Maria & Max

Château Belle Époque wedding, near Bordeaux

Groomsmen lifting Maria’s skirt on the lawn at Château Belle Époque

The barbecue

The first day was a barbecue party by the pool. Guests swam and lay in the sun under the château towers, three grills were going at once in the garden, and Maria and Max ate their skewers straight off the stick.

The pool and sun loungers seen through the iron frame of the glasshouse

Maria laughing in a white lace top beside friends sitting by the pool

Maria at the edge of the pool below the château tower and white parasols

Guests sunbathing on loungers beside the pool, seen through olive branches

Maria and Max sitting at the edge of the pool in front of the glasshouse

Maria standing on the pool terrace wall as a guest lounges in the sun below

Guests tending three kettle barbecues in the garden

A smiling guest holding up barbecue tongs and a knife in the garden

Guests gathered round a barbecue beside white garden tables

Two guests greeting each other with a kiss among the olive trees

An older guest carrying a tray of meat across the courtyard

Guests carving grilled meat on a long table beside the barbecues

A guest in sunglasses making a peace sign in the garden

Bowls of green salad and fruit salad on the barbecue table

Maria and Max eating skewers side by side at the barbecue

Maria kissed on both cheeks by two friends in summer dresses

Ivy and carved stone window surrounds on the château façade

Getting ready

On the wedding day Maria got ready in a room with green walls and tall windows, her dress hanging between them. Max and his friends dressed in the panelled rooms of the house and raised a glass. Then came the bridal portraits: Maria under her long lace veil, posing like a professional model.

Maria’s wedding dress hanging between tall windows in a green-walled room

Maria’s white heels and accessories catching the sun on a wooden floor

Maria holding a coffee cup and her phone in her white robe

Maria having her make-up done in her white robe

Maria holding one of her white lace bridal heels

Maria laughing in her robe while her hair is styled in the bedroom

Maria’s feet in fluffy white Mrs slippers on the wooden floor

Max grinning in his waistcoat and bow tie in a bright room

A black bow tie held in the palm of a hand against a dark suit

Two of the men fastening their waistcoats face to face by the tall curtained window

Max in his waistcoat and bow tie looking out of a curtained window

Two groomsmen buttoning their dinner jackets beside a carved wardrobe

Max relaxing in an armchair with his feet up by the marble fireplace

Max and his groomsmen joking around on the wooden staircase, in black and white

Max in his dinner jacket and bow tie by a leaded window

Max and his groomsmen seated around a wood-panelled room with stained glass

Max and his groomsmen raising champagne glasses together

The groomsmen straightening each other’s jackets in the panelled room

Maria smiling over her shoulder, her dark hair in a low bun

Maria in a white slip looking at herself in a tall mirror

Maria under her lace veil with a bouquet of white flowers, sitting on the bed

Maria peeking out from under the lace edge of her veil on the bed, in black and white

Maria reaching for her dress hanging by the curtained window

Maria smiling over her shoulder as a bridesmaid in yellow fastens her dress

Two women in green and yellow arranging Maria’s train in the bedroom

A woman in green holding Maria’s white lace heel

Maria from behind in her strapless dress, the long lace train across the floor

Maria smiling back over her bare shoulder by the mantelpiece

Maria in a high-necked lace gown reflected in an oval mirror as a woman helps her

Maria lifting the edge of her lace veil in the green-walled room

Maria standing under the chandelier with her long veil spread across the floor

Maria seated in her veil against the green panelled wall, holding white flowers

The church

They married in a church, with its traditions kept. Max waited at the altar with his groomsmen, Maria’s veil trailed the whole length of the aisle under the white vaulted ceiling, and when they came out into the sun their guests were waiting with petals.

The stone church tower against a clear blue sky

Baskets of order of service cards beside white calla lilies

Paper cones filled with pale rose petals for the confetti

The priest in red and gold vestments standing at the altar

Maria entering the church on a man’s arm as guests stand in the pews

A man adjusting Maria’s veil outside the church

Max raising his arm in triumph as he and Maria leave the church in the sun

Max waiting at the altar with his groomsmen and the priest

Maria’s long veil trailing down the aisle of the white church

Maria smiling with white roses as she is walked down the aisle past the guests

Maria and Max embracing among guests after the ceremony, in black and white

The church nave with its vaulted ceiling and guests in the pews

Maria and Max seated side by side at the front of the church, smiling

Maria’s long veil spread down the altar steps before the priest, in black and white

Maria and Max standing before the priest at the altar with their attendants

Max sliding the ring onto Maria’s finger at the altar

A guest wiping away a tear during the ceremony, in black and white

The priest reading as Maria’s veil drifts across the altar steps

Guests clapping in the pews as the ceremony ends

Maria and Max kissing at the altar in front of white flowers

Maria and Max seen through a leaded diamond windowpane

Maria and Max coming out of the church under a shower of petals

Guests lining the church steps to shower Maria and Max with petals

Cocktails in the garden

Back at the château there was a lot of champagne and a lot of laughing. Groomsmen and bridesmaids lined up in front of the house, small bites came round on slate boards, and Maria threw her bouquet to her friends on the lawn.

