Lal & Kelly | Taunton Registry Office & The Castle, Taunton
There are weddings that feel like a really good party with your favourite people. Lal and Kelly's was firmly this.
The two of them got married on a warm Autumn morning at Taunton Registry Office - no fuss, just a room full of the people who matter most and two women who were absolutely certain about each other. We were there for all of it.
Morning in the Penthouse
Getting ready happened high above Taunton, in The Castle's rooftop Penthouse — a space with its own bar, its own terrace, and views stretching out over Taunton Vale towards the Quantocks and the Blackdowns. In September, with the light doing what it does at that time of year, it was quietly spectacular.
The one small mission: Lal and Kelly had decided not to see each other before the ceremony. Which sounds simple enough, until you factor in that they were both getting ready in the same building and hair and makeup was all set up in one room! We made sure that they didn’t see each other by carefully co-ordinating their movements! Woz was tasked with ferrying the dresses between rooms — a job he accepted with the enthusiasm of someone carrying something irreplaceable and delicate across a very long corridor, which is to say: very carefully, and with mild terror! Nobody accidentally crossed paths. The reveal at the Registry Office was exactly what it should have been. Phew!
The Ceremony
The ceremony itself was short and completely lovely. Kelly arrived first and walked down the aisle looking stunning. Lal came second and the first look was just wonderful. That was it, really. That was the whole day in one look.
Back to The Castle
After the ceremony, everyone returned to the Penthouse for drinks, which, it turns out, is a very good place to drink champagne in September sunshine! The terrace, the views, the slight disbelief that the hard part was over. There was definitely some posing up there!
The reception moved downstairs from there where The Castle did what it does best. A wedding breakfast built on the finest local Somerset produce, a room that managed to feel both grand and warm at the same time, and a group of people who were clearly very happy to be there.
What we noticed, shooting through the day, was how relaxed everyone was. There was no point where the day felt forced or performative. Speeches were heartfelt and funny in equal measure. The dancing needed no encouragement.
What we love about days like this
We're documentary wedding photographers — candid by nature, never by instruction. A day like Lal and Kelly's is exactly what we're made for. No posing, no directing — just candid, documentary coverage of two people and the people who love them.
Same-sex weddings in Somerset are something we photograph with real pride. Not because they're different - but because every couple deserves to see their day told honestly, fully, and beautifully. Lal and Kelly's wedding looked exactly like them. That's the whole job!
Venues & Suppliers
Ceremony: Taunton Registry Office
Drinks reception & prep: The Penthouse, The Castle, Taunton
Reception: The Castle, Taunton (https://www.the-castle-hotel.com/)
Photography: Em & Woz Photography
Planning a wedding in Taunton or across Somerset? We'd love to hear from you. We're a documentary photography duo based in Somerset, and we travel widely across the South West and beyond.
