Getting married at Bruchsal Palace ceremony, photo spots and timeline

The palace was the residence of the Prince-Bishops of Speyer. Prince-Bishop Damian Hugo von Schönborn had the foundation stone laid in 1722, and the famous staircase is the work of Balthasar Neumann. On 1 March 1945 an air raid destroyed most of the palace, and it was rebuilt afterwards.

The courtyard of honour lies in front of the palace, and the palace garden begins behind it. Red sandstone and pale façades shape the whole site. For me it is all just around the corner, and I know the palace like the back of my hand.

For a civil ceremony you can choose the Marble Hall, the Chamber Music Hall or the open air. The Marble Hall looks out over the palace garden, and the Chamber Music Hall is in the northern wing. For outdoor ceremonies the palace administration names part of the palace garden, while the town of Bruchsal calls it the open-air ceremony at the Belvedere.

At the palace the registry office only marries couples on fixed dates. You can see which days are free in the Bruchsal wedding calendar, which is also where you book. A ceremony slot at the palace lasts 45 minutes. You give notice of marriage at the registry office where you live, and you can then marry at any registry office in Germany. So you do not need to live in Bruchsal.

On top of the registry office fees there is room hire from the palace administration. It is €385, or €485 after 5 pm and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, including supervision, setup and teardown. The town also lists a surcharge of €84 for a ceremony at the palace. Current amounts are on the palace administration website and with the town of Bruchsal.

A celebrant-led ceremony is possible in the Chamber Music Hall or in part of the palace garden. There are no fixed times for these, you arrange the date directly with the palace administration. For candlelight ceremonies it names the Princes’ Hall.

If you would like a blessing without being a church member, you can contact the Agentur für Segen of the Protestant church district Bretten-Bruchsal. Their contact details are also on the palace administration website.

Right next to the palace there is a large church. Inside it is rather plain and cool in style, but there is enough room for me to move around during the ceremony without getting in the way. Plenty of daylight comes in through the tall windows, which is worth a lot for photos in a church.

Above all, it is in a great spot. After the ceremony you are right at the palace, and the group photo, drinks reception and couple portraits work beautifully there without anyone getting into a car. In theory you could even have your civil ceremony at the palace and your church wedding next door.

At Bruchsal Palace lots of photo spots sit right next to each other: gates and archways, steps, the fountain, the façade, tree-lined avenues and the rose garden. Sometimes it is green, sometimes more architectural, and there are only a few steps in between. There is no long walking here.

That variety is exactly what I like here. A wide shot in front of the whole façade, then up close at a sandstone column, then under the trees of the avenue. The red sandstone and the pale walls make very different backdrops, sometimes colourful, sometimes calm in black and white.

The short video of a couple in autumn shows how much movement these spots hold: beneath one of the archways, along the columns and by the fountain.

Inside, the palace is just as beautiful for photos: the staircase, splendid halls with wall and ceiling paintings, and you are safe from the rain. If you like clean, luxurious photos, it is really worth it.

Photos inside are booked as a separate photo session with the palace administration. It lasts 60 minutes and costs €200, up to four people can take part, and the staff take you to the most beautiful spots. Everything you need to know is on the page about wedding photos at Bruchsal Palace.

I am not allowed to use those photos on my website, which is why you only see outdoor photos here.

At one wedding the day began at the bride’s parents’ home in Bruchsal. While she was getting ready, I photographed the details, the rings, the bouquet and the perfume. Before the ceremony we went up a hill in Bruchsal for couple portraits, between rows of vines, in a meadow orchard and in a sunken lane.

Then we went to the church next to the palace for the church ceremony. After the I do, the two of them came out through the open church door, and the guests were waiting outside with long ribbons. We took a few more couple portraits at the palace, and the party was at Watt’s in Ettlingen.

Another couple came to the palace just for their couple portraits and then drove on to Karlsruhe to celebrate.

I am Janet, an English-speaking wedding photographer living in Bruchsal. With full-day coverage, travel within 100 kilometres is included, and the palace is close to home for me. You can see more photos of the palace and the area on my page as a wedding photographer in Bruchsal.

Half-day coverage starts at €1,200 and a full-day story at €2,400. In the price preview you can click together what you need and see a rough range right away.

Getting married at Bruchsal Palace? Send me your date and we will work out together what suits your day.

I plan every wedding day together with the couple. The examples on this website are ideas. We can change the order, leave parts out and add other moments.

See a possible wedding day

See all wedding stories

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