Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte wedding photographer
The château that Versailles was copied from, not the other way round. Fifty-five kilometres south-east of Paris, at Maincy.
Le Nôtre’s garden is laid out as a forced perspective — what looks like a round pool from the terrace is an oval from anywhere else. Standing in the right place is the entire job here.
Four places worth knowing
Le Brun’s painted ceilings and state rooms
The classic view back down the garden
Thirty-three hectares of formal garden
Reflections most châteaux don’t offer
The story behind the building
It was built between 1658 and 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s finance superintendent, by three men at the top of their respective trades: Louis Le Vau on the architecture, André Le Nôtre on the gardens, Charles Le Brun on the interiors. Fouquet threw a party to show it off in August 1661. The king attended, concluded that no subject should live better than the monarch, and had him arrested within weeks. Le Vau, Le Nôtre and Le Brun were then set to work on Versailles.
That matters for photographs because of what Le Nôtre did with the garden — the whole composition only resolves properly from particular points along the central axis, and it is not obvious where that place is if you have never been.
The candlelit evenings
Vaux-le-Vicomte is known for lighting the château and gardens with thousands of candles. If your booking includes anything like that, it is the single strongest photographic opportunity of the day and everything else should be arranged around it. Candlelight is very low and very warm — it needs fast lenses and a steady approach, not a flash, which kills the whole effect the moment it fires.
Editorial for the portraits, documentary for the rest
Quiet throughout. In a building this decorated the temptation is to photograph the château and forget the people in it — the aim is the opposite, with the building doing its work in the background of pictures that are actually about you.
What it costs to bring me over
Under an hour from central Paris. Verneuil-l’Étang is the nearest station with a shuttle to the château, and there’s straightforward road access from the motorway and from both main Paris airports — an easy day either side of the wedding for UK guests.
My destination collection is £3,995 for eight hours, from preparations through to the first dance. On top of that, travel and two or three nights — I’d want to be there the day before rather than arriving on the morning, particularly somewhere the light and the sightlines take working out.
Before you book
How long do we need in the gardens?
Forty minutes if you want the far end and the long view back. Twenty gets you the terrace and the steps.
Best time of year?
Late spring and September. July and August are hot and the midday light is unhelpful; the gardens also photograph better with some colour and texture in them.
Do you speak French?
Enough to be polite and not much more. It has never been a problem.
When do we get the photographs?
Your full edited gallery within one week of the wedding.
Availability
Is Your Vaux-le-Vicomte Date Free?
Check your date against my live diary before you enquire — it updates automatically from my booking system.
Still choosing? My destination wedding photography page covers France, Italy, Iceland, Austria, Greece and Portugal, including longer guides to Tuscany and Ravello.
Send me your date and I’ll check it
I read every enquiry myself and reply personally, usually within a couple of hours. The château handles its own venue enquiries at vaux-le-vicomte.com.
- Destination collection from £3,995, plus travel and accommodation at cost
- Full edited gallery delivered within one week of the wedding
- High-resolution downloads, no watermarks
See full pricing & packages before you enquire.
