(and why I love them)
If you’re newly engaged (congratulations!) and on the hunt for a wedding venue in Devon, I urge you to stay a while and and check out my top 10 wedding venues in Devon for a bit of planning inspiration!
Being a wedding photographer in Devon – based in one of the most beautiful counties in the UK – means I have so many absolutely beautiful wedding venues on my doorstep, and my top 10 wedding venues in Devon all have a special place in my heart for various reasons which I will list below.
All of these Devon venues offer something extra that keeps me inspired every single time I work there. As well as being beautiful venues to work at, each of these venues offers an incredible client experience, too.
I cannot possibly choose my favourites in numerical order as they all have elements that as a photographer, I absolutely love, so instead I will just tell you what I love about each venue, and if you’re planning your wedding, some of these elements might appeal to you more than others. The planning and on-the-day teams of these venues are all absolutely fantastic and have helped give all of my couples an stress-free experienced when planning and enjoying their wedding days.
Huntsham Court
I have been fortunate to shoot many weddings at Huntsham Court, and Huntsham is without question one of the best wedding venues in Devon. From a wedding guests point of view, the ability guests have to make themselves at home is wonderful, few wedding venues offer such a relaxed vibe, it really is a home from home for weddings parties, whether its the ability to pop. into the butlers pantry to make themselves a coffee, or the garden games – even a tennis court is available – with over 30 rooms for your wedding guests, this corkage free private hire house is an absolute stunner.
From a photographers perspective – THE LIGHT, THE LIGHT, THE LIGHT! I adore Huntsham light, it is almost cinematic, due to the build of the gothic mansion, the large windows allow the most incredible kind of light that excites photographers, and at different times of the year and day, the light spills into the rooms allowing for so many creative opportunities.
What do my couples love the most about Huntham?
Aside from the knowledge their guests can truly relax, Huntsham is licensed for ceremonies in various spaces throughout the house and gardens, and even a beautiful church on the driveway!
I have shot so many very different weddings at Huntsham, it really does appeal to a broad range of couples and the space can be made your own for a magical wedding, whether you’re going for a chilled out and relaxed vibe, or a wild party. Some of my most memorable weddings as a photographer have been at Huntsham and this is why it truly deserves a place in my top 10 Devon wedding venues list. You can visit the site of Huntsham Court here, and if you’d like to view more images, check our Mike and Michelle’s Huntsham Court wedding.
Tunnels Beaches
Did anyone say beach wedding?! Tunnels beaches is of the most popular wedding venues in the country and it’s not hard to see why. I’ve been shooting here since almost the beginning of the tunnels wedding story and I absolutely love it every time I shoot there.
Whether you’re planning a micro-wedding or elopement, or a full scale wedding, tunnels has options for you and with stunning indoor and outdoor options, the UK weather doesn’t have to be an issue!
Set into the cliffs on the North Devon shore, Tunnels beaches is not just beautiful but it’s also unique, there aren’t many venues assessable via a hand carved tunnel! With its unique history and beautiful coastal location, tunnels definitely deserves to be one of my top 10 Devon wedding venues!
The tunnels team are always absolutely fantastic, on every detail, tide time, and even look after suppliers like us which makes working there an absolutely treat, every time.
Tunnels beaches has onsite accommodation which is super handy for your loves ones and wedding party so there’s not long to travel to the wedding! All the ‘prep’ venues are photogenic and there are plenty of options.
I’ve lost count of the amount of tidal pool adventures, LUSH beach BBQ’s and epic sunsets at tunnels. I never tire of this venue, it is a LITERAL breath of fresh air every time I work there – in how many other jobs do you get to call a day at the beach ‘work’ whilst also capturing couples living their absolute best lives?
You can read more about tunnels here and for a full blog post, visit Danielle and Adam’s post here.
Kingston Estate
Kingston Estate is SUCH a beautiful venue, and a real gem in the South Hams. A stunning Georgian Manor House, decorated with a classy and neutral theme, a dreamy staircase and the outdoor courtyard of dreams!
Kingston Estate really is a glorious venue, and always a treat to shoot at. The addition of indoor/outdoor seating in the rose garden is the icing on this wedding-dream cake, so even wet summer weddings can have that outdoor dining vibe.
With beautiful prep spaces and even an underground club, Kingston Estate is the venue that keeps on giving – some of the accommodation even has hot tubs. The epitome of English country garden weddings right here. More info on Kingston Estate right here.
If you’d like to see a full wedding, please check out our blogpost for Tory & Josh.
I’ve shot at Kingston Estate many times, and it has so much to offer. I’m a big fan of a first dance underneath the festoons in the courtyard, and changing the vibe up to the underground club is a sure fire way to ensure an epic party once the sun goes down. As I’m talking about my top 10 Devon wedding venues – I have to mention the Kingston team, headed up by the fantastic Jodie, who I know works here socks off for each and every Kingston couple, ensuring they have they best day – and planning experience – possible.
If you’re looking for a classy venue with the wow factor, look no further!
