Being well travelled...
As a Wedding photographer covering the whole South West of the UK I get to shoot at some amazing Wedding venues. And as a supplier who is often there to experience the full day with couples we as photographers have unrivalled insight in to what these venues have to offer their clientele. So here's some insight from me on the favourite venues that I shot at in 2021. In no particular order…
One of many historic looking Weddings venues within Somerset. Dillington House near Ilminster was the setting for a Ben & Lauren's Wedding in June 2021 when I shot there for the first time.
The venue is stunning inside and out and provides an amazing and romantic (almost Downton Abbey) vibe for your Wedding (and most importantly your Wedding pictures). They offer indoor or outdoor ceremony options as well as outdoor space for entertainments - like garden games, which for this Wedding were provided courtesy of Kieran Clarke Ents. As well stunning views and backdrops, it also has capacity to host your guests overnight.
Emily and the team there run an amazingly well co-ordinated Wedding day and the food is amazing.
Come the evening, dancing in the orangery is a really cool option for smaller Weddings and give you something really cool and different in your Wedding Photography. It’s a great venue that I would highly recommend and I loved shooting there.
One of two West Somerset based wedding venues on the list - St Audrie's Park really is breath-taking. The size, scale and character of it really are something else and it’s a photographer's dream with so many features to work with and with so much character that you're always shooting in the direction of something stunning.
Equipped for over 120 guests and with loads of guest rooms this place really is something else and makes this list not only for how stunning it looks but also for the strength of the experience for it's couples. Holly and Jeanette put an immense amount of attention to detail into the itinerary and making sure that everything is taken care of for their couples.
What I like about St Audrie's is that each part of the day takes place somewhere different - so when reviewing your Wedding collection each chapter has a different setting.
Ceremonies are held in the orangery which is just beautifully lit and neutrally coloured which contributes to absolutely exquisite photography. The Wedding breakfast takes place in the dining hall which is equally as gothic and featuresque before the evening reception is held in the grand hall. Which is as grand as it sounds.
Oh… and not to mention the grand staircase! It's impossible not to love this place.
I really liked working here. It was a hot summers day, the couple were great, the staff were great, and the Barn style venue is a really beautiful setting for a Wedding. Add to that the beautiful vineyard looking out on to the Mendip Hills and you really have a pretty special place.
As an active vineyard it has some great features and quirks - like the styled bar area, rustic bridges and open land for amazing sunsets. And ... the ceremony and reception rooms are amazingly well lit which we photographers love :) and there's pace for plenty of people if you have a large Wedding.
Sarah the Wedding co-ordinator and her team are incredibly welcoming and hosted an amazing Wedding.
Marketed as Somerset's most romantic venue; it's hard to argue that they're wrong.
The main house at Crowcombe looks like something out of novel form the outside, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Once in side the interior is equally as stunning with classic crown mouldings and architecture complimenting every room. Oh and it has stunning grounds to match, often with Deer coming down from the hills to say hi!
Crowcombe Court is another venue that offers a different backdrop for each part of each Wedding - be that an indoor or outdoor ceremony. A particularly favourite feature of mine is the Undercroft which is a really unique place to party and offers yet another dimension to your Wedding photography that other venues don’t have.
What sets Crowcombe apart is how invested the whole team are in providing a first class Wedding experience to their couples. You always see this from the co-ordinators. But at Crowcome every person at every level is clearly engaged in their mission and the values, which I really love and think is what all couples deserve.
