LIKE MAVE Rave Sophie and James’ wedding was party central and made for an exciting day at Sugar Loaf Barn Images courtesy of Ana Parker Photography Sophie and James first met when they were 11 and in school, but it wasn’t until they were 15 that a romance would bloom. When it came to popping the question, James pulled out all of the stops to make it as special as possible. The lovely couple were holidaying in a treehouse in Devon in 2023, and had just got out from the hot tub, when Sophie ran inside to warm up (this was in February so there was still a bit of a chill in the air). Little did Sophie know that James was outside setting up the dream proposal. James had lots of candles outside and with the help of Mollie, their springer spaniel, asked Sophie to marry him. Talk about romantic! The wedding was set for 24th May 2025 at the Sugar Loaf Barn. Sophie is a wedding photographer, so knows her way around the local venues – which is what brought her to Sugar Loaf Barn. Sophie adds, “I remember going to this venue in 2019, way before we got engaged, and thinking this is the type of place I’d love to get married in.” When James went to view it with Sophie, the venue wasn’t set up for a wedding, as it was lambing season and the farmers were busy at work, but he could see the potential and they both noted the farmers’ passion behind the wedding venue. Sophie and James’ theme was ‘pastels mixed with wild garden’ and it looked perfect against the backdrop of the Abergavenny hills. Where they could, they injected elements of their personality in the big day with the placement of surfboards, for James’ love for surfing, and country songs throughout the day for their shared love of the genre. They also had nods to Mollie throughout, with her gorgeous face appearing on beer mats and cocktail stirrers – so guests could be reminded who the real star of the show was! On each table, they had some strategically placed disposable cameras as a reference to Sophie’s profession, and guests were encouraged to pick them up and snap some shots throughout the day. Other personalised items at their wedding included a bright pink neon sign which had been personalised to say ‘Rave like Mave’ - a homage to Sophie’s nan, Mavis, who had passed in January this year but was looking forward to the wedding. This was paired with potted plants dotted around the venue which had various Mavis quotes scribed onto them. Sophie wore an A-line dress designed by Dando London and bought this from Timeless Elegance in Cardiff. Sophie’s chosen gown was picked out with her uncle and mum present – who also paid for it, as an early wedding gift. For added sentiment, she had both of her nan’s names embroidered on to her veil by Ceri Joanne Price from Llantrisant; who has worked in TV and film and came highly reccomemended by Sophie’s uncle. Sophie got the honour of showing her grandad this detail and he loved it! James wore an earth-toned suit jacket from Moss Bros, paired with black trousers and shoes. The groomsmen wore threepiece suits from Slaters in Cardiff and the bridesmaids wore a mix of lilac and pink dresses, which they all chose themselves. When it came to entertainment, Sophie and James went all in, with the inclusion of a magician, a singer, beer pong, photobooth, band and DJ – they also had their best man Rhodri perform a DJ set during the cocktail hour! All of this underlined many memorable moments throughout this couple’s special day. REAL WEDDINGS 25
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