St David's Hotel and Spa Cardiff wedding

It was my pleasure to photograph the wedding of Robert and Nicola last Saturday at the stunning St. David's Hotel and Spa on the waterfront in Cardiff Bay.

After a church ceremony at the beautiful cathedral-like St. Mary's church in Merthyr Tydfil, we made our way down the A470 to the waterfront area of Cardiff Bay and the stunning St. Davids Hotel.

With heavy rain forecast from lunchtime to last all afternoon, we were amazed to find a 90 minute window of dry weather at the hotel, with some wonderfully moody stormy skies, which was when most of the images above were taken, before the promised rain arrived!!

Once the outside photos were completed with a 20 minute tour of the hotel and the grounds with Robert and Nicola spending some time on their own, we returned inside to the suite for the wedding breakfast.

If you were at this wedding we hope you have enjoyed the sneaky peak images above and would like to invite you to leave Nicola and Robert a personal message below.

All of the stunning images from their day will be available to view on-line from this page once they have returned from honeymoon and seen the images for themselves.

Have a great honeymoon guys and safe travelling.

Nic

Nic Cleave Photography is moving!!!

Finally after more than two years of trying to buy 4 different houses we are finally moving our business and family to a new studio and home!

We'll be moving a few miles further up the Swansea valley to the beautiful village of Rhos, between Swansea, Neath and Pontardawe.

The move will take place from July 20th so obviously our location, postal address and studio telephone numbers will all be changing. We'll contact all existing clients individually to update you all with the new contact details as soon as we have them all confirmed and of course will update contact info on our website as soon as possible.

We're very excited by the move as for the first time part of the house will be a dedicated studio and office, allowing us to offer our clients an even more relaxed and professional studio experience when visiting us to discuss their wedding photography requirements or for viewing recent portrait sessions etc.

Please note that throughout the move (July 20th-27th) our mobile number will remain the same. If you're unsure about the correct postal address, please give us a call so that we can confirm things for you.

Watch this space for photos of our new 'client lounge' over the coming weeks, and we look forward to welcoming past, existing and future clients to our new studio and home.

Nic

New weddings showcase slide-show

We have today updated our popular flash-based 'Wedding Showcase slide-show.' Containing many images from recent weddings, this slide-show runs for 6 minutes and showcases the very best images that Nic has created with his recent couples from venues all over Wales and the UK.

Click here if you'd like to watch the new version (you will need to have flash player on your pc and if you are watching at work, will need to ensure that you are able to run flash on your office workstation.)

Don't forget that we also have our more conventional galleries here, for those of you who prefer to select the specific images you wish to see.

Our thanks as always must go to the couples featured. Without you all, none of this would be possible.

Nic

Wedding hair and makeup demonstration Thu Jul 9th at Amy Chloe Bridal in Ammanford

If you're a bride-to-be and looking for ideas for your hair and makeup for the big day, why not come along to Amy Chloe Bridal in the centre of Ammanford on Thursday July 9th from 19.00pm for some ideas.

There will be three different stylists working on different models with a variety of styles for you to see. They will also be able to answer any questions you might have on hair and makeup for your own big day.

If you're still looking for that perfect dress for yourself, (or for dresses for your brides maids,) it will also be the perfect opportunity to see the huge range available at Amy Chloe Bridal and to chat with the lovely owner, Debbie

I'll also be there on the evening with a variety of our studio sample albums for those brides who are still to book their photographer and of course will be able to answer any questions you might have.

I look forward to meeting you there on the evening.

Nic

July/August Q&A's published

Nic's last Q&A article in Your South Wales Wedding Magazine is now on the shelves across Wales.

After almost two years contributing to Wales' only commercial wedding magazine since the very first edition, Nic has decided to hand over the reins in order to concentrate on other editorial projects. Watch this space for more news on this soon!

In the meantime, if you'd like to read the current Q&A article with questions on how to choose your photographer, (plus all of Nic's previous articles and 'Real Wedding' features,) then click here to read our pdf version.

New studio Jorgensen albums arrive

As mentioned a few weeks ago we have now moved to Jorgensen Albums of Australia as the sole supplier for our range of luxury 'Reportage' style of albums.

Our three new studio sample albums arrived yesterday and after building them they are now complete and ready for viewing. All couples we meet at our studio or at wedding fayres will get to see the new range, and of course those couples who have already booked a reportage album package with us are more than welcome to arrange a time to pop in and view them for themselves.

Jorgensen albums are the world's premium wedding album supplier and we feel confident that our clients will quite simply be blown away by the sheer quality of these fantastic wedding albums.

We now have complete flexibility when it comes to how your albums are designed, with each album being uniquely designed from scratch, based upon the images you have carefully selected from those photographed by Nic on your big day.

With a full selection of custom cover choices available, together with a massive 13 standard cover choices, you are sure to find the perfect cover to match the colour theme of your wedding or the decor of your home. Click here to read more about these fantastic albums.

