Hannah & Guy

Château d’Oche wedding, Dordogne

Hannah and Guy walking out of the courtyard of Château d’Oche

Morning

The rain was still falling softly when I arrived, and the château’s towers were grey against the sky. Hannah got ready with her bridesmaids in a room of old stone walls, among white flowers and navy velvet shoes, with a veil thrown up over the bed. Then the dress went on.

The carved stone tower and turrets of Château d’Oche under a grey sky

A small stone outbuilding among tall trees on the lawn at Château d’Oche

Château d’Oche at the end of its pale gravel drive under a grey sky

Navy velvet heels beside the wedding invitation and stationery on a wooden shelf

The engagement ring resting on the ruffled navy velvet of Hannah’s shoe

Pearl earrings and a navy ring box beside a fold of tulle veil

A friend having her make-up done in silhouette against the tall window

The low chignon at the back of Hannah’s head as she waits in her white robe

Bridesmaids’ legs in matching white pyjamas and fluffy slippers on a patterned rug

A woman in white pyjamas smiling with her hands pressed together in the bright bedroom

Bridesmaids throwing Hannah’s veil up into the air over the bed

Bridesmaids in white pyjamas laughing and throwing their arms up in front of the stone wall

Hannah’s wedding dress hanging against an old stone wall by the window

White roses, lisianthus and olive leaves gathered in Hannah’s bouquet

Hannah in white pyjamas reaching up to her dress hanging on the stone wall

A bridesmaid lacing up the back of Hannah’s dress

Hannah in her off-the-shoulder dress smiling towards the window

Hannah in her wedding dress, its long train spread across the wooden floor

Hannah smiling as she fastens a pearl earring

Hannah stepping out of her slipper into a navy velvet heel held by a friend

Hannah sitting on the edge of the bed in her dress and navy heels, in black and white

Hannah smiling with her bouquet of white flowers and olive leaves

Hannah seated with her bouquet, looking towards the window in front of the stone wall

Hannah under her veil with her head lowered, in black and white

Guy’s dinner jacket hanging on an antique wardrobe below a small chandelier

Black patent shoes, a watch and cufflinks laid out on a wooden table

A black bow tie, still untied, draped over a white table lamp

Across the house

Guy dressed in a white room upstairs: bow tie, cufflinks and a few quiet minutes before the jacket went on. When the rain eased we met outside for the first look. He turned round, Hannah was there, and they walked the grounds hand in hand for a while.

Guy laughing in his white shirt beside a round woven wall hanging, in black and white

Hands fastening a gold cufflink on the cuff of a white dress shirt

Guy buttoning his white dress shirt in front of a round woven wall hanging

Guy smiling up as his black bow tie is tied

Guy fastening a gold watch with a black leather strap on his wrist

Guy smiling down as he fixes his cufflinks in his white shirt

Guy sitting on a bench in his white shirt with his bow tie hanging loose

Guy pulling on his shoes on a low bench beside the white door

Guy sitting on the old wooden staircase in his dinner jacket

Guy in his dinner jacket with his chin on his hands, in black and white

Guy buttoning his dinner jacket by the woven wall hanging, in black and white

Guy smiling with a hand at his chin, leaning by an old wooden door

Guy smiling as Hannah walks up behind him for the first look in the courtyard

Hannah and Guy face to face at their first look by the climbing roses

Hannah and Guy walking across the gravel courtyard past the stone house, her train behind

Hannah and Guy holding hands on the drive, seen from behind

Guy laughing with Hannah under the trees, her bouquet in her hands

Guy following Hannah past the carved stone doorway, in black and white

Hannah’s bouquet of white roses and olive leaves held against her dress

Hannah from behind in front of the château’s carved wooden doors

Hannah and Guy walking hand in hand along the gravel path between the stone buildings

Hannah and Guy on the gravel drive in front of the château

Hannah swishing her skirt on the gravel path between the hedges

White flowers and greenery tied to the white chairs along the aisle

The ceremony

Because of the morning rain, the ceremony moved into one of the château’s salons, under a crystal chandelier, with white chairs, flowers along the aisle and a cellist by the window. There were tears, rings and a first kiss by the tall window, then rose petals all the way out into the courtyard.

