Getting Married at Whinstone View? A Photographer's Look at the Barn, Grounds and Wedding Day
Whinstone View is one of those wedding venues that offers something a little different from the traditional country house or hotel wedding. Tucked away near Great Ayton in North Yorkshire, it's a lovely countryside setting with its own character, plenty of space and, from my point of view as a wedding photographer, some really good opportunities for natural photographs without having to disappear off somewhere for half an hour.
I've photographed weddings at Whinstone View before, including Matthew and Louise's wedding and William and Jessica's celebrations, and it's somewhere I enjoy working because you have a good mixture of indoor and outdoor spaces to play with. You've got Wray's Barn, the courtyard, the gardens and the wider grounds, but you've also got somewhere where guests can settle in and enjoy themselves without constantly having to move from one place to another.
That matters more than people might think when they're planning a wedding because, although we're obviously there for a wedding, it's also a day when you want to spend time with the people you've invited rather than feeling as though you're following a timetable from one end of the venue to the other.
Wray's Barn at Whinstone View
Wray's Barn is probably one of the first things you'll notice when you're looking at Whinstone View as a wedding venue. It has that rustic feel you would expect from a barn, with exposed brickwork, wooden beams and a high ceiling, but without feeling too dark or enclosed. There's a nice balance between the original character of the building and the more modern touches, which means it works with all sorts of different wedding styles.
The barn can accommodate your ceremony as well as the wedding breakfast and evening reception, so there isn't necessarily any travelling involved once everyone has arrived. For couples who would rather keep everything in one place, that can make the whole day feel considerably more relaxed.
One of the distinctive features inside Wray's Barn is the illuminated willow tree used for ceremonies. It's something a little different to the usual ceremony backdrop and helps give the room its own identity without needing to cover every available space in decorations.
From a photography point of view, I always pay attention to how the light is falling during a ceremony, particularly when there are brighter areas behind a couple and darker areas around the guests. Barns can be tricky in that respect because the lighting changes depending on the time of day, the weather and exactly where everybody is standing.
That's not a reason to worry about the photographs, though. It's simply part of photographing weddings properly, understanding the light that's available and working with it without turning the ceremony into a photography session.
My job during that part of the day is to photograph what's happening while being as unobtrusive as possible. I want the exchange of rings, the reactions from family and friends, the occasional nervous smile and those little moments between the couple that happen naturally, rather than spending the ceremony constantly moving around and becoming a distraction.
Making the Most of the Grounds at Whinstone View
One of the things I particularly like about Whinstone View is that there are plenty of places for photographs without having to take a couple miles away from their guests.
The venue sits within approximately 14 acres of grounds, with lawns, gardens, the courtyard and countryside views towards Roseberry Topping. That gives us a good variety of backgrounds, so we don't have to rely on finding one perfect spot and then take every photograph in exactly the same place.
I usually prefer to take a couple away for a relatively short wander rather than spend ages working through a long collection of poses. It's their wedding day, after all, and I don't think most couples particularly want to spend an hour being told where to put their hands or which direction to look.
I'll give some direction where it's needed, particularly when choosing a location or dealing with difficult light, but once we're somewhere that works I'd much rather let the two of you talk, walk together and have a bit of time away from everyone.
Quite often those are the photographs that end up looking the most natural because the couple have stopped thinking quite so much about the camera.
The countryside around Great Ayton also means you've got a very recognisable North Yorkshire setting. Roseberry Topping is such a familiar landmark to anyone who lives around Teesside and North Yorkshire, and having that landscape around your wedding venue gives the photographs a lovely sense of place.
I wouldn't necessarily want every photograph to be a wide landscape with the couple looking tiny somewhere in the distance, but it's nice to include some of those wider photographs alongside the closer, more personal ones. They help show where the wedding took place rather than simply having a collection of portraits that could have been taken almost anywhere.
The Courtyard, Guests and Everything Happening Between the Photographs
One of my favourite parts of photographing any wedding is the time immediately after the ceremony when everybody starts to relax, find themselves a drink and catch up with people they might not have seen for ages.
