Gemma & Kieran

Château Seguin wedding, Bordeaux

Gemma and Kieran walking across the lawn below Château Seguin, the dog beside them

Morning at Seguin

The sun was already on the white walls and the gravel courtyard, and a giant wine bottle stood on the lawn. Upstairs Gemma’s dress hung from an old wardrobe, her sandals and veil waited on a blue velvet chair, and she sat in rollers while her hair and make-up were done.

The white Château Seguin and its slate spire across the gravel courtyard, framed by leaves

A giant wine bottle sculpture on the lawn beside an ivy-covered wall

Gemma’s wedding dress hanging from an old wooden wardrobe above a blue chair

Gemma’s white heeled sandals and her veil on a blue velvet chair

A white sandal beside small dried flower pins on blue velvet

Gemma in rollers and a patterned robe as her hair is dried and her make-up done

Kieran and the groomsmen

Kieran and his groomsmen got ready in a white panelled room with a marble fireplace: braces, ties, help with the shoes and a few beers opened on the mantelpiece. Once they were in their navy suits we took them out to the lawn below the old round tower.

Kieran in a white shirt and navy braces fixing his tie by the window

Kieran and a groomsman fastening their braces in a white panelled room

A groomsman kneeling to help Kieran with his shoes by the fireplace

Groomsmen opening green bottles of beer on a marble mantelpiece

Kieran and his groomsmen in navy suits in the salon under a crystal chandelier, a dog at their feet

Kieran and his groomsmen lined up on the lawn below the round stone tower

Into the dress

Gemma finished her make-up by the window while the bridesmaids looked out from the balcony. The table plan was ready too: every guest’s name written on a mussel shell and framed over a drawing of the château. Then the bridesmaids, in navy, laced Gemma into her dress.

Gemma in rollers with her eyes closed as her eye make-up is done

Bridesmaids looking down from a white stone balcony through the leaves

A table plan of mussel shells with guests’ names, framed over a drawing of the château

Bridesmaids in navy lacing up the back of Gemma’s dress in her bedroom

Gemma smiling behind her veil by a bright window, in black and white

Gemma in her dress with a long train, in a bedroom with an old wardrobe and a red rug

Gemma stepping forward, her sandal showing through the slit of her dress

The garden ceremony

They married on the lawn in the garden, with guests on wooden chairs under tall trees and two dogs walking down the aisle. The sun was high and bright. After the rings Kieran dipped Gemma for a kiss, and the brown dog in its flower collar settled straight onto her train.

Two dogs walking down the aisle between guests on the garden lawn

Kieran facing Gemma and her white and green bouquet at the start of the ceremony

The garden ceremony seen from behind the guests on wooden chairs, under tall trees

Kieran crouching to the brown dog in front of Gemma during the ceremony

Kieran sliding the ring onto Gemma’s finger

Kieran dipping Gemma for a kiss on the lawn, her leg in the air

The brown dog in a flower collar sitting on Gemma’s train

Gemma crouching on the grass and hugging the brown dog in its flower collar

A guest’s hand reaching for cheese on a round wooden board

Gemma and Kieran kissing under the garden arch with the dog at their feet

Portraits around the house

We walked the lawn in front of the château, the round tower and the gravel by the door, with the dog never far away. Inside, the salon was cool and full of light, good for a few quieter minutes. Then the bridal party came out to the tower for some loud group photos.

Kieran holding Gemma from behind on the lawn, her bouquet of white flowers and greenery

Gemma and Kieran kissing on the lawn below the round stone tower

Gemma and Kieran about to kiss, seen through the edge of her veil

Gemma and Kieran walking on the gravel as her veil blows out, in black and white

Gemma and Kieran by a dark doorway with vine leaves on the wall, in black and white

Gemma lying back on a white sofa with her legs across Kieran’s lap in the salon

Gemma on the sofa looking up at Kieran in the bright salon with an old portrait

Gemma raising her bouquet high from an armchair, laughing

The bridal party fooling around on the lawn in front of the round tower, a dog running past

Gemma and her bridesmaids in navy raising their bouquets by the tower

A groomsman giving a thumbs-up in heart-shaped sunglasses

Drinks under the trees

Drinks were at tables in the garden, some under parasols, some in the shade of a big tree. There were boards of bread and cheese, a lot of laughing, and a few pairs of heart-shaped sunglasses going round.