Pynes House
Oh, Pynes! SUCH an elegant venue. There is something utterly magical about Pynes that inspires me hugely every time I work there. Pynes House is a Grade II listed Queen Anne style country house venue perfectly sized and located for a wedding. Sized might seem a strange thing to say, but it’s just the right size – grand enough to feel, well, grand, but without swamping you within its walls and grounds. It has just enough space to settle in and feel relaxed.
The tree lined driveway is one of my favourite features, it’s just wonderful and gives movie vibes as you make your way down the gravel driveway, whilst the entrance hallway makes me want to go back and take photos over and over again, its just so photogenic, even the front door is Majestic. I have yet to photograph a wedding at the front of the house, it looks utterly perfect – but let that take no attention away from the gorgeous panelled room for an indoor option. The symmetry from the back with the large windows overlooking the rose garden makes for some gorgeous ceremony photos, and the neutral decor allows for beautiful light to bounce around the room.
Pynes is a stunning light and bright wedding venue, oozing with class and charm, but without feeling intimidating. First and foremost a beloved family home, Pynes feels full of love, which is the perfect place to start when looking for a wedding venue.I love shooting at Pynes, it brings out my editorial side as everything looks straight out of a magazine.
You can read more about Pynes House here and if you’d like to see more images, check out the blogpost of Filippa & Sam.
Pynes House is a worthy entry for top 10 Devon wedding venues, it’s also just 30 minutes down the road from me, making it my local venue – lucky me!
Conveniently located just 5 minutes from Exeter yet with far reaching countryside views, Pynes House is the perfect venue if you have guests travelling from far and wide.
I could easily place Pynes at my number one favourite venue, its breathtakingly beautiful and as country house wedding venues go, you couldn’t get much better than this!
The Great Barn
I’ve been shooting at the Great Barn for a long time, and every time I work there, the service, the gardens, and the barn itself are always exemplary.
For a classic English country garden venue, you couldn’t get more quaint. The gardens are so beautifully maintained and the barn itself is lit to perfection. It makes for quite the striking backdrop if you choose to have your ceremony inside, the same lighting for speeches really makes your images stand out.
The Great Barn is a very pretty venue, the attention to detail from the team is second-to-none, and the gardens and barn are beautifully maintained.
The Great barn is a gorgeous choice of wedding venue and you can see more info here.
Ash Barton Estate
Ash Barton is unique, rustic, and fun. The ultimate DIY party venue for couples who want to create festival vibe weddings, or want their guests to feel like they’re not just attending a wedding, but having a mini holiday in North Devon!
I’ve photographed a LOT of weddings at Ash Barton, and they’ve been wildly different. The different ceremony spaces allow for a very personal and bespoke feel to your wedding – with options such a the meadow (extremely dreamy!) by the lake, or the super cool chapel (I had a couple who had a Romeo and Juliet themed wedding, they turned the chapel into the end scene from the film – it was very cool). Even in the walled garden. With the fun party barn, a swimming pool, a large kitchen for your guests to pop in and make themselves a brew, and a load of accommodation – including camping options – it really is a home from home.
A stones throw from one of my favourite places – Brandon Burrows – means you can even run off to the sand dunes for photos.
Ash Barton is a really fun venue you can really put your personal stamp on, it has real party vibes as well as having loads of really beautiful options for ceremonies.
I really love working at the Ash Barton Estate and it truly deserves its spot on my top 10 Devon venues list.I definitely recommend checking it out which you can do here.
We are going back in time a little here, but you can see an interview I did about shooting at Ash Barton here.
For a no curfew, no corkage venue with a relaxed vibe, Ash Barton is the one!
Rockbeare Manor
Rockbeare Manor is a great wedding venue with so many stunning rooms, gorgeous light, beautiful prep space and the most striking sunsets – what’s not to love. As well as all these attributes it’s super conveniently located just on the outside of Exeter near the airport, so it’s perfect if you’ve got friends and family coming from far away. Photographers love working at Rockbeare not only for all of the above, but the team are fantastic and they really look after suppliers like us! This really means the world when you’re working hard all day!
I’ve shot many weddings at Rockbeare and each other has had the most beautiful light to work with. The rooms are all classically gorgeous and the building facade is ridiculously photogenic too.
Rockbeare is a solid choice if you want a stress-free planning process as the team of experts will guide you through every step.
One last thing – the food at Rockbeare is all in-house and has an excellent reputation so if you’re a foodie, it’s definitely worth checking out!
Polhawn Fort
Ok so not technically Devon, but very close, is the very cool Polhawn Fort. A Historic fort overlooking Cornwall’s dramatic coastline. Polhawn has its own private beach so you can escape for a few stolen moments together to enjoy the sunset.
Polhawn accommodates for either indoor or outdoor ceremonies, the backdrop for outdoor ceremonies is jaw-dropping, definitely worth adding to your ‘must-visit’ list!
Anran
Anran is STUNNING. I have only worked there once so for this venue I am speaking primarily from a visual perspective, as I am not as familiar with the venue as the others on the list, however, I have HAD to include it due to its unique beauty. Both the glasshouse and the planthouse are extremely beautiful spaces, but the locations you can hold your ceremony are not limited to these, check out the website for more inspiration.
Set in the heart of Devon, Anran is a private, exclusive use venue which is sure to wow, it is simply beautiful, and very very cool.
