Cider Mill Barns Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A converted barn venue near Stratford-upon-Avon

Cider Mill Barns is on Long Marston Road in Pebworth, near Stratford-upon-Avon (CV37 8GF). Its own site calls it a recently converted barn wedding venue on the border of Shakespeare's Warwickshire and the Cotswolds, formerly part of a working farm, offered on an exclusive-use basis: the only people on site are you, your invited guests and the venue's staff. It gives 120 for ceremony and dining and bedrooms for up to 16 guests.

We photographed Emily and Phill's wedding here on 27 May 2023. These are the two photographs of their day that are on this site: a kiss in low golden light among rows of trees, and a close hug beneath an oak frame strung with fairy lights.

For current venue details, explore Cider Mill Barns.

01 / May 2023 / Emily and Phill

Emily and Phill: golden light and a hug beneath an oak frame

Emily and Phill married on 27 May 2023, and we photographed their day. The photograph at the top of this page is from it: the two of them kiss in low golden sunlight among rows of leafy trees, with the light glowing through the leaves behind them. Phill is in a waistcoat and shirtsleeves, and Emily is in an off-the-shoulder lace gown with her long hair over one shoulder.

The second photograph is a warmer, noisier moment. Beneath an oak-framed arch strung with fairy lights, with the pitched roof of a barn behind, the bride in lace is hugged tightly by a woman in a pale blue dress and a man in a navy morning coat. The woman in blue and the man have their eyes shut, and the bride's white bouquet is held down in front of them.

Three more photographs: Emily and Phill walk out beneath an open timber-framed pavilion as guests on both sides applaud, Emily holding her bouquet. They kiss among rows of young apple trees in low golden sun. And from the far end of a paved path they stand small beneath the pavilion, trimmed hedges on either side and a clear sky above.

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

The barn, the Summerhouse and the grounds

The venue's barn page describes a ceremony room with exposed brick and oak beams, with a large picture window at the end of the aisle and views over the grounds. It says its civil ceremony licence is for up to 120 guests, with flexible seating for smaller ceremonies. For an outdoor ceremony, the Summerhouse in the orchard is the venue's open-air option. The home page also lists a bridal dressing room, a bar with a separate party room and micro weddings, and says there is no corkage charge on drinks.

Guests arrive along a tree-lined driveway into a large private car park and walk through a pergola into the gardens, past an antique cider mill wheel, before going into the barn. The venue suggests the hour or so after the ceremony for mingling, exploring the grounds and drinks and canapes, and then the wedding breakfast, which has panoramic windows over the farmland and orchard. For the evening it gives room for up to 120 guests with bands and DJ booths, and says Carriage Barn has a covered outdoor area for fresh air between dances.

Our photographs show an oak-framed arch strung with fairy lights and rows of trees in low golden light. We cannot tell from the pictures where on the venue's land each was taken, so ask the venue to show you the orchard and the oak-frame areas on a viewing.

03 / The grounds / From the venue's own site

An orchard, a Pommenade and views to Broadway Tower

The gardens page says the venue has planted fruit and native broad-leaf trees, with two copses of Heart of England trees along the driveway and a fruit-tree orchard of damson, pear, plum and cherry trees as well as traditional cider apples. It also has a grove of espalier apple trees called the Pommenade, with leafy walkways and a clearing at the centre, which the venue says is open to guests during the reception and is a good place for newly-wed photographs.

The front of the barn looks onto landscaped formal gardens, and the venue says the view runs from Meon Hill across the Cotswolds to Broadway Tower. The panoramic windows on the opposite wall look over ridge-and-furrow farmland, where the venue says you may see its horses or lambs.

04 / Staying at Cider Mill Barns / From the venue's own site

Orchard Barn and Bramley Barn, bedrooms for 16

The bedrooms page says Orchard Barn and Bramley Barn together sleep 16. Orchard Barn has rooms for 14, made up of five king-size en-suite bedrooms and a family suite of two adjoining rooms with a shared bathroom, and one en-suite room, Damson, is fully accessible with level access from the venue. Bramley Barn is a one-bedroom cottage with an en-suite bathroom and a sitting room. The venue says the rooms are only ever booked by you and your guests, and that overnight guests have breakfast in the Orchard Barn kitchen the next morning.

The barn page also describes Bramley Barn as the place for the bridal party to get ready, with a dressing room, en-suite bathroom and a sitting room with tea and coffee, which it says is just a step from the ceremony room. It does not give check-in times, so ask which rooms come with your booking and when you can have them.

05 / The day / From the venue's own site

Caterers, drinks and finding the barns

The food page says Four Leaf Clover Foods are the exclusive caterers, and the drinks page says you can supply some daytime drinks yourselves or order through the venue's list, with no corkage or service fee. Service of your own daytime drinks stops at the end of speeches or after the wedding breakfast, depending on your running order. The site does not give an end time for the evening, so ask.

The contact page says to type Cider Mill Barns into Google or Apple Maps because postcodes do not work well locally. The barns are down a private drive off the Long Marston to Dorsington road, and there is parking for up to 80 cars. Cars can stay overnight but must be collected by 10am the next morning.

Planning your photographs at Cider Mill Barns

How the venue's own layout shapes the photographs, and what to settle with the venue:

1. The ceremony: The ceremony room has a civil ceremony licence for up to 120, and the Summerhouse in the orchard is the outdoor option. Tell us which you are choosing and the time, so we can plan the morning and the first photographs around it, and ask the venue what its plan is if rain rules out the orchard.
2. Group photographs: We do as many as you like and typically recommend around 15, which usually take about 20 minutes. The hour or so after the ceremony is when the venue has guests mingling and exploring the grounds, so ask the venue which terrace, garden lawn or part of the orchard suits a big group, and ask someone who knows everyone to round people up.
3. Portraits: We usually take a portrait walk of about 15 minutes, with photo and video together if you have booked both. The venue suggests its Pommenade of espalier apples for newly-wed photographs, and the tree-lined driveway, the orchard, the oak frame and the formal gardens give you several different backdrops.
4. Getting ready: The venue has a bridal dressing room, and Bramley Barn is described as a step from the ceremony room, so the morning can stay close to where you will marry. Tell us where the dress and rings will be.
5. Rain: The ceremony room, the barn and the covered outdoor area at Carriage Barn are the sheltered spaces the venue lists. Agree which you would use for portraits when you confirm the order of the day.
6. Late light: If you would like portraits in low golden light like the one at the top of this page, tell us the sunset time on your date and we can plan around it. The venue says views from the front of the barn run to Broadway Tower.

One team for the photographs and the film

Cam and Beth have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together, so a converted barn with terraces and open grounds 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 Cider Mill Barns wedding