Devon Wedding Photographer

Chloë + Ben – Devon, UK

Chloë and Ben’s wedding at Sandy Cove in Devon was an extra special event for us. Not only had I met Chloë and Ben several times in the build-up to their celebrations, but I had the pleasure to photograph both of Ben’s sister’s wedding over the preceding three years. I often have a unique privilege to see a family expand and celebrate over numerous years, but the relationship I’d built with the “Jennings Clan” had been a particularly unique one.

Chloë and Ben are two of the most kindest, generous and thoughtful souls you could ever hope to spend time with and I really do feel grateful to of been contacted by Hannah (Ben’s sister) all those years ago for her marriage to Rob.

As you’ll see below, Chloë and Ben celebrate with sunshine and rain, beach and cliff tops and of course; would any wedding be complete without two alpacas!?

Now for some more from Chloë and Ben themselves, or scroll down to see their wedding in its full colourful glory…

**You may even spot me in one of their photos**

How and why did you choose your venue(s)?

Our story starts meeting on a surfing holiday, so it was a must to get married near the sea. Devon seemed like a great idea and allowed us to organise a group surf lesson with our friends and family the day before. We had initially questioned the distance from our hometowns but were pleased to hear that guests planned to make a holiday out of the weekend.

How we found our venue, started on Hitched’s website. We made a shortlist and visited each one over a weekend. Despite dreadful weather, Sandy Cove Hotel still stood out as we were able to visualise everything we wanted. It just felt right.

What were your top one/three priorities in planning your wedding?

It was important to us for everyone to feel included and enjoy the day themselves, so when we were making our choices about music, food, favours etc, we were asking ourselves what would be fun for the guests and not making the entire day about us. One example was booking alpacas – as much as we love animals, we wanted everyone else to get to know them too! We kept this completely secret and loved seeing the surprised looks on people’s faces when they appeared.

Another priority was opening a bottle of fizz for every “wedmin” session –some great advice we got and followed strictly :)

What one thing most surprised you about your wedding, or planning your wedding?

Everyone says that it’s the happiest day of your life – and it seems so obvious – but even still, it did surprise us how much happiness and love you feel on the day when you’re there surrounded by family and friends.

Regarding surprises during the planning, I would say recognising the value of customer service/vendor relationship. There are some real standout suppliers who will help you in more ways you could imagine (Especially Barney, thank you!)

If you could do it all over again, which one thing wouldn’t you change, and if anything, what one thing would you change?

We loved everything about our day but there are certain things we definitely wouldn’t change.
Firstly, my dress –designed and made by my very talented friend, Victoria Sanders. It was everything and more – thank you, Vicky!
Secondly, the photo session we had down in the cove just us two– it was a fun, peaceful part of the day and the photos are amazing – even better than we imagined.
Lastly, deciding to have a videographer. It’s wonderful to have the day captured on film and relive those moments (and shed a little tear).

A few kind words about us from Chloë and Ben:

“Barney goes above and beyond being a wedding photographer. We were the third sibling to have Barney document our wedding so we had every confidence in him yet he still exceeded all expectations. The communication and advice in the lead up were incredibly valuable and on the day itself he is a joy to have around (and Sam!) The photos from our day are amazing – Barney captured the day beautifully.”

Complete supplier list can be found in the footer.

Complete supplier list:

Venue: Sandy Cove Hotel

Videographer: Foster Filming

MUA: Anna from Changing Faces

Hair Stylist: Sarah from Changing Faces

Band/DJ: Switch

Other Entertainment: Happyard Alpacas

Florist: Sweet Williams Flowers

Cake: Claire’s Sweet Temptations

Dress Designer: Victoria Sanders

Suit Designer: Mullen & Mullen

Isabelle + Mark – Devon, UK

I still remember the day that Isabelle and Mark reached out to me about their Devon Wedding celebrations in South Pool at South Allington House. I always remember when an initial email is full of excitement, when it has an appreciation for the craft and when a couple so clearly “understand” and just “get it”.

