Windsor Castle & Town: Royal Wedding Photography in Berkshire

Windsor in Berkshire holds a unique place in the world's imagination — the largest inhabited castle in the world, the oldest in continuous occupation, the official residence of the British monarch, and the setting for some of the most iconic royal weddings of the modern era. Marrying in Windsor — within the castle itself or in the historic town immediately surrounding it — places you in a tradition of royal romance that is genuinely unmatched anywhere on Earth.

Windsor Castle: Photography Considerations

Windsor Castle itself hosts royal and approved weddings in St George's Chapel — the magnificent 15th-century Gothic chapel that serves as the ceremonial church of the Order of the Garter and has hosted royal weddings including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. St George's Chapel's Perpendicular Gothic interior — nave, choir stalls, and vaulted ceiling — is photographically extraordinary. The chapel is reserved for those with an established connection to the Chapel community.

The Long Walk — the three-mile tree-lined avenue stretching south from the castle gates through the Great Park — is one of the most iconic views in England and provides a portrait backdrop of genuine royal grandeur. Couple portraits with the castle visible at the end of the Long Walk, in both directions along the avenue, create images that are immediately identifiable as Windsor and carry an automatic sense of occasion.

Windsor Great Park

Windsor Great Park extends from the castle south to Virginia Water — nearly 5,000 acres of royal parkland with ancient trees, deer, the Savill Garden, the Valley Gardens, and Virginia Water lake itself. The Great Park is one of the most photogenically varied landscapes in southern England within a single accessible area.

The Savill Garden — a 35-acre ornamental garden within the Great Park — is particularly outstanding for wedding portrait sessions. Its formal plantings, rose garden, woodland garden, and the striking modern visitor centre building combine to create portrait settings of enormous variety. Virginia Water lake, with its 18th-century Gothic ruin and cascade, provides romantic lakeside portrait settings and is one of Windsor Great Park's most photographed locations.

The ancient oaks of Windsor Great Park — many established in the medieval deer park — are among the oldest and most impressive veteran trees in southern England. Portrait sessions beneath these oaks, with their vast canopies and deeply furrowed trunks, have a natural grandeur that echoes the historical significance of the surroundings.

Windsor Town Wedding Venues

Windsor town — the medieval and Victorian streets surrounding the castle — has several outstanding wedding venues. The Oakley Court hotel at Bray, a few miles along the Thames, is a Victorian Gothic mansion on the river with exceptional grounds. Coworth Park at Ascot offers five-star polo country luxury. Monkey Island Estate, on an island in the Thames at Bray, combines 18th-century architecture with an extraordinary river island setting. All are within easy reach of Windsor for portrait sessions in the castle grounds and Great Park.

Best Times for Windsor Photography

The Long Walk photographs most dramatically in early morning — before the day trippers arrive — and at golden hour, when the castle is lit from the south and the avenue stretches into warm evening light. The Great Park is generally quieter than the castle area and accessible throughout the day. Autumn in Windsor Great Park, with the ancient oaks in full golden colour, is particularly outstanding. The Changing of the Guard adds a uniquely royal context to Windsor wedding photography for couples who time their portrait session to witness it.