Katie & Joe

Château de Lacoste wedding, Dordogne

Katie and Joe kissing on the lawn in front of Château de Lacoste

Morning fog

The fog had not lifted when I arrived, and the château stood half hidden at the end of the drive. Upstairs the bridesmaids’ shoes were laid out on the floorboards, there were croissants and a hairdryer going, and Katie stayed relaxed through all of it.

Bridesmaids’ silver sandals in a circle around Katie’s pink shoes on wooden floorboards

Grey robes on named white hangers hanging from an old wooden coat rack

Katie laughing and holding up a croissant in her room on the wedding morning

Katie’s wedding dress hanging on a white door beside a round gilded portrait

Katie having her hair styled as a bridesmaid in a grey robe sits at her feet

Katie in her bride robe smiling while her hair is blow-dried

A woman in a grey robe sipping a drink by the window, in black and white

Champagne poured at a wooden bureau lined with small pink and gold bottles

Katie laughing with two bridesmaids opening bottles beside an old wooden wardrobe

Katie in her robe turning towards a woman in a lace dress and fascinator

Katie on a wooden chair by the tall window as a bridesmaid works on her hair

Katie’s low bun with a pearl hair vine, seen from behind

Katie in her white robe smiling with her hands together, a pearl bracelet on her wrist

A bridesmaid fastening a strappy sandal on a foot, in black and white

Across the house

Joe and his groomsmen got ready in a room with dark beams and a stone fireplace: waistcoats, collars, a few beers and a lot of laughing. Once they were dressed we went outside into the sun for a few photographs together.

Joe and his groomsmen with beers in front of the stone fireplace, in black and white

A groomsman fixing Joe’s collar as he laughs in his grey waistcoat

A groomsman laughing as he ties his tie while a friend films him on a phone

Joe and his groomsmen in grey waistcoats helping each other with ties under the beams

Joe and his groomsmen clinking beer bottles in a circle in the beamed room

Groomsmen drinking from green bottles under the beamed ceiling

Joe in his grey suit smiling as he buttons his jacket

Joe in his grey waistcoat reading a letter by the curtained window

Joe and his groomsmen in grey waistcoats walking out of an old stone house into the sun

Joe and his groomsmen in grey waistcoats lined up under a big old tree

Into the dress

Back in Katie’s room the light was soft and white through the curtains. The bridesmaids raised their glasses, the dress came down from the door and Katie got ready by the window. Then everyone in silver-grey followed her out through the front door, on the way to the church.

Katie and her bridesmaids in grey robes raising champagne glasses on the bed

Katie’s wedding dress being lifted down from the top of a white door

Katie in her robe looking out of a tall window through white curtains

A bridesmaid holding up Katie’s jewelled pink heels as Katie is helped into her dress

Katie at the bright window in her dress as two women in sequins look on

Katie in her dress laughing with her bridesmaids in silver-grey and two guests in sequins

A guest in a fascinator spreading out Katie’s long veil in the bright bedroom

Katie throwing her arms up by the window as a woman cheers, in black and white

Katie walking down a white corridor towards the light, in black and white

The bridal party with bouquets coming out of the château’s front door

The church

Two guitarists played in the garden as the bridesmaids and a flower girl walked along the old wall to the small church near the château. Inside it was close and bright, with flowers along the aisle. Rings, a kiss, and then confetti all the way out into the sun.

Two guitarists playing under the trees in the château garden

A flower girl walking ahead of the bridesmaids along the gravel path

Katie walking arm in arm along the old stone wall towards the church

Joe waiting at the altar of the little church beside the priest and his groomsmen

What couples say

“OMG that’s amazing!!! Thank you so much made us both cry xxx”

Katie and Joe, wedding at Château de Lacoste, DordogneSee wedding

Katie walking down the aisle of the small vaulted church as guests turn to look

The priest welcoming Katie and Joe at the altar as guests watch from the pews

Bridesmaids holding white bouquets as Katie stands at the front of the church

Guests in fascinators watching from the pews, Katie’s veil in the foreground

Bridesmaids holding white bouquets beside the flower girl in the church

Joe putting the ring on Katie’s finger in front of the priest

Joe and Katie kissing in the crowded church as guests clap, in black and white

Groomsmen in grey suits clapping along the church wall, in black and white

Katie and Joe walking out of the church through a shower of confetti

Katie and Joe with their guests outside the little church in the sun

Cocktail hour

Back at the château, drinks were served on the lawn in front of the house, with a table set up under the arched windows. There was a lot of hugging and toasting, and at one point the groomsmen lifted Joe off the ground.

