Alrewas Hayes Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A historical country estate with an Orangery and a Great Barn

Alrewas Hayes is on the outskirts of Fradley in Staffordshire, close to Lichfield, Burton upon Trent and Tamworth. The venue's story page describes a Grade II listed Queen Anne house on a 100-acre estate, dating to the early 18th century and home to five generations of the Williams family. Its wedding page names an Orangery, a Great Barn, a Courtyard and a Lakeside marquee space, and says it hosts exclusive wedding celebrations for up to 650 guests. The venue's contact page gives the address as Alrewas Hayes, Alrewas, Burton on Trent, DE13 7DL, and says it is less than 30 minutes from Birmingham.

We photographed Emily and Chris's wedding here on 23 May 2025. It was booked as photography, so this guide has photographs and no film. They are a small set, but they show a ceremony in a pale room, a small dog and a joyful crowd.

For current venue details, explore Alrewas Hayes.

01 / May 2025 / Emily and Chris

Emily and Chris: a chandelier, a small dog and a pink huddle

Emily and Chris married on 23 May 2025. The photograph at the top of this page is the two of them smiling at each other, Emily in a lace-collared dress holding a small fluffy dog and a bouquet of pastel flowers with blue ribbons.

The ceremony takes place in a long, pale room with a curved ceiling and a chandelier. Guests sit on chairs along the aisle, and the couple stand at a floral arch at the far end.

Afterwards a crowd of friends in dusty pink suits and dresses, many in sunglasses, gather around Emily, cheering and pointing at the camera.

Three more photographs were taken by the lake. Emily and Chris stand on a brick terrace with white railings above the water, Emily's lace-sleeved gown and long train spreading behind her. Chris kisses her forehead with the lake and reeds beyond. And on the lawn they kiss again, framed by out-of-focus leaves, with the lake and iris beds behind them.

02 / The spaces / From the venue's own pages

The Orangery, the Great Barn, the Courtyard and the Lakeside

The venue's wedding page says the Orangery and the Lobby, in a wing of the house, are licensed for smaller civil ceremonies and partnerships, the Great Barn is licensed for large ceremonies, and the Courtyard suits non-legal blessings in warmer months. The Orangery page describes a curved ceiling, arched windows, neutral walls, wooden floorboards and an antique chandelier, with doors opening onto the Courtyard. It gives 100 guests for a civil ceremony and 54 for dinner, and says the room suits more formal occasions.

The Great Barn is the largest room, for 220 to 650 guests. The venue says it looks like an aircraft hangar from outside and is sleek and contemporary inside, with its own private walkway, a permanent bar, private bathrooms, and a stage and dancefloor set up after dark. The Lakeside marquee holds 60 to 220, looks over a private lake with woodland and wheat fields beyond, and opens straight onto the Courtyard and Williams Bar. It can be seated with trestle tables or round tables.

The Courtyard is planted with English roses, French lavender and silver birch, and opens onto landscaped gardens and the estate's woodland. The venue uses it for drinks receptions with a live musician and for garden games on the lawn. It does not give a capacity for the Courtyard or the Lobby. On timings, the wedding page says the party can run until the early hours, while the Williams Bar page says that bar is licensed until midnight, so ask which applies to your booking.

03 / Staying at Alrewas Hayes / From the venue's own pages

Eleven bedrooms across the house, the Lodge and the Coach House

The bedrooms page lists 11 bedrooms: two suites in the main house (the Theodore Suite and the Bently Suite), five bedrooms in the Lodge, which was restored in 2016, and four rooms in the Coach House. It mentions king-size beds with Egyptian cotton linen. The access statement says two Coach House rooms are on the ground floor, while the two main house suites are up 15 steps. The pages do not say how many guests the rooms sleep, or give check-in and check-out times, so ask when you enquire.

04 / Getting there / From the venue's own pages

Roads, parking and the nearest station

The venue says the estate is easy to reach from the M6, names Lichfield for the nearest station, and says helicopters can land on the lawn. Its access statement lists three car parks, including a large rear one that takes coaches. Guests staying in the accommodation are asked to park in the Office and Enquiries car park and check in at the office, and the path from the car parks runs through woodland, lit from dusk.

Planning your photographs at Alrewas Hayes

A few things worth asking the venue, and how we would plan around the answers:

1. Where the ceremony is: the Orangery (100 guests for a civil ceremony) or the Lobby for a smaller one, the Great Barn for a large one, or the Courtyard for a blessing. The Courtyard is non-legal, so the legal part has to happen in a licensed room. Tell us your plan and the timings so we can arrange the morning around them.
2. Getting ready: the bedrooms are spread across the main house, the Lodge and the Coach House. Ask which are yours and when you can have them on the morning, and tell us so we can plan where the first photographs happen and how long the walk between buildings takes.
3. Rain: agree a wet-weather plan with the venue when you confirm the order of the day, because its pages do not name one. The Orangery opens onto the Courtyard, so a ceremony indoors and drinks outside stay close together, and the wedding page says drinks and canapés can be indoors or out.
4. Group photographs: the Courtyard is enclosed, with lawns, patios and flower beds, and opens onto the gardens, so ask the venue which spot suits a big group. We do as many as you like and typically recommend around 15, which usually take about 20 minutes. Ask someone who knows everyone to round people up.
5. Portraits: we usually take a portrait walk of about 15 minutes. The venue says guests are free to wander 100 acres of woodland and grounds, and the Lakeside looks over a private lake. In May, we check sunset and light times for your date in advance and agree the plan with you.

One team for the photographs and the film

Cam and Beth have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together, so a country estate with an Orangery, a Great Barn and a courtyard is familiar territory. You get one conversation about the timetable, one set of questions for the venue and one plan for the portrait walk.

The photo and video team package carries a £120 deposit and a £400 saving over booking photography and videography separately. We are based near Cardiff, and travel across England and Wales is included in standard full-day packages. When the drive is over two hours we always stay in a hotel the night before and cover it.

Questions about a Alrewas Hayes wedding