Emily & JP’s Hug-Filled Celebration in the Magic Circle at Ashridge Great Barn, Devon

This wedding will forever be one of my favourites! Nestled in the Devon Countryside, Ashridge Great Barn is an exclusive hire location that is perfect for relaxed couples who want to inject their own personalities into the venue they have chosen. This was my first time at Ashridge and I was just amazed when I saw the barn and the grounds. It felt like we were on a rustic farm in the south of France!

There are so many areas to explore, the fields that surround the Barn, the wooded areas including the Magic Circle and a lovely walled garden.

All About Emily & JP – Style, Warmth, and Pure Joy

But what made this wedding were Emily and JP themselves and their wonderful family and friends. It really is great when I walk into the morning preparations and am just welcomed in and accepted from the beginning. And what is also lovely is when I am just trusted to do my thing, which is capturing the day as I see it unfold.

A Wedding Full of Colour and Character

Emily had decided that the theme and dress code for her wedding was “outshine the bride”. And although I’m not sure anyone managed it, they all came pretty close. The outfits and colours were just fucking awesome. Emily and JP had opted for an outdoor ceremony in the magic circle in the woods. During morning prep, I went for a wander to scope out the location and it wasn’t immediately obvious why it was called the magic circle. That was, until I decided to throw the drone up. The colours of the woods were beautiful and the trees formed a perfect circle, creating a wonderful and quirky location for a ceremony. So I decided I wanted to capture the ceremony with the drone. However, drones are fairly noisy and obtrusive. So I spent a little time working out my composition and the perfect height where the noise of the drone was barely perceptible. I then left the drone ready to go during the ceremony.

When it came to the ceremony, it was awesome seeing everyone sat down ready for the grand entrance. We had the dads entrance, complete with yeti coolbox full of beers, making sure everyone was kept hydrated! And then we had a lovely ceremony conducted by their Friend. Mid ceremony, I got the drone up and captured a great drone shot, getting a completely new perspective from 60 metres up!

Cocktails, Oysters, and All the Hugs

Aside from the main wedding theme, the second theme was ‘all the hugs’! It was awesome, so many hugs throughout the day. After the ceremony, there were cocktails and oysters on the lawn, before we smashed out a few family formals and then I took Emily and JP off for a short walk around the grounds to get some couple shots.

And the rest of the day just unfolded with a great BBQ from big Nath’s BBQ who had travelled down from bristol *producing the best beef brisket i’ve ever had) and then some real heartfelt speeches. We had the bride smashing a Pinata, some awesome dancing and lots of drunken fun. All in all, an epic day surrounded by great people. But rather than take my word for it, check out some images from the day!

Emily and JP kindly left me a great review: “Stop what you are doing and book Chris for your wedding RIGHT NOW! Chris was amazing and my friends and family are STILL talking about him 2 months after the wedding. He was so friendly, and really worked with us to capture the day. My husband and I are both not posed photo people and he was super respectful of that and didn’t push for photos that we weren’t feeling up for. However, he did make sure to give us lots of opportunities to capture moments if we wanted (sunset etc). He truly felt like part of the wedding party and made us feel so comfortable. The drone shot he got of our ceremony is AMAZING. Honestly, if you aren’t booking Chris you are missing out.”

And if you are getting married and think we could be a good fit, I’d love to hear from you. Just send me a message or go to my contact form and I’ll be in touch!