An outdoor ceremony followed by a blowout celebration at Alpheton Hall Barns


I started off the day with Hayley getting ready at The Crown in Stoke By Nayland which actually happens to be one of my absolute favourite places to eat. Hayley had a few friends and family members with her along with her parents which always leads to beautiful moments. We don't really have many couple's 'first look' photo things over here in the UK - they're a bit of an americanism, but it generally just happens by default even if unplanned whenever a father sees their beautiful daughter suddenly transformed into a bride. Rarely without tears. Disappointingly difficult to capture though, us blokes tend to be brief with our emotions, particularly when there's a photographer watching.

Outside of The Folly - part of The Crown at Stoke by Nayland
Outside of The Folly - part of The Crown at Stoke by Nayland
A boxed Bridal bouquet by Ivy Green Flowers sitting on a wooden chair on the edge of a field.
A bridesmaid putting on her makeup in front of an open set of patio doors, looking out onto Suffolk fields.
A bride having make up applied by a makeup artist in front of patio doors
A wedding dress hanging on the exterior door of The Crown in Nayland, Suffolk
A bride looking at herself in the mirror
A bridesmaid places an ornate flower arrangement into a bride's hair
Closeup of the sleeve of a handmade wedding dress hanging from a door.
Steering wheel of a Bentley wedding car
Closeup of a the front of a Bentley wedding car
A bride leaving The Crown at Nayland in Suffolk for her wedding with her bridesmaids and family behind her

A short ride in a fancy car (plus one taxi) took us to our venue for the day. This was actually my first visit to Alpheton Hall Barns. I'd been wanting to shoot there for quite a while having seen it on social media and heard about it from other wedding photographers I know. It was kind of portrayed to me as being on almost legendary status amongst Suffolk Wedding venues and I really wanted in. My wife and I had our wedding reception back in 2015 over at Preston Priory Barn not too far away so we're both huge fans of barn weddings. Generally I'm just a huge fan of old buildings tbh so anything that's dripping in rustic charm gets my vote and AHB dates back something ridiculous like the 10th century. Alpheton also has the added bonus of a nice little woodland area for outdoor ceremonies which I'm also a huge fan of.

The woodland outdoor wedding ceremony at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk
Three guineafowl walk in a group towards an arrow sign saying 'wedding'
A groom and his groomsmen stood at the front of the outdoor wedding area at Alpheton Hall Barns
A best man adjusting his boutonnière in preparation for the wedding at Alpheton Hall Barns
A groom in the foreground watches his bride walking down the aisle towards him at Alpheton Hall Barns woodland
A bride carefully places a wedding ring on the finger of her husband during their outdoor wedding ceremony

Huge thank you to the wonderful celebrant who upon realising I was planning on attempting to remain as hidden - as possible as per my usual approach - physically dragged me across to the front table so that my camera could see better and then made a point of moving to the side and ushering me across to the middle for the ring exchange and the first kiss. The result is some pretty uniquely intimate photos that are fairly unusual to see in Suffolk wedding ceremonies given it's generally considered to be a photography faux-pas to get too close whilst the ceremony's happening. I doubt I'll manage shots like that again and I really regret not stopping to get her name.

A bride and groom facing each other at their outdoor wedding ceremony at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk.
A candid photograph of a group of guests laughing during an outdoor ceremony
The groom at an outdoor wedding ceremony in Suffolk placing a wedding ring on his bride's finger
A bride and groom holding hands at an outdoor wedding ceremony in Suffolk
A bride and groom sharing a first kiss with family watching in the background at Alpheton Hall Barns woodland area
A newlywed couple exiting their outdoor ceremony at Alpheton Hall Barns as their family applaud.
A man throws confetti directly at a groom's face as he flinches
A bride and groom are chased by a male wedding guest as he attempts to throw confetti at them outdoors

Sidenote: hats off to the guy in the shades for what has to be the most serious commitment to confetti throwing I've ever seen. The sheer aggression in is face is utterly magnificent.

A bride and groom celebrate arm in arm at Alpheton Hall Barns whilst their guests throw confetti

Fast forward to everyones favourite bit - the after party. My gosh do these people know how to have a good time. Live bands in my books are a big tick. Nothing quite matches the energy and atmosphere that a great band can create. They're generally much more expensive but if you can afford it, they're worth every penny.

A bride holds bunting displaying the words "Mr + Mrs P" in the garden of Suffolk wedding venue Alpheton Hall Barns
The interior of the main barn at Suffolk wedding venue Alpheton Hall Barns, with tables laid out ready for a reception
A group of guests seated at a Suffolk wedding celebrating with their arms in the air.
The father of a bride unrolls an enormous scroll on which his speech is written to the delight of the wedding party
Two bridesmaids rest their heads on each others shoulders whilst standing in front of the top table at Alpheton Hall
A bride and groom with their heads together as they enjoy their first dance at Alpheton Hall Barns as their guests watch
A groom appears surprised and delighted as confetti pours down during the first dance at Alpheton Hall Barns
A bride and groom dancing is heavily obscured by a vast amount of confetti in the foreground as it falls from above
A guitarist and drummer playing music for wedding guests at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk
A bridesmaid and her friend dance together at a wedding reception help at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk
A couple dance with their arms in the air outside the main barn at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk
A couple dance with their arms in the air outside the main barn at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk
A couple dance with their arms in the air outside the main barn at Alpheton Hall Barns in Suffolk
Two men on the dance floor at a Suffolk wedding attempt the famous 'dirty dancing' move as onlookers watch.
A large group of guests at a wedding dance with their arms in the air at Suffolk venue Alpheton Hall Barns.

Finally a quick walk around the grounds at sunset led to these beautiful images. Suffolk might be boring and flat but it really does sunsets quite magnificently. Probably something about just the right amount of clouds I imagine. Nic, one of the owner-operators at Alpheton kindly allowed us to go for a good wander, including round the back of their own house and into a huge open meadow where we could see the sun settling down a bit better.

I've been fortunate enough to have four more weddings booked over at Alpheton at the moment so I'm really looking forward to going back and trying out a few ideas that I was playing around with the first time.