CHILLON CASTLE WEDDING & ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

Are you searching for a Wedding or Event photographer in Chillon Castle?

I have been covering over 170 Weddings since July 2014, I can say that I am full of advice and help for your big day.

My couples are similar and so different at the same time. I would say that they have certain similar characteristics, they prefer to spend time with their families and friends rather than spending an hour taking the couple photos, they are usually shy, they don’t feel at ease to be the center of the attention, they have a certain knowledge about art, sometimes photography and painting.

Do you want to have an intimate wedding in Chillon Castle that reflects your journey as a couple, your passions, and your spirit of adventure?  

This is elopement photography for couples who want to ignore tradition and get married in a way that feels authentic to them. As a photographer, my purpose is to discreetly capture the story of your day in an honest and heartfelt way, without posing or intruding. I will record every aspect, from the raw emotions and poignant moments as they unfold, to the details you won’t want to forget.

I care deeply about creating meaningful connections with every couple who invites me to be a part of their journey. My approach is to innovate, not to conform to conventions. Your elopement experience should be as personal, genuine, and unique as you are.

Emotional Photographer documenting emotional Weddings.

Since July 2014, I document your intimate wedding, your Minimony, Sequel Wedding, Micro wedding or Adventurous Elopement, proposal, and engagement and I have seen a lot of love stories, full of joy and emotions. It has a lot of different names but only the story matters. I am moved by telling the story of your day in the most natural and genuine way possible. No need to spend one hour behind the church with me to take the couple photographs, I will always value letting you spend time with family and friends. This is your day, not mine.

Most of my couples define themselves as shy in front of the camera, I believe simply they don’t know how easy it is to spend a few simple moments with their partner in front of my camera. I will follow you from getting ready to the dance floor in the most natural way possible. To deliver a poetic and unique vision of the most important day of your life.
I have a lot of experience and expertise in traveling around Europe mostly. For the last 6 years, I have covered most of my weddings abroad and overseas.

I believe I can help you with my experience and advice for a perfect wedding day. I have prepared some articles to help you to find the right place to get married or to be inspired in some places like Spain, The Balearic Islands such as Ibiza, Mallorca,… Mexico, Morocco and of course Portugal. I have also written an article about the most underrated locations in Europe to have your small and intimate wedding with friends.

• Where to get married in the Balearic Islands? HERE

• Where to get married in Morocco? HERE

• Where to get married in Mexico? HERE

• Where to get married in Spain? HERE

• Where to get married in Portugal? HERE

• More articles to come … HERE

Specialised in Wedding and Elopement Coverage since 2014.

My Philosophy in Few Words :

Real Stories - Intimate - Journalistic - Real Stories - Poetic - Cinematic - Discreet - Non Traditional - Simplicity.

Photography Service for all kind of Intimate Weddings and Elopements

Barn Wedding - Church Wedding - Religious Wedding - Hacienda Wedding - Finca Wedding - Lake Wedding - Rooftop Wedding - Rainy Wedding - Sunset Wedding - Winter Wedding - Backyard Wedding - Beach Wedding - Forest Wedding - Island Wedding -Outdoor Wedding - Ranch Wedding - Mexican Wedding - Vineyard Wedding - Circus Wedding - Indian Wedding - Chinese Wedding - Asian Wedding - Japanese Wedding - Punjabi Wedding - Korean Wedding - Same-Sex Wedding - Vietnamese Wedding - Greek Wedding - Lebanese Wedding - Scottish Wedding - British Wedding - Urban Wedding - Country Side Wedding - Jewish Wedding - Orthodox Wedding - New Orleans Wedding - Russian Wedding - Moroccan Wedding - Interfaith Wedding - Civil Wedding - African Wedding.

My Visual Experience :

With years of experience photographing my couples in beautiful locations across the world, I have brought together some valuable ideas and tips to help with elopement planning as well as for those planning larger weddings.I have covered over 150 Weddings on the last 5 years and they are all different. I have prepared a Succession of Articles dedicated to you. Please click on the article of your choice to learn more about it:

• Top Outfit Ideas for your Intimate Couple Session HERE

• Top 10 Tips to Plan your Intimate Wedding. HERE

• What is an Elopement? HERE

• Top 8 Tips to plan your Elopement. HERE

• Top 5 Reasons to Elope. HERE

• Eloping : With or Without guests and family? HERE

• Top 10 Activities to do on your Elopement Day. HERE

• What is the difference between an Elopement, a Minimony and a Microwedding? How to choose what is the best for you? HERE

• What is a Virtual / Online Wedding? HERE

Where to organize your Wedding or Elopement in Chillon Castle?

