I’ve been a wedding photographer for just over 10 years now, and taking photos of those intimate moments on a couple’s most special day is just the best.
I especially love an outside ceremony - there’s often so much more freedom taking photos, as I can move around to get different angles, the backdrops are often beautiful and interesting, and the light is gorgeous too.
Here are the best outdoor wedding venues in and around Bath and Bristol - some I’ve had the pleasure of photographing, and some are on my wedding photography wishlist - get in touch if you’re planning a wedding ;)
1. Temple of Minerva & Botanical Gardens, Bath
📍 Royal Victoria Park Bath, Park Lane, Bath BA1 2XQ
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 70 guests for outdoor ceremony (35 inside)
💰 from £1,800
The Temple of Minerva is a tiny temple among winding paths, beautiful foliage and flowers - it’s a true hidden gem nestled in Bath Botanical Gardens.
I’ve photographed weddings here, and one of the loveliest things about it is that it feels like every time you go, you see something different - you could have a wedding in the Botanical Gardens every year and the photos would be unique. And, as I’m sure you can imagine, there are lots of interesting spots for photos.
Rumour has it that this lovely little wedding venue used to be where they dumped all the sewage back in the day… which is very romantic, I know, but apparently that’s why the earth is so fertile, helping the gorgeous plants thrive. Don’t blame me if this isn’t entirely true!
2. Parade Gardens & The Riverside Colonnades, Bath
📍 Grand Parade, Bath BA2 4DF
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 100 guests
💰 from £900
Parade Gardens is a lovely wedding venue in the centre of Bath, with a backdrop of stunning sandstone buildings, the iconic Pulteney Bridge and of course the River Avon rushing past.
You can host your wedding ceremony and drinks reception here, choosing from two equally beautiful locations - the Edwardian Bandstand or the Riverside Colonnades, both of which are licensed for civil ceremonies.
The Parade Gardens are perfect for wedding photography, even if it’s not used as your wedding venue - it’s picturesque from every angle. Other wedding venues like Bath Guildhall are nearby, so it’s easy to hop across the road.
3. Roman Baths, Bath
📍 Abbey Church Yard, Bath BA1 1LZ
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 200 guests
💰 from £1,500
Bath is named after its famous Roman Baths, funnily enough, and they offer sunrise or sunset wedding ceremonies, either side of the museum’s opening hours.
I’ve photographed both sunrise and sunset wedding ceremonies, and both are magic - in the morning the misty steam rises from the water, and at sunset as the light goes down, the torches are lit.
It feels like such a unique wedding venue - the architecture is stunning, and the layout is different to what you’d expect from a typical wedding venue, which really changes the dynamic; standing around a body of water, exchanging vows at the edge of the Great Bath.
This is a great outdoor wedding ceremony for the rather damp South West too, because although you are outside, the area surrounding the Great Bath is covered by the terrace above. A rainy ceremony with the cosy lighting here would be so romantic.
4. American Museum & Gardens, Bath
📍 Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 300 guests
💰 enquire for prices
The American Museum and Gardens in Bath makes for a really unique wedding venue, with the stunning heritage buildings and amazing view too.
You can choose from various sites around the 125 acre estate for your wedding, including the amphitheatre, a secluded garden, or the huge lawn (with indoor options too, if the weather doesn’t play ball).
I’ve never photographed a wedding at the American Museum & Garden, but have visited before, and it’s a beautiful place. If you’re a couple who bonded over a love of history, this would be a really cool place to tie the knot.
5. The Wedding & Garden Villa at The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath
📍 16 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LS
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 90 guests
💰 from £2,900
I was lucky enough to be the wedding photographer at an outdoor wedding here, although it was a while ago, it’s still a classically beautiful wedding venue.
The outdoor wedding space at The Royal Crescent Hotel is the Walled Garden, and it’s just as romantic and secluded as it sounds, plus you can book the adjoining Garden Villa which makes for a perfect getting-ready area.
If I were you, I’d book a day at their spa for after your wedding, as a luxurious little start to your honeymoon.
6. Folly Farm, near Bristol and Bath
📍 Stowey, Pensford BS39 4DW
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 60/100 guests (depending on area)
💰 from £5,800
One of my first ever wedding photography jobs was at Folly Farm, and it was such a lovely venue.
Everyone got a tractor trailer up to the top of a hill, with hay bales and a beautiful view that went for miles - it was incredible, and the lighting outside that day was gorgeous.
