Pleasantdale Chateau Wedding Photographer
I look for the quiet moments that make a place this grand feel like yours.
How I See a Wedding at the Chateau
At Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, New Jersey, one of my favorite photographs of Nancy and Anthony is the one in which they take up the least space. I stepped back far enough to let the branches fill most of the frame. They’re small beneath the trees, just where the light finds them. There are closer photographs of the two of them from that afternoon, but this is the one that makes me remember the scale and quiet of the grounds.
I’m Charles Maring, and I photograph weddings at Pleasantdale Chateau. I’m drawn to what happens when a place with this much character becomes familiar for a day. A room you first noticed for its architecture becomes the room where you held hands before walking into dinner. Years later, you might remember both things when you look at the same photograph.
Photographing the Grounds and the Tiled Pool Room
On the grounds, I can step back and let the landscape set the scale. Inside the tiled pool room, the tall windows and green tile do something different. They draw your eye through the frame until it settles on the couple.
When I plan portraits with a couple, I think about how much of the day they want to spend making them. A few minutes on the grounds and a few in the pool room can give us two very different photographs, with time left to join their guests for cocktails.
How I Light the Rotunda Ballroom
When the groom dipped his bride for a kiss and the sparks went up, I wanted you to see the people behind them, too. I balanced my light with the warm light already in the ballroom so the couple stood out and you could still see their guests on their feet. Your eye goes to the kiss first. Then you start to notice who’s watching.
During a first dance, I usually work from a distance. A longer lens lets me catch a fleeting expression or the way two people hold hands while giving them room to be with each other. That’s often where the most intimate photographs come from.
A Wedding Album With Room for the Whole Story
I keep this Pleasantdale Chateau wedding album in my loft. When I open it to the pool-room portrait, the blue windows and green tile run across both pages. The room has enough space to draw you in, and your eye still comes back to the couple.
The book measures 12½ by 15½ inches closed. It has a suede spine, a distressed leather cover and matching slipcase, and 110 leaves of thick watercolor paper with soft, deckled edges. Most of the 220 page sides carry a single photograph. Some images fill both pages. Elsewhere, I bring several photographs together so you can see a moment unfold.
That’s what I value in a wedding album. I can give a quiet expression a whole page and still have room for the family, the ceremony, and the faces you couldn’t see from the dance floor. I want the book to feel as good in your hands as it does to open it again years later.
Work With Me at Pleasantdale Chateau
If you’re planning a wedding at Pleasantdale Chateau, I’d love to know what drew you to the estate and what you’re looking forward to most. Share your date and a little about the day you’re imagining. I’ll be in touch personally to talk about how I’d photograph it.