Llyn Gwynant Barns It is located in Nant Gwynant valley, Eryri National Park (formerly Snowdonia National Park), North Wales and is just 3 miles as the crow flies from the top of Yr Wyddfa (Mt Snowdon). 

The Barn is owned by the Williams-Ellis family who are dependents of Owain ab Gwynedd one of the most famous Welsh kings and the Three Eagles of Eyreri is their emblem (which was featured on our wedding stationery).

We first heard about Llyn Gwynant from a friend long before we were even engaged. We fell in love with the pictures online and had said it would be the place for us if they we to ever to plan to get married. 

Due to the distance, and the ‘do it yourself’ aspect - we explored a further 60 wedding venue brochures and visited 15 locations, just to make sure it was what we wanted – but none could top Llyn Gwynant for us.

We visited the venue for the first time on March 24th, 2023, and returned again in March 2024. Both times, the weather was less than ideal, with rain pouring down, but there was something truly magical about the setting and the beauty of the place captivated us from the start. The way the wind dances through the valley, creating waves on the lake, and how the cloud inversions wrap around the mountain is nothing short of breathtaking and when the sun peeks through, it feels like nature itself is celebrating with you. And to top it off, the mountain at the base of the campsite is Gallt y Wenallt, which translates to “The Hill of the Little Chapel” – a beautiful and meaningful touch for a wedding venue.

When I sent my enquiry email over to @fresh_in_bloom - I felt like I'd asked for the impossible.

I wanted the venue to be full of big, large, wild, rich flowers in green, orange, red.  I wanted milk churns for doorways, jam jars, table runners, stage displays, a huge bride's bouquet, 3 bridesmaids' bouquets, aisle decorations, and a flower crown.

However... I didn't have the budget for it, I have really bad hayfever, and was also having my dog - who eats anything in sight - as a bridesmaid.

I know, I know —  Impossible, right? But Fresh and Bloom understood my vision straight away and from our very first chat, it honestly felt like we’d known each other for years. They instinctively understood what I was going for and were so kind and generous in helping me stick to my budget whilst still ensuring the day was beautiful, meaningful, and low-waste.

They gave me thoughtful, practical advice, like where to invest in their stunning real flower arrangements, suggested DIY “bucket flowers”  for jam jars and spray-painted tins for my helpers and I to arrange ourselves, and they even had the great idea of sourcing artificial flowers secondhand from other brides for the table runners (which I can also sell/gift on afterwards – minimlising waste). 

They pulled together a couple of different quotes for me, and there was no pressure at all. In fact, they even cut the quote down and suggested 1 less large flower arrangement for the stage as they knew the venue and said it wouldn't be needed and that I'd have enough with just the three rather than 4 - and they were right, saving me a substantial amount of money.

They turned up the day before to deliver the DIY buckets, and then early on the day to help set up, and honestly - it all looked stunning!! 

If you're local to Wales and need flowers, check them out as they grow and supply all their own from their fields too! 

I struggled quite a bit to find an affordable vegan and cruelty free make up artist that would travel to our location to do just 1-3 people but I feel like I hit the jackpot when I found @theglamgroup

I honestly cannot thank Heidi enough for all she did for us on the run up and on the big day itself. She was truly amazing!! 

Her and @harmonyweddinghair worked beautifully together and we're so thoughtful, compassionate and patient, which was 100% needed for a little anxious little bean like myself.

Heidi just 'got' me and knew what I needed, and when I needed it. And I don't think the morning would of been as smooth as it was without her. 

From the bottom of my heart... Thank you 😘

To keep costs down, we were originally going to make our own cake / get family to make a section each. But approx 30% of our guests were either Vegan, Vegi, Gluten Free or had allergies to nuts, oats etc. And being vegetarians ourselves, who opt for a vegan diet/cruelty-free products wherever possible, we really wanted to ensure the majority of our food was vegan - and there was no way my Nan, or mum would of succeeded in a 100% vegan cake!

We then thought about a naked cake from M&S, teamed with a Lazy Day vegan and GF chocolate cakes from Sainsbury's and decorating it ourselves once we'd arrived at the venue - but due to everything else we'd already decided to tackle oursleves we thought better of it and bit the bullet and decided to get a profesionaly made cake that everyone could eat. And Dave's mum volunteered to make some extra cupcakes too.

We didn't have to look far for a vegan and GF cake maker as @clemievegancake came highly recommended to us from friends also in the industry (@cococheesecakes - check them out if you love cheescakes!!) This didn't stop us from going for a taster session, however - and I do still think this was Dave's favourite part out of all the wedding planning! There were so many amazing flavours to choose from...

• sponge flavours; Vanilla, Chocolate, Lemon, Coffee, Almond, Gingerbread, Carrot, Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Matcha

• baked in additions; White or dark chocolate chips, Fresh fruit pieces (raspberries/blueberries/cherries/strawberries), Cookie pieces (Lotus biscuit/Oreo*), Chopped nuts (peanuts/hazelnuts/walnuts/almonds)

• fillings; Jam (strawberry, cherry, blueberry, raspberry), Biscoff spread, Homemade vegan lemon curd, Peanut butter, Chocolate spread (with or without nuts), Orange marmalade

• buttercream flavours; Vanilla, Chocolate fudge, White chocolate, Lemon, Elderflower, Lavender, Raspberry, Strawberry, Chocolate Orange, Coffee, Biscoff, Cookies & Cream*, Salted caramel

We opted for a mixture of Raspberry/baked fruit vanilla and lemon - and oh my! It was delicious!! and looked incredible too!

Clemmie was amazing and understood my vision, and drew up a few suggestions there and then at the tasting session.

Our main concern with the cake was transporting it to Wales. But Clemie knew our predicament and advised us on designs/sizes to withstand the 150 mile journey, and be easy for us/the caterers, to assemble on the day.

We borrowed two massive cool boxes from our friends and off we went.



We did get a few bumps along the way, but it still looked beautiful - and it tasted amazing!!

If you're in need of a cake, I can't recommend Clemies enough.