Venue · Little Singleton, Poulton-le-Fylde FY6
The River Barn Wedding Photographer
The River Barn wedding photography from two photographers who live two miles away. A rustic oak barn by the River Wyre at Little Singleton, with a Tudor manor and cabins in the woods for the night.
Why we love photographing at The River Barn
If you have booked The River Barn and you are after a wedding photographer, we are the local option. Our base is Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6, which is the same postcode as the barn. It is a couple of miles along Mains Lane, past Shard Bridge. We know the lane, the light on the river and how long the walk from the barn to the water takes, and we will not be stuck in traffic on the M55 on your morning.
The River Barn is a rustic barn beside the Wyre, in the grounds of Mains Hall, a Tudor manor house dated 1536. You come in off Mains Lane down a long tree-lined drive, which is the photograph most couples remember. The barn has floor-to-ceiling oak beams, a bar that is staffed all day, a fireplace, and a ceremony room that looks out onto a courtyard of clipped topiary. The venue dresses it with greenery, trees and planters as standard, so it looks finished before your florist arrives.
The grounds are five acres: a walled garden with roses, box hedging, apple trees and old oaks, a stretch of protected woodland, and a front courtyard with a festoon-lit oak pergola and a pair of swings. The manor has seven bedrooms, including a honeymoon suite with a four-poster and its own staircase, and there are six en-suite Oak Tree Cabins in the woodland. That means the people who matter can all stay on site, and the morning after is as much a part of the wedding as the day.
The barn is between Poulton-le-Fylde and Singleton, two miles from Poulton town centre and about five from Blackpool. We cover it on our standard wedding prices, from £599 for a half day with two photographers. There is no restricted airspace here, so the drone is an option if you want the barn, the river and the woods from above.
The River Barn wedding photography: how the day runs
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Morning
The manor has a dressing room set up for the morning, with sofas and salon chairs, and the open-plan kitchen and lounge downstairs is where everyone else gathers. One of us is in the manor with you, the other is across in the barn photographing the room, the beams and the tables before a single guest walks in. If part of the wedding party is in the cabins, that is a two-minute walk through the woods.
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Ceremony
In the barn, under the oak beams, with the topiary courtyard through the windows behind you. The room is secluded from the reception side until the reveal. We work with window light where we can and a little bounced flash if the day is dull, and we keep off the aisle.
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Confetti and drinks
Out of the barn and into the front courtyard for confetti, then drinks under the pergola or on the lawn by the manor. This is where the family groups happen, with the Tudor house behind. Then we take you down the drive and along to the river for twenty minutes on your own.
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Breakfast and speeches
Back into the barn for the breakfast and the speeches. The bar and fireplace end makes a good backdrop for the top table, and the beams frame everything. Caterers come in from outside, so the timings are set by whoever you book.
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Evening
The festoon lights on the pergola come on, the swings get used, and the glass entrance and the pond catch the last of the light. First dance under the beams, then out to the courtyard for the night photographs. Same-Day Prints, if you have added them, are handed over in the barn before the night is over.
Best photo spots at The River Barn
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The tree-lined drive
Long, straight and shaded. The walk back up it after the drinks is the one that ends up on the wall.
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The river
The Wyre runs along the bottom of the grounds, tidal and wide here, with the light coming down it from the west late in the day.
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The walled garden
Roses, box, apple trees and the old oaks. Soft, contained light that works even at midday.
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The pergola and the swings
The front courtyard, with festoon lights. Fun during the drinks, and the best lit spot once it is dark.
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The manor
A Tudor front from 1536. Confetti and the family groups happen with this behind you.
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The glass entrance and the pond
Golden hour, in the last half hour before the sun goes.
Light and timing
The barn is dark under the beams, on purpose. It is warm and rustic, with greenery everywhere, and the windows onto the courtyard are the main daylight. So we bring lights. For the ceremony we use window light and, on a dull day, a touch of bounced flash off the oak so it stays looking like a barn. For the speeches and the first dance we set up off-camera flash so faces are clean and the beams still have their shadows. Outside, the drive and the woodland are shaded, which is good at midday when the lawn is harsh, and the river and the pond face west, so the last hour of the day is the time to be down there. On a wet day the walled garden has enough cover for a few quick portraits, the pergola is a dry edge, and the manor’s kitchen and staircase do the rest.
Drone
The drone can fly at The River Barn. There is no flight restriction zone near Little Singleton: the edge of the Blackpool Airport zone is about 6 km to the south-west and Warton’s is about 9 km to the south, so no permission is needed. The river and the drive make it worth doing. We check Drone Assist on the day, keep 50 metres from your guests and stay clear of the road, and we refund the drone if the weather stops us. Add the flyover for £149 with photography. Details are on our drone page.
Questions about photographing a wedding at The River Barn
How far is The River Barn from you?
About two miles. We are based in Poulton-le-Fylde, FY6, so it is inside our free travel distance and we are at the manor before the hairdresser.
Is the barn too dark for photographs?
Not with lights, and we bring them. The ceremony works on window light. For the speeches and dancing we use off-camera flash bounced off the oak so the room keeps its warmth.
Can you fly the drone at The River Barn?
Yes. No restricted airspace nearby, so no permission needed. The flyover is an optional add-on at £149 with photography, and we refund it if the weather stops us.
Where are the couple photographs taken?
The drive during the drinks, the walled garden if the sun is high, and the river and the pond in the last hour of light. Twenty minutes in total, in two short trips.
Can we have Same-Day Prints at The River Barn?
Yes. One of us edits during the breakfast and hands over the folders in the barn before the night is over. They are an optional add-on from £69.
Nearby venues
Booking us for The River Barn
Do you really bring two photographers to every wedding?
Yes. It’s Lee and Dom, every time.
Do you charge for travel?
Travel within 10 miles of our base (FY6) is free. After that it’s 50p a mile, and we travel up to 60 miles.
How do we book?
Check your date, choose a package and pay a £100 deposit online. We hold a date for 7 days while you decide.
When do we get our photos?
A sneak peek within 48 hours, and the full gallery within six weeks.
Getting married at The River Barn?
We reply within 24 hours. If it’s quicker to talk, we’re on WhatsApp and the phone most days.