Guy waiting at the front of the salon under a gilded mirror, guests seated either side

Hannah walking down the aisle under a crystal chandelier

What couples say

“Dina was our Photographer in June '25 in the Dordogne, and she was amazing. So easy to meet her online, organise all of the details easily, and then send her photos we wanted in preparation. She also worked really well with our videographer, and made sure we got every photo we needed. Highly recommend!!”

Hannah and Guy, wedding at Château d’Oche, DordogneSee wedding

Guy hugged by a guest at the front of the salon as Hannah smiles, in black and white

Hannah and Guy facing each other at the front of the salon beside a carved wardrobe

The salon during the ceremony, Hannah and Guy at the far window among their guests

The ceremony seen through the panes of a glazed door under the chandelier

Hannah laughing with her hand on her chest during the ceremony

Hannah and Guy at the front of the salon beside a carved dresser, guests seated in rows

Guy putting the ring on Hannah’s finger beside the officiant

Hannah wiping away a tear as Guy reads his vows under the chandelier

Hannah laughing with her head thrown back during the ceremony, in black and white

Hannah reading her vows from a card as Guy smiles at her

Hannah and Guy kissing in front of the tall window at the end of the ceremony

Guy holding open a white door as Hannah’s train sweeps past, in black and white

Hannah and Guy walking down a white corridor, her long train over the tiled floor

Hannah looking back from the old wooden staircase, her train spread down the steps

Hannah and Guy kissing at an upstairs window in the château’s stone wall

Hannah and Guy walking out into the courtyard through a shower of rose petals

A cloud of pink petals falling over Hannah as guests throw them in the courtyard

Pink rose petals scattered on the gravel around the hem of Hannah’s dress

Cocktail hour

The courtyard was dry in time for drinks. Guests gathered on the gravel among the stone walls, the groomsmen lifted Guy off his feet, and Hannah and Guy’s initials were on the drinks table, next to more white flowers.

Guests hugging Hannah in the courtyard after the ceremony

Orange spritzes being poured into rows of wine glasses at the drinks table

Guy laughing with a hand at his face as guests greet him and Hannah in the courtyard

Guests gathered on the gravel courtyard for drinks, seen from above, in black and white

Guests chatting in the courtyard, seen through white flowers in the foreground

Groomsmen lifting Guy off his feet in front of the château, in black and white

A guest laughing with an orange drink beside friends in the courtyard

A drink beside a white box with Hannah and Guy’s initials and white flowers

Hannah and Guy on the stone steps with drinks in hand

Hannah and Guy laughing together on the gravel drive, her hand on his chest

Portraits

We made the portraits once the afternoon cleared: under the veil on the old wooden staircase, by the ivy on the house walls and across the lawn below the towers. Hannah and Guy laughed through most of it.

Hannah and Guy kissing under her veil on the old wooden staircase

Hannah and Guy kissing through her veil, her hand on his cheek, in black and white

Guy behind Hannah on the staircase, both laughing

Hannah swirling her train on the lawn beside the ivy-covered house

Hannah in her veil smiling over her shoulder by a white hydrangea

Guy leading Hannah by the hand across the lawn past the ivy and hydrangeas

Guy dipping Hannah for a kiss in front of the ivy-covered walls

Hannah and Guy running hand in hand across the lawn below the château

Dinner outside

Dinner was set at one long table in the courtyard, with white flowers and olive leaves down the middle and a tower of champagne coupes by the olive tree. A light shower came back during the speeches, the umbrellas came out, and dinner stayed outside exactly as planned.