Guests in summer dresses laughing around a table in the garden

Guests at tables under a white parasol, the round tower behind them

Gemma, Kieran and guests laughing in their chairs under a big tree

A guest in a navy waistcoat eating beside a table of food

Wooden boards of bread and toast on the drinks table

Into the vines

Later in the afternoon the sun dropped low over the vines, and Gemma and Kieran walked out into the rows for a few portraits with the light behind them. Back at the house the grill was going on the gravel, and they sat on the steps between the columns with the dog before dinner.

Gemma and Kieran walking out of the vine rows towards the camera

Gemma kissing Kieran in the vines, one foot lifted

Gemma and Kieran cheek to cheek in heart-shaped sunglasses

Kieran kissing Gemma’s cheek with the low sun behind them

A woman in sunglasses cooking meat on a large grill on the gravel

Gemma and Kieran sitting on the stone steps between white columns, a dog beside them

Gemma sitting with guests on the lawn as the brown dog comes over to her

Dinner under the lights

Dinner was outside on the gravel courtyard, at long tables with white cloths, eucalyptus, bread in wooden boxes and small glass lamps. As it got dark the festoon lights came on and the château was lit behind the tables. The night ended with sparklers, two croquembouches and Kieran spraying champagne over a glowing tower of glasses.

Bread on a wooden board among eucalyptus on a white tablecloth

Place settings with bread in a wooden box and wooden chairs

A long table with small glass lamps, eucalyptus and bread down the middle

The long dinner tables running towards the château’s pointed towers

Guests sitting down at the long tables, the château behind them in the evening

A glass lamp, candles and a glass of red wine on the dinner table

Guests at dinner by candlelight, a girl in white laughing at the end of the table

Dinner at dusk under festoon lights, the château lit up behind the tables

Gemma hugging Kieran at the table at night under the festoon lights

A guest in a waistcoat standing to speak to the tables under the lights

Gemma and Kieran dancing in a circle with guests and a girl in white

A guest in a light suit crouching on the cobbles as others watch and laugh

Gemma and Kieran raising their arms behind the croquembouche with sparklers

Gemma and Kieran holding hands behind two croquembouches and a lit sparkler

A croquembouche with a sparkler on a silver tray, Gemma and Kieran behind

Kieran pouring champagne into a lit tower of glasses with Gemma beside him

Gemma and Kieran pouring champagne together into the green-lit glass tower

Champagne spraying over the purple-lit glass tower as Kieran laughs

Photographing at Château Seguin

Long tables laid on the gravel courtyard in front of the white château

The estate.

Few trees stand between the house and the vines, so the views are long and open. The white walls and the towers read clearly from anywhere on the lawn, and the older round tower of pale stone made the backdrop for Gemma and Kieran’s bridal party.

Light.

With little tree cover the light stays even across most of the day, which helps ceremonies and group photos. The other side of that is heat, so in summer I keep family photos in the shade of the house. Gemma and Kieran married in the garden, where tall trees gave the guests some shade.

Evening.

Dinner on the gravel looks its best at dusk, when the sky is still blue and the lights have just come on. At Gemma and Kieran’s wedding I took a few minutes then to photograph the long tables from the lawn, with the château lit behind them.

Portraits.

The vine rows give strong lines with almost no direction needed, and they are a short walk from the house. In late September the low sun came through the leaves behind Gemma and Kieran.

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Questions

Have you photographed at Château Seguin?

Yes: Gemma and Kieran’s wedding on this page. I know the garden lawn for the ceremony, the old round tower, the vine rows a short walk from the house and dinner on the gravel after dark.

Do you only work at Château Seguin?

No. Seguin is one of several Bordeaux estates I know; others include Château Gassies, Château Rigaud and Le Petit Verdus.

Is travel included?

Yes. Seguin is in my home region, and travel within France is included in every package.

How far ahead should we book?

Most couples book six to eighteen months ahead. A short message with your date is enough to start.

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