If you have always dreamed of traveling within Chillon Castle, Switzerland is one of the top destinations you should consider for your elopement, due to its magnificent countryside and coastline. As an experienced elopement photographer, I have photographed many beautiful elopements here for couples forgoing traditional weddings and embracing their spirit of adventure.

Chillon Castle is one of the top elopement destinations in Switzerland, a country with a lot of history, great weather/cuisine, and amazing traditions. You’ll be overwhelmed with choice for beautiful places to elope in this place, from the big cities full of character and atmosphere to the magical forests.   The possibilities for breath-taking locations are endless.

You can find some of the best wedding venues for your Wedding Or Elopement.

Looking for more Inspiration and Locations for your Wedding or Elopement?

If you are still considering other options in Europe, check out [link to the article ‘the top underrated wedding locations in Europe you should definitely consider.

• Where to Elope (30+ Best European Locations for your Elopement & Top Underrated Wedding Locations in Europe you should consider. HERE

What About COVID 19?

Learn about how the Covid 19 Corona Virus have changed the face of the wedding industry but not only HERE

What is next? Simply contact me to create a simple but deep connection

At ericrenepenoy@gmail.com

Awards and announcements : 

RANGEFINDER RISING STAR OF THE WEDDING INDUSTRY 2019 WORLDWIDE
BODAF NEW TALENT EUROPE WINNER 2017.
JUNEBUG BEST OF THE BEST 2016 & 2017.
TOP 50 BEST UK PHOTOGRAPHER 2019 GOHEN.
BEST ELOPEMENT OF THE YEAR (SECOND PLACE).
MEMBER OF THE WEDDING COLLECTIVE FROM 2015 TO 2018 (BEFORE MOVING TO PORTUGAL).
WRITER AT BACKSTAGE MAGAZINE
CREATOR OF RESONANCE INSPIRATION
CREATOR OF MY BIG WORKSHOP

Published on :

JUNEBUG. RANGEFINDER. VSCO. RESONANCE. DEVIANT ART. MY WED. LE BLOG DE MADAME C. LA MARIEE AUX PIEDS NUS. WAY OUT WEDDING. QUEEN FOR A DAY. FEMME ACTUELLE. ELLE. LE JOURNAL DU MARIE. BIPPITY MAG. MINHA FILHA VAI. TRIBE RED LEAF. BRAW BRIDES. WELLWED. MAGAZINE NEW YORK. PORTRAIT OU PAYSAGE. WE FELL IN LOVE. PRISMPHOTOGRAPHY. WELLWED USA. LOOKS LIKE FILM. WHIMSICAL WONDERLAND WEDDINGS. WEDDBOOK. 20MINUTOS. THE KNOT. PINTEREST.

A bit of History about Switzerland, Veytaux, Chillon Castle.

Veytaux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.

The Chateau of Chillon provides a view of the entire Lake of Geneva located in Avenue de Chillon.

Veytaux has an area, as of 2009, of 6.8 square kilometers (2.6 sq mi). Of this area, 0.98 km2 (0.38 sq mi) or 14.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi) or 74.0% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 0.36 km2 (0.14 sq mi) or 5.3% is settled (buildings or roads) and 0.38 km2 (0.15 sq mi) or 5.6% is unproductive land.

Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.2% and transportation infrastructure made up 2.2%. Out of the forested land, 70.9% of the total land area is heavily forested and 1.9% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.0% is used for growing crops and 13.9% is used for alpine pastures. Of the unproductive areas, 3.1% is unproductive vegetation and 2.5% is too rocky for vegetation.

The municipality was part of the Vevey District until it was dissolved on 31 August 2006, and Veytaux became part of the new district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut.

It consists of the village of Veytaux and the hamlet of Grandchamp.

Veytaux has a population (as of December 2019) of 920. As of 2008, 26.9% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009 ) the population has changed at a rate of -3.1%. It has changed at a rate of 0% due to migration and at a rate of -0.6% due to births and deaths.

Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks French (701 or 82.4%) as their first language, with German being second most common (62 or 7.3%) and English being third (25 or 2.9%). There are 18 people who speak Italian.