We have also adopted the Jorgensen parent album which means that we can now offer a fantastic Family/Parent album in three different sizes, again with a massive amount of cover choices. Click here to read more about these beautiful parent albums.

Finally, you can of course view our studio sample reportage albums in digital form if you prefer. Click here to view our 10 page studio reportage album. Click here to view our 15 page studio reportage album.

Nic.

The Vale Hotel Hensol Cardiff, wedding

It was my pleasure to photograph the wedding of Justin and Loren last Friday at the stunning Vale Hotel Spa and Golf Resort, Hensol near Cardiff.

After some preparation photos at the house in the morning with Loren, we moved on to Ely Presbyterian Church for the ceremony. Loren arrived on an open-top 1930's vintage fire engine.

After the ceremony we made the short trip to Hensol on the outskirts of Cardiff, to the beautiful Vale Hotel for the reception. This was the location of Justin and Loren's location-based Engagement portrait session in May (click here to see a few images from the session,) so we all knew exactly what to expect and of course the best locations for the bride and groom photo session!

After photos of the two of them in and around the grounds, we moved inside for the reception banquet.

If you were at this wedding please leave Justin and Loren a personal message below. If you have enjoyed the 'sneaky peak' images above, please visit this page to view all of the stunning images from this wonderful day, which will be available as soon as Justin and Loren return from honeymoon and choose their own set of special images for their album.

Have a fantastic honeymoon guys, and safe travelling.

Nic.

Castell Malgwyn Hotel wedding, Cardigan Pembrokeshire

It was my pleasure to photograph the wedding of Amber and Iain last Saturday.

Ater photographing Amber getting ready at her parents home we moved on to the beautiful church of St. Barnarbas in the village of Drefach Felindre, for some photos of the boys before Amber's arrival.

On the way to the Castell Malgwyn Hotel we stopped off at Cenarth Falls near Newcastle Emlyn in Dyfed, a stunning location for some bride and groom shots next to the river and falls.

We then moved on to join the rest of the guests at the Castell Malgwyn Hotel nestled into a beautiful valley on a river in Llechryd, not far from Cardigan in picturesque Pembrokeshire.

We hope you enjoy the 'sneaky peak' images above and if you were a guest at this wedding and would like to see all of the stunning images from this special day, please visit this page where Amber and Iain's proof slide-show will be available as soon as they have selected the images for their own album etc.

In the meantime why not leave them a personal message below?

Have a great honeymoon guys and safe travelling.

Nic

Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel wedding, Coychurch Bridgend

It was my pleasure to photograph the wedding of Rachel and Rob last Friday at one of my favourite South Wales wedding venues, the stunning Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel near Bridgend.

After a church service at All Saint's church in Pen-y-fai Bridgend, we moved on to the stunning Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel for the wedding reception.

After a few family group shots on the lawn next to the pool, Rachel and Rob had an intimate walk around the grounds together, which always produces some great 'natural' bride and groom shots.

We hope you enjoy the 'sneaky peak' images above and would like to invite you to leave Rachel and Rob a comment below.

All of the images from their day will be available to view from this page, once they have returned from honeymoon and selected the images for their beautiful album, so please book-mark the page and return soon to see them all.

Have a great holiday guys, safe travels and speak to you soon.

Nic

Location-based portrait session Swansea

It was my pleasure to photograph Saffron and Mia last week in their favourite park near to where they live in Swansea.

These energetic two-and-a-half year olds are the best of friends and love playing outside, which is why their Mum's chose the local park as the ideal backdrop for their location-based portrait session.

Their energy, sense of fun and curiosity combined with a sunny morning and their favourite park, meant that we were able to make a wonderfully varied set of completely natural images of these two little girls enjoying themselves.

We hope you enjoy the 'sneaky peak' images above and would like anyone considering having their own session with Nic to view all of the images from this location-based family portrait session by clicking here.

If you decide that you'd like your own session please contact us soon as possible as available dates are booking up quickly, no doubt due to the superb weather we've had so far this summer. We're currently running a summer promotion with half-price session fees. You only pay £45 for your session instead of the usual £75.

Although Xmas may seem like a long time away, the prints from one of these sessions can make great Xmas gifts for friends and family. Click here for our contact details. Click here for more information on Nic's popular location-based family portrait service.

Nic

New studio sample reportage albums

We have today uploaded two new studio sample albums to illustrate our popular Reportage style of wedding album.

As announced recently, we will be using world-famous Jorgensen for all our reportage albums from now on, so thought it was time that we updated our two studio sample albums.

Our physical albums have been ordered from Jorgensen in Australia and will be with us within a few weeks, but as regular visitors to our site well know, we also have digital versions of all our studio sample albums, available to view from our website.

Both of these albums are from single weddings and illustrate perfectly the consistent overall quality our couples can expect from their own precious wedding albums from us. Our 10 page album features a wedding at the Oxwich Bay Hotel on Gower near Swansea, and our 15 page album features a wedding from the Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel, Coichurch near Bridgend.

Click here to read more about this popular contemporary style of wedding album (and more about Jorgensen albums.)

