Russel & Sara

Château de St-Paul wedding, Dordogne

Russel lifting Sara for a kiss beside an olive tree in front of the house at Château de St-Paul

The morning

The morning was quiet and pale. Before anyone was dressed I went to the chapel, all white walls, white chairs and white flowers, with newspaper-style programmes waiting on the seats. Back in the house Sara had her hair and make-up done by the window.

The old stone bell tower and its ivy-covered archway on the wedding morning

Sara’s white shoes and long veil laid over a pink silk sofa

Sara’s hands on her white satin robe embroidered with “The Bride”

The white chapel set with white chairs, a chandelier and white flowers by the altar

A newspaper-style order of the day waiting on a white chapel chair

A tall arrangement of white flowers and greenery against the chapel’s white wall

White flowers in front of rows of white chairs in the chapel

Sara in her robe having her hair done on an embroidered chair by the window

Russel

Russel got ready in a room with stone walls and old beams: cufflinks, braces, a bow tie in a gilded mirror. Then he and his groomsmen, with two page boys in matching black tie, walked out across the gravel courtyard.

Russel in braces looking out of a tall window in a stone wall

Russel tying his bow tie, reflected in a gilded mirror on a blue wall

Russel in his black dinner jacket smiling on a cream sofa

Russel in black tie leaning on a white staircase in a stone-walled room

Russel, his groomsmen and two page boys in black tie walking across the gravel courtyard

Into the dress

Sara and her bridesmaids started in white robes and ended up cheering from an iron balcony. The dress hung on a dark wardrobe under a chandelier, and Sara got ready on a pink sofa in a grey room full of gilded mirrors, her bridesmaids in black around her.

Sara in her white robe on a red damask chair, a hand at her lips

Sara and her bridesmaids in white robes seen from behind at a pair of open doors

Bridesmaids in white robes cheering from an iron balcony on the stone house

Sara in her robe climbing an iron staircase on the side of a stone building

Sara’s dress hanging on a dark wardrobe under a crystal chandelier

Sara in her dress reflected in a gilded mirror with her bridesmaids in black

A bridesmaid fastening Sara’s shoe as she sits on a pink sofa under the chandelier

Sara on a pink sofa in her halter-neck dress, a gilded mirror behind her

Sara on the pink sofa with her bridesmaids in black and a guest in a dark suit

Sara under her veil holding white flowers, a hand at her ear

Sara on the pink sofa with her long veil spread across the rug

Sara’s engagement ring as she holds her hands together under her veil

The chapel

Russel waited at the front of the white chapel while Sara came down the aisle, her long embroidered veil trailing over the stone floor. After the rings and the kiss they walked out through the arched door of the bell tower, into a line of guests throwing dried petals.

Sara coming down the aisle on the arm of a man in a dark suit as guests turn

Sara’s long veil trailing down the aisle behind her, seen from the back of the chapel

Sara’s embroidered veil on the chapel’s stone floor, in black and white

Guests’ shoes and printed orders of the day between the chapel chairs, in black and white

Guests seated under the chapel’s wooden roof beams during the ceremony

Russel smiling at Sara as they hold hands at the front of the chapel

Sara putting the ring on Russel’s finger in the bright white chapel

Russel and Sara holding each other close after the vows, her veil on the floor

Sara raising her bouquet as she and Russel come out of the tower’s arched door

Russel and Sara kissing under a tree in the distance, framed by leaves

A guest’s hand full of dried petal confetti

Russel and Sara walking through a shower of petals in front of the stone bell tower

Guests throwing petals as Russel and Sara kiss below the tower

Champagne and portraits

Back in the courtyard Sara and Russel poured the first champagne over a tower of coupes beside an old olive tree. While guests talked under the paper lanterns, we took portraits on the drive, under the wisteria arch and on the stone steps, where the wedding party hid behind their newspapers.

A small tattoo on Sara’s arm beside her satin dress

Sara and Russel laughing beside a champagne tower in the courtyard, an olive tree behind

Champagne pouring into a tower of coupes on a white table

Russel and Sara taking their first sips at the champagne tower

Coupes of champagne being lifted from the tower, bottles behind

Sara laughing with guests over glasses of champagne in the courtyard

Sara in her veil greeting guests in the courtyard, a white fan in her hand

Guests with drinks under a tree hung with white paper lanterns

Russel and Sara walking up a tree-lined gravel drive, Sara holding her dress

Sara and Russel kissing below the house’s pointed tower, her veil across the gravel

Russel and Sara kissing under an arch of wisteria at the edge of the courtyard

Sara smiling against a stone wall with Russel behind her and wisteria above

Sara walking away across the courtyard, her veil lifting, in black and white

The low back of Sara’s satin dress with a fine chain across it

Sara and Russel in front of white hydrangeas and a pale stone wall

Russel and Sara sitting on old stone steps beside a blue-glazed pot

Russel kissing the top of Sara’s head as she leans back against him

The wedding party on the steps holding newspapers up in front of their faces

The wedding party laughing and waving newspapers on the steps by the black door

Sara and Russel walking down the steps with their bridesmaids and groomsmen

Sara alone on the steps in front of the tall black door and climbing wisteria

Russel and a groomsman side by side at the black door between two potted conifers

Russel smiling beside the black door under an iron lantern

Dinner

Dinner was in a stone room with old beams, a crystal chandelier and long tables of white flowers and candles. Guests were on their feet waving napkins when Russel and Sara walked in, and the speeches kept the top table laughing.

