Ellie and Geoff got married at Goodwood House in the autumn. Ceremony in the Yellow Drawing Room, portraits up the Festival of Speed hillclimb, then back to the house for the rest of the day.
The arrivals
Geoff turned up in a silver BMW i8. Ellie arrived in a classic Jaguar. At Goodwood, of all places, that’s a fair way to start.
The Yellow Drawing Room
They married in the Yellow Drawing Room — yellow silk on the walls, windows onto the gardens, portraits of the Dukes of Richmond looking on.
It’s a warm room to photograph. The silk throws colour back into the space, so faces pick up a bit of it and everything looks softer than it would in a white room. In autumn, with low sun coming through the windows, you barely have to do anything.
They wrote their own vows. That usually means a quieter room and more people crying, and it did here.
Portraits on the hillclimb
Afterwards we went out onto the Festival of Speed hillclimb with the Jaguar.
It’s a straight private road lined with trees, and in autumn those trees are the whole picture. You get depth, you get colour on both sides, and you get a bit of Goodwood’s own story in the frame without having to explain it to anyone.
The wedding breakfast
Back into the Yellow Drawing Room for the meal. Autumn leaves, berries and candles on the tables, which suited the room rather than fighting it.
The evening
The DJ read the room properly and the floor filled early. It stayed full.
Congratulations to Ellie and Geoff, and thanks for a really good day.
Getting married at Goodwood House
Goodwood is a Regency house in West Sussex, seat of the Dukes of Richmond, and better known most of the year for motorsport and racing than for weddings. A few things worth knowing if you’re looking at it:
- The estate is the reason to book it. The house is beautiful, but the hillclimb and the grounds are what you won’t get anywhere else. Leave twenty minutes to use them.
- Autumn suits it. The trees along the hillclimb turn, the light drops early, and the interiors get warmer as it does.
- The Yellow Drawing Room does double duty — ceremony and wedding breakfast — so your guests aren’t moved around much, which people appreciate more than they say.
- If you’ve got a car, use it. At most venues a classic car is a nice detail. Here it’s part of the place.
I’ve written more about wedding photography at Goodwood House, including prices. Send me your date and I’ll check availability.
