Some wedding days are a lovely reminder that you really don’t need to make things complicated to have an absolutely brilliant time.
S&H’s small wedding at Penarth Fawr on the Llŷn Peninsula was one of those days. Planned in just a couple of months, with their closest family and friends, homemade cake, beautiful coastal scenery and a rather unexpected wedding meal on the beach!
A small wedding with family and friends at Penarth Fawr
Tucked away on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales, Penarth Fawr is such a beautiful place for a small, intimate wedding.
H&S chose to get married here surrounded by their closest family and friends, keeping everything wonderfully relaxed and personal.
After their ceremony, there was Bollinger to celebrate and a homemade carrot cake baked by Sadie’s mum. Nothing overly elaborate, just a lovely afternoon spent together, celebrating the fact that these two had just got married. And I think that’s one of the nicest things about choosing a smaller wedding. There’s time to chat, have a laugh, enjoy everyone’s company and actually take in what’s happening around you.
From wedding ceremony to burgers and games on the beach
Now, this might be one of my favourite parts of S&H’s day. After their ceremony and celebrations at Penarth Fawr, everyone headed down to the coast for a little more time together. And completely by chance, they stumbled across a beach fundraiser for the RNLI, where they ended up having burgers for their wedding meal! I mean, how brilliant is that? A spontaneous wedding meal on the beach, supporting a brilliant cause at the same time.
The afternoon was spent playing games on the sand, having a laugh, enjoying a few drinks and making the most of being together by the sea. That’s what I love about small weddings like this. You can leave a little room for spontaneity, change your plans if something lovely comes along and enjoy the day without feeling like you need to stick to a minute-by-minute schedule. Sometimes the completely unplanned bits end up being some of the best memories (fact!).
A sunset walk to finish the day
As the day drew to a close, we made the most of the beautiful evening light walking back to the cars at sunset.
One of my favourite things about photographing small weddings like S&H’s is having the freedom to spend time outdoors, explore somewhere beautiful and make photographs without constantly watching the clock. Their day wasn’t about squeezing in lots of wedding traditions. It was about spending time with the people they love, celebrating in a way that suited them and making some lovely memories along the way. And I think they got that absolutely right.
Planning a small wedding in North Wales?
If you’re thinking about getting married in Wales but aren’t keen on a big, traditional wedding, S&H’s day is a lovely reminder that there are other ways to do things. You can have a beautiful legal ceremony with your closest family and friends, enjoy a little celebration together and then head off somewhere outdoors for the rest of your day. Maybe that’s a picnic in the mountains, a wander along the coast or even burgers on the beach.
If you’re considering something similar, I’ve put together a guide to small and micro weddings in Wales with ideas for keeping things simple and making the day your own.
And if the Llŷn Peninsula has caught your eye, you might also enjoy my Llŷn Peninsula elopement guide, where I share more about this beautiful little corner of North Wales.
I photograph elopements and very small weddings across North Wales, including Eryri (Snowdonia), the Llŷn Peninsula and Anglesey. I love helping couples find beautiful places, put together relaxed plans and enjoy a wedding day that feels entirely their own. If that sounds like your kind of wedding day, I’d love to hear what you’re planning – send me an enquiry.
And one last little mention for the RNLI, whose beach fundraiser provided Harry & Sadie with their rather brilliant, completely unplanned wedding meal. Such a lovely way to support the people who help keep our coastlines safe.
A little look at Harry & Sadie’s wedding day
Here are some of my favourite moments from their wonderfully relaxed small wedding at Penarth Fawr and their afternoon by the sea.
Get in touch and tell me about your plans (plans still a bit vague? That’s okay, we’ll figure it out as we go along).
Recent elopements & life in Wales on Instagram
@BABSBOARDWELLPHOTOGRAPHY