A Summer Barn Wedding in Yorkshire: Fairy Lights, Stone Walls and a Far-From-Ordinary Day
Fairy lights strung along old timber beams, a top table in fits of laughter, and a stormy blue sky over the valley as the day drew in. Lauren and Jon called their summer barn wedding ‘ordinary’. We’d politely disagree.
A stone barn wedding in the Yorkshire countryside
Lauren and Jon married in a converted stone barn on a hillside in the Yorkshire countryside, with long views across a valley. Inside, it had everything we love about a barn: chunky timber trusses, warm stone walls, fairy lights along the beams and a draped ceiling with a crystal chandelier. The tables had white chair covers tied with orange sashes, and wooden crates full of sunflowers and bright yellow and orange flowers.
A barn like this works in any weather. The ceremony, the meal and the dancing all happened in the barn, and just outside there were green lanes, stone walls and that big view for portraits.
An ‘ordinary’ wedding?
There’s a lot we love about the wedding industry, and we couldn’t ask for a better job. But it has a nasty habit of encouraging one-upmanship, which leaves plenty of couples feeling their day isn’t the kind that gets suppliers excited. A couple of years earlier, a bride emailed us to say a few suppliers had been less than positive about their wedding because it was on a budget. They had prioritised what mattered to them, photography being one of those, and weren’t ashamed to admit it. Their wedding is still one of our favourites.
When Lauren emailed after receiving their photos, it was a perfect reminder of just how important our job is. The first paragraph read: ‘Thanks so much for the stunning shots guys! We’re looking through them all and were amazed at how you’ve turned our “ordinary” wedding with very un-photogenic bride and groom in to some great photos.’ We knew photography was important to them, but we hadn’t realised they felt theirs was an ‘ordinary’ wedding.
Red lipstick, happy tears and a barn full of laughter
By the time we arrived on the morning of the wedding, we’d got to know Lauren and Jon pretty well through past meetings and their engagement shoot. It was a day we’d been really looking forward to. Lauren went for winged eyeliner and bold red lipstick, before she stepped into her lace gown. Jon fastened his cufflinks, and had a quiet moment wiping away a tear as he read.
The ceremony took place under the fairy lights, with Jon grinning as he waited and Lauren walking in on the arm of an older gentleman. There were a few happy tears among the guests. Outside, a little girl in a rose-print dress was lifted up to tip a cup of heart-shaped confetti over Lauren’s head, bright dahlias in her bouquet.
We took them down a leafy green lane for portraits, Lauren’s long veil trailing behind her. Back inside, the speeches had the top table in stitches, with notes waved around and plenty of pointing at Jon, and Jon gave a speech of his own. A white umbrella came out for portraits overlooking the valley, and as the evening drew in, the clouds turned a deep stormy blue and the lights of distant towns came on below.
Why we love a barn wedding in Yorkshire
If you’re planning a barn wedding of your own, here’s our honest take after this one:
- Spend on what matters to you. Lauren and Jon put photography high on their list. Prioritise what you’ll treasure, and don’t apologise for it.
- Barns glow after dark. Timber beams, stone and fairy lights make the evening feel warm, and they look lovely in photos.
- Look for a view. A barn on a hillside gives you big skies for portraits, even when the weather turns moody.
- Pack a white umbrella. It keeps you dry if the clouds roll in, and it looks great in photos.
Planning a barn wedding in Yorkshire?
When we think about upcoming weddings, we think about the couples, not the venues, the details or the extras. It’s about capturing your day, your family and friends, and the moments that will mean the world to you. Lauren and Jon are incredible people who make an even more incredible couple, so how could their day ever be anything other than extraordinary? Oh, and I was going to point out just how photogenic they are, but I’ll let the photos do that!
See more barn weddings and summer weddings, browse our Yorkshire wedding photography, or get in touch to check your date.
See also: Engagement shoot at Lauren & Jon –.
