The Castle Westenhanger Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A castle, a manor house and a lawn near Hythe

The Castle Westenhanger, which many couples search for as Westenhanger Castle, is on Stone Street at Westenhanger, near Hythe in Kent (CT21 4HX). The venue's own website offers exclusive use on the wedding day and describes the castle lawn, the ancient ruins, a medieval banqueting hall, a marquee, a bar inside the castle's historic turret and the manor house.

We have photographed one wedding here: Tyler and Daniel on 18 April 2022. This page follows their day in photographs. Our Kent guide shows the county's venues together, and here we stay with the castle itself. What we say about the venue comes from its own website, and what we say about the photographs comes from looking at them.

For current venue details, explore The Castle Westenhanger. We have only worked here once, in April, so ask the venue how the lawn, ruins and rooms look in other seasons, and for the timings on your date.

01 / The spaces / From the venue's own description

Indoor and outdoor ceremonies, a banqueting hall and a marquee

The venue says its indoor and outdoor ceremony areas seat up to 120 guests. Outdoors, it describes a romantic thatched-roof gazebo on the castle lawn, surrounded by ancient ruins. Indoors, it describes a cosy and quirky banqueting hall in a medieval setting.

For the rest of the day, the venue describes a marquee with views across the castle lawn and a hidden bar inside the castle's historic turret. It also lists an in-house DJ as included in its package, and two spacious dressing areas on the ground floor and first floor of the manor house.

The venue's website does not give capacities for the banqueting hall or the marquee, finishing times or the order of the day, so ask for those in writing. We are happy to plan around whatever you agree.

02 / April 2022 / Tyler and Daniel

Tyler and Daniel: confetti, old brick and fireworks

Tyler and Daniel married at The Castle Westenhanger on 18 April 2022, and we photographed the day. The photograph at the top of this page is from their portraits: the two of them stand close together in an old brick archway covered in ivy, one in a light blue suit and glasses and the other in a black suit, with a lawn glowing green behind them.

The photographs on this page were picked by ChatGPT from their gallery, not by Cam.

After the ceremony they walk hand in hand through a shower of confetti outside a red brick building with a white pillared doorway, both laughing, each holding a bouquet of pink and lilac flowers while guests clap and one takes a photograph on her phone.

The portraits make use of the buildings and the lawn. In one they walk hand in hand across the grass in front of an old flint and brick building with a tiled roof, looking at each other. In another, in black and white, they stroll across a lawn beneath bare branches, looking off to the side.

In a third, they kiss in front of a weathered wooden ship with masts and rigging, resting on dry land. Later the light drops and a kiss turns into a silhouette, with the low sun flaring between their faces.

Inside, under a draped ceiling of fairy lights, they cut the cake together, a white two-tier cake topped with pale flowers, and they are both laughing.

The last photograph of their story is after dark. The two of them stand with their arms around each other in matching black jackets with lilac sleeves, looking up at fireworks bursting over the trees.

Planning your photographs at The Castle Westenhanger

A few things worth asking the venue, and how we would plan around the answers:

1. Choosing the ceremony space: The venue describes indoor and outdoor ceremony areas, with a gazebo on the castle lawn and a medieval banqueting hall. Ask which is available on your date and when you need to choose, so we can plan the morning and the portraits around it.
2. The lawn, the ruins and the buildings: In Tyler and Daniel's photographs the old brick, the flint walls and the lawn do a lot of the work. Ask the venue where guests may and may not walk, and tell us if there is a corner of the grounds that matters to you.
3. Getting ready: The venue describes two dressing areas in the manor house, one on the ground floor and one on the first. If you and your partner are in different places, we move between you together, splitting our time as a team. Groom preparation typically takes about 15 minutes.
4. Evening and fireworks: Tyler and Daniel's last photograph is of fireworks. The venue's website does not mention them, so ask whether fireworks are allowed on your date, and what time music and lighting finish, so we know how late to plan to stay.
5. Rain: A wet day would move portraits under cover. Ask the venue which rooms, such as the banqueting hall or the marquee, are free between the ceremony and dinner and we will plan from there.
6. Group photographs: We do as many as you like and typically recommend around 15, which usually take about 20 minutes. Ask a groomsman or bridesmaid who knows everyone to round people up.

One team for the photographs and the film

Cam and Beth have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together, so an old castle with a lawn, a ruin and a marquee is familiar territory. You get one conversation about the timetable, one set of questions for the venue and one plan for the portraits and the evening.

The photo and video team package carries a £120 deposit and a £400 saving over booking photography and videography separately. We are based near Cardiff, and travel across England and Wales is included in standard full-day packages. When the drive is over two hours we always stay in a hotel the night before and cover it.

Questions about a The Castle Westenhanger wedding