I love photographing weddings at Lympne Castle – it’s such a stunning venue – the front courtyard, inside, and rear far-reaching views out to the sea make it a very popular Kent wedding venue and one I photograph at a good couple of times a year. I always seem to have a bit of an issue with wind (beg pardon!) – quite often, the wind coming from the sea makes some parts of the day a bit gusty in the back courtyard – and it was much the same for Carrie and Matt’s lovely day last year! But with a bit of planning around it, we can always find some stunning spots.
One of the great things about Lympne Castle is the bridal party can prepare in the cottages, so they journey from bridal prep to the wedding is a thirty second walk – very handy. I usually start the day at bridal prep and ease into things with the details. I was straight into action though as Carrie’s dad (watched nervously by her brother) very gingerly carried the wedding cake from his car all the way down to the wedding breakfast room – thankfully, no mishaps!
After breathing a sigh of relief, I joined the bride and the girls for details and to capture the preparations in my usual story-telling style. During a lull in proceedings, I wandered over to the castle itself to photograph the ceremony room and the boys putting on their buttonholes, before a quick run back up the drive to capture Carrie getting into her dress.
A quick Jagerbomb, then it was time for the off as the bridal party made their way down through the (windy) courtyard and into the ceremony itself. I love the light in Lympne Castle – the light coming through the large bay of windows acts like a giant softbox and gives a somewhat unique look to the photos – the bride and groom are well lit and the guests tend to fall slightly more into shadow so it lends itself to a dramatic look.
After the beautiful ceremony (complete with tiny ring bearer), and due to the wind at the back of the castle, Matt and Carrie made their way out into the courtyard through a hail of beautiful natural confetti. While the guests enjoyed canapes and a glass or two of bubbly, we quickly photographed the group shots and then Matt & Carrie enjoyed mingling with their guests. All to soon it was time for everyone to go through to the wedding breakfast, and the bride and groom to make their entrance.
At a suitable break in the meal, once the wind had subsided somewhat, I took Matt and Carrie around the more sheltered spots of the castle for some portraits. As the wind had dropped sufficiently, they were able to swing their plan for outdoor speeches into action. So after the meal, the guests made their way out to the sunken lawn area for some beautiful, emotional and funny speeches in the sunshine – great to do something a bit different, and it allowed me to move round and get some more unusual angles. The best men’s speeches were especially awesome, considering how young the guys were!
The evening kicked off with the cake cutting, followed by an indoor bridal bouquet toss (always great fun to photograph and quite a rarity these days!), then the first dance. Matt and Carrie had a fantastic band who really got all the guests up and dancing, so the party was well and truly in full swing when it was time for me to leave!
If you’re getting married at Lympne Castle, please get in touch and we can discuss your wedding photography!
Here are my favourite wedding photographs from Carrie and Matt’s big day, hope you enjoy!
All images copyright David Burke Photography 2016