At Whinstone View, the courtyard, veranda and lawn areas give guests room to spread out, particularly when the weather is behaving itself, and that creates some lovely opportunities for the more natural side of wedding photography.
This is usually when I'm keeping an eye on conversations, reactions and all the things happening around the couple rather than asking anybody to do something specifically for the camera. Someone will be laughing at something said across a table, children will be running about, friends will be catching up and there will inevitably be somebody who's already managed to disappear just as they're needed for the family photographs.
That's weddings for you, and it's also why I always encourage couples to think about what they really want from their photography.
Of course the photographs of the two of you are important, and so are the family groups, but I don't think those should be the only things you remember when you look back through your gallery.
Some of the best photographs from a wedding can be the ones you didn't even realise were being taken, particularly when they involve your family and friends simply enjoying themselves.
What Happens if the Weather Doesn't Play Along?
It's North Yorkshire, so we probably ought to mention the weather. You can spend months planning a summer wedding and still end up watching the rain come down, while a wedding in October can suddenly give you an afternoon of beautiful sunshine.
I've photographed weddings in just about every kind of weather over the years, and the important thing is being prepared to work with whatever turns up on the day.
Whinstone View has the advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces, so the photography doesn't have to depend entirely on having a perfectly sunny afternoon. Wray's Barn itself has plenty of character, and there are sheltered areas around the venue where we can look for photographs if the weather isn't particularly inviting.
I also think there's something to be said for not getting too caught up in having the perfect weather for your wedding photographs. Beautiful light is always welcome and I'll certainly make the most of it when it appears, but a good photograph should be about the people in it rather than depending entirely on a sunset.
If we get a lovely evening and the light is doing something interesting around the grounds, I might suggest popping outside for another few photographs. If we don't, I'm not going to spend your wedding apologising for the weather or making you feel as though you've somehow missed out.
Keeping Your Wedding Photography Relaxed
Something I often talk about with couples is how much time they actually need to allow for photography, especially when they're getting married at a venue where everything happens in the same place.
You don't have to spend hours having photographs taken, but it is useful to allow enough time for the important family groups and a few relaxed photographs together without trying to squeeze everything into ten minutes.
I normally work with couples beforehand to put together a sensible family photograph list, which we can adjust to suit their own family circumstances. That way we know which photographs are important, who needs to be involved and hopefully avoid spending half the afternoon trying to find somebody who's gone missing.
When it comes to the photographs of the two of you, I'm quite happy to work around your day rather than expecting the day to work around me. Sometimes it's better to take a few photographs shortly after the ceremony and then perhaps another handful later when the light has changed, rather than disappearing for one long session.
The same applies to the rest of the wedding. I'm there to record what's happening, including the ceremony, speeches, guests, wedding breakfast and evening celebrations, depending on how much coverage you've booked. I don't need to organise every moment to make sure there's something worth photographing.
In fact, I generally find weddings are far more interesting when people are allowed to get on with enjoying themselves.
Getting Married at Whinstone View in Great Ayton?
If you're considering Whinstone View for your wedding, I'd definitely recommend arranging a visit and having a proper look around Wray's Barn and the grounds rather than making your decision purely from photographs online.
It's useful to see where the ceremony will take place, imagine your own family and friends enjoying the courtyard and have a walk around the places you might use for photographs. The venue also has accommodation on site, which is worth looking into if you want somewhere for yourselves or your guests to stay.
I've photographed weddings at Whinstone View before and know that it offers plenty of opportunities for relaxed, natural wedding photography, but the part I'm most interested in is always the couple themselves.
The venue gives us somewhere lovely to work, but it's the people, their relationships and everything that happens during the day that make the photographs worth looking back on.
If you're planning a Whinstone View wedding and you're looking for a photographer who'll capture the day naturally without taking over, I'd love to hear what you've got planned. We can have a chat about your ceremony, the kind of photographs you like and how much coverage you actually need, whether that's a shorter wedding or photography throughout the day.
Check My Availability for Your Whinstone View Wedding
You can also call, text or WhatsApp me on 07739 121743, or email photos@discoveryphotography.co.uk if you'd rather have a chat first.
