Winter weddings are full of magic and charm. Although there is never a bad moment to say “I do” to the person you have chosen as a companion for life, doing it in winter gives your wedding a unique and special touch. And even more so if it is at Castillo del Buen Amor.
Today I have come to tell you about, and show you, the wedding of Javi and Fabi, a couple who decided to steer clear of the traditional and celebrate their wedding on the night of 17 November. A winter day with traces of autumn that already foreshadowed how different this wedding was going to be. Despite living in Madrid, the two of them were very clear that they wanted to celebrate their wedding at Castillo del Buen Amor, especially after Javi was able to see the charm of this place for himself at a performance he gave there at Halloween.
Also discover our guide to Castillo del Buen Amor to find out every detail of this place.
What a (winter) wedding at Castillo del Buen Amor is like
I have been to the Castle dozens of times as a wedding photographer and, every time I go, I always feel that each wedding has been different.
And although that feeling is thanks, for the most part, to the couple and their guests, it still surprises me how every wedding I photograph captures a different part of all that magic surrounding the Castle, even when I think I know every corner inside out.
Getting ready
Even though it seems the focus of a wedding is the ceremony itself, for me one of the most beautiful and special moments of the whole day is the getting ready. In Javi and Fabi’s case, we had a very particular bonus: doing it in the castle’s medieval suites.
It is not about taking photographs of you changing clothes, but about capturing those emotions, those expectant smiles, those looks of surprise, those tears of happiness, those nerves as you check the time, those quiet hugs that say much more than hundreds of words.
It is about capturing the whole atmosphere before you come together to get married. A moment so intense and magical that you will remember it with a smile when you look at your wedding photos together.
Wedding ceremony in the Cloister of Castillo del Buen Amor
Even so, however many special instants can be lived on this great day, there is one unique moment that is the cornerstone of any wedding: the ceremony.
Javi and Fabi chose the Cloister of the Patio de Armas for the celebration, one of the most impressive and striking locations in the whole castle. Its architectural details mean the memory of this moment, so special for you, is framed by centuries of history.
I always tell you, and I will never tire of saying it, that it does not matter so much where you get married or which ceremony you hold.
Maybe you, who at this moment have your nerves on edge looking after every preparation and every detail, do not really agree with me on this.
But, after the wedding, the most important memory for you will be this: the people who will be there with you and who will live this great day with you, to celebrate your commitment and your decision to be together always.
Being surrounded by people who truly love you and who are happy for you is a matchless gift that has no line in your wedding budget. And that can easily be seen on Javi’s face as he hugs and greets his guests, with that big smile that does not go away.
Even so, although I am a firm believer that what makes a wedding special above all is the people, celebrating it surrounded by a medieval cloister with more than 1,000 years of history, by candlelight, creates a unique, magical and unmatched atmosphere.
And while the architecture of the Cloister of the Patio de Armas alone creates a striking stage and setting for living this moment, the additions made by the castle staff complement it perfectly to create that atmosphere that seems taken from a film or a fairy tale.
Time had stopped at Castillo del Buen Amor. Javi and Fabi’s wedding was about to take place.
From the first minute I am part of your day, I try not to draw attention and not to let you realise I am beside you. But, during the ceremony, I make an extra effort, because I do not want your attention to turn towards me.
Especially in that instant when you are holding your breath and your emotion as you see each other from opposite ends of the aisle.
It is your moment. It is the moment when you feel each other, when it seems you are seeing each other as if for the first time, when you hold hands tightly and when, with a single look, you say everything that matters without needing to put it into words.
My job is to become invisible to you so I can capture that magic which cannot be forced, posed or repeated.
Javi and Fabi’s wedding ceremony was a challenge for me as a photographer, as I told you at the beginning.
The wedding was held on a November afternoon and evening, by candlelight. And although all of these elements created a dim light that heightened the magic of the ceremony, the ambient light was not the best for taking photographs.
The easiest solution? Use flash to make up for this lack of light. For me, though, this is the last resort to use in a ceremony. At every wedding I deliver the couple more than 1,500 photographs… but I take thousands more throughout the day.
Can you imagine getting married with flashes of light constantly appearing out of the corner of your eye? As I have said, my job is to capture everything that happens in the ceremony. To gather for you instants that you are not even aware you are living, because of the intensity and the emotion that overwhelms you, but that you will be able to rediscover and remember with your wedding photographs.
