Château Cazenac wedding photography, Dordogne, South of France

the bride and groom leaving the outdoor ceremony at the chateau cazenac

 

 

Château Cazenac wedding photography

This was our first time at doing some Château Cazenac wedding photography and man was it amazing!

That week saw me flying to France, to the beautiful Château Cazenac. A truly stunning French wedding venue in the heart of the Dordogne region, in the South of France. It’s a destination wedding photographers dream. Beautiful orange brick buildings, an undercover shaded area for an outdoor wedding ceremony and then a beautiful barn covered in hanging fairy lights for an intimate wedding reception. There’s also an amazing team of wedding planners from Marry Me In France there to make sure that weddings all run to plan. Oh yeah, did I mention that you can have your first dance outside under a canopy of hanging lanterns! Not only this, but the with the backdrop of the Château Cazanec all lit up…WOW! – Honestly, it’s amazing and perfect for photography. Why would you not want to get married there and have your very own destination wedding?

I’ll tell you more about the region and the beautiful Château a bit later – Now I want to talk about the two beautiful humans that are Caroline & Mat and their epic friends and family.

The bride and groom

So, Caroline is half-French and always travelled to the Dordogne region as a child.  With that, it is only fitting that she came back here for her fairytale wedding. So, with 50 of their closest friends and family, we packed our bags, hopped on a plane and headed on a little adventure to the South of France!

As a destination wedding photographer, weddings abroad mean you really get a chance to get to know people. We’d never properly met Caroline and Mat until I arrived in France. They’re the loveliest couple. Mat is super chilled out and such a dude. Caroline is stunningly beautiful with her beaming smile and big beautiful eyes and is super creative and organised. Together they make such a great combo.

Friends, family & legends

I also got to meet the now legendary Auntie and Uncle, who, in their late 60’s decided to join everyone on the pre-wedding canoeing expedition down the Dordogne river. They proceeded to capsize, get trapped under their canoe and had to be rescued by brother Alex heroically diving in, coming to their dramatic rescue. Legends!

So, all dried off and recovered, I believe a few glasses of wine were in order that evening. Now it would be hard as an English person to not mention the weather. Surely, you travel all the way to the South of France for a wedding armed with a mountain of camera gear, you’re guaranteed beautiful golden sunshine right? Nope!! That night it was pretty wet and rainy. As I opened the curtains of my Air BnB on the wedding morning, it was torrential rain. Gutted!!! Not to worry though, we had everything crossed that it would brighten up and sure enough by lunchtime, the rain had stopped and the grass started to dry off just in time for their beautiful outdoor wedding to start! Phew!!!

Destination Weddings

Destination weddings are full of lots of questions and unknowns… Would the wedding dress arrive in the back of Dad’s car safely and uncreased? Would Mat and his guys manage to soak me and my camera at the poolside with repeated backflips and cannonballs? Did Helen manage to get that final coat of nail polish on successfully? Would Mark ever put a shirt on? Is Georgie a secret “droner” and is her fiancé Ben ever going to return with the retrieved drone in time for the group photo, and most importantly, can Mat and Mark manage to ride their tandem bike to the ceremony without either falling off or splashing mud up themselves. Safe in the knowledge that it’s a big YES to all the above, we headed outside, took our seats and watched as two beautiful people say their vows and officially became Mr and Mrs Potiphar.

nighttime photos of the bride and groom dancing at the chateau cazenac in the dordogne

Live, laugh, love

For me, weddings aren’t about the dress, the flowers & decorations, or all of that. Yes, they’re super important but they’re just the icing on the metaphorical wedding cake (see what I did there! lol). Weddings are all about the people and the great thing about Destination Weddings is you can really only invite the people who are super important to you. As I stood around at the wedding watching everything unfold, I was surrounded by such a great atmosphere around. Lots of laughter and happiness from the people who mean the most the Caroline and Mat and it was great to see everyone having such a great time.

Honestly guys, I truly loved being there with you. It’s humbling to know that you put 100% of your trust in me to capture your wedding as I saw it and I really hope these photos will not only bring back memories of an awesome weekend, but will forever make you smile when you’re old and grey, looking back on your lives together!!
Thank you all once again for being amazing – I miss you all already!

