One of the perks of photographing weddings, especially destination weddings, is getting to work at and explore beautiful venues. On some occasions, clients take that extra step towards creating a true fairytale wedding and they book chateaus or castles to host their wedding day activities. Photographing weddings at these venues can prove both a rewarding and challenging experience for photographers. On one hand, they offer a unique blend of historical grandeur, architectural beauty, and picturesque landscapes that can significantly enhance the visual storytelling of a wedding. At the same time, however, capturing said grandeur requires careful planning and a keen eye for detail. To help ensure that you’re ready when the opportunity arises, we’ve put together a list of essential castle and chateau wedding photography tips for photographers.

All images are provided by the photographers at Wedding Maps and used with their permission.

1. Get to Know What Your Clients Like About the Location

For chateau and castle weddings, couples typically spend a significant amount of money on the venues, sometimes paying north of $10,000. As such, understanding why your clients chose the venue and what they love about it is crucial.

To ensure you capture the details that matter most to your clients in castle and chateau wedding photography, be sure to ask for their personal preferences. Find out if there are specific spots at the venue that catch their interest, such as a particular garden area, a grand staircase, or even the driveway if they plan to pose beside a special vehicle.

If they don’t have specific preferences, you can offer your own insight, especially if you’ve previously shot at the location. If it’s your first time photographing a wedding at the location, or even if you’ve been there before, we highly recommend that you scout the location, which we’ll cover next.

2. Scout the Location in Advance

Visiting the location before the wedding day, or at least before the day begins, is a must. As a photographer, you should familiarize yourself with the venue’s layout to navigate quickly and efficiently on the big day. During pre-wedding meetings with your client, identify where key events will occur, such as the ceremony, reception, and bridal preparations.

When scouting, whether in person or via maps or other online resources (such as photos that others have taken and shared online), try to find beautiful spots like grand staircases, elegant hallways, gardens, and scenic viewpoints. These locations can serve as stunning backdrops for portraits and group shots.

Capture the Details

The intricate details of castles and chateaus add to the overall charm and elegance of castle and chateau wedding photography, and they also make each location unique. Think of the venue as another major character in the production and give it its due screen time. In addition to capturing the architectural elements mentioned above, such as arches, staircases, chandeliers, and other elements, try to highlight the wedding decorations that complement the venue’s style, including floral arrangements, table settings, and unique decor items.

It’s worth noting that almost as important as where to capture your photos at chateau or castle weddings is when you capture them, which leads to our next point about lighting.

3. Plan for Various Lighting Conditions

Regardless of your shooting style, whether it be bright and airy or more moody and dramatic, you’ll need to plan accordingly to manage the various lighting conditions you’ll find when photographing chateau and castle weddings. You can choose the best spots on the lot, but you should know what the lighting will look like at different times of the day so that you can hit each spot when the lighting is ideal.

To help, you can find apps for tracking the sun and moon (and even the Milky Way), such as Sun Surveyor, which functions as both a sun and moon guide and gives schedules for golden hour & blue hour. This app, and others like it, also feature an “augmented reality” mode that functions like a 3D map. You can use it to see where the sun will be at the time you expect to shoot at your given location.

That said, here’s a quick look at what different lighting styles can look like with chateaus and castles in the background.

Natural Light

Natural light can render great results, especially in rooms with large windows and ornate details that look best in soft, diffused daylight.

Flash, or Artificial Light

Bring your lighting equipment, including flashes, reflectors, and continuous lights, to manage dimly lit areas and evening events, or to create dramatic and moody portraits.

Golden Hour

Take advantage of the golden hour for outdoor shots. The soft, warm light will enhance the romantic ambiance of the venue.

4. Work with the Venue Staff, Wedding Planner, and Vendors

It will be worth your time and effort to make nice with the venue staff as well as the wedding planner and vendors. Establish a good rapport with them to ensure smooth operations on the wedding day and gain their favor for future references.

The venue staff can help you understand any restrictions that the venue might have regarding photography, such as areas that are off-limits or times when certain spaces are unavailable. In addition, try to work closely with the wedding planner, who can provide valuable information on getting to and from the best locations. They can also assist in coordinating with the bride, groom, bridal party, and more to make sure everyone is where you need them to be for photos. Finally, other vendors can prove one of your best lead sources if you treat them well, capture great photos, and share photos with them that feature their services, which we covered in the section above on capturing the details.

5. Be Prepared for the Unexpected

Weddings at castles and chateaus can be unpredictable, so being prepared is essential. Discuss backup plans with your clients and the wedding planner for different scenarios, such as inclement weather, and ensure you have alternative indoor locations for photos.

In addition, you’d be wise to bring backup equipment, including cameras, lenses, memory cards, and batteries, to avoid any technical issues. In the event that it does rain, be prepared and have rain covers or umbrellas for your gear. Whatever happens, try to stay flexible and ready to adapt to changes in the schedule or unexpected events.

6. Encourage a First Look for More Portraits

Not every couple will be open to the idea of doing a “first look,” and they may insist on waiting until the ceremony is underway to see each other. That said, suggesting a “first look” can provide more opportunities for couples portraits, and it will also help get the couple more relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera, which typically translates to better images. One of the best arguments for doing a first look is simply making more time for portraits, and with a chateau or castle in the backdrop, it’s hard not to see how that can prove worthwhile.

[Read: First Look Wedding Photography — Capturing the Magic Before ‘I Do’]

7. Use the Epic Landscape to Capture Epic Portraits

One of the nicest things about capturing portraits in locations with breathtaking views is that we can openly utilize the environment without having to hide particular areas. In other words, we can freely create epic portraits using the epic landscape.

Leverage the grandeur of the surroundings to create wide shots that showcase the couple within the vast and majestic landscape of the castle or chateau grounds. Also, feel free to experiment with different angles and perspectives to add drama and scale to your photos, emphasizing the beauty of the venue.

8. Combine Composition Elements for Incredible Portraits

We mentioned above how chateaus and castles come loaded with architectural eye candy, which you can use to compose incredible portraits of your clients. Be sure to stack compositional elements as well to create even more dynamic shots. Here are just a few compositional elements to consider:

Leading Lines

Framing

Employ natural frames like doorways, windows, and foliage to focus attention on the couple.

Reflections and Symmetry

Capture reflections in mirrors or water features and use symmetrical elements to create balanced and visually appealing shots.

More Inspirational Chateau and Castle Wedding Photography Portraits

Here are some more images for your inspiration.

Conclusion

We hope you found these tips for castle and chateau wedding photography helpful. By following these guidelines, you can effectively navigate the challenges and embrace the opportunities presented by these majestic venues. With careful planning, attention to detail, and a creative eye, you can capture the timeless elegance and romantic allure of chateaus and castles, and you can give your clients the best photos possible of their special day.