Julia & Eoin

Château Naudou wedding, Dordogne

Eoin seated on the stone steps of Château Naudou, Julia standing beside him with her train spread, wisteria above

Upstairs

The morning started in the bright rooms upstairs. Julia’s shoes and stationery were laid out on red velvet, the sage-green dresses hung on an old wardrobe, and the bridesmaids, still in peach pyjamas, were already cheering on the sofa. Julia got ready slowly, with champagne and the tall windows open.

Julia’s ivory pointed shoes, rings, perfume and the wedding stationery on dark red velvet

Sage-green bridesmaid dresses hanging on an old mirrored wardrobe, bouquets lined up below

Bridesmaids in peach satin pyjamas chatting on a sofa under an old oil portrait

Bridesmaids in peach pyjamas cheering with their arms up on the sofa

Julia’s hand with her engagement ring holding a glass of champagne

Julia from behind in a white robe embroidered with “Bride”, her hair half up

Julia in her robe at a tall open window, holding her bouquet

Julia smiling as she puts in a pearl earring

Eoin and the groomsmen

Across the house Eoin got ready in a cream suit while his groomsmen wore navy. Their room had red armchairs, a big old painting and a chandelier, and they spent most of the morning laughing.

Eoin laughing as a groomsman straightens his tie

Eoin in his cream suit tying his shoes on a red patterned armchair

Groomsmen helping each other with their ties under a chandelier and a large painting

Eoin in his cream suit standing at a tall glass door, looking out

Eoin laughing in a red armchair, a white rose on his lapel

Eoin and his groomsmen in navy suits cheering on a red sofa under an old painting

Eoin in cream between his groomsmen in navy, lined up under the chandelier

Groomsmen laughing and shaking Eoin’s hand under the chandelier, in black and white

The dress

Julia’s dress hung from the bedroom chandelier until the last minute: strapless and simple, with a long train that filled the floor when she sat by the window. Her bridesmaids, now in sage green, followed her down the spiral staircase.

Julia in her slip reaching up to her dress hanging from the bedroom chandelier

Julia in her strapless dress, its long train spread across the bedroom floor

Julia checking her dress in the wardrobe mirror beside a bridesmaid in sage green

Julia seated in an armchair by the window with her bouquet, the train fanned out

Close view of Julia’s blush rose bouquet against her strapless bodice

Bridesmaids in sage green raising their bouquets around Julia in the bedroom

Julia on the spiral staircase under a black chandelier, seen from above

Julia with her bridesmaids in sage green lined up on the staircase

Under the cedars

The ceremony was on the lawn in the shade of the old cedars, with white chairs and tall arrangements of white and blush roses. Eoin waved Julia down the aisle and was wiping his eyes soon after. They walked back up under white petals, with the façade and its pale blue shutters behind them.

White and blush roses in a tall arrangement on the ceremony lawn

White ceremony chairs on the lawn under the cedars, Château Naudou behind

Eoin waving at the front of the aisle, his groomsmen behind him

Julia walking down the aisle arm in arm with a man in a navy suit, guests standing

Close view of hands taking a wedding ring out of a small pouch

Guests in suits seated on white chairs, the château tower behind the trees

Eoin wiping his eyes as Julia faces him under the cedar

Julia and Eoin facing each other at the front between two flower columns

The aisle between the cedars seen from the back, guests on white chairs

Bridesmaids in sage green with bouquets, one of them wiping away a tear

Julia and Eoin’s first kiss between white flower columns under the cedar

Julia and Eoin walking back up the aisle under white petals, the château façade behind

Drinks in the shade

Drinks were served under the trees, and it was hot enough for sunglasses and hats. The bridesmaids threw Julia’s veil into the air in front of the house, and I took her for a few minutes under the low cedar branches while the sun was still high.

