Dunster Tithe Barn Wedding Photographer

​The grade II listed Dunster Tithe Barn in Somerset dates back to the 14th-century and Rachel and Rory celebrated their wedding here on a glorious summer’s day. I started the day out at the even older 13th-century Luttrell Arms (there’s plenty of history in the medieval village of Dunster!). Rachel and her sister had gorgeous light streaming into their room and it made for some lovely documentary photographs. Both the guys and girls got ready here and they made the short walk under blue skies to St George’s Church for the wedding ceremony.

St George’s Church Wedding Ceremony

I must say that Rory would be a terrible poker player, his face gives away exactly how he’s feeling, and moments before his soon-to-be wife walked in he was clearly a bundle of excitement! Rachel and Rory are very talented musicians and so it was no surprise that music would be feature in parts of the day. During the church service we were treated to the wonderful sound of the choir who filled the air with sweet harmonies. With the wedding vows and rings exchanged, the newlyweds were off to begin their married life! We took a slight detour enroute to the Tithe Barn gardens so that the guests could be there first for the couple’s arrival. This gave me a chance to get some unposed, natural moments of them together in the adjacent cloisters garden.

Rachel and Rory, Dunster Tithe Barn from Simon Biffen.

Wedding Reception at The Tithe Barn

After a wonderful confetti tunnel into the walled garden for the newlyweds, the wedding reception could begin. There was plenty to keep guests entertained in the garden from table tennis and boules for the competitive to hula hooping and space hoppers for the energetic! When it was time to move inside for the meal guests were treated to the stunning room awaiting them. The Dunster Tithe Barn has a high ceiling with ancient oak beams that create a sense of stepping back in time when you enter it. The wedding breakfast setup was elegantly styled with wild flower table centres. With everyone seated and Rachel and Rory raucously welcomed, there was more music, this time from all the guests having a good old pre-dinner sing song! Following this was a personal touch by the couple who donned their respective Mr & Mrs aprons and set about serving guests their meals, much to everyone’s delight. There was a lot of laughter during the speeches and plenty of love for two people so well matched for each other.

Unposed Somerset Wedding Photography

With long, hot summer days the best part of the day can often be towards dusk where the air is cooler, the light softer and with the day coming to an end it can be a great time for another couple shoot session. My approach to these is to always keep it relaxed. I don’t want people to feel like it’s a photoshoot at all, instead think of it as time to hang out together and have fun. I want to capture moments that show who you are as a couple. I took Rachel and Rory for a wander around the Tithe Barn where the incredible oak doors made a stunning backdrop and you’ll see some lovely photographs from this below. It was then back inside for the party to begin! The ceilidh band Ceilidh Tree got everyone up and moving, and that’s the great thing about a ceilidh band: you don’t have to have any experience, you can dive straight in and be told what to do! The celebrations continued into the night with the guests occasionally popping outside for a sweet treat from the ice cream van!

Check out these highlights below from Rachel and Rory’s August wedding day at the Dunster Tithe Barn.