A long dinner table laid with candles, white flowers and bow-printed menus

Bud vases of white calla lilies and roses on the dinner table

A round table set with white roses and crystal glasses in the dining room

Sara walking past, seen through a stone doorway framed with leaves

Russel and Sara kissing in the courtyard, seen through a curtain of leaves

Sara holding a glass of rosé and the edge of her veil

Sara with a glass of wine, lit from the side, in black and white

The long table under the room’s stone walls with tall white flower arrangements

Paper fans with a hand-drawn couple and a printed menu on the table

Sara and Russel walking into dinner through glass doors to cheers

Guests on their feet waving napkins as Russel and Sara come in

Guests at their table laughing over menus and glasses

Russel standing to speak as Sara laughs beside him, in black and white

Sara laughing with guests at the top table during the speeches

A printed speech beside candles on the dinner table

A waiter carrying plates of the starter between the tables

The beamed stone dining room with a crystal chandelier, full of guests

Sunset and cake

After dinner the sun dropped behind the house and we went back out: Sara barefoot on a garden chair, a lift by the olive tree, a walk through dry golden grass under the trees. Then they cut the cake under the wisteria, and Sara threw her bouquet from the steps by the black door.

Sara barefoot on a garden chair beside Russel in the courtyard at sunset

Russel lifting Sara in the courtyard with the low sun behind the house

Russel and Sara under a tree with the sun setting behind them

Sara and Russel walking through dry golden grass, her veil streaming behind

Russel and Sara under her veil in front of an old wooden door

Russel and Sara cutting their cake under the wisteria with guests around them

Russel and Sara kissing over their cake as guests watch

Sara holding her white bouquet in the courtyard in soft evening light

Sara’s bouquet of white flowers held at her side

Sara on the steps by the black door throwing her bouquet over her shoulder

Guests in the courtyard reaching for the bouquet

Dancing

The first dance was under a pergola of greenery and fairy lights, with a lot of spinning and two deep dips. Then the saxophone started, the barn with its chandeliers filled up, and the dancing went on well after dark.

Russel spinning Sara under the pergola of greenery during their first dance

Russel dipping Sara under strings of fairy lights

Russel lowering Sara into a deep dip on the dance floor as guests watch

Russel lifting Sara in his arms under the fairy lights

Sara laughing with guests, one in a green hat and patterned shirt, at dusk

Sara dancing with her bridesmaids under pink lights in the beamed barn

A saxophonist playing as a guest in a waistcoat dances beside him

The open barn with chandeliers, fairy lights and white bistro tables after dark

A guest in a hat and white trousers dancing between the leaves

Guests at small tables under fairy lights late in the evening

Sara and Russel dancing with a little boy under coloured lights

Photographing at Château de St-Paul

Sara standing alone in the wide gravel courtyard between the stone buildings

The estate.

The buildings are traditional local stone with plain detailing: shutters, arched doorways, a small tower. Nothing competes with the people standing in front of them, and Russel and Sara’s wedding party needed nothing more than the steps by the black door.

The courtyard.

The gravel courtyard is wide and bright. It suits movement, a walk or a turn or a veil caught by the wind, as Sara’s was. For quieter portraits I move into the lanes, where the walls give shade.

Inside.

The bedrooms have exposed beams and light walls, so getting-ready photographs stay natural. Sara got ready under a chandelier among gilded mirrors, and dinner was in a stone room with old beams.

The evening.

A pergola of greenery strung with fairy lights covers the dance floor, and the open-sided barn beside it, with its chandeliers, holds the party once it gets dark.

Getting there.

Périgueux is close by for guests who want a town to stay in.

Check your date Discover packages

Questions

Have you photographed at Château de St-Paul before?

Yes: Russel and Sara’s wedding on this page. I know how the rooms, the courtyard and the lanes connect, which keeps the day moving without anyone being rushed.

Is there a travel fee for Périgueux?

There isn’t. I live in Bordeaux, and every package includes travel within France.

How far ahead should we book?

Most couples book six to eighteen months ahead; for a summer date in the Dordogne, the earlier end of that is safer.

When do we get our photographs?

A preview within 10 days and the full gallery within three months at most.

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