Rivervale Barn wedding photography – Kate & Chris

I shoot quite a few barn weddings throughout Sussex and Hampshire, but few venues come up to the standard of Rivervale Barn. Set on the banks of the River Blackwater in Yateley, it feels a million miles away from anywhere else, so private and peaceful, just what you need for a wedding day with all your friends and family.

I was at Rivervale Barn for the beautiful summer wedding of Kate and Chris. A more relaxed and in tune couple it’d be hard to find, the bond between them was clear to see, not least of all in the presence of Ollie their little boy! The detail Kate and Chris had put into this wedding meant that the whole venue felt personal to them, not least of all in the flowers created by Flower Monkey, beautiful soft colours that blended with the theme perfectly. I particularly loved the flowers placed by the windows so they were backlit, big roses with the light coming through their petals, guaranteed to appeal to a photographer who loves available light!

Kate and Chris chose a wonderful celebrant to perform their ceremony. Helen was warm and friendly and performed a beautiful & personal celebration. I loved the shots I got of Chris as Kate made her processional, he was so clearly moved when he saw her entrance. Throughout Helen’s ceremony I was able to get gorgeous shots of Kate and Chris’ reactions, the huge windows behind me bathing them in beautiful light. I see more and more couples getting married before their wedding day and then having a celebrant perform their blessing on the actual day. It makes for a much more relaxed ceremony as a good celebrant can really make it personal to the couple as well as making the ceremony enjoyable and entertaining. One of the main advantages of course is that, without a legal script to follow or signing of the register, the ceremony can be so much more emotional.

One of the great things about Rivervale Barn is that it has a great flow to it. Guests move from one area to another through the day with ease and are never in one place so long they get bored. From the courtyard to the ceremony room to the gardens and then through to the dining area, each designed specifically for it’s use. I was able to take Kate and Chris into the gardens for some private shots on their own and did a great group shot of everyone from the balcony in the courtyard. The warm wood of the barn helped with lovely skin tones as did the huge amount of natural light coming in through all the windows. Barns are often dark and badly lit, but at Rivervale there’s loads of lovely light, a pleasure for a Sussex wedding photographer to work with.

Light being so important, it was great to have LR Entertainment providing the music for the dancing. They lit the dance floor brilliantly, so I was able to use that light to get some great shots of Kate & Chris’ first dance and of the dancing after.

I must mention the bridesmaids and the ushers who were extremely friendly and helpful throughout the day, as well as Hayley at Rivervale who was lovely to work with and super organised! Thank you also to Michelle who recommended me to Kate, I’m really looking forward to shooting yours and Adam’s wedding next February!

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Thrilled!!! That’s all we can say, can’t stop looking through all the shots! You’ve captured the day beautifully – Kate

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