A stunning home-grown Ghyll Barn wedding

Becca and Joe met in 2015 and spent many a weekend at a good old young farmers party. Like Rich and I they moved up to cumbria in 2019 (right before the C word) and spent their days doing up their beautiful house in lockdown and quite clearly planning their amazing wedding.

This couple adore the outdoors and it was clear to see from their pre wedding shoot I did in Summer 2023. Their two dogs and Joe’s beloved Land Rover jumped in for some shots too on what was definitely one of my more adventurous pre shoots up on hardknott pass. It was so lovely to see these photos sprinkled around their wedding day. Expertly printed by Cerberus Print - @sustainable_printing.

They chose the stunning Ghyll Barn in Long Marton for their wedding reception. They wanted to support their local village as much a possible and so had their wedding ceremony in St Peter's in Great Asby. Becca and her girls got ready in their home a few minutes from the church and Joe and his boys got ready in a local air b&b in the village before heading to the local pub. It was an incredibly chilled morning in both prep locations. I even had time to buzz into the church and watch Emma from Fellside flowers make the finishing touches in arranging Becca’s flowers.

Becca grew all the flowers for the wedding, lots of dahlias, cosmos, snapdragons and whatever else she could fit into her garden. They also stockpiled petals for confetti - all grown and dried at their house. They did have some help in assembling Becca’s flowers and the general on the day logistics from the lovely Fellside Flowers

Their beautiful wedding ceremony was a celebration of all their nearest and dearest, the couples dogs were taking centre stage in the aisle and carefully keeping the priest in check.

After the ceremony there was a traditional scramble which sounds terrifying but it wasn’t at all, not as terrifying as my face trying to work out how the hell to capture this given somebody had tied the church gate up and locked me in. Nevertheless I caught the action from the other side. Watching the local children scramble around for coins outside the church was rather sweet. Children would gather around the church as the couple left, and the brides father would throw the coins as they drove off. The act of the children catching the coins and rummaging on the floor to gather the remaining money is where the term ‘wedding scramble’ originates. The children are present to collect the money and it is generally accepted that the tradition should bring strong financial stability to the newlyweds.

After the ceremony Becca and Joe had told me that they really wanted some time for them on their wedding day before they got ambushed by their wonderful guests and most likely didn’t see each other for the rest of the day. They had a plan to go up to nearby moorland Asby Scar and have a picnic. Just them, the dogs and the landy of course.

We may have overrun on time a little but whilst this was happening their guests were being introduced to the venue and entertainment so it wasn’t all bad. Becca and Joe arrived back at the venue to the best confetti toss ever. Joe cautiously driving down the drive to Ghyll Barn with Becca hanging out the window getting pelted to the sound of All you need is love performed by Backstage Brass as they drive along.

I’d never shot at Ghyll barn before and had only seen a few photos on their instagram feed. As a relatively new wedding venue in the Lakes I wasn’t sure what to expect. Let’s just say that this venue was a little bit of me. Reclaimed furniture, rustic styling, old doors, plants, rugs, filament lighting. It was a photographers dream.

Despite running a little later than planned I dived right into the barn to get detail shots and was immediately blown away by the level of detail. Everybody knows I love my details. I appreciate first hand the level of work and planning that goes into to a DIY wedding and so I know to absolutely capture the shit out of it. Becca and Joe had smashed it out of the park. Standby, because your eyes are about to get blasted with Inspo.

Map lanterns, map place names, handmade napkins, pre shoot photos sprinkled around. It really was the most personalised wedding reception I’ve ever walked into. Such a lovely personal feeling and despite only knowing Joe and Becca for few hours I felt like I was really in their own slice of world at Ghyll Barn. Never a better match to be seen with the couple and this venue.

Their favours were the most fitting and sustainable ones I’ve ever seen - again, all collected, nurtured and grown by the couple. Beautiful oak trees to give a nod to Joe’s job as tree surgeon. (I deffo only took one, I promise - it reminded me of that scene in Bridesmaids with the puppies ) Becca has her own craft business for dogs called Goodlie Dogs where she makes beautiful harnesses and leads among other things. Every single detail from their wedding can be traced back to Becca’s creative touch.

It was time for the speeches and food, and after some heartfelt funny memories we all sat down to eat, the guests pouring home made port that had been gently placed on the tables.

The food was an incredible seafood risotto from Lakeland grazing and one that I can personally vouch for. So good I made some weird arm gesture to the guests and pushed my camera off the table smashing my lens on the floor, oh well, that’s what insurance is for eh….. Excellent day followed by a terrible moment. Becca and Joe chose to have a dessert grazing table where guests could take platters scattered with various puddings back to their tables and enjoy in an informal way when they were ready.

They also chose to have three small homemade cakes as in their words:

We are not too bothered about an elaborate cake - we've been to a couple of weddings now where they've ended up on the floor by 11pm - so not sure they're worth the investment for our group of friends!

After the meal we had a short amount of time for some group shots, action shots with the kids, and of course a few cheeky drone shots. If it hadn’t have been so windy then I think we’d have played a lot more with the outdoor space at this gorgeous venue.

In the time between sitting down and finishing our meals the wind had picked up significantly, somebody somewhere thought it would be a good idea to get on top of the hill behind the venue and take some couple shots. Becca pretty much got a veil as an extra pudding.

It was almost time for the evening celebrations, a little more mingling before the wonderful Yan Tans took over. Loads of dancing and singing topped off with the yummiest pizza. The weather played a banger and only allowed a full on storm to start once everybody was safely snuggled in the barn keeping warm and merry.

Becca and Joe absolutely smashed “their day” out of the park. They knew what they wanted right from the first questionnaire they completed and honoured it right to their day. The most relaxed, creative and inspiring couple in another beautiful Lake District Venue. A stellar cast of suppliers and of course, hats off to those homegrown flowers. Becca has said that if any future couples are interested in growing their own flowers then you are more than welcome to contact her. She’s on instagram under Rebecca Lambert

// Becca and Jo had me for hybrid shooting and I solo shot this wedding without assistance or a second shooter. Their teaser and highlight film can be viewed here:

Next up and coming soon: Another insanely talented bride Kelly at Barn in the Fells (you won’t believe this one folks)

Venue - Ghyll Barn - @ghyllbarn

Florist - Fellside Flower Company - @fellsideflowercompany (Flowers grown by Becca)

Catering - Lakeland Grazing - @lakelandgrazing

Hair - Emma Brennan - @hairbyemmabrennan

Make-Up - Leonie Canniffe - @leoniecaniffe_makeup

Band (Day) - Backstage Brass - @backstagebrass

Band (Evening) - The Yan Tans - @theyantans

Bridal Dress - Blue Bow Bridal Company - @bluebowbridalcompany

Bridal Alterations - Bits & Bobbins Carlisle - Facebook - Bits & Bobbin's

Suits - Goodfellows Menswear - @goodfellowsmenswear

Dogs Attire - Goodlie Dogs - @goodliedogs

Wedding Stationary - Cerberus Print - @sustainable_printing

Dried Flowers Crowns - Maxene Eley