Highlights from Bryony & Anthony’s wedding at this unique Cumbria Barn wedding venue

Eden Barn Wedding Venue

Bryony & Anthony booked me for their Eden Barn Wedding earlier this year. Eden Barn wedding venue is a stunning purpose-built wedding venue just outside Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria. It describes itself as…

“Overlooking picturesque scenery, and set in 100 acres, our exclusive and intimate licensed Wedding Barn will immerse your guests in the charm and character of Cumbria’s enchanting Upper Eden Valley.

Our traditional 200 year old Westmorland stone barn has a rustic elegance that can be tailored to your theme, for a unique wedding. This beautiful building is packed with rustic charm from the giant chandeliers to the exposed stone walls, limestone flagged floor and vaulted ceiling. Outside there are expansive views, a hand-thatched gazebo and lovely landscaped grounds”.

So…how could I say no to all this, plus a brilliant relaxed couple to photograph too?

The venue has everything you need for your Eden Barn Wedding; the main barn itself, with an annexed bar area, a cottage next door, plus an open gazebo area for your outdoor wedding. Oh, and a meadow across the road to photograph some late afternoon Eden Barn wedding photos. A photographer’s dream!

Summer Wedding in Cumbria

Bryony & Anthony had chosen late August for their Eden Barn Wedding, and booked me all day until the end of speeches. The venue looked stunning - all ready for the big day. The sun was shining, and what looked to be a hot day indeed was looming. No problem, I had my trademark bucket hat with me just in case! a Summer wedding in Cumbria was just the perfect commission that day. The layout of the venue makes for some great candid photography as guests chill and relax before and after the ceremony in the bar area, or outside on the terrace. In fact, we were only indoors for half the day for this Eden Barn wedding.

Eden Barn Wedding Photographer

I drove up on the day from my base in Morecambe, so the journey was only an hour or so up the M6. Driving through the lovely village of Kirkby Stephen, Eden Barn is situated off the beaten track down a country lane. “You’ll arrive at your destination in 100 yds” said the sat nav, and sure enough, there was the venue on the left. This was to be my first visit as an Eden Barn wedding photographer, and I was really looking forward to how the day would roll out. I arrived early to be greeted by Andrea, the owners’ daughter…who insisted I had a brew owner before starting work. Ok then! Cliff and his wife Carolyn, who own the venue joined us and introduced themselves. Cliff then showed me round, pointing out some great sports depending on the wether etc, so I was now fully primed for a day as an Eden Barn Wedding Photographer!

Home made wedding cake

Bryony had made the wedding cakes. Bryony is a part-time baker (or ‘Caker’ as I called her) and specialises in gluten-free produce. It looked stunning, but sadly I was due to leave before it was cut up and shared out. Ah well. Bryony was next door in the cottage, so I said hello and quietly went about doing my thing. As Anthony and his dad arrived with best man, I quietly met them en route to the bar area, where they out on their buttonholes. Everybody was in great spirits for this Eden Barn wedding, and as the guests started to arrive, the atmosphere clicked up a gear.

Wedding ceremony at Eden Barn

The Barn was beautifully designed and decorated by the very talented Krystyna Jane Floral Design and was just awesome. The emotional Bryony walked down the aisle with her uncle, but soon cheered up when she got to the front to meet up with Anthony! The ceremony was fantastic; emotional, funny with some great crowd interaction. The registrars were great too and let me quietly capture the ceremony with my new silent shooting cameras, meaning I could move around more and still be unobtrusive. Perfect for when the light level is low and I am on prime lenses.

Here’s some of my favourite photos from the day…