Wedding Photographer Limburg: A Romantic Gay Wedding at Vaalsbroek Castle
Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of my former neighbor. Several months ago, he sent me an email informing me that he was getting married to his partner and that they were in search of a wedding photographer in Limburg. That's how they found me, and subsequently visited my home, where we had a delightful conversation that led to them booking me as their wedding photographer.
I gave the couple a call beforehand to go over all the details of their wedding day. Last Saturday, the big day had arrived. A few days prior, we had another call to finalize all the details. During these calls, I discuss things like which hand they'll wear their wedding rings on, whether they'll enter together or with their parents, and any special aspects of the ceremony that are important for me to capture. I made note of everything.
I arrived at Bilderberg Castle Vaalsbroek at 12 PM on Saturday. It was still quiet, and I began capturing moments of dressing up, makeup (they had booked Makeup Artist Marlou), and hairstyling. It was enjoyable and convivial. There was chatter, I captured the atmosphere and details, and soon Kim (a good friend and my second shooter for the day) also arrived. We had agreed that she would photograph various aspects that I might miss.
"Something blue" with a blue ribbon holding the wedding rings of grandparents
The mother of one of the grooms also visited the bridal suite, resulting in an emotional moment. She had tied the wedding rings of both sets of grandparents with a blue ribbon as part of the "something blue" tradition. She handed this to her son, who then placed it in the inner pocket of his wedding suit.
Taking wedding photos in the castle gardens of Vaalsbroek Castle
Once both gentlemen were fully dressed (they looked fantastic in their wedding suits), we began taking wedding photos. I took some pictures in the hotel and then continued in the castle driveway and the beautiful green garden. I hardly needed to give any directions. The love between these two young men was radiating! They were so sweet and lovely with each other. After about half an hour of taking photos, one of them returned to the hotel room to change (they had met at work). Meanwhile, colleagues were rehearsing for the saber arch on the courtyard.
A groom who used to enjoy watching Sisi and, according to his husband, resembles the character from Up
Soon it was time for the beautiful wedding ceremony. In a packed room overlooking the castle pond, the two gentlemen exchanged vows and rings, followed by heartfelt stories about their meeting, their love aboard a ship that initially had to be kept secret, their travels, and many friendships. There was also a funny story about one of them enjoying watching Sisi while the other compared him to the character from the Disney movie Up. The hour flew by.
A saber arch on the castle courtyard
And so, Kim and I were ready to photograph the gentlemen as they walked through the saber arch formed by their colleagues. This was followed by sabering a champagne bottle. I asked Kim to take the "standard photo" so I could try a different angle. However, the sabering didn't go as planned, and after three attempts, the cork popped off without spraying any champagne.
Cutting an enormous heart-shaped wedding cake with a saber
It was time to cut the enormous heart-shaped wedding cake filled with raspberries (which, of course, I personally tasted). After a toast and a brief speech, there was a lively reception. The afternoon flew by, and I quickly retrieved my laptop from the hotel room to surprise them with a same-day edit.
The best wedding photos on a projector during the wedding dinner
During the wedding dinner, 40 of my wedding photos were shown on a projector, which they found to be a delightful surprise. As we were treated to delicious food, I continued editing photos. Occasionally, I would step back into the hall to photograph a speech or a course of the dinner.
Every guest was mentioned in the speech by this couple
After a speech by the couple where each guest was mentioned personally with an anecdote, the dance party with a saxophonist and DJ began. At around 11 PM, I concluded this wonderful wedding day and drove home content.
