This wedding at beautiful Château de Brametourte was my third in the south of France on successive weekends. This area is one of my favourite places to shoot destination wedding photography, and one of my favourite places to be. The light is incredible, and there’s a great chilled out vibe everywhere you go. The food is amazing too!
The weekend started in the village of Lautrec at a local pizzeria. The couple greeted their guests over drinks and food as the sun set. They then gave a quick speech and gave out gifts to those that had helped put things together.
South of France Wedding Photography
The wedding day itself took place at Château de Brametourte, just down the road. This 11th century building was once owned by the ancestors of the painter Toulouse-Lautrec. It is now owned by British couple Alison and Paul, and was featured on the TV show Escape to the Château DIY.
On my arrival I found the groom having a bite to eat with his family and groomsmen outside the house. The bride and her family hung out in the Salle de Seigneur upstairs, and there was a local make-up artist on beautification duty. There was a multi-lingual bridesman on translation duty, learning some new additions to his French vocabulary! The groom’s party got dolled up across the stairs in the Renaissance room.
The ceremony was held inside the courtyard at the centre of the building. The floral displays and bouquets had local flavour with loads of sunflowers. The father of the groom wheeled out some guitar chops to provide entry and exit music.
Château de Brametourte Wedding Reception
After the ceremony the guests headed around to the main entrance, with handfuls of petals. Then the newlyweds appeared to a storm of confetti. There were drinks and canapés, a few photos and lots of games of beanbag toss. There were even specially monogrammed beanbags. Music was provided by a brilliant strolling band called The Strikes. They put in a second, even more impressive appearance later in the evening.
Destination Wedding Photographer in France
The wedding breakfast was held in a covered area next to the pool. The couple gave out badges for the guests to express their preference for Team Bride or Team Groom. Little bottles of cassis were ready to be dunked into the fizz when it was time for speeches. After the meal and the first couple of speeches the couple cut their croquembouche. The speech by the best men signalled the end of the meal, and the couple snuck off to have a moonlit run through their first dance.
When Perdie & Nick returned, The Strikes cranked out more tunes and there was lots of dancing by the pool. The dancing moved under the covered area, then the bride took to the decks to flex her DJ skills. I left a dance floor full of glow sticks and smiles.
Post-wedding Pool Party in France
The day after the wedding I returned to Brametourte for a few hours to capture all the fun of the recovery session. It was another sunny day of course. The guests hung out by the pool, entertained by a friend of the couple on the decks.
Wedding Photography in the South of France
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