As a wedding photographer I’m lucky to visit some of the most beautiful places across the north west of England, and some of my absolute favourite places have been barn wedding venues … I absolutely love a wedding in a barn and even got married in one myself. I thought I would take a few minutes to share some of my favourite barns and the weddings I’ve photographed there. Think beautiful bare brick walls, exposed wooden beams, twinkly fairy lights and, of course, acres of surrounding countryside for those perfect wedding photos…
A Rustic Tithe Barn
First up is.. Meols Hall in Southport …
I recently photographed Amy and James’ wedding here and it was absolutely perfect. I love the big open courtyard where guests can mingle for drinks and canapes. They also have a coach house attached which is really pretty and a great alternative for wet weather or a good place to serve coffee after the meal. James and Amy had a cheese board and sweetie table set out so guests could pop in there whilst the staff turned the barn around for the evening. Little extras like this make your day run smoother and guests won’t feel like they are hanging around waiting. Amy and James were lucky to have glorious weather but I can see that this venue would be great even in winter…
A bright and modern barn
If you love the rustic charm of a barn but are looking for somewhere with a more light and airy feel you should definitely check out Wyresdale Park. This relatively new wedding venue in Scorton, north Lancashire, has fast become one of my all time favourites. I’ve never seen so much light in a barn! Everything about the place is rustic yet elegant and a perfect blank canvas to put your own personality into styling. They have several barns all attached to courtyards and also a little tavern connecting them. I recently photographed Ellie and Matt’s wedding there which was full of colour and pretty, handmade details. They were married in the ceremony barn, had confetti in the courtyard, drinks and canapes outside Wyresdale Hall with the lovely lawn as a backdrop, and had their wedding breakfast and evening reception in the white barn. The white barn was stunning! It has plenty of space and even a balcony/mezzanine which was amazing for taking photos from. Also… one of my favourite things about this venue is it’s grounds … so much variety in terms of photos! They have lawns, woods, interesting brick walls, beautiful plants/trees and even a boating lake!! (Also worth checking out is their Apple Store Cafe which is open to the public but has separate access so doesn’t impact on a wedding… they do an amazing afternoon tea)…
A traditional barn with modern touches
Rivington Hall Barn is a well established and widely known barn within the wedding industry… this is where we had our wedding 8 years ago and everything about it was perfect. Since then they have made several improvements and renovations which have even further bettered it in my eyes! The barn itself is just pure fairytale as you walk in and see all the twinkling lights in the ceiling and their mood lighting just brings it alive. If you’ve been on a Sunday for lunch or a walk and seen the motorbikes outside and the barn set up as a cafe then you’ll be totally surprised to see it dressed for a wedding as it totally transforms. I’ve photographed many weddings at Rivington over the years, all of which have been amazing, and it still remains special. Rosie and Michael’s wedding last summer was beautiful… they had big light up letters from The Word is Love and made use of the new terrace which has a roof for bad weather and lots of open space and light…
You can see Rosie and Michael’s full Rivington Barn Wedding on my blog here
A modern barn
Sandhole Oak Barn in Cheshire is a super stylish, modern barn which is perfect for a chic and elegant wedding. I’ve photographed several weddings there and love the fact that it has it’s own lake and you can wander into the fields too. Great for some really epic wedding photos! Last Christmas I photographed Anna and Alex’s wedding at Sandhole and it was amazing to see it in the snow.. it had a totally different feel as a wintry wedding venue. I love the fact that the dancefloor doesn’t impact on the main space of the barn so there generally isn’t a wait for the room to be turned around… you can go straight from dinner to dancing!…
You can see Anna and Alex’s full wedding on my blog here or if you’d like to see a summer wedding too you might want to check out Curtis and Emma’s Sandhole Oak Barn Wedding
A Lake District Wedding barn
Lastly I’d like to mention this super pretty barn wedding venue in the lake district (LOVE the lakes!!) … Knipe Hall. What a beautiful place!!! You can hire out the whole place as self catering accommodation and they have two separate barns for wedding use. One of them is a traditional tithe barn style and the other, the old dairy, a more modern building with lots of light… all attached and set in the most amazing spot. Almost like a little sheltered valley but a stroll to the top of the lawn or driveway will give you spectacular views across the Cumbrian hills. I photographed Amy and Andy’s wedding there which was so pretty. They were married in the barn which had a wall of fairy lights and, again, a brilliant little balcony for shooting from, then had drinks on the lawn and their meal and speeches in the old dairy. We then went back into the barn for the evening reception and dancing. We did their portraits along the beautiful driveway and in the surrounding fields. It really was magical and is absolutely worth a look…
You can see Amy and Andy’s full Knipe Hall Barn Wedding on my blog.
I feel so lucky to have worked at these beautiful barn wedding venues!! There are lots of other barns in the north west which I have heard amazing things about and would love to get the chance to photograph! Definitely worth a look are Browsholme Hall and Tithe Barn , The Out Barn at Clough Bottom and The Wellbeing Farm.
If you’d like any further information or are interested in receiving my wedding photography brochure please do get in touch!!
Prices please
Hi Zoei, will email you with my pricing brochure now ???? Emma x
Fab post Emma! & Gorgeous pictures