Wedding Photography at St Martin’s Church, Caerphilly
Father Mark speaks to the congregation shortly before announcing the arrival of the bride.
A Victorian Church at the Foot of Caerphilly Mountain
St. Martin’s is a large Victorian church designed in the neo-Gothic style. It stands at the top of the town, very close to Caerphilly Station. Built in 1879 it is striking if somewhat imposing in appearance. The church is the perfect setting for your religious wedding ceremony if getting married in Caerphilly.
Bride Emma arrives at St Martin’s Church in a vintage Rolls Royce, accompanied by her grandfather.
The terraced cottages opposite the church on St Martin’s Road help give context to the wedding venue’s place within Caerphilly town.
Emma and her grandfather entered the church porch through the arched doorway, which makes a beautiful frame.
Taken from the outside, I used flash to photograph the bridesmaid arranging Emma’s dress for her entrance into the church.
I took this from the top of the aisle: Photography such as this gives a sense of calm and stillness shortly before the wedding ceremony.
It’s vital to capture things from the Groom’s side too. Here, Alex sits remarkably relaxed, awaiting his bride. You can see some of St Martin’s stained glass along the side aisle in the background.
Fr. Mark – Rector in the Benefice of Eglwysilan & Caerphilly
I make a point of introducing myself to the officiant at every wedding I photograph. Whether the registrar for civil marriages or vicar or priest, it’s essential to introduce myself and reassure them that I shall remain low-key and observe the sanctity of the occasion.
I found Father Mark to be very approachable, likeable and fully invested in making the wedding day as memorable and personal as possible for the couple. Not all rectors are as easy-going, and it is good to find one in Caerphilly where I now live.
Bridal parties vary in size. Emma had just one bridesmaid (her sister) who walked down the aisle first.
I take a full sequence of photographs of the bridal procession. I love this black and white image as Emma clearly cannot wait to see her groom before she even reaches the top of the aisle.
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The first photo of the day showing both bride and groom together. Capturing the reaction as they see each other is priceless.
St Martin’s Church Wedding Ceremony & Vows
A wedding ceremony at St Martin’s lasts about 45 minutes, including hymns, readings and a personal address from the rector. It is the perfect length as far as wedding photography is concerned. It’s long enough to capture a wide variety of shots, but not too long that the guests (including the children – see photo below) start to get restless. Children are positively welcomed at St Martin’s Church, and the website states, “...if they make a noise, we are glad because we know they are there!“
I love it when the unexpected happens. This small member of the congregation took time for a wander around during a break in proceedings. I love the way he’s looking innocently up at Father Mark.
A friend doing a reading for the couple: There were a couple of readings during the ceremony, which helped add a personal touch.
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My camera and lenses are top quality and allow for photography in low-light venues such as churches.
St Martin’s Church in Caerphilly: Photographic Rules of the House
There is only one strict rule that Father Mark insists upon whilst photographing a wedding at St Martin’s church:
No flash photography!
OK, that’s not strictly true – flash is allowed but only outside of the ceremony itself. It’s a standard rule for churches and is understandable. I can see that a photographer flashing away (so to speak!) may be distracting both for the rector and the couple, and I’m pleased to abide by this. However, by the very nature of their design, churches are dim in spots. St Martin’s benefits from the large stained glass windows, but these are set back from where the action is taking place. Sparingly using a little bounce flash may produce slightly more striking images, but a good professional wedding photographer will deal with this. Conversion to black and white helps as the images brighten more effectively in the edit – there is no colour to consider, just shadow and light. Compare the above and below photos.
It is imperative to photograph the exchange of rings sequence. Happily, Father Mark has no problem with the photographer moving about during the ceremony to capture different angles.
The main thing is that your photographer can move discretely throughout, enabling them to capture a more diverse set of images. Father Mark allows them to shoot from the chancel, which means that I may photograph them from the front and the back and side. This is great for the capture of expression and glances between the pair.
There is one more rule that the priest announces at the start of the service. That’s is a polite request from Father Mark for guests not to take photographs during the ceremony.
The all-important first kiss: the key here is for the newly-weds not to rush to allow their photographer to capture images such as this.
After the Ceremony & the Register Signing
After they are married, the couple are guided into the vestry to sign the Caerphilly marriage register. Father Mark seemed to give Emma and Alex a little time alone which was a nice touch. I took that time to photograph the wedding guests and caught the little fellow above having a walkabout.
Father Mark told me that I could photograph the signing but not a close up of the register. I always welcome this as the photos end up being much more natural and less staged, which is what reportage wedding photography is all about.
As with most churches, photographing the ‘actual’ register signing is allowed as long as the book isn’t the main focus, allowing for a set of much more natural and meaningful photos.
