If you are engaged to be married and are looking for a stunning, romantic, rustic barn venue and a photographer that wants to capture all the fun and laughter on your day than you have come to the right place! I’ve put together some information below about The Tithe Barn and Bolton Abbey, two incredible wedding venues on the Bolton Abbey Estate. You can see a few examples of weddings that I have photographed at these venues below. This will give you an idea of what these venues offer and the type of images that can be captured on your day. If you’d like to discuss your photography for these or any other venues I’d love to hear from you!
Tithe Barn Bolton Abbey weddings have been some of my favourite events over the past few years. I’ve been lucky enough to photograph quite a few weddings where both locations have been used for the same day. Often couples will have their ceremony at a local church or the spectacular Bolton Abbey Priory and will then use the Tithe Barn for their reception. On other weddings the couple have spent their whole day at Tithe Barn and just visited the Bolton Abbey grounds for their couple portraits. Either way there are lots of options and the Bolton Abbey Estate is just a fabulous place to get married.
Please see links below to some full blog posts showing a few of the fabulous weddings that I have covered previously at Tithe Barn Bolton Abbey
See a full blog post of Gemma and Jonny’s day here
See a full blog post of Rebecca and Harry’s day here
See a full blog post of Sarah & James’ day here
Wedding Ceremonies at The Tithe Barn
The Tithe Barn on the Bolton Abbey Estate is a unique Yorkshire wedding barn. It is a Grade II listed building and one of the largest exclusive wedding venues in the UK. It is licensed for civil ceremonies and has space for up to 200 guests. The barn has a rustic charm with high ceilings and ancient wooden beams. It is gorgeous romantic space with hundreds of fairy lights and medieval chandeliers that cast golden candle light across the room, a perfect place for a wedding ceremony. Bride’s (or groom’s) arrive to the side entrance where they can hide away from guests before they walk the aisle.
I love the picture below of a slightly nervous James being comforted by his best man as he waits at the top of the aisle!
A wedding ceremony at Tithe barn always involves a long aisle and some beautiful lighting. Typically couples will have candles in lanterns lining the sides of the wedding aisle. Once the couple meet at the top of the aisle they are usually standing in a pool of natural light from the big barn windows which is lovely to photograph. I also love the fairy lights in the background of all the wedding ceremony photographs which really add to the romantic feel of the event.
Confetti at Tithe Barn
After the ceremony the guests will usually be directed outside of the barn to form a wedding circle or tunnel from which to bombard the couple with confetti! Capturing the couple being showered with confetti is one of my favourite parts of the day. As you can see from the photographs below, these moments always go down a treat with the couples and their guests.
A Wedding Ceremony at Bolton Abbey
If you are more partial to a church ceremony then you can get married in one of the local churches in the Skipton / Ilkley areas before having a reception at Tithe Barn. A popular choice is the spectacular Bolton Abbey church which is situated within a very short walking distance of Tithe Barn.
Bolton Priory is known as one of the finest Medieval churches in England. It is a grade I listed building set in the beautiful rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales. Augustianan monks built the priory in 1154 on the banks of the river Wharfedale. Much of the original building were lost during the 16th century during the dissolution of monasteries but the western half of the original nave was preserved so people could continue to worship. Today the church has a full calendar of events and the estate is a very popular place to visit. See some images from Rebecca and Harry’s and Georgie and Pauls’ Bolton Abbey ceremonies below.
Wedding Portraits in the Grounds of Bolton Abbey
The grounds of the Bolton Abbey Estate are a very picturesque location to have some wedding portraits taken. Whether you have your ceremony at the Priory or at Tithe Barn you can still pop down to the estate for some couple portraits. The river Wharfe, surrounding meadows and striking ruins of Bolton Priory provide some lovely varied backdrops for the photography. My style of photography is very natural so I always encourage my couples to walk around the area chatting and laughing together and really being themselves.
Wedding Portraits at Tithe Barn
If you don’t have time to go down to the Bolton Abbey Estate from some photographs Tithe Barn itself offers some nice areas for a few couple portraits. I love the front archway to the building which can be a great location for some romantic shots of the bride and groom together. The back courtyard of Tithe Barn also overs some lovely views over the Bolton Abbey Estate. This was a great position from which to watch the Bolton Abbey bonfire night Fireworks on Laura and Chris’ day, see below.
The Wedding Reception at Tithe barn
I absolutely love a fabulous entrance and the couple get to make a brilliant one for their reception at Tithe Barn. All the wedding guests are called in to take their seats for the wedding breakfast. They are asked to stay seated once the bride and groom enter so that the photographers can capture some great moments of them walking through the crowd. There is always an atmosphere of raucous celebration as family and friends cheer on the couple as they walk through the audience to top table.
The Wedding Speeches
Tithe Barn provides a beautiful setting of the wedding speeches. If you have a large group of family and friends then this is a fabulous space which can accommodate up to 200 guests. The room has a lovely ambience with the medieval candle chandeliers and hundreds of fairy lights. On a summer day you will also get some lovely light spilling in from the large barn windows.
The speeches are always a fabulous time in the day and an essential part of any celebration. They provide an opportunity for the couple and their loved ones to express their feelings, share memories and offer best wishes for the future. All my weddings at The Tithe Barn have been fabulous events and the speeches have gone down a treat. See some images below from some of the wedding speeches I’ve photographed at the venue. There was a great deal of laughter and a few happy tears and the audience had an absolute blast cheering and applauding the couple.
First Dance at Tithe Barn
The bride and groom have a lovely area for their first dance at Tithe Barn. Surrounded by their family and friends who gather around the couple in a large circle, they have plenty of space to enjoy their moment.
Whether you decide to have a slow dance, a bit of disco dancing or a full on choreographed routine there will be a fabulous atmosphere. I particularly loved Sarah and Charlie’s dance which was inspired by the film “An officer and a Gentleman” (top images) and Gemma and Jonny who went full out with some discos vibes (bottom left)! Sarah and James had a lovely romantic dance (bottom right).
The Tithe Barn Dancefloor
I love capturing all the action of the danceflloor at Tithe Barn. It’s a large space with high barn ceilings and lots of fairy lights. This gives the guests room to really express themselves and the ambient lighting provides colour and a sparkle to the photographs.
Sparklers and Roasted Marshmallows
If you have time at the end of the night you might want to add a sparker moment to your evening. Tithe Barn also has some lovely fire pits in the courtyard if you fancy having a roasted marshmallow feast. See some shots from Rebecca and Harry’s big day below;
Natural Wedding Photography at Tithe Barn Bolton Abbey
My approach to the day is very natural and most of the day is covered in a documentary style. I’m not interested in posing people and I’m not going to ask for fake grins. Every wedding day is unique and I’m always looking to capture the unique character of your day in my images. I will be photographing the personalities, emotions, fun and laughter and happy tears on the day and all those details that you spent ages putting together.
I’m also conscious that you don’t want to spend too long away from your guests. I make sure that any group shots and couple portraits that you might want are done quickly and efficiently so you can get back to your guests and those all-important canapés.
Please see more information on my approach here
I want you to have a totally stress free day and feel completely comfortable in front of the camera. My caring and relaxed approach to the photography is one of the reasons why many couples recommend me
Tithe Barn Bolton Abbey Weddings – Get in Touch
If you are looking for a Tithe Barn wedding photographer or a wedding photographer in Yorkshire and you think I could be the photographer for you, please get in touch. I offer no-obligation phone or Zoom appointments if you’d like to have a good chat about your day or I can just send you some further information by email. I look forward to hearing from you!
