Blackwell Grange Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A 16th-century estate with a thatched barn and rose gardens

Blackwell Grange is at Blackwell, near Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire (CV36 4JX). The venue describes itself as a 16th-century estate with historic and contemporary spaces, and its wedding pages name a Thatch Barn for ceremonies, an Orchard Barn for the wedding breakfast and evening, a walled herb garden and seasonal gardens. The photographs show a meadow, a rose-covered archway and tall flower borders.

We photographed and filmed Caitlin and Tom's wedding here on 20 June 2024. Theirs is the day in this guide: a wildflower meadow, a register signed by a fireplace and a lawn photograph in which everyone else is a blur.

For current venue details, explore Blackwell Grange.

01 / June 2024 / Caitlin and Tom

Caitlin and Tom: a wildflower meadow, a fireplace and a motion blur

Caitlin and Tom married on 20 June 2024. The photograph at the top of this page is the two of them in a meadow of white wildflowers, Tom raising Caitlin's hand as they walk. The day begins quietly with a pair of blush sandals and a cream bouquet of roses and dried grasses on a pale green wire chair.

Caitlin walks down the aisle on the arm of an older man in a dark suit, in a brick-walled room with beams and a chandelier. Afterwards she and Tom sign the register at a wooden table, smiling, with a stone fireplace topped with flowers and candles behind them.

Out on the lawn Caitlin and Tom kiss while people rush past in a blur. It is the photograph that sums up the day, two people standing still while everything else moves.

They stand face to face in a round brick archway covered in pink roses, with slate-roofed barns behind them, and later laugh together at the wedding breakfast table under a glowing neon sign.

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

The Thatch Barn, the Orchard Barn and the gardens

The venue's home page says the Thatch Barn, built in 1543, is the ceremony space and can seat 150. Its spaces page describes oak beams, floor-to-ceiling windows, a copper fireplace and chandeliers, with an adjoining Servery where you meet your registrar. An outdoor ceremony spot called the Arbor is also named.

The Orchard Barn is the contemporary space for the wedding breakfast and the evening, with a bar and a loggia and terrace with lanterns. The venue says it welcomes 150 guests for a seated dinner and up to 200 for the evening party. A Snug sits at the top of the Orchard Barn's spiral staircase. Outside, the lawns are used for drinks and canapes, the seasonal gardens for photographs, and a walled herb garden is reached through a Moon Gate. The Potting Shed is the getting ready space. The pages do not give a ceremony licence, so ask the venue about it.

03 / Staying at Blackwell Grange / From the venue's own pages

Ten en-suite bedrooms in restored farm buildings

The venue lists ten en-suite bedrooms sleeping up to 24 guests, in restored farm buildings including the Stables, the Corn Shed and the Hayloft Cottage. It says two further rooms, the Granary and the Water Tower, are part of a separately booked 1604 accommodation. The pages do not give check-in or check-out times or say whether the venue is available for exclusive use, so ask when you enquire.

Planning your photographs at Blackwell Grange

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

1. Where the ceremony is: the Thatch Barn, the Arbor or somewhere else. Tell us your plan and the timings so we can arrange the morning around them.
2. Getting ready: ask when the Potting Shed and your bedrooms are yours on the morning, since the first photographs happen there.
3. Rain: agree an indoor option with the venue when you confirm the order of the day. The Orchard Barn, the loggia and the Snug are the covered spaces the venue names.
4. Group photographs: the lawns give you room. 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, with photo and video together. The meadow, the rose archway, the seasonal gardens and the lawns give you several backdrops. In June, 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 thatched barn with rose gardens and a wildflower meadow 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 Blackwell Grange wedding