Břevnov Monastery — through the Eyes of Photographer

As a wedding photographer I have already photographed several wedding ceremonies and receptions in the Břevnov Monastery. The Břevnov Monastery Garden offers many opportunities for interesting photographs: tree alleys, nice willows and ponds.

Place name	Břevnov Monastery (in czech: Břevnovský klášter)
Address	Marketska 1/28, 169 00 Prague 6‑Brevnov
Official website	Official information about marriage
Parking	in monastery area — wedding guests can go directly to the church inside of courtyard or they can leave their cars in parking lots in front of monastery
Wedding Photographer	Wedding Photographer Petr Dolezal

Wedding Ceremony in the Břevnov Monastery

Wedding ceremonies in the Břevnov Monastery take place:

• Civil marriages:
  • Theresian Hall (seating capacity for 100 people)
  • Abbey dining room
  • Monastery garden (behind the Vojtěška pavilion)
  • The upper hall of the Vojtěška pavilion (capacity 50 people)
• Church marriages:
  • Church of St. Margaret

I already know all the places for civil marriages from earlier weddings, most often I come to take pictures in the Theresian Hall. I haven’t taken a picture in church of St. Margaret (sv. Markéta in czech) yet, so hopefully it will come one day too :-)

Theresian Hall

The Theresian Hall is 200 square meters big. The windows on both sides are oriented to the west and east. Unfortunately, during the ceremony the groom and the bride are facing the wall, so their faces are in the shadows, while sides of their faces are bright. Therefore, the natural direction of light is not ideal for the photographed couple (but it is not disaster). If you are not against using the flash at wedding ceremonies, you can try to change the situation with the flash. However, the ceiling is too high to reflect the light and a large part of a wall behind you is occupied by a dark picture and a wooden door. However, the lighting of the hall is certainly logical, because if the windows were just in front, the back of the hall would drown in the dark (and the wedding guests in it). If the windows were only on one side, the room would be lit completely unevenly.

The great advantage of the Theresian Hall in the Břevnov Monastery is its big space. The wedding photographer can move behind the guests, left and right, as he wants. The piano stands in position B (see diagram above).

Abbey dining room

The abbey dining room is about half the size of the Theresian Hall (90 m²) and its windows are oriented to the south cardinal direction.

Pavilion Vojtěška

Pavilion Vojtěška gives the most challenging challenge for a wedding photographer, because it is the smallest venue. The entry of the groom and bride at the beginning of the ceremony is very fast, the photographer has more limited his movement and distance from people. On the other hand, I will not forget the magical feeling when I first came to the Vojtěška pavilion. It was before the wedding ceremony, the pavilion was still empty, but the wedding gate, chairs and flower arrangements were already prepared. It was raining outside, but inside there were electric wall sconces. Classical piano music was playing. In the middle of a rainy day, the pavilion looked very festive, yet as a cozy and safe island. The Vojtěška Pavilion like the Theresian Hall and all other spaces in the Břevnov Monastery complex is definitely a nice place for a wedding and gives a magical experience to all participants.

Wedding Photography in the Area of the Břevnov Monastery

If you are just leaving the wedding ceremony which taken place in Břevnov Monastery, you can take a picture of a group of wedding guests directly in the courtyard from the open window of the monastery on the 1st floor. You will not find a large outdoor staircase in the area.

Břevnov Monastery offers many opportunities for photos of newlyweds. Here are some interesting places I recommend for photography:

• a large tree on the grass between Markétská and Patočková streets
• the shores of ponds Markéta I. and Markéta II.
• large willows on the shore of the pond Markéta II.
• alley of trees on an unnamed road leading from Patočkova street to the monastery (but it is often full of pedestrians)
• an alley of trees along a long straight path leading directly to the east side of the monastery
• Břevnov Monastery Garden: 
  • high hedges leading to the Vojtěška pavilion
  • large tree roots on the way from the Vojtěšek pavilion to the orangery
  • brick wall near the orangery

But you will definitely find a lot of other interesting places to take photos in the monastery venue.

For a wedding reception, you can buy beer in style from the local Břevnov Monastery Brewery of St. Adalbert.