Isabelle and Mark certainly “got it” and they had a vision, a vision we’d read (and experienced) before and a vision that when digging through the archives of our website, they found I’d already captured. I’m sure Iz and Mark won’t mind be referencing their “wedding inspiration”; Freya and Nick’s wedding in Wiltshire that I’d documented back in 2017. When I read their enquiry, I knew they’d love Freya and Nick’s photos!

Whether it be the rustic feel, the giant tipis, the countryside setting, the intense emotion during speeches, the beer pong or the gifted British sunshine, Isabelle and Mark had a truly fun, vibrant and emotive day – one which neither they nor I will forget. SO MUCH FUN!

A few words from Isabelle and Mark…

How and why did you choose your venue(s)?

Isabelle has been coming to this area in South Devon with her family since she was little, and always wanted to get married in the lovely church in the village where her Aunt and Uncle live. We then really wanted to find a way to incorporate our favourite pub in the world (The Millbrook) where we’d shared lots of great memories over the years with family and friends, and wanted to create some more all together! But being a small, quaint pub with low ceilings it was never going to work as a reception. So to be able to lead the way in a casual procession with all the congregation in tow from the church down the hill to the pub for a drink in the sun (thank you English weather!) was just bliss for us.

For the reception, we were set on finding an outdoor location for giant tipis…. somewhere that had the space for people to camp and stay, but that also had everything we needed like electricity points and access for caterers, the band, etc. The first place we viewed was a country house with huge amounts of land and a very pretty enclosed lawn surrounded by trees, where Isabelle used to go camping with her family in the ’90s. We knew straight away it was the perfect place.

What were your top one/three priorities in planning your wedding?

The top three priorities for us, after location/venue (and making sure there was actually enough local accommodation/camping space for everyone to stay!), were music (throughout the day and live music for the party), our photographer, and the food. Those were certainly the three areas we put the most time into research to make sure all was as we wanted. When you’re planning your own wedding from scratch, in essentially a field, where every single decision from lighting, parking and heating to the type of chairs and even cutlery to hire needs to be made, it’s easy to get totally swamped. It’s way more than we ever thought it would be (all totally worth it though), and requires some serious organisation and spreadsheets! But it’s amazing to realise that once you engage with a professional band as we had, the incredible photographer we were lucky enough to secure, and the formidable caterers whose dates lined up with ours (all of whom we could not recommend enough), those key areas don’t need to be managed in nearly the same way as everything else. Pick the right people, who have been there and done that with so many apprehensive and excited couples over the years, and they just GET it. They seriously know what they’re doing. With those three areas, we always felt in such safe hands… Which was hugely reassuring.

We still got to put our twist on each aspect, but it was all effortless and so straight forward. And those three areas massively delivered, with our priorities being the most raved about and complimented by our guests after the event. Across months of literally hundreds of decisions, those were the best 3 we made.

Oh, those and making sure there was a surplus of booze for the party….. Find a supplier that will offer sale and return, and you can’t go wrong. Any concerns about running out on the night can instantly disappear!

What one thing most surprised you about your wedding, or planning your wedding?

We’re lucky enough to say that it surprised us that it literally was the best day of our lives. We’d heard people say it, and we knew it was going to be great, but we weren’t prepared for just how alive and unreal it would make us feel with all the love in the room at the same time. It also surprised us how relaxed and ‘not-nervous’ (for want of a better phrase) we were on the day. We had a little word to ourselves in the days before to make sure we just tried to take in and enjoy every moment, no matter what happened or if/when didn’t go as planned….. which as advice to future brides and grooms, is well worth doing. After all, you don’t spend all the time and money planning one day to find yourself being hung up or distracted by things on the day itself! We’d delegated certain responsibilities to our incredible and devoted squad of ushers and bridesmaids… Meaning we could just be fully present in every moment of the day. The other surprise was how much everyone cried during the speeches! Never did we expect the speeches to touch everyone in the room in the way they did. To have some of those incredible moments captured in the professional photos means the world!

If you could do it all over again, which one thing wouldn’t you change, and if anything, what one thing would you change?

