Being based right on the border of Cornwall and Devon, I am spoilt for choice when it comes to the beautiful venues that I get to visit in both counties. Over the course of 2023, I was lucky enough to visit some venues that have always been on my list of wishes, Avalen Farm, Trevenna Barns and Pentillie Castle to name a few. They, along with the wonderful teams running the venues and also the gorgeous couples that booked me to join them there, did not on any level disappoint and I can’t wait to return to these venues this year!
Trevenna Barns | Pentillie Castle | Upton Barn and Walled Gardens Avalen Farm | Wooladon Estate | The Green | Tregenna Castle
Trevenna Barns
This venue has been on my wish list forever and with a stroke of luck, I was approached by the lovely Georgia and Tom just a month before their December wedding to step in for their photographer who could no longer honour their date. Trevenna Barns, just skirting the border of the Cornish moorland, is a family run business, set in lovingly restored, rustic barns. Every part of the venue is finished to the highest possible spec and there are some real ionic features of this venue that begs a wow factor photo!
I loved the winter wonderland theme that Georgia and Tom had envisioned and with the help of Unique Designs by Tina, they had the most incredible backdrop of white, snow kissed blossom trees in the Threshing Barn for their ceremony. This was then majestically switched around into a sparkly, candlelit wedding breakfast set up that felt as though I had stepped right into a magazine! What a dream!
Pentillie Castle
What an absolute joy this wedding was! Hannah and Adam had decided to journey from London to the South West to wed last summer and not only did they get Pentillie Castle, steeped in hundreds of years of history and stood on the stately location of the banks of the River Tamar, but they also got THE hottest day of the year… there has been no other quite like it!
Due to Adam’s role in the Army, the couple were chaperoned throughout the day by three of the most impressive Welsh Guards. I have no idea how they survived the heat from under their Uniform and Bearskins! What I loved about this day was that Hannah & Adam utilized every part of what Pentillie had to offer, as a venue. The Bathing Hut with it’s candle lit ceremony, the Lawn for the drinks reception and speeches and the exquisite Dining Room for their wedding banquet! We also took the chance to steal away for some couple shots, being chauffeured through woodland and to the highest viewing points in the Castle’s vintage Land Rover, driven expertly by the venue’s wedding coordinator, Chrissie and her signature stiletto heels!
Upton Barn and Walled Gardens
This venue takes us over the river into Devon. Jess and Tom married here in late August and although hoping for an outdoor ceremony in The Walled Gardens, had to change plans to go indoors with just ten minutes to go due to a rogue downpour! I was amazed at how the couple took this in their stride and how the coordination team seemed to click and the The Cider Barn, indoor ceremony space was ready in an instant! The Cider Barn was delightful to photograph this wedding in. The huge arched windows created such a special light on the couple and all those gathered to watch the ceremony. Another treat was the wedding breakfast in the Stabel Barn, overlooked by a couple of ex-racehorses who were enjoying the events of the day from the neighboring paddock!
Avalen Farm
This hidden gem really shone on Laura and Jon’s autumnal wedding. The diverse spaces of the venue meant that despite the weather being awful, the guests and the couple themselves were none the wiser throughout the day! I love how this venue lends itself to lots of photographs with the stone walled buildings in the background. The Ceremony room is cosy, quiet and intimate which is quite the contrast to the wooden clad, spacious and quite grand big barn. If sustainability is high on your priority list when wedding planning, this place is well worth a look. For every wedding, the couple are gifted a tree to be planted along side the ancient woodlands at the farm as a lasting memory of their marriage. You may wonder where the name Avalen comes from, well now it will all make sense! Avalen is the Cornish word for apple tree. Now that is pretty cool!
Wooladon Estate
I love this venue! There are so many reasons why but the main one being that this venue and their wonderfully kind and generous team, have been with me since the very beginning of my journey as a wedding photographer. We were both kind of new at the same time, and I will always be so grateful for the opportunities that we shared together along the way! Have you seen our styled shoot from last year in Wed Magazine?!! I will share links to this below but I want to share with you a real wedding from last year. Lizzie and Ciara set aside a good chunk of time on their wedding day to get some dreamy couple shots. We ventured across the while site, from the gardens to the sweeping drives into the estate, and from the quarried fishing lakes to the drooping willows by the smaller ponds to achieve some of my all-time favourite couple shots. The couple both also agreed that this was one of their favourite parts of the day as they got to enjoy the moment, and take in the intensity of the day, just the two of them for the 45 mins or so that we were absent from their guests. Food for thought while planning your timings for the day… dedicate a good chunk of time for just the two of you (and me to follow you around snapping away!!).
Tregenna Castle
The light in St Ives is like no other that I have experienced. The town is bursting to the seams with artists and I have heard talk of the magic and the difference of the light here but it wasn’t until I sat down to edit Sam and Owen’s gallery that I saw for myself. Maybe it is the crystal blue seas and the white sands that omit such a glow, regardless, take a look at these shots that we managed to get at Porthminster beach during this couple’s celebrations. The castle itself is spectacular. The outside ceremony space on the lawn, under the arbour with the backdrop of the town and the blue sea and sky is like none other. The reception continues on the lawn in front of the grant hotel façade and the beautifully maintained walled gardens are an ideal spot for some more relaxed and natural photos of the two of you. The beach trip needs a bit of extra planning (the team at the hotel are happy to do this for us) but why would you not when you have sea and sand of those colours waiting for you!
The Green
I am biased when it comes to this venue because I married my other half here some 8 years ago. However in that time, this venue has changed dramatically and boasts so many diverse and clever spaces to use on your wedding day. The on site accommodation is the perfect set up for you to get ready on the morning of your wedding; The house and ‘Preen at the Green’ for larger bridal parties and a choice of luxurious self catering cottages for the groomsmen. There are multiple indoor and outdoor options when it comes to saying your vows and the reception spaces are large, rustic but elaborate giving an extra special feel to your day.