Max waving and Maria laughing as they arrive back at the château

Maria laughing as guests film and photograph her in the château garden

A server pouring a drink from a silver bowl at the garden bar

Maria’s veil lifting in the breeze as she comes down the château steps

Max and his groomsmen in a line with Maria in front of the château door

Maria with her bridesmaids in pastel dresses hugging her outside the château

A guest speaking into a microphone as a woman in pale blue laughs at the table

Guests in a red dress and a mustard suit walking up the gravel to the cocktails

Maria hugging a friend among the garden tables

Guests at white tables under parasols in the shade of the château wall

Small bites in paper boats and glasses on a slate board

Golden pastry triangles lined up on a slate tray

A guest in sunglasses holding a white paper parasol in the garden

Maria turning her back to her friends, ready to throw the bouquet on the lawn

Maria throwing her bouquet to her friends on the lawn

Friends in pastel dresses cheering as one of them catches the bouquet

A guest with a glass of wine dancing down the château steps, in black and white

Sunset

The sunset portraits were the best photographs of the day. We used the ivy-covered steps, the palm trees and the drive below the towers, and Maria brought out the lace fan from the morning.

Max and Maria laughing under the white veil

Max holding Maria’s lace-sleeved hand, her ring in close-up

Maria lifting her veil on the stone steps as Max sits below

Maria smiling by the ivy with a pink flower in her hair as Max walks past

Maria and Max sitting together on the ivy-framed steps, her train across the gravel

Maria holding her lace fan below her eyes

Max kissing Maria’s hand beside the ivy-covered wall

Maria and Max walking away along the ivy-covered façade, in black and white

Maria and Max kissing among the palm leaves

Maria and Max laughing among palm fronds, her veil trailing over the gravel

Maria and Max walking down the drive below the towers of the château

Maria and Max about to kiss in the low evening sun

Max twirling Maria on the gravel drive below the château towers

Place setting with bread, wine glasses and a flower centrepiece in candlelight

Dinner

Dinner was in a glass-walled hall with iron beams and a chandelier, and pink and white flowers on the tables. Maria and Max danced in and had their first dance under the chandelier, the guests had surprises of their own, and the speeches brought a few tears.

Round tables with white cloths in the glass-walled hall

Pink peonies and white roses beside a table number card

Maria and Max dancing in through the glass doors of the hall

Guests laughing at their round tables in the glass hall

Maria and Max’s first dance under the chandelier and iron beams

Max spinning Maria as her skirt flares out on the dance floor

Max lifting Maria off the floor during their first dance

Maria with her arm raised mid-turn as guests watch from the tables

A guest in glasses with her hands pressed to her chest during the speeches

Maria and Max speaking into microphones in front of the tall windows

Two guests laughing behind their hands at the dinner table

Maria wiping her eyes with a white napkin during the speeches

The glass hall full of guests at round tables under the iron roof

Maria leaning down to hug a guest at her table

A guest taking a photograph with a camera across the table, in black and white

Guests clinking glasses of red wine across the dinner table

Guests singing into microphones as Maria dances across the wooden floor

Maria raising her glass high with her arms in the air at the table

Guests at a round table clapping and filming in the warm evening light

A guest in a cream suit singing into a microphone among the tables

The glass hall lit up at dusk among the trees

Sunday brunch

On the third day we had a slow brunch at a French Sunday pace, with cured ham, bread and pastries on the tables. Before everyone left I made a last few photographs of Maria and Max in light summer clothes on the château steps.

The glass pavilions of the hall in morning sun on the third day

Cured ham and bread on a wooden board at the Sunday brunch

Close-up of a tower of choux pastries layered with nougatine

Guests chatting at the brunch tables behind a basket of bread

Brunch table laid with flowers, bread baskets and pastries in the glass hall

Maria laughing at the brunch table in a white sundress

A guest crossing the hall between the brunch tables in morning light

Max with a lace fan, smiling across the brunch table

Maria and Max at the foot of the steps of the ivy-covered château

Maria and Max in light summer clothes sitting on stone steps

Maria and Max embracing beside the ivy-covered wall in the sun

Max holding Maria from behind and kissing her by the ivy

Photographing at Château Belle Époque

Château Belle Époque with its pointed towers behind trees and a green lawn

The estate.

A château with pointed towers, palm trees and lawns in the Landes, near Bordeaux, with a pool and a glasshouse beside it. It suits a wedding over several days, from a barbecue by the pool to a brunch on the last morning.

Ceremonies.

Maria and Max married in a church and came back to the château for cocktails in the garden, on the gravel in front of the house.

The ivy steps.

The stone steps and ivy-covered walls beside the house, and the palm trees around them, are where the sunset portraits happen.

The hall.

Dinner and dancing in a glass-walled hall with iron beams and a chandelier, full of light in the evening and lit up after dark.

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Questions

Have you photographed at Château Belle Époque before?

Yes: Maria and Max’s wedding on this page. I know the ivy steps, the palm trees and the drive below the towers, where the evening light is best.

How far ahead should we book?

Most couples book six to eighteen months ahead. Summer Saturdays go first.

Do you charge for travel to the Landes?

No. Travel within France is included in every package.

I’m excited to go wherever your love story is taking me and looking forward to hearing from you!