Not many of us are lucky enough to live in a castle. But for your big day you can choose to get married in one, and in some cases stay there awhile. And it really is worth thinking about.

Why choose a castle as your wedding venue? Firstly, believe it or not, for practical reasons - even if you are pushed into inviting every known cousin on both sides there are castles that can accommodate such numbers with ease. Sadly you are not going to be allowed to lodge the really annoying ones in the dungeon, but it's probable that everyone's car will fit in the car park.

But a wedding day is about so much more than mere practicality. It is the special day in your life, and calls for special surroundings. Atmosphere and style seeps from the very stones of our historic castles. They have dignity and undoubted class, and that x-factor of romance, of the fairy tale.

And somewhere between the practical and the romantic are the photographs: the group in a castle courtyard; the happy couple on a drawbridge framed by a portcullis; or the girl in the snow white dress and her handsome prince standing on the battlements with a symbolically vast vista opening up beyond.