Rowton Castle wedding

Rowton Castle shot by wedding photographer Stuart McKendrick.

Rowton Castle is a gorgeous English wedding venue, and I love the photographs of the venue in this wedding submission… I couldn’t say no to the atmospheric photos of the castle by photographer Stuart McKendrick from Digital Excel Photography. Rowton Castle is a beautiful 17th century grade II listed building, set in 17 acres of tranquil grounds six miles west from the historic market town of Shrewsbury. Bride Jemma married Stephen at Rowton Castle in Autumn 2009. All the details of the day are so very striking, from the bride herself to the magnificent venue. I hope you enjoy this English wedding feature! 

Bridal shoes and a reflection of Rowton Castle in the bride's car!

Wedding preparations for the Rowton Castle wedding

Bride Jemma poses for a picture with her young bridesmaids and flower girls. They all look so lovely, and the little one is as cute as a button! 

Jenna admires her dress - a real statement wedding gown - in this mirror photo

When he submitted this wedding for the blog, Stuart told me, “I really like to make my brides look strong and hold elegant poses.” And when I look at this picture I know exactly what he means – Jemma holds herself with such confidence, really showing off that dress and making it hers. I think Gok Wan would adore her!

Jemma looks stunning as she sees Stephen for the first time

Jemma arrives for the wedding ceremony, and her expression is a wonderful mixture of happiness and nerves. She looks amazing though, her wedding dress cut to flatter her amazing curvy figure, and with that spectacular bridal bouquet. The picture frame in the background just hints at the luxury of Rowton Castle. 

Jemma and Stephen take advantage of the castle setting for some lovely photographs

The romantic setting of Rowton Castle is perfect for artistic wedding photos. Here Jemma’s wedding gown with that amazing veil is almost highlighted in a wonderful blue light, as the bride and groom share a kiss outside the castle. The wedding dress with such a full skirt and long veil stretches all the way across the photograph – a dress like this deserves the attention! 

The page boys are great, and have an instant rapport with the photographer

How adorable! The younger page boy on the left looks fantastic in his wedding finery, in a casual and happy pose, grinning at the camera. To the right, it’s time to let off a little steam – what a cool picture.  The boys clearly had fun with the wedding photographer and this made for some excellent pictures. 

The veil inspires some unusual wedding pictures!

This is really exciting contemporary wedding photography. I love Stuart McKendrick’s eye for the unusual, and these pictures make a great statement. The veil creates light and shadows, and Jemma has a great time playing to the camera.

Around Rowton Castle there are some amazing locations for wedding photographs

These are my favourite photos from Jemma and Stephen’s wedding. The bright red of the autumn leaves against the walls of the castle, with shadows casting a rich blue onto the wedding dress, and the old tree in the gardens lit for a night time wedding photograph. Both pictures are special, creative, unusual and romantic too.

Jemma stands proudly for this last wedding photo outside Rowton Castle

Jemma’s pose here takes me back to Stuart’s comment about making his brides look strong and elegant… she really makes a statement in every photograph. In this picture, beautifully lit with the wedding dress glowing white and twinkling lights around the castle, Jemma is the centre of attention and for me this is just how it should be on her wedding day.

Congratulations to beautiful bride Jemma and Stephen. And thanks to Stuart McKendrick of Digital Excel Photography for submitting this wedding to the English Wedding blog. Please visit Stuart’s photography blog too, and check out the slideshow of his best weddings last year – there are some gorgeous photos in there.