Berkeley Castle Wedding Photographer – I was very privileged recently to visit Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire which has been in the Berkeley family for 850 years – there aren’t that many estates in the UK which can make that claim! The castle was originally built as a defence structure and retains many defensive features such as trip steps, murder holes and arrow holes.
Luckily Berkeley Castle wasn’t built to keep out wedding photographers so, glancing nervously in case there was still the odd sentry on guard aiming his arrow at me from one of the slits; I entered the stunning grounds and felt as though I had stepped into a fairytale.
This medieval fortress is the perfect location for a wedding with exquisite gardens which are brimming with colour, scent and photographic opportunities, from the ancient lily pond to the gently tinkling water fountain.
Anna and Jehad had chosen this magical place to celebrate their marriage but unfortunately they couldn’t choose the Great British weather and the rain poured down on the morning of the wedding. However nothing could dampen the spirit of the day and so I planned to take full advantage of this Berkeley Castle wedding and the friendly, excited couple who had entrusted me to record the events of this, the most memorable day of their lives.
I took a few preparation bridal shots of Anna at the sweet, traditional cottage they had rented near the grounds before heading back to the castle to take a few pictures of a nervous Jehad with some of his closest friends. Something pulled me back to Anna, perhaps it was photographer’s instinct, but I knew I had to catch some of those special moments when Anna made her way to the church as they can present many of those beautifully natural poses which each tell their own unique tale.
The rainclouds parted and the sun shone down on Anna and Jehad as they celebrated their Berkeley Castle wedding. The sight of them enjoying their first dance in the castle courtyard, illuminated by candlelight, was very touching. It was a perfect, enchanting way to end the wedding.
A huge thank you is owed to the staff at Berkeley Castle, especially Pippa the wedding planner, to Chuck, my invaluable assistant and finally to Anna and Jehad themselves for giving me the honour to be their wedding photographer.
Please browse through some of my favourite photos from the day.
