Herefordshire Weddings – through the lens of a Herefordshire wedding photographer

Is Herefordshire the UK’s best kept wedding secret? From grand country houses to free-range venues for wild wedding or festival vibes, Herefordshire has so many stunning options to inspire. I caught up with Cat Beardsley, a Herefordshire wedding photographer whose beautiful images are always elegant and timeless. I also love the way she makes the very most of beautiful natural landscapes in her fine art couple portraits. Cat shares her perspective with us below on what the rolling verdant countryside and the diversity of the Herefordshire’s wedding venues offer her as a local  wedding photographer.

What do you love about being a  Herefordshire Wedding Photographer?

Here are Cat’s top 3 reasons why she loves Herefordshire wedding photography.

1. Herefordshire has stunning country house wedding venues

Herefordshire can pride itself with several of the most beautiful wedding venues in the whole of the UK. One of the key things that Rich and I love about weddings at an English country house are the charm and cosiness of their interior. And then, for the couple’s photos we have the chance to step outside to manicured gardens, or natural backdrops, or both! This gives us so many lovely options to create beautiful, timeless images.

Examples of Herefordshire country house wedding venues that come to mind, in no particular order, are:

• Grade II listed country homes like Homme House (family owned and family run, suited to intimate celebrations).
• Some of the oldest dwellings in England, like Hellens Manor. This is a living home with a wealth of period furnishings, paintings, antiques and several different quirky gardens).
• Historic English Country houses like How Caple Court, which has an adjoining concert barn and marquee. Its 11 acre Edwardian gardens are situated high above the river Wye. The include terraces with yew hedges, pools and statues.
• Grade 1 listed 12th century moated Manor houses like Brinsop Court. This manor house sits by a lake, graced by swans and is ideal for stylish, luxurious weddings in style.

2. The acres upon acres of beautiful orchards and fruit farms in Herefordshire

According the Archive of Cider Pomology, despite covering less than 2% of England’s land area, Herefordshire has more orchards than any other county in the UK, being home to 16% of the entire orchard area in the country. Once described as a forest of fruit trees, Herefordshire is mostly known for its cider and perry. But there are a lot of other types of fruit grown here as well, from cherries to all types of berries and currants. The photo below has been taken at the cherry farm of the bride’s parents. They had a marquee right next to the orchard. On such a July hot day, you wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the whole world!

If you love the idea of an orchard wedding, take a look at these Herefordshire orchard wedding venues:

• The Orchard at Munsley, a wedding venue with Nordic style tipis, in an Orchard!
• The Cider Barn, proudly situated next door to Dunkerton Ciders and their stunning traditional orchards.

3. Herefordshire’s landscape is varied, from fields and meandering riverscapes to hills and mountains

Cradled between the Welsh hills and the Malverns, Herefordshire is a varied and beautiful county. It has every type of landscape your heart may desire, except the sea!

So many couples these days are opting to get married in the middle of nature or choosing barn or tipis venues in stunning countryside. They often want to make the most of the great outdoors as the backdrop for a festival-style wedding. Herefordshire is probably England’s most rural county, so it has a rich seam of quirky and remote wedding venues, where the stars at night shine brightest! I love waiting for the evening to take the bride and groom out for photos into the golden wheat fields, or going up to the top of the hill (usually in a 4×4!) for photos with the views of the valleys. These are some of my favourite moments of a wedding day!

A few rural Herefordshire venues that are perfect to create your own unique celebration are:

• The American Ranch style barn at Redbank Events, located by the meandering river Wye
• Lyde Court, a romantic 17th century stone barn set in an idyllic location
• Lower House Farm, a rural wedding venue, set on a farm, with views of the Black Mountains

I couldn’t be happier to live and work in a place like Herefordshire!

You can see more of Cat’s work on her Website: catbeardsleyphotography.co.uk and her Instagram Account: @CatBeardsleyPhotography.

And below are just a few more of her gorgeous wedding photography.  These images celebrate the beautiful backdrops of the varied and unique weddings that our county plays host to. I think that is Herefordshire wedding photography at it’s best!