To be honest, we loved it all and felt SO lucky with how it all went. There are only a couple tiny little things we’d change, but they feel so irrelevant and we’d really be splitting hairs on what was such a magical experience. One thing we would definitely keep exactly the same is the service. One of the most emotional and uplifting moments was a friend playing the piano whilst everyone sang ‘Stand by Me’ at the top of their voices. Two close friends also performed ‘To Build A Home’ and ‘Come Away With Me’ whilst we signed the register which was completely and utterly spellbinding. After that, the bells rang and we left the church feeling on top of the world! It really set the mood and tone for the rest of the day :)

A few lovely words about us from Isabelle and Mark…

We whole-heartedly cannot recommend Barney highly enough (and haven’t stopped raving about him to anyone that asks) if you’re considering booking him for your wedding. We literally couldn’t have imagined before going through the process that such an amazing, professional, helpful, supportive, approachable and talented man for the job existed! BOY are we glad we found you, Barney.

Throughout the build-up, to the day his communication was SPOT ON…. and from day one we felt 100% safe in his experienced hands. He’s been there, done that, and knows all the tricks of the trade from doing so many weddings – yet makes you and your day feel special and personal, with all the details really mattering to him as much as it does to you. I imagine that is very rare to find.

On the day itself people noticed how brilliant and personable he was, and yet didn’t notice him (in the right way) at the same time…. subtly sneaking in at the right moment like some sort of wizard without you noticing there was a camera on you. Barney blended in like another guest at our wedding, and he was our guest…. and we wouldn’t have had it any other way!

Complete supplier list can be found in the footer.

Complete supplier list:

Ceremony Venue: St Nicholas and St Cyriac’s Church, South Pool

Reception Venue: South Allington House

MUA: Louise Espley

Catering Team: Fego

Band/DJ: Brother From Another

Dress Designer: Charlie Brear

Shoe Designer: Whistles

India + Ben – Devon, UK

During 2018 we were lucky enough to document several weddings as a Dartington Hall Wedding Photographer in Devon. The wonderful venue, super co-ordination team, excellent food and beautiful gardens all come together to create a splendid wedding venue option in Devon. India and Ben’s wedding was a little extra special because as well as the background of Dartington Hall for their celebrations, we started the day in Dartmouth at St Perox Church which is a picturesque spot on the river. Oh, we do like to be beside the sea! Enjoy the pictures and here are some more words from the bride, Idie…

What were your top three priorities in planning your wedding?

1) Ben and I wanted everyone to have an insane time, so I was on Pinterest from day one grabbing every idea I could that makes a wedding spectacular for guests. Even though most people said that the wedding was about us and not about anyone else, Ben and I were so happy to see everyone else happy and having a fun time on the day!

2) The logistics needed to be down to a tee because we got married at the beautiful church of St Petrox in Dartmouth, which is a 40-minute drive from Dartington Hall. Plus the fact most of our guests had never been to the area, so it was super important that everyone knew where and when to be at the venues and how to get there. Though it took time planning, we’re glad we did so as it took a lot of pressure off us (and our bridal party) on the day, knowing that everyone was happy as to where to go.

3) I was pretty set with the ideas of what I wanted in our wedding because 1) what girl isn’t a little bit and 2) I used to work in planning weddings and so over the years I’ve built my favourites up in my head! So therefore for me, more so than Ben(!) was booking all the suppliers as soon as humanly possible so that we had the pick of the bunch, instead of them all getting booked up! Our florist, band, photographer, videographer, transport etc were all our first choice which made the whole thing very easy for us!

Lovely words from India and Ben:

“WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOWOWO! Ben and I are just so HAPPY! Your INCREDIBLE pictures have captured every part of our day that we could have wished for and we are overwhelmed by the feeling of wedding day joy and happiness again. Brings back so many lovely lovely LOVELY memories, which on a grey and rainy November Friday evening when Ben has been navy-ing a lot recently really does bring that warm fuzzy feeling and Cheshire Cat smiles on our faces out! I have shared them already and so many friends and family are coming back with a million compliments saying the photos are beautiful…amazing…capture so much etc etc etc I could go on! And also, just a quick thanks for sending them over so quickly as well – I was telling myself 16 weeks so I didn’t get my hopes up!”

Full supplier list in the footer. Including wedding highlights film.

What one thing most surprised you about your wedding, or planning your wedding?