The long dinner table set in the courtyard in front of the château

White flowers, olive leaves and candles along the dinner table

A green menu card on a folded napkin below white flowers at the dinner table

Red wine bottles and white flowers along the long table set with glasses

A place setting with a green menu on a white napkin between silver cutlery

A corner of the long table with wooden cross-back chairs below the trees

Stacked champagne coupes and white flowers on a table by the old olive tree

A wooden wine crate, white flowers and green envelopes on the welcome table

Guy giving a speech in the courtyard as a guest films him on a phone

Hannah and Guy listening to a speech among their guests in the courtyard

Guests raising their glasses for a toast in front of the stone house

Guests gathered in a wide circle around Hannah and Guy on the gravel courtyard

Guests under umbrellas in the courtyard during a light shower

Guests laughing during the speeches under a large white parasol

Guy opening a bottle of champagne beside the coupe tower as Hannah laughs

Guy looking up in delight as the champagne pops, Hannah laughing beside him

Champagne being poured into a tower of coupes in the courtyard

Hannah and Guy pouring champagne into the coupe tower below the stone tower

Hannah and Guy kissing over the champagne tower, glasses in hand

Guests at the long dinner table beneath the château’s carved tower

Hannah and Guy seated side by side at the long table, seen from behind

Two hands clasped on the tablecloth beside a glass of white wine and flowers

Hannah standing at the end of the long courtyard table beneath the trees

A plate of lamb with asparagus and a glass of rosé at the dinner table

A guest pointing to the sky during his speech as Guy laughs beside him

Guests laughing at the dinner table with white napkins over their heads

A guest leaning in between friends at the dinner table, everyone laughing

Hannah standing to speak at the table beside the château’s stone staircase

Dinner in the courtyard, the whole château behind the table

Hannah at the dinner table seen from behind, her off-the-shoulder dress and chignon

Into the night

After dinner Hannah changed into a second, simpler dress. They cut a croquembouche with sparklers in the white salon, had their first dance on the chequered floor, and then the dance floor belonged to their friends.

Hannah in her second dress running across the courtyard

Hannah in her second dress walking hand in hand with Guy out of the château doorway

Hannah holding Guy’s face in her hands in front of the château at dusk

Hannah in her second dress and Guy smiling side by side by the stone wall

Guy kissing Hannah’s cheek by an arched window, in black and white

A croquembouche with sparklers carried towards Hannah and Guy

Hannah and Guy cutting the croquembouche on the chequered floor of the salon

Hannah and Guy starting their first dance on the chequered floor as guests watch

Hannah and Guy dancing close under the chandeliers, guests around the chequered floor

Guy and a guest in a sequinned dress raising their drinks, in black and white

Guests cheering with their arms in the air on the dance floor, in black and white

A guest knocking back a shot on the dance floor in warm yellow light

A guest carrying a friend on his back across the dance floor, in black and white

A guest in a pale suit dancing beside a friend in a floral dress by the DJ lights

Guests dancing under the chandelier with bottles in their hands

Photographing at Château d’Oche

Château d’Oche with its towers and ivy, Hannah and Guy small on the lawn in front

The estate.

Near Sarlat, in the Dordogne: a stone château with carved towers, a gravel courtyard with olive trees and lawns below the house. The indoor and outdoor spaces sit close together, which matters on a day when the weather keeps changing.

Ceremonies.

In front of the old chapel in the grounds, or, as for Hannah and Guy on a rainy morning, in a salon with tall windows and a crystal chandelier. The day keeps its rhythm either way.

The light.

The courtyard and the ivy on the walls give soft, even light on a grey day, and the old wooden staircase inside is lovely for a quiet portrait away from the guests.

Dinner.

A long table in the courtyard, under the towers. With umbrellas at hand, a light shower during the speeches became part of the evening rather than a reason to move inside.

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Questions

Have you photographed at Château d’Oche before?

Yes: Hannah and Guy’s wedding on this page, and Patrick and Rachel’s. I know where to go when the weather changes: the salons for the ceremony, the staircase for portraits and the courtyard for dinner.

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!