Bassmead Manor Barns bridge is great for wedding photos when it is lit up at twilight

This post takes you through a typical wedding day at Bassmead Manor Barns while explaining what makes it fantastic for wedding photos.

Their address is: Bassmead Manor Barns, Staploe, Saint Neots PE19 5JB

Bassmead Manor Barns is a 700 year old estate that’s been turned into a wedding venue near St Neots. It has many special features that make it one of the most popular wedding venues in Cambridgeshire.

The Bassmead Staff

You might think that wedding venue staff don’t impact on the wedding photos but they can certainly have a positive or negative effect.

The Bassmead staff are all really friendly and keep the vibe nice and relaxed for the happy couple, the guests and the photographer. They don’t rush you and nothing is too much trouble and when you’re relaxed it reflects in the photographs.

The getting ready photos

Bassmead has two areas to get ready so both sides of the wedding can do their morning preparations on-site. This saves on travel time getting ready at a separate location.

It’s usually a groom who gets ready at Appletree cottage and it’s normally a bride getting ready in the bridal suite next to the ceremony barn.

Both locations have two floors and multiple rooms so there’s plenty of space for everyone to get ready.

The bridal suite has a gazillion mirrors which can be great for creating funky reflection photos - I just have to be careful not to be in the background!

There are loads of hooks in the beams for hanging the wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses too.

One fun thing about the bridal suite is it has one way windows so you can see the guests arriving without them seeing you.

The Ceremony in The Rickety Barn

This glorious 300 year old barn is both grand and rustic in equal measure. Giant, wonky oak beams give it the Rickety nature, while its huge ceiling and wrought iron chandeliers give it majesty. A viking king and queen would be very proud to get married here!

There’s a mezzanine at the back of the barn which is perfect if you have a second photographer as they can get birds-eye views of the aisle walk and the ceremony.

There are candles and fairy lights throughout the Rickety Barn to give it a warm glow and adds a wonderful sparkle to the photographs. In fact Bassmead is beautifully lit everywhere, inside and out.

Due to being a listed building The Rickety Barn doesn’t have much in terms of windows so it gives a lovely cosy feel. That said, it means only the very best cameras can operate in this low light without a flash (and you certainly don’t want anyone using flash throughout the ceremony!). My cameras earn their money in The Rickety Barn and anyone with a less than high-end camera and lenses will end up with blurred photos.

If the weather is good you can now get married outside in their new ‘Thatched Bower’ with sweeping views for miles around.

Whatever ceremony location you choose the guest capacity at Bassmead is 150 in the day and 200 at night.

Confetti

After the ceremony you’ll exit the barn and then sneak around to the barn’s back door with the wedding planner while all the guests follow you out. As the guests come out I’ll sort them into two lines to create your confetti tunnel. You can then exit for the second time to great applause (and violent confetti throwing!)

Group photos

After the confetti run I scuttle up to the first floor of the bridal suite and lean out the window for the big group shot of all the guests. I have a loud-hailer which helps me arrange everyone and is always great for a bit of banter (kids and drunk groomsmen usually love having a go on it too!). The backdrop for this big group photo is lovely and from the high perspective I can see all the guests clearly (even if they’re trying to hide at the back).

Bassmead has two courtyards. The one by the Rickety barn provides a lovely rustic backdrop while the other courtyard has flowerbeds in the summer months.

If it’s raining we can always do group photographs inside the barn.

Romantic photos

There are lots of great options for romantic photographs at Bassmead Manor Barns.

Bassmead is on a slight hill and has wonderful views all around, which makes it ideal for sunsets and other dramatic romantic shots.

The long driveway is flanked with old trees and there are wheat fields in summer.

Bassmead is famous for its bridge over the moat and it’s festooned with fairy lights at night and up-lights add a splash of colour to the trees at twilight.

And of course there’s the Rickety Barn and the flowers and shrubs in the courtyard.

We used to be able to use the woods but that’s now out of bounds.

Speeches and food

The food is absolutely fantastic at Bassmead and definitely one of the best wedding venues I know for culinary delights!

They even do this funky smoking sorbet which looks rather dramatic when they bring it from the kitchen.

The bar provides table service for drinks during the meal and in the evening they can provide fresh pizza as they have a pizza oven in the courtyard.

For the speech photos there’s plenty of light and a clean background. After the speeches, Rob the DJ often offers a prize for the table that dances the most enthusiastically and you’ll get to be the referees.

Evening photos

As I mentioned, Bassmead is one of the best wedding venues for sunsets. Obviously the timing of the sunset depends on the time of year, but it’s always worth taking 5-10 minutes to do it, even if we go between courses in the meal, or jump off the dance floor for a bit.

Bassmead do a great job of organising the cutting of the cake. They put it on a table in the middle of the dance floor and it’s always beautifully lit by the DJ’s lights. They then move the cake right after its cut so you can crack on with your first dance.

The first dance is always fantastic too - again due to the great lighting the DJ has (its normally the lovely Rob at Strobe Disco Roadshow whenever I’m at Bassmead). The reception hall is also covered in fairy lights and there are some rustic chandeliers too.

So, as you can see there are lots of great photo opportunities at Bassmead.

The next item on your agenda needs to be booking a wedding photographer… so go to my wedding page to discover the best questions to ask a wedding photographer before you hire them and find out about my service.