We thought we were most looking forward to the party after the church service. But looking back, both of us have said that the church service was actually our favourite part of the whole day. Obviously, it holds the most important bit with the vows etc, but more than that…I suppose everything else you do on your day is with other people, but the service truly felt that it was just Ben and me – as if the whole congregation were behind a hidden screen, and Ben and I were just there in our very special and happy place :)

**If you could do it all over again, which one thing wouldn’t you change, and if anything, what one thing would you change?**

Oh, my word I don’t know! We loved every bit of it! I guess we were so so so happy with all of the suppliers, but the band truly made the party memorable – a big shout out to the Drat Pack who got 99% of the wedding party dancing and singing all night! Having a videographer (Thank you Andy!) also was the best bit of advice we received from other people!

One thing we would change..erm…I guess I could say for brides to be – I thought I was being helpful in giving my bridesmaids options for bridesmaids dresses for them to come to a decision. It was a LOT more hassle than it was worth (hahaha I had 6 different opinions!). Just tell them what they are going to wear and they’ll be a lot happier with that than having to decide themselves!

How and why did you choose your venue?

Though neither Ben or I are from Dartmouth, it holds a special place in both our hearts. Ben started his Navy career at BRNC and we have fond memories of partying until dawn at their fantastic Navy Balls. That added to the tranquillity and beauty Dartmouth offers when we go and stay for a long weekend made us feel we wanted to get married down there. We came across Dartington Hall after my parents had suggested it. One look and we had fallen in love. It was just what we wanted – a romantic and quintessentially English country wedding venue…without needing to worry about torrential rain with a marquee in a field!

Supplier List

Photography by Devon and Cornwall Wedding Photographer, Barney Walters

Ceremony Venue: St Petrox Church, Dartmouth

Reception Venue: Dartington Hall

Videographer: Foster Filming

Hair Stylist: Plymouth Hair by Cassie (Bridal Hair)

MUA: Rachel Raffety

Band/DJ: The Drat Pack

Fireworks: Celebration Pyrotechnics

Florist: Blue Geranium

Chauffeur: Celebration Vintage Cars

Wedding Rings: AWP Jewellers

Kate + Toby – Devon, UK

I first met Kate & Toby at their house in Exeter on a very wet English spring day, it wasn’t the best conditions to be planning on shooting a few frames of them both. Yet after some hot drinks and chatting about my two favourite topics; photography & travel, and just as the wind started to edge over 30mph gusts, we decided to brave the weather. After getting soaked we warmed-up back around the coffee table in Kate & Toby’s house before realising that Kate actually knew two of my past brides personally. What a small small world it is.

“Barney visited us at home in Exeter and made us feel immediately at ease as we talked about ourselves and our plans for our big day. He took a couple of hours to really get to know us and then we did a test shoot down by the river where he worked out how comfortable we were in front of the camera. It was great to get an idea of how he would interact with us on our wedding day and I was relieved to not have a big camera lens shoved in my face.

Our wedding day with Barney involved was fantastic, his knowledge and organisation made the whole day so much easier. Most of the time we weren’t even aware of where he was and so our photos reflect real emotions as they naturally happened on the day, not the staged photos that some photographers take where your guests are grinning into the sunlight waiting for their photos to be taken.

Most of all, Barney makes you feel like someone you’ve known for ages and becomes a good friend throughout the whole experience we never questioned that we’d hired the right person for the job. We are so delighted with our photos and would thoroughly recommend him.” – Kate & Toby

Toby has a deep interest in photography (through his fishing background) and Kate has travelled and lived abroad for long stints with her job as a teacher, so it was obvious from the outset we had a lot in common. Thus, I walked away from this afternoon with Kate & Toby, fully aware that I was going to have a cracking time at their wedding, and that whatever happened it would be so much fun, and, well, my instinct was right. :)

Kate & Toby got married at The Old Rectory in the North Devon countryside, miles from anywhere. It was a fabulous day, made even more so by having one of my past grooms, Alex, along to help photograph the day with me.

(a great photographer in his own right, but he would probably just call himself a ‘camera nerd’ ) Thanks all the same Alex! Link to Alex’s wedding day with Gemma.

supplier list in the footer