If I am using the flash the whole time because the light is not the most suitable for me, you will be more aware of my presence and that will distract you from living and enjoying your own wedding.
And for me the most important thing is not to make my job easier, but to capture the atmosphere of the moment as it was lived.
Luckily, I have equipment that lets me adapt to these situations so I can make photographs where the lack of light is not reflected in the final result.
It is easier to show it than to explain it, and that is exactly why you have dozens of examples below.
Even so, although it looks as if the wedding was held in broad daylight and not at night, you can see how other guests did have to resort to flash because of the dim light.
The result will be natural, spontaneous photographs. I will be alert to everything that happens throughout the ceremony and I will capture not only the most important moments, but the ones that are not so obvious as well.
It is incredible, the strength and the power that live in just two words: “I do”.
And that is because they are not made only of letters. Nor only of love. Behind them there is respect. There is admiration. There is a firm commitment to set out on a new path together, hand in hand.
That is why, in the moment of the “I do”, it is also important to capture those looks, those smiles, that squeeze of hands that tremble with emotion, but are steady at the same time because they are sure of the step they are taking.
Small instants that lead to the most applauded and awaited moment… the kiss!
Do you remember what I said earlier about the flash? In the ceremony there is only one moment when I use it, and that is when it ends, to take photographs with family and friends, all depending on the ambient light we have.
The wedding breakfast at Castillo del Buen Amor
The nerves of the ceremony disappear, and all that is left is to celebrate it in the company of the people who matter most to you. The wedding cocktail is only the beginning.
Cocktail in the Patio de Armas and in the Cloister
I have always had the feeling that the cocktail, on many occasions, is a kind of “kidnapping” by the photographer, who takes the couple away for two or three hours to do portraits and posed photographs.
I am against “taking” all that time from you and keeping you from doing the most important thing: enjoying and celebrating with your guests.
If you want some more intimate photos of just the two of you, fifteen minutes is more than enough to make beautiful photographs, taking advantage of the “emotional hangover” of the ceremony.
If afterwards you want some more prepared photographs and to make the most of the wedding outfits, we can do a post-wedding shoot. Although this shoot is an extra, it is well worth it for the final result.
Wedding breakfast in the Ullóa and Fonseca rooms at Castillo del Buen Amor
If you have visited Castillo del Buen Amor or, at least, have had a look at its weddings section, you will have seen that the castle has incredible gardens and grounds for holding the wedding breakfast.
Javi and Fabi, though, chose to enjoy the possibilities the interior of the castle itself offered them for a very singular wedding breakfast: the old stables, an unusual restaurant where the magic conferred by hundreds of years of history still lingered.
The wedding breakfast is a moment to relax, gather your strength and get ready to give it everything at the open bar and on the dance floor. I use this moment to do the same, though I always stay close and keep an eye on everything so I do not miss any surprise. I might have to run out with the camera in my hand!
Like Javi and Fabi’s war cry at the moment of cutting the wedding cake… for the first time. Yes, I say first, because the guests were in two different rooms (although connected) and, so that nobody missed this moment, Javi and Fabi did it again.
Or maybe they did it because the medieval spirit of the castle took hold of them and they got a taste for having a sword in their hands?
The final moment: the party in the Gazebo of Castillo del Buen Amor
A wedding is, above all, a celebration. And what better way to show it than by giving it everything and laughing non-stop, together, on the dance floor? Especially if you enjoy it in the Gazebo of Castillo del Buen Amor. It was incredible to see how, in a covered place, it felt as if we were under thousands of stars… without getting cold, that is.
Dance, drink, jump. Enjoy it. It is your wedding. They are your family and friends. I, just as I will have done throughout the day, will be close by, capturing every moment and taking all the photographs you want.
In every wedding package I offer as a photographer, I stay for one hour of the party. The wedding does not end with the first dance, so I do not see why the story should.
From experience, though, I know that some of the photographs that will get more than one laugh out of you happen throughout the whole party, not only at the beginning. I will leave you a few examples here so you can see… although, normally, the ones I do not publish, the ones that never see the light, are the best.
That is why I also offer, as an extra, staying for up to four more hours of the party. The couples who book it think the same as I do: you never know what might happen!
If you want a memory like this of your wedding, with photographs full of life, you can find all the information about my coverage here.