Dunster Castle Wedding Photographer
Natural, documentary wedding photography by Patrick Newnham
Dunster Castle stands on its wooded tor above the medieval village of Dunster, twenty minutes from my house at Exton, with the Bristol Channel on one side and Exmoor on the other. It’s a National Trust property that opens its doors for weddings, with ceremonies in the castle and the subtropical terraced gardens below for the photographs, and the whole of Dunster, the Yarn Market, the high street, St George’s church and the packhorse bridge, at the bottom of the hill. Below the castle, the restored Dunster Tithe Barn is a community venue that takes civil ceremonies and receptions all year round with exclusive use from the day before.
I haven’t photographed a wedding in the castle yet, which is unusual for a venue this close to home, and I’d like to put that right. I know Dunster in every season and every light, I’ve photographed weddings at Knowle Manor two miles up the valley and at St Audries Park along the coast, and I know exactly where I’d take a couple on the castle terraces at five o’clock on a June evening.
How I photograph a wedding
Documentary first. I don’t run the day or stage it; I pay attention to it, and I keep the formal part to ten minutes of group photographs and twenty minutes of portraits in the best light we can find. Natural light, no flash during ceremonies, and editing that will still look right in twenty years. I take a limited number of weddings a year, which is partly how I get to give each one my full attention.
Good to know about Dunster Castle weddings
Visitors. The castle and the village are open to the public and busy on summer weekends; a wedding there is part of the life of the place, which makes for wonderful candid photographs and the odd stranger in the background. Light. The terraces face south and west and keep the sun late; the village street is in shade by mid-afternoon, which is actually kind to faces. The walk. From the castle gate down Castle Hill to the Yarn Market is the picture; I’ll be ahead of you for it. Travel. Twenty minutes; the Dunster page and the Minehead page cover the surroundings.
Taking a limited number of weddings for 2027 and 2028
If my way of working sounds like your kind of thing, I’d love to hear about your plans. Drop me a line with your date and venue and I’ll tell you straight away whether I’m free.
