Wedding castle Belgium

TRADITIONS

Once, exhausted after yet another wedding marathon in the Caribbean, I told the universe in a moment of desperation: I am so tired of the tropics. Tired of couples complaining about the heat. Tired of shooting in near-heatstroke conditions. Instead, I longed to work in a rainy climate and photograph weddings in ancient castles. As it turned out, the universe was listening — and very soon, I found myself in Belgium.

Today, I am fortunate to photograph weddings in extraordinary places like Le Château (Castle) De La Rocq   — a picturesque 17th-century castle in the municipality of Seneffe. Notably, its first recorded mention dates back to 1390, although only the square tower remains from that period. The current buildings, however, were reconstructed in the 16th and 18th centuries and later fully restored in a traditional style. Surrounded by a moat and set within a vast 30-hectare estate of parkland and gardens, the castle is located just 25 minutes from Brussels, making it an ideal wedding destination.

This particular celebration was a Belgian–Ukrainian wedding. The bride, for instance, chose a modest, handcrafted dress inspired by traditional national motifs. Meanwhile, Belgium’s famously unpredictable weather moved the ceremony indoors. Nevertheless, for the couple’s portrait session, I managed to chase away the clouds for just ten minutes — and, surprisingly, ten minutes was all we needed to capture breathtaking images against the castle’s landscapes.

The ceremony itself was deeply emotional. In particular, traditional East Slavic wedding rituals brought tears to many eyes. At the same time, my assistant and I had to navigate a challenging lighting situation throughout the day. Adding to the atmosphere, the bride’s father — a professional opera singer — transformed the reception into something both grand and intimate. As a result, my eyes were rarely dry, yet this only made me more determined to capture every tender and sentimental moment of this unforgettable wedding.