When I checked the weather forecast for this wedding at Humber Barn in Teignmouth, I won’t lie, it looked absolutely dreadful.
The forecast was predicting 50mph winds, heavy rain, and generally the sort of weather that makes you wonder whether Noah might be sailing past at some point during the day. But as anyone who has followed my wedding blogs for a while will know, I seem to possess some sort of bizarre weather superpower. I genuinely cannot explain it!
In nearly nine years of photographing weddings, I can still genuinely count wet weddings on one hand. Time and time again, couples send me worried messages leading up to their wedding because every weather app they own is predicting biblical rain. Yet somehow, the rain either arrives before I get there, after I leave, or simply decides not to bother showing up at all.
I feel like I’m the opposing god to Rob McKenna, the rain God, in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I’m Simon Day, the Dry Weather God, nice to meet you! 🙂
This wedding was another perfect example.
Despite the terrifying forecast, the rain had decided that it needed a holiday someone else, like Huddersfield, so off it trotted, leaving us with yet another wet-free day.
Now, let’s be clear about one thing. The wind definitely turned up. And it turned up with enthusiasm. I seem to be able to control the rain, but the wind is something that ignores my requests, and does what it wants anyway.
Anyone fortunate enough to have a full head of hair had it blowing in every conceivable direction throughout the parts outside. Veils were attempting to become airborne. Dresses were putting up a fight. Trees were dancing around like they were at a music festival.
As someone whose hairstyle consists of a self-made grade zero haircut, I was largely unaffected by these problems!
Thankfully, the important parts of the day were all sheltered enough that the wind never became a serious issue.
A Fantastic Venue
The Humber Barn is a wonderful wedding venue tucked away in the Devon countryside near Teignmouth.
It manages to combine rustic charm with modern facilities, which is always a winning combination for weddings.
One thing that immediately stood out to me was the bridal preparation area.
Rather than being squeezed into a room within the main venue, the bridal party had their own separate building away from the main farm. It appeared to be a relatively new addition and it worked brilliantly. The space was bright, spacious, and calm. It allowed everyone to relax and enjoy the morning without feeling rushed or crowded.
From a photography perspective, it was a lovely place to work.
Natural light poured through the windows, there was plenty of room to move around, and it created a relaxed atmosphere for capturing those all important preparation photographs.
The Ceremony
The ceremony itself took place inside the barn.
One of the things I love about Humber Barn is that it embraces its rustic surroundings without feeling overly themed. It feels authentic.
Guests sat comfortably while the bridal party and groomsmen were seated on bales of hay, which fitted perfectly with the setting and added a little extra character to the photographs.
The atmosphere throughout the ceremony was warm, relaxed, and full of smiles.
Then came one of the stars of the day.
The couple’s dog.
Every photographer secretly hopes there will be a dog at a wedding.
This particular dog had an important role to play as the ring bearer and I am pleased to report that he absolutely nailed the job.
No running off.
No eating the rings.
No causing complete chaos.
A flawless performance.
Honestly, some human ring bearers I’ve photographed over the years could learn a thing or two.
A Brilliant Celebrant
The ceremony was led by celebrant Gill.
You can always tell when someone genuinely loves what they do, and Gill was one of those people.
She brought energy, warmth, humour, and personality to the ceremony, helping create an experience that felt incredibly personal to the couple.
Celebrants often have more freedom than traditional registrars, and when they embrace that freedom well, it can make such a difference to the atmosphere.
This was one of those ceremonies where people laughed, smiled, and felt completely engaged from beginning to end.
The Entertainment
Every wedding has something that people talk about afterwards.
At this wedding, there were several contenders.
The first was the band.
The Wingmen provided the live music and they were absolutely fantastic.
You could tell from the first few songs that they were going to be good, but they somehow kept getting better as the day went on.
The dance floor was packed, guests were singing along, and the atmosphere they created was brilliant.
A great band can completely transform a wedding reception, and The Wingmen certainly did that.
Then there was the rodeo bull.
Yes, a rodeo bull.
You don’t see that at every wedding.
It quickly became one of the most popular attractions of the day, with guests taking turns trying to stay on while everyone else stood around laughing and cheering.
Some lasted impressively long.
Others lasted approximately three seconds.
I shall politely avoid naming names.
The Food
Now let’s talk about something very important.
The food.
The wedding meal was a hog roast.
And if you’ve read my blogs before, you’ll know exactly what’s coming next.
A hog roast is my favourite wedding meal.
Every single time. There is just something about a properly cooked hog roast that works so perfectly at a wedding. The smell alone should probably be bottled and sold.
Guests loved it, the queue disappeared remarkably quickly, and there wasn’t much left behind. Which tells you everything you need to know.
Ending the Day
This was a full day booking, which meant I was there from the preparations right through to the first dance.
As the evening arrived, the atmosphere shifted from relaxed celebration into full party mode.
The first dance was a lovely way to finish my coverage.
Surrounded by family and friends, the couple shared their first dance together while everyone watched on.
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.
Looking back, this wedding had everything.
A fantastic venue.
A brilliant celebrant.
An amazing dog.
Great music.
Fantastic food.
A rodeo bull.
And despite forecasts that suggested otherwise, weather that behaved itself almost all day.
Humber Barn is a wonderful venue and one I would happily return to in a heartbeat.
To the happy couple, thank you for having me along to capture your day. It was an absolute pleasure.
Equipment Used on the Day
2x Sony A7IV
Sony 70 to 200mm f2.8 GM V2
Sony 24 to 70mm f2.8 GM V2
Sony 85mm f1.4
Godox AD600 Pro flash
Godox V1 speedlights on both cameras, each controlling the other lights
Godox AD200 strobes
