When I was planning our engagement shoot with our wonderful photographer Harps Joseph, I searched and searched for other photoshoots in Winchester. And I came up totally empty. Or mostly empty anyhow.
So after our beautiful engagement shoot a few weekends ago, I thought I’d better add to the numbers. And hopefully you’ll see from our photos how stunning the city is too, especially on a sunny autumn afternoon.
Why Winchester?
We chose Winchester for our engagement shoot location because it’s our hometown! We both grew up in villages just outside the city and spent our childhoods and teenage years walking around these cobbled streets and wasting time on swings and in cafes.
Funnily enough, even though we went to the same college, we didn’t meet until we were both working in London 5 years later.
Winchester Cathedral
After meeting Harps at the Buttercross monument in town, we started our shoot by the Cathedral. This is where I’ve seen other couples have photos on their wedding day, and I knew we’d get some great shots here by the stone walls and in the gardens.
(This was the point where Harps said something extremely rude which made me burst out laughing.)
Since we both went to the same college, unsurprisingly we have lots of old friends in common, many of whom will be at our wedding next year. You can read all about our search for a Hampshire wedding venue too!
Dome Alley
This shot right here was one of the locations I was most excited about getting photos in. The beautiful Tudor houses between the Cathedral the College couldn’t have looked better in the Autumn sunshine.
Winchester College
Unfortunately the college was closed so this was as far in as we could get. I was up for dashing inside but Matt was not on board.
Wolvesey Castle
Round the corner from the college was this absolute find.
Can you believe neither of us had ever been to these ruins before? Right next to the Cathedral, Wolvesey Castle, otherwise known as Old Bishop’s Palace, is a Grade I listed building with parts of it dating back to 970!
River Itchen
The whole walk by the river is just beautiful, and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting.
Fun fact: The pub just out of shot, The Bishop On The Bridge, is where I bought my first ever pint on my 18th birthday.
Abbey Gardens
This beautiful park filled with nice young families is where my friends would gather after college, sit on the ground and drink massive amounts of Sainsbury’s own brand energy drink.
The Gurkha Museum
Another hidden gem, the Gurkha Museum is part of Winchester’s military museums, and commemorates the service of Gurkha soldiers to the British crown. The gardens are really spacious and grand – definitely a surprise when you first come across them, since they’re totally inconsistent with the architecture of the rest of the city.
You might be able to tell from these photos, but we weren’t as comfortable here as we were in other areas. Although the grounds of the museum are certainly impressive, I think it lacked the homey, cosy vibe which was why we chose Winchester in the first place.
Verdict
I was especially excited about the photos from around the Cathedral, and of course they turned out absolutely gorgeous. Wolvesey Castle was a great surprise find on the day!
My verdict of an engagement shoot in general is definitely ‘do it if you can’. Matt was a bit apprehensive and the whole thing has made him much more relaxed in front of the camera, ready for our big day!
If you love cheesy content like this, you can read all about the day Matt proposed – one of my favourite posts, although yes, I may be biased.
I’m Sophie, a writer and blogger living in St Albans, traveling, eating, and telling you all about it.
