The Longhouse Wedding Photographer & Videographer

A long, light-filled building above the Brue valley

The Longhouse at Mill on the Brue is at the edge of Bruton in Somerset (BA10 0BN). Listings describe a family-run venue, owned by the same family since 1984, set in about 25 acres overlooking the Brue valley, with a river, vineyard views, nine bedrooms and a licence for civil ceremonies in more than one room.

We photographed Louise and Harry's wedding here on 15 June 2019, and their day is the one in this guide: roses in the garden, a kiss in a timber gazebo, a ceremony beneath coloured bunting and a pair of swings in the meadow. Our Somerset guide and Bath guide show more weddings in the region.

This wedding was in June, so ask the venue how its gardens and meadow look in other seasons, and check its current packages and numbers.

01 / The spaces / From venue listings

A glass-sided ceremony room, gardens and a meadow

Listings describe civil ceremonies in more than one room, a vaulted wine cellar as one of them, together with gardens, a meadow and a separate self-catering house that can be rented for the weekend. Louise and Harry's ceremony was in a bright, round, glass-walled room. Guest numbers differ between directories, from about 140 to 200 for the evening.

Listings also say outside caterers are allowed with a corkage charge. Ask the venue for its current rules on suppliers, music and timings, and which spaces your date includes.

02 / June 2019 / Louise and Harry

Louise and Harry: roses, bunting, petals on the lawn and a pair of swings

Louise and Harry married on 15 June 2019. Harry wore a grey-blue suit with a pink tie, and Louise a short, tea-length gown with lace sleeves and a veil. The photograph at the top of this page is the two of them nose to nose in front of a bush of red roses.

In the first photograph they kiss in a timber gazebo with one of Harry's feet lifted off the floor. The ceremony was inside, in a bright round room with glass walls and strings of bunting in pink, yellow and blue, and the second photograph shows them walking down the aisle between smiling guests. In the next, they kiss at the front as guests applaud.

Outside, guests threw petals on the lawn as the couple walked through, flower girls in pale blue standing by. Then Louise and Harry sat side by side on two swings hung from an oak frame in the meadow, Louise's tulle skirt lifting around her, and ran hand in hand across the grass.

The drone photograph shows the whole of the Longhouse from above, its long curved roof beside the gardens and the rows of chairs laid out on the lawn.

Planning your photographs at the Longhouse

Questions to put to the venue, and how we would plan around the answers:

1. Ceremony room: Louise and Harry married in a round, glass-sided room hung with bunting. Ask which room your date uses and how it is dressed.
2. Gardens and meadow: The roses, the gazebo and the swings were all within a short walk. Ask which parts of the grounds are open to you and when.
3. Swings and details: A pair of swings made a charming, unposed portrait. Check with the venue before using any play equipment and wear shoes you can run in.
4. Petals on the lawn: Confetti on the grass worked well. Ask the venue what it allows and who clears it.
5. Group photographs: We make as many as you wish, usually around 15, which take about 20 minutes. Choose a spot with room for everyone and a sheltered fallback, and ask someone who knows both families to gather people.
6. A drone: We took one aerial photograph here with the venue's permission. If you would like one, ask the venue about its rules and we will plan it for a calm moment.

One team for the photographs and the film

Cam and Beth have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together, so a long building with a glass-sided ceremony room, a rose garden and a meadow is planned once: one timetable, one list of questions for the venue and one shared portrait walk for photographs and film.

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 The Longhouse wedding