The age distribution, as of 2009, in Veytaux is; 70 children or 8.5% of the population are between 0 and 9 years old and 64 teenagers or 7.8% are between 10 and 19. Of the adult population, 108 people or 13.1% of the population are between 20 and 29 years old. 101 people or 12.3% are between 30 and 39, 142 people or 17.3% are between 40 and 49, and 129 people or 15.7% are between 50 and 59. The senior population distribution is 93 people or 11.3% of the population are between 60 and 69 years old, 76 people or 9.2% are between 70 and 79, there are 34 people or 4.1% who are between 80 and 89, and there are 6 people or 0.7% who are 90 and older.

As of 2000, there were 330 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 389 married individuals, 57 widows or widowers and 75 individuals who are divorced.

As of 2000, there were 423 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.9 persons per household. There were 192 households that consist of only one person and 12 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 436 households that answered this question, 44.0% were households made up of just one person and there was 1 adult who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 118 married couples without children, 84 married couples with children There were 21 single parents with a child or children. There were 7 households that were made up of unrelated people and 13 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing.

In 2000 there were 83 single family homes (or 44.9% of the total) out of a total of 185 inhabited buildings. There were 72 multi-family buildings (38.9%), along with 23 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (12.4%) and 7 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (3.8%).

In 2000, a total of 408 apartments (82.3% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 62 apartments (12.5%) were seasonally occupied and 26 apartments (5.2%) were empty. As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 1.2 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2010, was 0%.

Chillon Castle (French: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located on Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), south of Veytaux in the canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives access to the Alpine valley of the Rhône. Chillon is amongst the most visited castles in Switzerland and Europe. Successively occupied by the house of Savoy then by the Bernese from 1536 until 1798, it now belongs to the State of Vaud and is classified as a Swiss Cultural Property of National Significance. The Fort de Chillon, its modern counterpart, is hidden in the steep side of the mountain.

Chillon began as a Roman outpost, guarding the strategic road through the Alpine passes. The later history of Chillon was influenced by three major periods: the Savoy Period, the Bernese Period, and the Vaudois Period.

The castle of Chillon is built on the island of Chillon, an oval limestone rock advancing in Lake Geneva between Montreux and Villeneuve with a steep side on one side and on the other side the lake and its steep bottom. The placement of the castle is strategic: it closes the passage between the Vaud Riviera  (access to the north towards Germany and France) and the Rhone valley which allows quick access to Italy. Moreover, the place offers an excellent point of view on the Savoyard coast facing. A garrison could thus control (both militarily and commercially) access to the road to Italy and apply a toll. According to the Swiss ethnologist Albert Samuel Gatschet, the name Chillon comes from Waldensian dialect and would mean "flat stone, slab, platform". Castrum Quilonis (1195) would therefore mean "castle built on a chillon," that is to say on a rock platform.

The first construction dates back to around the 10th century, although it is likely that it was already a privileged military site before that date. Objects dating back to Roman times were discovered during excavations in the 19th century, as well as remains from the Bronze Age. From a double wooden palisade, the Romans would have fortified the site before a square dungeon was added in the 10th century. Sources from the 13th century link the possession of the Chillon site to the Bishop of Sion.

A charter of 1150, where Count Humbert III grants the Cistercians of Hautcrêt free passage to Chillon, attests to the domination of the House of Savoy on Chillon. The owner of the castle is mentioned as Gaucher de Blonay, a vassal of the Count of Savoy. At the time it was a seigniorial domination of the Savoy within the framework of a feudal society and not an administrative domination.

Since the end of the 18th century, the castle has attracted romantic writers. From Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Victor Hugo via Alexandre Dumas, Gustave Flaubert and Lord Byron, the castle has inspired poets from around the world. Hugo says "Chillon is a block of towers on a block of rocks." Some restorations, inspired by the romantic vision of aesthetics, were at the expense of historical veracity. In 1900, the architect Albert Naef continued the restoration work to reach the current state of the building. He remade the interior and the tapestries of certain rooms such as the great room of the bailiff, also called the "great Bernese cuisine."

By 1939, the castle was hosting over 100,000 visitors a year. The proximity to the popular city of Montreux has not been unrelated to this craze. Success continues to grow over the years and by 2005 the monument now had about 300,000 visits per year. Thanks to the restorations, the castle is in excellent condition and gives a good model of the feudal architecture.

The castle has twice hosted the Compagnie du Graal theater company based in Thonon-les-Bains, to play a sound and light adaptation of King Lear by Shakespeare in 2009 and in 2012 an epic fresco inspired by Ancient Greece : Hyperion.