A welcome sign for Eoin and Julia on a wooden easel under the trees

Guests laughing together in the shade of the cedars

Julia in sunglasses and her long veil standing in the shade of a cedar

Guests in summer dresses and hats around a high table with drinks

Julia and Eoin in sunglasses laughing with drinks in the shade

Bridesmaids throwing Julia’s veil into the air on the lawn in front of the château

Julia hugging her bridesmaids in sage green, the château behind them

Julia walking across the lawn under a cedar branch, her veil trailing

Julia turning on the lawn with her veil in the wind, wisteria on the château behind

Julia smiling with her bouquet under the low cedar branches

Eoin kissing Julia on the cheek under the cedar

Dinner under the tent

Dinner was at long white tables under a stretch tent on the summer grass, with small bottles of flowers all the way down. The speeches had Julia in tears and Eoin laughing. For dessert there were cream pastries with raspberries, and a croquembouche in front of the old stone outbuilding.

A sand-coloured stretch tent over long dinner tables on the dry summer grass

A long table set with small bottles of flowers, seen from one end

Long white tables and white chairs set for dinner under the tent

A place setting with gold cutlery, a menu card and small vases of white roses

Julia wiping a tear at the table during the speeches

Guests laughing at the long tables under the tent

A bridesmaid in sage green laughing with guests at the table

Plates of cream pastries topped with raspberries, ready to serve

Julia and Eoin feeding each other from a croquembouche by an old stone outbuilding

Julia and Eoin kissing beside the croquembouche, arched blue doors behind them

Golden hour

When the sun dropped we walked out along a mown path through the long grass, then back to the house: the stone steps and blue shutters under the wisteria, a staircase inside, and the pool with the hills behind it.

Julia and Eoin walking away along a mown path through long golden grass

Julia and Eoin walking towards the camera along the mown path in the evening sun

Julia by pale blue shutters on the stone wall of the house, looking to one side

Julia and Eoin holding each other in front of the wisteria on the façade

Julia standing on the stone steps by the blue shutters, her train over the steps

Julia climbing a curved staircase towards a window

Julia and Eoin embracing by the pool in golden light, hills behind

On the terrace

The dancing started outside on the stone terrace, by the iron gates, while it was still light. Some guests sat at the edge of the pool, others tried the limbo, and after dark the party moved indoors to a DJ and a saxophone.

Eoin dipping Julia on the stone terrace by the iron railings

Julia and Eoin dancing apart with their arms out on the terrace

A guest in sunglasses kissing a bridesmaid’s hand as Julia and Eoin dance behind

A guest raising her cup and her hand as she dances, in black and white

Julia and Eoin holding each other beside a tall cypress at sunset

Julia and Eoin walking along the pool between dark cypresses

Guests sitting at the edge of the pool, seen through open blue shutters

Two guests raising their cups on chairs against the stone wall

A guest bending backwards under a limbo pole as Julia and friends laugh

Julia and Eoin dancing indoors as a saxophonist plays behind them

A guest dancing with a large pink fan under a beamed ceiling

A guest in a white shirt dancing with a guest in a sage dress under a shade sail

A guest in sunglasses dancing by the stone wall, string lights above

Photographing at Château Naudou

Château Naudou with its corner tower and wisteria, framed by cedar branches in the morning sun

The château.

The façade is symmetrical, with two pointed towers at the corners and wisteria climbing between the pale blue shutters. Seen from the far side of the lawn, through the cedar branches, it fills the frame on its own, and the stone steps below the shutters make a quiet place for portraits.

The pool.

The pool lies straight in front of the house, lined with cypresses, and on a still evening it reflects the façade. Julia and Eoin walked along it in the last light, and it gives one wide portrait that shows exactly where you married.

The lawns.

Ceremonies here are set on the lawn under the cedars, with the chairs in their shade and the house behind the aisle. The same branches frame the whole house from the edge of the garden, and there is room further out for a dinner tent and a mown path through the long grass.

A weekend.

Guests stay in the main house and the outbuildings, so a welcome dinner the evening before is simple to photograph. It is an €850 add-on to the wedding day.

Check your date Discover packages

Questions

Have you photographed at Château Naudou before?

Yes: Julia and Eoin’s wedding on this page. More than one wedding, including a welcome dinner the night before, so I know the house from the spiral staircase upstairs to the cedars, the pool and the far end of the lawn.

Do you charge for travel to the Dordogne?

No. Travel within France is included, and Naudou is an easy drive from my home in Bordeaux.

How far ahead should we book?

Most couples book six to eighteen months ahead. For a weekend with a welcome dinner, mention both dates when you write.

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!