Upton Barn Wedding Photographer

Upton Barn Weddings 

One of my favourite Devon Wedding Venues

I have been an Upton Barn wedding photographer a couple of times now and this wonderful wedding venue is becoming a firm favourite of mine!

Not only are the staff at Upton barn just amazing (honestly, they have an incredible team). It is such a beautiful (and practical!) venue, inside and out!

Upton Barn is set in the heart of the Devon countryside, but only a short detour off the M5 – making it incredibly accessible for wedding guests travelling across the South West of England.

This wonderful wedding venue is bursting with heart. It hosted it’s very first wedding for owners Claire and Richard, who married in the stunning walled garden back in 2013, before Upton became an official wedding venue.

The venue benefits from a number of awesome spaces which interlink. This means on a wet day there’s no need to get soggy!

A Late Summer Wedding

The two weddings I’ve shot at Upton couldn’t have been more different! 

Jenny and Mike got wed on a scorching hot day in September 2021, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was hot! The bride and her bridesmaids looked stunning as they walked down the aisle in the walled garden and Jenny looked thrilled to be given away by her lovely dad, after several postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic. Guests lined the steps as we took group shots in the shade of the oak framed window of the building. My second photographer and I worked hard to take candid photographs of guests having fun during the drinks reception in the hard mid-day sunlight.

After the wedding breakfast, the top-table was lit by sidelight from the vast Stable Barn window. This created atmospheric photographs during the speeches.

Finally, as the sun began to set (and the temperature began to cool!), we were blessed with the most unreal, golden light. We headed up the drive and into the paddocks for some epic golden hour shots. The bride and groom danced, bathed in golden light.

That evening, a photo booth appeared, and guests hit the dancefloor before pizza was served to hungry (and perhaps a little inebriated?!) guests.

A Mid-Winter Wedding

By comparison to Jenny and Mike’s September wedding, Fiona and Matt’s February wedding couldn’t have been more different!!!

The day before their wedding the Met Officed issued a red weather warning and as the wedding morning arrived, storm Eunice (the worst storm for several decades) blew in! It was possibly one of the scariest drives I’ve had to a wedding as my (usually robust) car felt like a tin can as it was blown every which way down the motorway. As I drove up the Devon country roads, vast trees had fallen all around, it was crazy!

When I arrived, the staff at Upton were busy setting up a generator as there had been a power cut. Fiona and her bridal party were busy getting ready in the brand-new Paddocks and the bride was kindly driven the short walk down to the venue in order to void undoing the hair and make-up artists’ hard work!

Fiona and Matt got married in the Cider Barn, lit with natural light from the window behind. As the storm blew a hooley outside, the guests were merry and cosy inside the Press bar.

Perhaps the best thing about Upton Barn is the variety of spaces which can be used whatever the weather. Fiona had particularly wanted to go outside for portraits but as hail descended and the gail blew, we utilised some of the venues pretty nooks and crannies for portraits. Being a British venue, it’s so important to have options for portraits if the weather is below par, and this is definitely one of the reasons I love Upton Barn so much. Later though, the sun did come out and the wind eased so we were able to pop outside for some portraits before the wedding breakfast was served.

Being February, the sun had long set before the speeches were given at this wedding. I set up some off-camera flash to lift the ambient light and got to it! I like to add a little off the shoulder backlight where possible as it creates some depth behind my subject.

I used a mix of off-camera flash and on-camera bounce flash for the cake-cutting and first dance.

Later, as the wind completely died away, Fiona, Matt, their children and some more sober wedding guests headed out to create a sparkler exit!

I loved both the weddings I’ve photographed at Upton Barn despite how different they were. It’s a real credit to the venue that it can be an amazing place to shoot in all weathers. I’m shooting there again later this year and I already can’t wait (whatever the weather!).

The Venue

New for 2022 is the wonderful space that is the Paddocks. Built just a short walk from the main venue and once again boasting large windows with epic views. I was privileged enough to be the first photographer to shoot in the Paddocks as my bride Fiona was the first to use it. This is a wonderful new addition where bridal parties can choose to get ready, it has showers, hair-dresser-style washing facilities, a dressing room, kitchen area and mirrors aplenty!

Finally, the outdoor space – and what’s not to love about a walled garden? This wonderfully considered space has been beautifully landscaped and is the perfect spot to tie the knot on sunny days. Walk down the aisle – lined with heavily laden lavender bushes – and meet your spouse-to-be at the altar. Say “I do” under the gorgeous, handcrafted oak arbour. Guests can play games on the well-kept lawns or drink champagne and eat canapes on the large patio, enjoying views across the Devonshire countryside.