At the end of the 19th century, structures were set up for a scientific restoration of the monument. This systematic undertaking, a true laboratory where an ethic of monumental restoration is developed, was considered quite exemplary. It was boasted in particular by Johann Rudolf Rahn in a lecture given in 1898 to the Zurich Antiquity Society, and the German Emperor himself, William II, inquired about the Chillon model in view of the reconstruction of the fortress of Haut-Koenigsbourg.

This result is due to the conjunction of several factors:

• the emergence of particularly competent personalities;

• the creation of the Association for the restoration of Chillon;

• the appointment of a Technical Commission to guide the work;

• the adoption by the Canton of Vaud of the 1898 law on historic monuments.

The reconstruction of Chillon was one of the first times that the sciences of archaeology and history were applied to rebuild a structure in an historically accurate way.

The intervention of pioneering personalities in the protection of monuments is decisive. In particular: Johann Rudolf Rahn, one of the main protagonists at the origin of the Swiss Society of Historical Monuments in 1880, and Henry de Geymüller , international specialist of the monumental restoration, closely associated with the rehabilitation of buildings such as the Romanesque church of Church of Saint-Sulpice, Vaud in Saint-Sulpice, the Saint-François church  in Lausanne, and the Lausanne Cathedral. In addition, Ernest Burnat, who was also very involved in Lausanne Cathedral, was initially named architect of this restoration and was replaced by Albert Naef , who played a major role in the development of archaeology in the canton of Vaud and devoted twenty years of his life to the study of Chillon.

The Association for the restoration of the castle of Chillon was constituted in 1887. From the outset, it aimed for an "artistic" restoration with the intention of "giving back to objects the character with which they were clothed, almost a latent life, a life impression of the ideas of their time". It is also planned to create a historical museum at the castle.

A technical commission, ratified in 1889, was composed of renowned art historians and architects, specialized in the monumental restoration: Johann Rudolf Rahn, Théodore Fivel, architect in Chambéry and great connoisseur of Savoyard castrale architecture, Léo Chatelain , restorer of the Collegiate Church of Neuchâtel , Henry de Geymüller, theoretician of the restoration and specialist of the Renaissance architecture, finally Henri Assinare, architect of the State. Their first meeting took place on October 27, 1890 and from then on these specialists, for many years, closely supervised the work. Geymüller, in particular, relying on principles already published in 1865 (and augmented in 1888) by the Royal Institute of British Architects, set a framework by writing a memoir entitled Milestones for the Restoration Program and Fundamental Principles on which it was to be based (printed in Lausanne in 1896).

The Waldensian law of 1898 – the first of its kind in Switzerland – was drafted by Albert Naef. In particular, it planned to establish a cantonal commission for historic monuments and to create a cantonal archeologist's post. Naef, of course, was appointed to this function and was responsible for putting in place a real protection of historical monuments.

The systematic investigation of the castle was begun by Ernest Burnat , who initiated a general survey of the fortress, then continued and intensified by Albert Naef. The latter not only joined the Technical Commission at the death of Fivel in 1895, but replaced Burnat himself as architect-archaeologist in charge of the work. In his approach, aesthetics always remained subordinate to scientific ethics. The restoration had to be based on as much knowledge of the monument as possible and the investigation was methodical. It took into account the achievements of history through extensive research in the archives, it carried out archaeological excavations and detailed records, if necessary even to casts. The castle was literally laid bare, the whole process being conscientiously documented by plans, sketches and photographs, as well as by a minute newspaper that Naef kept from day to day. During the restoration, the replacement stones were duly indicated as such, by an inscription on the cut stone (R = Restored, RFS = Restoration facsimile, RL = Free Restoration), or by a change of color, or even a red line, on the masonry. This rule was truly respected until 1908, then was forgotten.

 CHOOSING A SIMILAR LOCATION FOR YOUR INTIMATE WEDDING OR ELOPEMENT

Covering an Elopement or Intimate wedding in that location is amazing. I am keen, honored, and humbled to be able to cover your special day. I am always available for you, even on weekdays from Tuesday to Thursday if I have to travel. Just shoot me a message or an email or even a direct message on WhatsApp on the links below.
I can wait to read or hear from you and create a unique story, in a nontraditional way and create a beautiful narrative. Keeping emotion, small gestures, epic portraiture, group shots, and dance floor photographs to create a gallery with at least 1200 pictures for you to create your own story.

When you hired me, you get the entire me, my creativity, my knowledge, my brain, my emotions,
my SOUL, my MIND, my HEART.