A memory of how things were as the legalities complete: Emma signs whilst Alex, the rector and a witness look on.
The light from the high vestry windows is lovely and illuminates the signing in the small room beautifully.
There are often lots of real ‘moments’ as the couple take in what’s just happened during the signing. Here’s a lovely spontaneous smile from bride Emma.
And then there’s the staged signing. If I’m allowed to photograph the signing, then by this point I usually have enough. But given a chance to set up some posed photographs, I take a few more. Before this, Alex had been hamming it up, which caused Emma to laugh and gave me this happy photo.
The Benefice Eglwysilan & Caerphilly, which includes St Martin’s Church has a Facebook page that this photo of Father Mark’s was taken for. Of course, I had to photograph the clerical photographer as it all made up the memories of the day.
Father Mark hands a witness the marriage certificate to look after. His smile suggests the sense of fun and warmth he conducts the ceremony for couples who marry at St Martin’s.
Exiting St Martin’s Church as Husband and Wife
Finally, there is a final address from the rector, and the couple walk back down the aisle together with their guests looking on. Cue another sequence of shots for the wedding album!
At the door, I ask them to pause for a moment. I shoot everything with the camera on manual so frequently adjust the settings for the changing light. When I’ve set up for the change in light between the dim church interior and daylight, I beckon the newly-weds out to take the very first pictures of them outside as a married couple. At moments like these, I realise what a privilege it is to do what I do. I try never to lose sight of that!
How this shot has changed over the years: From film to digital cameras and now it’s predominantly phones that are trained on the couple as they leave the church.
Another view of the church as the couple exit. Here you see the side aisle, arcade and more of the architectural design of what makes St Martin’s Church such a beautiful venue in which to be married.
The newly-wedded couple step from the church porch into the daylight.
Wedding Day Congratulations Outside the Church
Time constraints outside the church do not limit the couple. Unlike register office weddings, theirs will not be followed by other weddings, so there is ample time for them to greet and talk to all of the guests as they leave through the porch doors. It’s a very special time, and I set about capturing as many shots with as many guests as I can squeeze in.
A heartfelt hug: As guests greet and congratulate the couple, there are many opportunities to take some of the most emotional photos of the day.
Although the wedding photographer should give the bride preference, they should take some of the groom too for balance, particularly when it comes to close family members such as parents.
Wedding Confetti at St Martin’s Church, Caerphilly
Confetti is allowed but away from the church on the path leading to the road outside. It’s underneath the trees in the below photo, so the light is not ideal. At Emma and Alex’s wedding, we chose to set it up later on at the reception venue as it was threatening to rain.
Although this photo looks messy, it is a good overview of everyone milling around post-ceremony.
Further Info>> How to Approach the Confetti & Congratulations Photography.
The porch door is an ideal backdrop for your smaller posed wedding group shots. I like to make these as informal as possible and to capture interactions and relationships.
Posed Wedding Photographs
There is also plenty of time for any posed group and couples photographs that you require. St Martin’s church does provide plenty of attractive backgrounds for these, but I start at the porch door, as this is where the bride and groom both enter separately and then exit as a married couple.
After any posed group shots, it’s a good idea to ask most guests to move on to the reception venue where they can relax with a drink and canapés. I then spend 10-20 minutes with the newly-weds to capture their couple portraits without everyone making them feel self-conscious by watching.
As above, this portrait of wedding day enjoyment says a lot more than more serious staged shots.
To the right of the porch is this stunning arched doorway. I’ve no idea where it leads, but that doesn’t matter. It provides an excellent location for a series of shots of the newlyweds.
Same place but I move in closer to capture this portrait of the happy couple.
It had started to rain, so equipped with umbrella, the couple walked around the church for a few more shots.
I don’t mind rainy weddings – this is Wales after all! The umbrella provides yet another memory of how things were on their wedding day.
Moving On to the Reception Venue
There are a couple of options as to what to do on leaving St Martin’s. Emma and Alex toyed with the idea of having some photos on Caerphilly Mountain but decided against this. So your photographer could travel with you to take pictures elsewhere such as on the mountain or at Caerphilly Castle, or you could go directly to the reception venue and join your guests. Either way, after an exceptional service and wedding ceremony with Father Mark at St Martin’s Church, you are well set to enjoy the rest of your day…
However, you depart from the church, whether by vintage Rolls Royce or double-decker bus, this gives closure to your time at St Martin’s.
Photographed from the front seat provides a more intimate photograph as the couple look out at the church just before the car pulls away.
And finally, to their reception!
Parish Church of St Martin,
3 St. Martin’s Rd,
Caerphilly.
CF83 1EF
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/
