrapped up in the happiness of their day.
A forehead touch here.
A shared laugh there.
A quiet whisper, caught between the wind and the waves.

Those tiny moments?
They’re the heartbeats of a wedding day.

Portraits by the Coast

Later, we slipped away for a few minutes — not far, not long, just enough to breathe.

The Gower coastline stretched out beneath us, and the light softened into that sweet golden tone you only get later in the afternoon. Crissy’s dress danced in the breeze as she held onto Dan, both of them laughing as the wind tried to steal the show.

These portraits weren’t stiff or forced. They were playful, intimate, and full of movement - the kind of photos that feel alive years later.

The kind you look at and think,
That was us. Exactly as we were.

The Evening: A Celebration That Never Lost Its Heart

If the afternoon was soft and romantic, the evening was pure joy.

The speeches had everyone laughing and wiping away the odd tear.
The dance floor didn’t take long to fill.
And there was this wonderful sense of togetherness — like everyone there was genuinely invested in celebrating Crissy and Dan’s love story.

As I stood back for a moment, camera in hand, watching them dance surrounded by their closest people, I felt the weight of what it meant to be the one documenting this day.

Photographing a friend’s wedding is emotional.
But it’s also one of the biggest honours.

You’re creating their memories.
The ones they’ll look at when they’re older.
The ones they’ll show their children.
The ones that will forever bring them back to this exact day.

What This Wedding Meant to Me

This wasn’t just another wedding on my calendar.
It was a day that reminded me exactly why I love this work.
Why I say yes to the long days, the editing queues, the travel, the balancing act around my full-time job.

It’s for days like this.
People like them.
Stories that deserve to be held onto.

Being trusted by a friend — trusted to capture one of the biggest days of their life — is something I’ll never take lightly.
It meant the world.

To Crissy & Dan

Thank you for letting me walk beside you through such a beautiful chapter.
Thank you for trusting me with your memories.
And thank you for giving me a wedding day I’ll carry with me for years to come.

You two are magic.

Love,
Jo x