Aanya and Elliot are both English and live in Australia, which gives you an awkward choice when it comes to the wedding. Have it in England and half the guests fly round the world. Have it in Australia and the other half do. So they picked somewhere neither side could claim, and that’s how 153 people ended up at Château Lagorce, just outside Bordeaux, on 20 June 2026.
They were also my first proper booking in France. Elliot got in touch in October 2025, when I’d shot exactly one full wedding over here, so I’ll always have a soft spot for these two. (It also turned out to be the biggest wedding of my year by quite some distance. No pressure.)
Château Lagorce
Lagorce is in Haux, in the Entre-deux-Mers southeast of Bordeaux, and about as close to home as my weddings get. There’s a big stone staircase running down from the château to the lawn, a terrace looking out over the trees, and vineyards behind. It’s a properly good venue for a big wedding, with space for everything to happen in a different place as the day goes on.
Getting ready
Aanya and Elliot got ready in the same room, the bridal suite at the château. Aanya and her mum were in the bathroom while the boys came in and got dressed, so the two of them stayed apart the whole time. Once the boys had gone, Aanya came out and got into the dress.
The Heat
The wedding fell right in the middle of the June heatwave. Two days later Bordeaux hit 42.5°C, its hottest day on record. On the day itself it was high 30s, which was plenty. The ceremony had been planned for the open lawn, but in full sun that would have been brutal for everyone, so it moved under the big tree at the bottom of the steps, the only shade big enough to fit everyone.
The Ceremony
Aanya’s dad walked her down the steps with the bridal party, and Elliot was waiting under the tree. First down the aisle, though, were Jude, their son, who was about one at the time, and their niece Marnie, in a little white remote control car steered by Marnie’s dad. Hard to top that as an entrance.
The ceremony was led by Christopher, one of Aanya’s best friends. Aanya told the story of how they became friends in her speech later on: she once said she was looking for her perfect man, and he said so was he. The rings came out on a little pillow carried by Aanya’s mum, who made it herself.
Afterwards we moved the chairs out of the shade and did the group photos there, because it was the only place anyone could stand for more than a minute. That meant several trips up and down those steps with all my kit, in the high 30s, which I can’t recommend. Aanya mentioned in her review that I got the groups done quickly, and in that heat, that’s the most useful thing I could have done for anyone.
Then everyone headed back up the stairs through the confetti.
The Terrace
Up on the terrace there were oysters, drinks and an acoustic set, and before long people were dancing, which nobody had planned.
The speeches started out there too. Aanya gave her own, and her bridesmaids, Kiri, Leah and Katie, did one together.
On my way through the château I noticed the light coming through a window onto the staircase, so I stopped and waited to see who’d come down. First was a guest in a red dress, then Aanya in hers.
Dinner
Dinner was out under the trees and started with the full napkin-waving entrance.
Then came the speeches, from Aanya’s dad, Elliot and the best man, in that order. After that, 300 tequila and pineapple shots at mains, with Shawzy, the MC, getting the whole place on its feet. The cake was made by Aanya’s mum.
The vineyard
Once dinner was done, we slipped off to the vineyard behind the château for a few photos while the light dropped.
The party
The MC led everyone down the side steps into the party with a speaker on his shoulder, and Top Shelf Live played until 1am. They were brilliant.
On film
This was the first wedding where I properly brought the film cameras along: a Pentax 645, a Hasselblad XPan, an Olympus OM-1 and a Nikon F100, alongside the Sony A7IV and A7V. A day like this makes that easy. There were so many people and so much going on that I could turn around at almost any point and find something worth a frame. The film shots are scattered through the post, and you’ll spot the wide ones from the XPan.
Thanks to Neil from iWed Film, who was great to work alongside all day, and to Anna at French Wedding Château for running it all. I’m back at Lagorce in 2027.
If you’re planning a wedding at Château Lagorce, or anywhere around Bordeaux, get in touch.
Venue and planning: Château Lagorce / French Wedding Château
Videography: iWed Film
Live music: Top Shelf Live