Wedding Photographer Castle Elsloo: A wedding photo series from an intimate September wedding in the Knight's Hall with a lunch at Van der Valk Urmond
On relatively short notice, I received a call from this couple asking if I would capture their wedding day. It was a mini wedding reportage lasting 3 hours, starting with the arrival of the couple at Castle Elsloo, followed by the wedding ceremony in the Knight's Hall, some group photos, a romantic photo shoot in the park, and concluding with a lunch at Hotel Van der Valk in Urmond.
We agreed to have a video call so they wouldn't have to come in person. This was not a problem; couples often book me via video calls. It's a quick way to get a sense of whether we are a good match as a couple and photographer. During video calls, I often show wedding albums and send customers examples of previous reports at the same location via WhatsApp. They were immediately enthusiastic and booked me.
At the agreed-upon time, the weather was delightful as I arrived at Castle Elsloo. Along with the family and the officiant, I awaited the arrival of the couple. I gave them a few brief instructions to enhance the photos during the ceremony. Then, I quickly climbed the narrow stairs towards the Knight's Hall, where I set up my photo gear in a corner and measured my lighting.
The Knight's Hall is a very beautiful wedding hall in terms of lighting, but it poses a challenge on a sunny day. I opened the windows because it was quite warm. It was a good thing I did because the groom had to wipe his forehead from the heat. The couple sat directly in the sunbeam streaming through the beautiful old windows. For me, it was a challenge to capture the couple beautifully in the light and also photograph the audience well. Due to the small size of the hall, moving discreetly was challenging. The witnesses sat around the couple, and the officiant stood behind the table. It required some adjustment, crouching, and sometimes squeezing, but ultimately, it was a beautiful, intimate wedding hall.
After a lovely photoshoot of the couple and the groom's sons, I drove to Urmond to capture the start of the wedding lunch and the toast. Soon, the 3 hours flew by, and it was time for me to say goodbye.
I have now edited the entire wedding reportage and presented it to the couple. So, it's time to write a small wedding blog about this celebration.