Drinks table with a hand-lettered sign under the château’s arched windows

Guests with drinks on the lawn in front of Château de Lacoste

The priest laughing with a guest in a grey suit on the lawn after the ceremony

Katie and Joe laughing with bridesmaids holding bouquets on the lawn

The bridal party cheering with raised bouquets on the lawn

Katie with her bridesmaids in front and the groomsmen behind at the château doorway

Katie and her bridesmaids in silver-grey dresses on the gravel below the château towers

Groomsmen lifting Joe off the ground in front of the château

Katie and her bridesmaids walking towards the camera holding up their skirts

Portraits

We kept the portraits short so Katie and Joe could get back to their guests. The trees around the lawn had turned orange, the box garden below the house was in full sun, and the old stone gates gave us a quiet minute away from everyone.

Katie and Joe walking across the lawn towards the camera, the château behind them

Katie with her arms crossed over her lace veil in front of the château

Joe holding Katie’s face in his hands below the château’s pointed roofs

Katie and Joe in the middle of the formal box garden, seen from above

Katie and Joe standing at the old stone gates of the estate

Katie resting her head on Joe’s chest under autumn trees

Joe dipping Katie for a kiss on the lawn in front of Château de Lacoste

White flowers and greenery in glass jars among wine glasses on a dinner table

Dinner and dancing

Dinner was in a white salon with gilded mirrors and old portraits. The speeches were full of stories and the room kept laughing. After dark the courtyard was lit up for the croquembouche and sparklers, and the dancing carried on in the vaulted room.

Round tables set for dinner in the white salon with a gilded mirror

Katie in her dress on the gravel drive as guests gather by the château entrance

A woman leaning out of an upstairs window between the château’s white shutters

A guest kicking up a leg in front of Katie and Joe outside the château doors

Guests standing and clapping in the salon as Katie and Joe come in, in black and white

Katie and Joe seen through the open doors of the salon, about to walk in

Katie and Joe silhouetted in the arched doorway as they walk into the salon

Joe giving a speech with a microphone in front of the gilded mirror

Guests in fascinators laughing at their table during the speeches

Katie’s long lace veil trailing across the floor as she sits among guests at dinner

Katie smiling at the top table under an old portrait

Guests laughing and wiping their eyes at dinner under a gilded mirror

Katie laughing with guests at a round table during dinner

A little girl in white laughing at a dinner table beside a man in glasses

Guests at round tables laughing during the speeches in the white salon

The château courtyard façade lit up at night above its arched windows

Two figures in a lit upstairs window above the dark courtyard at night

The flower girl holding a bouquet of lavender and white flowers after dark

Katie and Joe kissing behind the croquembouche with sparklers in the lit courtyard

Katie and Joe walking into the vaulted room as guests line the walls and cheer

Katie and Joe’s first dance in the vaulted room, guests all around them

Guests tucking into dessert at a long table late at night, in black and white

Katie and a groomsman eating late-night snacks among guests, in black and white

Katie and Joe hugging in the château kitchen among guests, in black and white

An older guest in a pinstripe suit dancing in the vaulted room

Guests dancing with raised arms under pink lights in the vaulted room

Guests dancing under pink lights with the flower girl in the middle

Photographing at Château de Lacoste

Katie and Joe kissing on the lawn beside the château and its orange autumn trees

The estate.

Just outside Sarlat-la-Canéda, in the Périgord, and still a private house. It is hired as a whole for the wedding, with room for up to 150 guests and beds for about 28, so the closest friends can stay the night.

The church.

A small church stands a short walk from the house, along the old stone wall. Katie and Joe married there, and the walk there and back is a lovely part of the day to photograph.

The gardens.

Below the house there is a formal garden of clipped box hedges, and old stone gates at the edge of the grounds. The lawn in front of the château takes the evening light, and it is where most of the portraits happen.

Dinner.

A white salon with tall windows, gilded mirrors and old portraits, bright enough for daylight photographs at the start of dinner. After dark the courtyard façade is lit, and the dancing moves to a vaulted room.

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Questions

Have you photographed at Château de Lacoste before?

Yes: Katie and Joe’s wedding on this page. I know the walk to the little church, the box garden below the house and where the lawn catches the last light.

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 Dordogne?

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!