Here are a few of our favourites while we work on your full gallery – Turn it up LOUD, and enjoy! x

 


Château Cazenac Breakfast at Château Cazenac wedding guests using the pool at Château Cazenac Wedding photos at Château Cazenac The groom ironing his clothes the wedding dress hung up the bride getting ready at Château Cazenac The bride checking her messages wedding guests arriving at the wedding the groom & best man arriving on a tandem bicycle the wedding in the dordogne, south of france The bride & groom walking at Château Cazenac the bride & groom in the outdoor ceremony the bride celebrating the wedding The wedding guests waiting to throw confetti the bride & groom at Château Cazenac the wedding reception at Château Cazenac wedding photos at Château Cazenac Château Cazenac - wedding guests wedding guests laughing the bride and groo with their bridesmaids and groomsmen the groom and his groomsmen the bride & groom in the ground of Château Cazenac wedding photos at Château Cazenac the bride & groom walking with Château Cazenac in the background wedding photos at Château Cazenac the bride sitting on a chair at Château Cazenac guests relaxing with the south of france countryside in the background playing boules at the wedding Looking through the window at guests enjoying the wedding reception a guest enjoying the boules the bride tossing her bouquet from the balcony the bride & groom during the wedding speeches the groom doing his speech the bride & groom at sunset the bride & groom at sunset the wedding croque-en-bouche the first dance outside wedding guests dancing  the bride on the dancefloor the bride & groom dancing outside with the building lit up

Day Two

Château Cazenac wedding photography, Dordogne, South of France Wild poppies in the Dordogne, South of France Everyone enjoying the pool at Château Cazenac Château Cazenac wedding photography, Dordogne, South of France Château Cazenac wedding photography, Dordogne, South of France the groom playing in the pool the day after the wedding

 

The History of Château Cazenac

It is thought the construction of the building may have begun back in the 14th century. Starting with the West Tower which is now the study and the pink room. It was originally built as an outpost defence of a nearby property at Bigaroque.

During the renaissance period, the end of the 15th and start of the 16th century, another tower to the east was added along with gunports.

In the period from the 17th century up until the French Revolution, times were quieter in the countryside. A new façade was added to the building, with large windows overlooking the river Dordogne. This structure joined the east and west tower and so began the chateau as a delightful domestic residence.

Finally, in the 19th century, large scales works were carried out to improve the comfort of the building. A series of outhouses were added to make a courtyard entered through a wrought-iron gate. The main house was restored at the same time. Cut into the stone above the windows in the roof, are rays of the sun in honour of King Louis XIV and wall paintings in the dining room are evidence of a new found prosperity.

The current owners bought the chateau in 1988 and they have continued to improve the property while still keeping in mind it’s character and substantial history.

Today

Marry Me in France now manages weddings at the property for the owners and it’s clear they love the chateau!! The property can accommodate up to 40 guests so it’s perfect for a destination wedding venue. There are rooms in the chateau itself, in the towers (Romeo & Juliet moment!!) and there are also two beautifully restored cottages complete with gardens and swimming pools!

For the wedding ceremony, there are numerous options inside and out, along with a fabulous converted barn for up to 100 guests. As a photographer, the light is great too! The ceremony are is under dappled shade, which is beautiful. As the sun moves around the building, it’s huge towers cast really helpful shadows for doing group photos, and in the evening it’s lit up to look truly magical. It’s everything you can want as a photographer.

 

Loved this wedding as much as we do??

Share the love and leave Caroline and Mat a comment to read below!

 

the groom sat in the blue swimmingpool in France at the Chateau Cazenec

 

 

Château Cazenac wedding photography. France Wedding Photographer. Ben and Hannah are multi-award winning, husband and wife International Wedding Photographers. Ben loves travelling throughout the UK for weddings and abroad for destination weddings. Meeting new people every day as we go is awesome! If you’ve seen us at a recent wedding and have a friend that’s getting married, we’d love you to recommend us! 🙂

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