The Old House 1147 Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A thatched pub above the Llynfi Valley

The Old House 1147 is at Llangynwyd, near Maesteg in Bridgend County Borough (CF34 9SB). The venue calls itself Wales's oldest pub, established 1147, says it is an approved premises for marriages and civil partnerships, and offers wedding packages for up to 100 guests. It describes spacious grounds and rural surroundings, and says the views of the Nant Y Gadlys valley will leave a lasting impression on your guests.

We worked on two weddings here in 2024. This page follows Beccy and Matthew's day in July, photographed and filmed, in photographs, opened by the two of them on the stone steps. Our Bridgend guide and Cardiff guide show The Old House beside other venues nearby; here we stay with the venue itself. What we say about the buildings and the views comes from the venue's own website, and what we say about the photographs comes from looking at them.

For current venue details, explore The Old House 1147.

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

Spacious grounds and a valley view

The venue's wedding page is short: it promises spacious grounds and rural surroundings as a backdrop, the valley view, packages for up to 100 guests and a wedding brochure and FAQs as downloads. It does not list the ceremony spaces or room capacities on the page we read, so ask the events team for the current details when you enquire.

In Beccy and Matthew's photographs the setting does a great deal of the work: a flight of stone steps beside a lamp post below the thatched roofline and white parasols, a glass-walled structure at the end of a long candlelit table with the valley beyond, and a field of golden grass with green hills and big clouds.

02 / July 2024 / Beccy and Matthew

Beccy and Matthew: stone steps, candlelight and golden grass

Beccy and Matthew married at The Old House 1147 on 26 July 2024. The photograph at the top of this page is from their portraits: Beccy in a veil with a bouquet of white flowers, Matthew in a light blue waistcoat and trousers, holding each other on stone steps with a lamp post and the thatched roof behind them.

Inside a glass-walled structure the long table is dressed with white flowers and tall candles, and Beccy and Matthew stand face to face at its end, the valley soft in the glass behind them.

In the field, with the sky full of big clouds, Matthew twirls Beccy in her veil, a dark tree and green hills behind them.

Planning your photographs at The Old House 1147

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

1. Ceremony: Ask the events team for the current ceremony options and capacities, and tell us your plan so we can arrange the morning around it.
2. Evening light: The valley view and the open field are best in the low evening sun. We check sunset and light times for your date in advance and agree the portrait plan with you before the day.
3. Rain: Agree a sheltered option with the venue when you confirm the order of the day, and we settle it together on the day.
4. 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.
5. Portraits: We usually take a portrait walk of about 15 minutes, with photo and video together. The stone steps, the glass room and the fields 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 thatched pub with a glass room and a valley view 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 The Old House 1147 wedding