Lucinda and Tom were married at Great Malvern Priory and came back to Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire to celebrate — nine hundred years of stonework in the morning, a castle in its own deer park by the evening.
Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire
Eastnor Castle stands in its own deer park at the foot of the Malvern Hills — a Norman-revival castle built in the early 1800s and still lived in by the same family. Inside there are painted ceilings, armour and portraits the length of the hall. As a Herefordshire wedding venue it hands you a great deal before you have lifted the camera.
Getting Ready at Eastnor Castle
Lucinda got ready upstairs in the castle in a Sassi Holford gown, with her mother beside her and the windows open onto the gardens. Downstairs the men were already moving through the halls.
The Ceremony at Great Malvern Priory
The ceremony was held at Great Malvern Priory, twenty minutes from the castle. It holds one of the finest collections of medieval stained glass in the country, and on a July morning the whole nave is full of coloured light. A string quartet played Lucinda in on her father’s arm.
Confetti & the Drive Back
Everybody spilled out onto the priory steps at once. Confetti, a long line of guests down both sides of the road, and then the two of them away in an open-topped car back towards Eastnor.
Portraits at Eastnor Castle
We had the run of the castle and the grounds in the early evening — the great staircase, the arch on the terrace, and the long view back across the gardens with the castle behind them.
The Great Hall
The wedding breakfast was laid out in the Great Hall beneath the painted ceiling, the tables running the length of the room. Speeches, candlelight, and the noise slowly rising.
Dancing Beneath the Chandeliers
The dancing carried on under the chandeliers. When I stepped outside near the end, Eastnor Castle was a black outline against a purple sky with one lit archway at the bottom of it.
Photographed across one summer’s day at Great Malvern Priory and Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire. More of my work is in the portfolio, and there are other Herefordshire weddings on the blog.