Click here to browse through our 10 page (20 sides) Jorgensen reportage album.

Click here to browse through our 15 page (30 sides) Jorgensen reportage album.

Thanks as always must go to the couples featured.

New Jorgensen album range introduced

We have today introduced a new range of our popular traditional 'Reportage style' of wedding album from world famous album producer 'Jorgensen Albums' of Australia.

Replacing our former reportage albums, this new range offers our couples much more freedom and an even higher quality of finished album. Availability in three different sizes ensures that there is a perfect album available for all budgets. Our 10 page (20 sides,) album holds 40-45 prints. Our 15 page (30 sides,) album holds 65-70 prints, and our 20 page (40 sides) album will hold 85-90 prints.

With 13 standard cover choices available in the 'Contempo' range, you are sure to find the perfect cover to match your living room decor or wedding colour theme. With a further 40+ custom cover options, including wooden veneer, metal laminate, chamois and cloth available for an extra £125, you can relax in the knowledge that your wedding album will be unique amongst your family and a talking point amongst your friends!

We are also updating our range of Parent albums by introducing the 'Jorgensen Folio' album. Now available in 3 different sizes with either 12, 20 or 24 prints of 8 x 6 chosen by you, this stunning album is available with the same 13 'Contempo' cover choices as our main reportage albums, and comes with either white or black internal pages and mounts. Click here to read more.

Click here for more information on our range of Jorgensen albums. Click here to see the full range of cover options. Click here to see a complete 10 page reportage album.

We will be taking delivery of our new studio Jorgensen sample albums in the next few weeks, together with a cover swatch, so if you'd like to see these stunning albums just give us a call to arrange a time to come and meet us.

New wedding photography packages

We are proud to announce our new line up of wedding photography packages. With complete album packages now starting from just £995 (including VAT and a luxury album,) we are confident that our range of packages now allows couples with varying budgets to find the 'perfect' wedding photography package for them. Below is a brief round-up of changes and additions (click the highlighted text to read more:)

Our 'Premium' packages now contain three copies of our popular DVD slide-show and twenty personalised 'thank you' cards.

Our 'Classic' packages now include our popular DVD slide-show of all the amazing images from your day.

Our 'Italian' package is a new addition. This complete album package represents amazing value for money. At just £995 (including VAT and album,) it's ideal for couples getting married mid-week, last-minute or who perhaps are on a tight budget.

Make no mistakes, this is not a 'cheap' package containing poor quality photography or an inferior album. This package includes Nic's award-winning wedding photography and a luxury hand-made Italian album which holds twenty four individual 12 x 8 inch photographs from your day, all for less than £1,000. Designed specifically to cater for couples who are looking to cut back on the overall costs of their big day, but who are determined not to cut back on the quality of their wedding photography.

Unchanged but still very much part of our package line-up are our 'Digital', 'Luxury all-inclusive' and 'Destination' wedding photography packages.

Changes to our packages are effective on all new bookings taken from May 27th 2009, and do not affect previously booked packages.

Please note that our current pricing is still from our 2008 price list, and as we guarantee the price of your package when your booking is confirmed, you could be paying our 2008 price for your 2010/11 wedding photography package! Don't delay though as our new 2009 price list will be introduced from July 1st.

If you'd like any more information on our fantastic new range of wedding photography packages, please contact us.

Towers Hotel wedding, Jersey Marine Swansea

It was my pleasure to photograph the wedding of Stephen and Nicola on Saturday. Another glorious day greeted us at the house as the preparations got underway.

After a church service at St. Matthew's church in Bryncoch Neath, we travelled the short distance to the Neath Abbey ruins for a fantastic set of bride and groom photos. After our photographic tour of the Abbey ruins, it was on to the Towers Hotel in Jersey Marine Swansea for a few family and friend group shots, before heading inside to escape the sunburn for the wedding breakfast. The photography ended with the last speech.

If you were at this wedding, we hope you have enjoyed the 'sneaky peak' images above. If you would like to see all of the stunning images from this wedding day, click here to see the on-line shows, which will be available soon.

In the meantime please leave Stephen and Nicola a personal message below.

Have a great honeymoon guys. Safe travels.

Nic

Vale Hotel Cardiff, location-based engagement portrait session

It was my pleasure to photograph Justin and Loren in a location-based engagement portrait session, on Wednesday this week at the stunning Vale Hotel and Spa near Cardiff.

Justin and Loren will be getting married next month and decided to have a 'dry-run' of the the photography part of their big day, by including a location-based engagement portrait session as part of their wedding photography package.

This is something we're seeing many couples choose to do at present. For information on why a pre-wedding trial-run of your photos is such a good idea, visit this page.

We hope you enjoy the 'sneaky-peak' images above and would like to invite those of you who know Justin and Loren to leave them a personal message below. You can also visit this page if you would like to see all of the stunning images of this beautiful couple in such a stunning location.

I'm looking forward to seeing you both again in a month's time and to meeting and photographing all of your family and friends on your special day. Good luck with the last minute preparations both of you.

Nic