After Prince Harry and Meghan chose Windsor as their wedding location in 2018, the town is growing in popularity with brides and grooms. The royal couple have now settled on Windsor as their home, and I don’t think they could have made a better choice!

Windsor has been my adopted home town for 18 years and I absolutely love living here! As a wedding photographer living and working in the town, I know all the best spots and hidden locations for wedding photographs.

On the outskirts of Windsor, you have a choice of beautiful venues with gorgeous grounds - from Oakley Court and Monkey Island to the West, to Beaumont House and Runnymede in Old Windsor.

But what if you choose Central Windsor as your wedding location? Either at the Windsor Guildhall or one of the central hotels (Castle Hotel, Macdonald Windsor, or Sir Christopher Wren)?

In the past, I’ve spoken to wedding couples who are concerned at the lack of grounds at wedding venues in central Windsor. I don’t see it as an issue, rather I feel that the whole town is at your disposal and you have so many options for photos.

At your pre-wedding meeting we’ll discuss what you’re looking to get from your wedding photos: Do you want trees and greenery or are you happy with an urban background? Do you want to showcase Windsor’s history and feature the castle in your images? Maybe some idyllic summer images by the River Thames? Read on to find out how Windsor can provide you with all of these!

Windsor Wedding Photo Locations 1Where to go for wedding photography in Windsor The Long Walk
The go-to place for many wedding couples is The Long Walk. Even in the height of Summer it’s possible to find a quiet corner for photos - there are avenues of trees and lovely features with pillars and gates. It is necessary to apply for a permit for wedding photos on the Long Walk; I take care of the admin of this, and it's usually just a formality - the Crown Estate usually permit photos Mon-Sat (exc bank holidays) unless there are royal events taking place. There are also lots of other lovely options around Windsor...

Windsor Wedding Photo Locations 2Where to go for wedding photography in Windsor

Windsor Castle
There are plenty of different vantage points for the castle around town. The rustic castle walls make a fab background for photos, whilst there are a few archways directly accessible from public areas that can perfectly frame a photo.

If you don’t mind a few tourists in the background of your photos, then you can get a great shot of the Castle from Guildhall Island.

Windsor Wedding Photo Locations 5Where to go for wedding photography in Windsor

The River Thames
The river and the Windsor-Eton Bridge are great spots for photos - you’re unlikely to get a deserted bridge unless you marry on a Monday morning in winter (like the bottom left photo here), but on a busier day, the bridge gives the option of photographing with the river in the background, or the view from the promenade back towards you on the bridge.

Why not take a short boat ride on the river? I’ve seen the Fringilla and Dragonfly take many a wedding couple down the Thames. Perfect either as a treat for your guests or an opportunity to take a private moment for just the two of you, and of course another angle for photographs.

Windsor Wedding Photo Locations 3Where to go for wedding photography in Windsor

Take a stroll around town
All the locations I’m featuring in this blog are within a few hundred metres of each other, and you can easily take a stroll around the town stopping for photos on the way.

In the height of tourist season, I know secret nooks and streets that are likely to be quieter and even free of people. From rustic walls, to Windsor’s smallest public gardens, to busier areas where we can use camera techniques (if you stand very still!) to freeze you and blur the rushing passers-by.

Will my photos be full of people and tourists?
This is the question I’m asked most often when we discuss wedding photos in Windsor town centre. And my short answer is… maybe.

Windsor Wedding Photo Locations 4Where to go for wedding photography in Windsor The long answer is It really depends on you and what you decide.

If you’d like a photo that gives the scale of the castle and isn’t the classic one at the top of the Long Walk (which will inevitably be watched over by dozens of tourists, even if they don’t appear in your image), then all the options are likely to have people in the background. However, I do have a clever angle of the round tower that manages to exclude tourists even on the busiest days!

If you’re happy to use castle features such as arches and walls, then I know the quiet places to go and can frame the image to ensure it’s just the two of you.

It’s the same with most popular locations around the town, there are creative ways of framing your photo to exclude the passers-by, or blurring them in some cases as mentioned above.

As a last resort, for some locations there’s always Photoshop - this before and after (right) shows a busy Long Walk on an August Saturday, and the resulting image after a bit of tweaking. This was quite simple on this image as there was a lot of grass in the image that I could use to copy to hide people, it’s not always as easily done.

At your pre-wedding meeting/call, we’ll go through all the options, discussing where you’d like to go for your photos, but be assured, Windsor is a fabulous town to marry in and there are plenty of opportunities for beautiful wedding images!