Photographer at Chateau Sint Gerlach: A 50th Wedding Anniversary in Valkenburg
Just before Christmas, I was booked as a photographer to capture a 50th wedding anniversary celebration at the beautiful Chateau Sint Gerlach in Valkenburg aan de Geul. The family had approached me a few weeks prior via email. They are from Amsterdam and came here for a weekend with their children, relatives, and grandchildren to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary.
The idea was to capture some candid moments of their cozy gathering in the hotel bar. There was drinking, chatting, toasting (with champagne), and playing with the granddaughter. Since it was already dark outside (I was booked for the evening as a photographer), we took some family portraits on the large couch and by the Christmas tree. I also took some photos of the golden couple together by the Christmas tree to emphasize the holiday atmosphere.
Part 2 of the photoshoot took place in the form of group photos on the beautiful wooden staircase in the corridor leading to the Bistro. Subsequently, in the Bistro, in a separate room at a large table, the family dinner took place. As they preferred not to disturb other restaurant guests too much during their dinner, I concluded the photo coverage after 10 minutes.
Ultimately, the couple chose to have the photos processed into a beautiful handmade 25 x 25 cm album. This album of the golden wedding is now in production. We opted for a dark red linen cover featuring a photo of the couple together by the Christmas tree, and the inside contains a festive impression of the gathering, the toast, the family photos on the stairs, and the album concludes with some photos at the dinner table.
