Castle Goring Wedding Photographer

Castle Goring Wedding Venue

I’ve driven past Castle Goring many times, just seeing it through the trees that shield it from the A27, and wondered what it was. Well it turns out it is a fantastic wedding venue, one side Gothic and the other Greco-Palladian. You’d never think approaching it from one side that the other side would be so different. But it’s these strange & unexpected locations that make being a Sussex wedding photographer so interesting. Built in the 1790’s, the house has only recently been renovated after being bought by Lady Colin Campbell, you’ll know who she is if you watch “I’m a Celebrity”!

A Beautiful Location for Bridal Preps

My first stop was to be Bailiffscourt, a medieval style house where Barbara and her chief bridesmaid Jane were getting ready along with Barbara’s sister and just some of the seven young bridesmaids! When I arrived, Barbara was putting face gems on the bridesmaids and sorting their wands, which she’d made herself. See some of Barbara’s wonderful creations on her Instagram feed at @masqueradegothique.

From there I headed to Castle Goring to be with Tom before their ceremony in the Ceremonial Hall. Lots of the guests had dressed up creating a great atmosphere very much in keeping with the castle itself.

A Venue with Great Character

Barbara & Tom’s ceremony was lovely, mainly because of the clear connection between the two of them. Emotional throughout, the ceremony included Alex & Immy, their son and daughter doing their own reading together which was lovely.

We then headed into the main part of the house to have the reception in the State Rooms, where the kids could run around & enjoy the huge array of sweets that Barbara had told them had to be finished by the end of the wedding! I used the reception area under the dome to do some photos. The amount of light in the castle was excellent. Often venues like this are a bit dark, but the huge dome let in loads of light and in the State Rooms there were huge windows from floor to ceiling which lit up the rooms.

Gothic Table Decorations

Once I had got some shots of Barbara and Tom in the house and on the terrace, I headed into where the wedding breakfast was to be held. I knew that Barbara had made all the table decorations herself and they were spectacular. Barbara had obviously spent a lot of time on them and they really set the scene for the meal and the speeches.

A Modern Storyteller

Knowing the kids wouldn’t want to sit around during the meal, Barbara had wisely hired storyteller Michael O’Leary to keep them all occupied. This meant I had a captive audience to photograph and I got some great shots of all the kids, but in particular Immy & Alex as they sat and listened.

The organisation and catering was by Red Anywhere and they did Castle Goring proud. In particular I need to thank Imogen who kept everything organised and kept me fully in the loop!

I also need to thank Jane, Barbara’s wing girl, who helped me out on several occasions, I was able to reciprocate with lots of safety pins!

If you like the look of this venue, then you might like to also have a look at these wonderful Sussex wedding venues I’ve shot weddings at. Check out my blog on Horsted Place, as well as Cowdray House, Ede’s House, Findon Manor and The Ravenswood