Craig y Nos Castle Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A castle with its own opera house

Craig y Nos Castle is on Brecon Road at Craig y Nos, Pen-y-cae, near Swansea in the Upper Swansea Valley (SA9 1GL). The venue says it is nestled in the Brecon Beacons and surrounded by mountains, and that its Grade I listed Adelina Patti Theatre, a historic opera house, is an ideal setting for your ceremony and reception. The castle is exclusively yours on the day, with no other wedding held at the same time.

We photographed and filmed Sophie and Tom's wedding here on 29 December 2025, and their day is told in the photographs on this page, opened by the two of them under a Christmas garland. Our Valleys and Brecon Beacons guide and Swansea and Gower guide show Craig y Nos beside other venues nearby; here we stay with the castle itself. What we say about the buildings and the grounds comes from the venue's own website, and what we say about the photographs comes from looking at them.

For current venue details, explore Craig y Nos Castle.

01 / The spaces / From the venue's own description

The Adelina Patti Theatre, the Conservatory and the Country Park

The venue's wedding page names six places: the Adelina Patti Theatre for the ceremony, the Conservatory and its terrace, with views over the country park, for the reception and breakfast, the Nicolini Lounge as a central gathering point for drinks, a separate function suite connected to the lounge for the evening party, the castle and grounds, and the surrounding Craig y Nos Country Park, owned by the Brecon Beacons National Park, for photographs. It also lists a new bridal get-ready room with a private terrace. It does not give guest numbers on that page, so ask for current figures in writing.

In Sophie and Tom's photographs the castle gives stone towers and turrets for the group photograph and the groomsmen's walk, a theatre with teal curtains and a blue carpet for the ceremony, and, at the end of December, a tree, garlands and baubles indoors.

02 / December 2025 / Sophie and Tom

Sophie and Tom: a theatre aisle, Christmas garlands and a dog under the tree

Sophie and Tom married at Craig y Nos Castle on 29 December 2025. The photograph at the top of this page is from their portraits: Tom in a dark green suit and glasses kissing Sophie, in a white gown with a bouquet of pink roses, beneath an arched doorway decorated with a Christmas garland of red and gold baubles and lights.

In the ceremony, a close-up shows hands exchanging a ring while Sophie, in ivory satin, stands blurred against the guests. Afterwards Sophie and Tom come back down a blue carpet in front of teal curtains, hand in hand and laughing, guests leaning in on both sides.

Outside, a drone looks down on the whole wedding, in green and grey, gathered in the courtyard below the castle's stone turrets, and the groomsmen, seven of them in grey and green suits, walk side by side across the forecourt.

Inside again, Tom crouches to hug a brown and white dog while Sophie sits on the stone floor beside them in front of a lit Christmas tree.

03 / Staying at Craig y Nos / From the venue's own description

Rooms in the castle and a dog-friendly stay

The venue says you and your guests can book rooms at the castle to stay overnight on your wedding day, and lists the castle as dog friendly. Ask which rooms come with your booking and how many guests can stay.

For photographs, a night in the castle means the morning can begin in the bridal get-ready room with its private terrace and the evening can end without a journey home. Tell us your rooms and timings and we will plan the day around them.

Planning your photographs at Craig y Nos Castle

A few things worth asking the venue, and how we would plan around the answers:

1. Ceremony: The Adelina Patti Theatre is a Grade I listed historic opera house. Tell us your timings so we can plan the morning around it.
2. Getting ready: The venue has a new bridal get-ready room with a private terrace. Ask when you can use it.
3. The group photograph: The castle's courtyard and forecourt below the stone turrets suit large groups. Choose a time and a sheltered backup with the venue.
4. Winter days: A late December wedding has short daylight, so we plan portraits close to the ceremony and use the castle's indoor decorations. We check sunset and light times for your date in advance.
5. Group photographs: We do as many as you like and typically recommend around 15, which usually take about 20 minutes. Choose somewhere with room and a sheltered backup, and ask a groomsman or bridesmaid who knows everyone to round people up.
6. Portraits: We usually take a portrait walk of about 15 minutes, with photo and video together. The castle courtyard, the country park and the indoor garlands give you very different backdrops.

One team for the photographs and the film

Cam and Beth have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together, so a castle with its own theatre, a conservatory and a country park is familiar territory. You get one conversation about the timetable, one set of questions for the venue and one plan for the portrait walk.

The photo and video team package carries a £120 deposit and a £400 saving over booking photography and videography separately. We are based near Cardiff, and travel across England and Wales is included in standard full-day packages. When the drive is over two hours we always stay in a hotel the night before and cover it.

Questions about a Craig y Nos Castle wedding