Chateau de Reignac
Kate & Steven

Shooting a wedding abroad is always different. You’re in a foreign country, you hope the Sat Nav is correct and you get all excited over what is often your first time at a venue and what cool stuff will be there to shoot.

Until Kate and Steven’s wedding in the Loire Valley I’d not been to Chateau de Reignac, or the Loire.

One of the main observations I mentioned to my wife Laura was that it’s not a valley in the traditional sense (I had visions of standing upon high surveying the area) – but no, it’s an area of France which is full of vineyards and fields upon fields of sunflowers along the roads and beyond. It’s actually quite flat and it’s incredibly peaceful.

Kate and Steven’s wedding was a relaxed and casual affair. Kate looked stunning in her Jenny Packham dress, the detail of which was gorgeous. Steven wore a bespoke number from a tailors in Brighton and together they looked a perfect couple.

The ceremony was held in the grounds of the Chateau de Reignac. There is a Chapel adjoining the main building. To access it you need to enter from outside however you can look down into it via a balcony in the Chateau.

One thing I noticed during the day was that in France the light falls differently. It’s prettier, more warming and subtle versus the UK. Looking back on the photos we took there is a different feel to them and they embrace you more.

As with all international and destination weddings we stay overnight and work until late. We had exceptionally clear skies above the Chateau grounds and spent extra time shooting the stars. Which certainly paid off.

The cutting of the Croquembouche was epic. I’ve never witnessed anything like it and as the evening wound down we made our way to bed and traveled home the following day.

Here are some more lovely images from their wedding at Chateau de Reignac: