Lilai and Sisi married at Leeds Castle in Kent. They set aside six hours before their ceremony just for photographs around the castle and grounds, and with around twenty dresses between them and plenty of outfit changes, there was a lot to photograph. After the ceremony came a vintage Rolls-Royce, dinner in the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall and a tea ceremony during the speeches.
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle sits on islands in a lake near Maidstone. It started as a Norman stronghold 900 years ago, belonged to six medieval queens and was one of Henry VIII’s homes. In the early 1900s Lady Baillie turned it into a country retreat. It looks the way you’d draw a castle, and it was the first time photographing a wedding there.
Six hours for portraits
When Lilai first got in touch, he was enthusiastic about creative wedding portraits, and the couple built their morning around them. Six hours before a ceremony is rare, and it meant there was time to use the castle, the moat and the grounds properly rather than rushing.
Sisi was up for every idea. She wore a Pronovias wedding dress, but it was far from her only one. Her mum had brought around twenty dresses over from China, and Lilai had almost as many outfit changes, so the pictures move through a lot of different looks, including a red dress.
The ceremony
For all the dresses and outfit changes, Sisi never looked better than when she walked up the aisle to Lilai.
The Rolls-Royce
The weather was good after the ceremony, so there was time outside the castle with the vintage Rolls-Royce the couple had booked.
Dinner and a tea ceremony
The wedding meal was served in the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall. During the speeches, Lilai and Sisi served traditional tea to their parents, a symbol of the two families coming together.
Congratulations to Lilai and Sisi.
Planning a Leeds Castle wedding
- Plan around the visitors. Leeds Castle is also a visitor attraction, so check with the castle how your day fits around opening hours, and time the portraits for when the bridge and lawns are quiet.
- Save the moat for low sun. The castle reflected in the water is the picture everyone wants, and it’s best when the sun is low and the water is still.
- Use the windows if it rains. The deep stone windows inside give soft light and a lot of atmosphere whatever the weather.
- Choose your spaces. There are licensed rooms in the castle itself, at Battel Hall, in the Maiden’s Tower and in Fairfax Barn, with dinner usually in the Henry VIII Banqueting Hall.
- Think about portrait time. Six hours like Lilai and Sisi is unusual. Fifteen or twenty minutes when the light is right is enough for most couples.
More about the rooms, portrait spots and costs is on my Leeds Castle wedding photographer page. For more Kent weddings, see Hever Castle and Tunbridge Wells, or have a look at my prices and send me your date.
