Malvern College & Eastnor Castle Wedding

Louisa & Ben

Tags: eastnor castle, Herefordshire, malvern college, Worcestershire

“Thank you so much, these are beautiful and I love them”
“They are really special- I can’t thank you enough”

In August we photographed a wedding that took place at two stunning venues as big and grand as they get. Louisa and Ben got married at Malvern College chapel with the reception at Eastnor Castle.

After dropping off Sarah to cover Ben’s preps at the Abbey Hotel in Malvern, Robin drove across the border in Herefordshire to meet Louisa and her bridesmaids at Eastnor Castle, where they were getting ready for the day ahead before travelling to Malvern for the service itself.

Louisa and Ben chose the chapel of their old school in which to get married. Although the word ‘chapel’ suggests a small place of worship, the one at Malvern College feels huge and would dwarf most parish churches.

Wedding services in the college chapel always feel special and Louisa and Ben’s was no exception – a lovely ceremony conducted by Rev Andrew Law with no silly restrictions on what we could photograph. Following the service, everyone gathered in front of the main Malvern College building for the confetti throw and large group photo and we did a few quick photos of the couple here too. We particularly loved capturing all the little interactions here between the couple and their guests, especially the young bridesmaids and flowergirls.

Eastnor has never been a defensive castle but was built in the 18th century as a ‘show of wealth’ and family home and the descendants of the original owners still reside there today. The castle and grounds are usually open to the public, but for weddings it operates on an exclusive-use basis only. The guests relaxed into the afternoon on the rear terrace with drinks and string quartet and enjoyed the gorgeous views across the lake and to the Herefordshire countryside.

Following the meal and speeches it was time for Louisa and Ben’s main photo session. Eastnor Castle is a huge building with many great spots inside for photos, but the grounds are also extensive. We had already been to the castle as guests at our friends’ wedding a few years ago but we needed to get a little more familiar with the place before working there. So, we took an afternoon out to do a ‘recce’ visit to the venue shortly before Louisa and Ben’s wedding. We always do this for any venue we’ve not worked at before. The recce gave us the opportunity to get to know the layout of castle and grounds and become acquainted with some of the staff and it came in so useful during the evening couple shoot when time was short.

By the time we said our goodbyes we were shattered and our feet were aching, but it had been a fantastic day with lovely people. A really big thank-you to Louisa and Ben :-)