Snakes, Sunshine & Sauvignon: Photographing Sam & Jess at Manoir Longeveau
Updated: Sep 15
I drove to Manoir Longeveau expecting a beautiful wedding in the French countryside. What I did not expect was to be volunteering as a human snake detector, swinging a tennis racket through a hay field like a deranged Wimbledon finalist while twenty well-dressed people watched from a safe distance.
First Impressions: This Place is Ridiculous (In the Best Way)
Manoir Longeveau sits in the rolling hills of South West France like it was placed there specifically for photographers. It's fab holiday venue for everyone with lots to do on site and gorgeous villages nearby to explore.
I arrived and immediately knew this was going to be that kind of wedding day. A fun fab couple surrounded by their family and friends all up for the best party they'd been too.
Sam & Jess: A Perfect Match
They were married in front of the manor house itself, which served as the most spectacular backdrop imaginable for their ceremony and personal vows.
The ceremony was warm, funny, and genuinely moving all very them.
The Secret Garden: Drinks, Laughter & Maximum Charm
Post-ceremony, the guests were ushered into the secret garden for drinks and food,
Prosecco flowed, conversation sparkled. The bridesmaids and groomsmen, an absolutely brilliant, hilarious group who collectively were so much fun!
Within approximately eleven minutes of drinks beginning, it felt less like a wedding reception and more like a reunion of people who had been best friends for decades.
(Some of them had. Others had just met. You genuinely couldn't tell.)
The Hay Field Incident
At some point fuelled by golden hour light, collective bravery, and probably a glass of something French and excellent we decided to head into the hay field for portraits. Tall grass, beautiful light, genuinely cinematic. Perfect.
There was, however, one small concern.
South West France is home to several species of snake. Not many, not dangerous ones, particularly. But some. And someone I believe the word "snakes" was uttered casually by a bridesmaid planted a seed of mild concern that rapidly grew into a full hedge of anxiety.
Enter the tennis racket.
I'm not entirely sure how it happened but they do at weddings. One moment there was no tennis racket; the next, there was, and everyone was looking at me.
"You go first," said someone.
"You're the professional," said someone else, which is an interesting interpretation of what "wedding photographer" means.
And so I went. Into the hay field. Tennis racket raised. Sweeping the grass ahead of me with the energy of a woman who has absolutely thought this through and is definitely not making it up as she goes. The wedding party watched from the edge of the field, glasses in hand, looking very much like they were enjoying the show.
We found zero snakes thank goodness.
The Send-Off: Two Bottles of Red and a Heart Full of Gratitude
As the evening wound down and I packed up my kit, Sam brilliant, thoughtful, wine knowledgeable Sam pressed two bottles of local red into my hands as a thank you.
It was such a perfectly them gesture. Warm. Generous. A little unexpected. Exactly like the whole day had been. The wine lived up to the hype too.
The Bit Where I Get Slightly Soppy
I photograph a lot of weddings. It's the best job in the world, and I mean that sincerely. But every now and then you get a day that reminds you why, a couple so clearly made for each other, in a place so absurdly beautiful, surrounded by people so full of love and laughter that you drive home feeling genuinely lucky to have been there.
Manoir Longeveau is magic. Sam and Jess are magic. The bridesmaids and groomsmen who made the whole day feel like one long, sun-drenched party, magic. So lucky to do this and meet such fabulous people x
Lydia Taylor Jones is a destination wedding photographer based in the Dordogne, South West France, photographing relaxed, fun weddings for couples across the South of France, including château weddings for UK couples coming out for their big day. No stiff poses, just fun relaxed photos with stunners thrown in to capture what actually happened. If you're planning a wedding in the South of France, get in touch to check availability for your date.
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