Folly Farm is a sustainable wedding venue in Somerset, offering on-site accommodation and relaxed wedding celebrations. With an outdoor courtyard, orchard garden where guests sit on hay bales underneath the apple trees, and 3 indoor spaces too.
7. Priston Mill, near Bath
📍 Bath, BA2 9EQ
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 90 for outdoor ceremonies
💰 from £1,275
Priston Mill is a wedding venue really close to Bath, with a team who really know what they’re doing when it comes to weddings - they’re super efficient and happy to help.
Their outdoor wedding space is by the Watermill, and is beautifully green, with lots of fields surrounding.
At the wedding that I was photographing at Priston Mill, it was raining, so they were planning to get married inside. 10 minutes before the ceremony, it stopped raining and they said they’d really love to do it outside. The whole team got all the chairs set up and they had the outside ceremony they dreamed of.
8. Kilver Court Gardens, near Bath
📍 Kilver Street, Shepton Mallet BA4 5NF
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 120 guests
💰 enquire for prices
As you can probably gather from the name, Kilver Court has landscaped gardens galore, as well as a stunning pond backdrop - it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere, tucked away in this really lovely magical spot.
There’s a beautiful green walkway that can be used as an aisle for outdoor wedding ceremonies, and as you can see from my photo, a stunning viaduct, as well as lots of other amazing photo opportunities.
And, in the case of a rainy wedding day, there are 3 unique indoor ceremony rooms too.
9. Orchardleigh House, near Bath
📍 Orchardleigh Estate, Frome BA11 2PH
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 80/150 guests (depending on area)
💰 from £10,260
Orchardleigh House is definitely the option for couples who want a really luxury, high-end wedding. The estate is huge (500 acres!), so if you want to go all-out and have a very regal wedding experience, this is the place.
They’re licensed to hold civil ceremonies anywhere in their gardens, so it’s a great spot for outside weddings, as well as 2 churches and other indoor spaces in the event of rain, and luxurious accommodation for up to 95 guests.
They also have some beautiful grand stairs outside the house, which are great for opulent wedding photographs.
10. Elmhay Park, near Bath
📍 Orchardleigh Estate, Frome BA11 2PH
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 60/300 guests (depending on area)
💰 from £7,200
This is the sister venue to Orchardleigh House, nestled behind the woods on the same estate.
These private grounds are home to an Italian veranda, walled gardens and a Victorian orangery, all of which can be locations for your wedding, and of course these would all make for very beautiful wedding photos too.
The team here are used to planning indoor and outdoor weddings, and are able to change the ceremony location with just a couple of hours’ notice, if the weather isn’t quite as you’d hoped.
11. Chew Valley Weddings, near Bristol
📍 Woodford Lane, Chew Stoke BS40 8XR
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 info unavailable
💰 from £10,530, contact for bespoke quote
This is such a cool wedding venue, with amazing views over Chew Valley Lake, acres of land, compost loos, a firepit, electricity, plenty of parking, and loads more.
The wedding I photographed here had a really fun music festival vibe, with a tipi decorated with pom-poms, and super cute personal vows - their meeting involved a mix CD, and I was totally smitten with their modern fairytale love story.
When you book this venue you get 72 hours exclusive use of the location to do as you please, and they’re fully licensed for civil ceremonies too.
12. Fernhill Farm, Bristol
📍 Cheddar Road, Compton Martin BS40 6LD
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 200 guests
💰 enquire for prices
Located on the top of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, this rustic wedding venue has on-site accommodation, and renewable energy installations.
There are both original stone buildings and newer Horseshoe Barns at the venue, as well as little wooden caravans, which are really cute.
I was lucky enough to photograph a wedding here - the couple got married under a tree, surrounded by beautiful barns, pretty flowers, and their loved ones. The barn space inside is really gorgeous too - it’s a lovely spot for an indoor or outdoor wedding.
13. Boiling Wells at St Werburghs City Farm, Bristol
📍 Watercress Road, Bristol BS2 9YJ
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 150 guests
💰 from £2,500
This was such a different style of wedding to most that I’ve photographed - this lovely couple got married in the amphitheatre at Boiling Wells, which was incredible and meant all the guests could see them without having to peer between heads, and I could see everyone’s expressions.
It felt like a really alternative and relaxed wedding - it was just two people in love, in a serene, nature-filled place with their favourite people. It had a lot of heart.
They only hold 6 green woodland weddings a year at Boiling Wells, and hiring the site for the weekend includes gazebos, marquee, wooden tables, and an event coordinator, plus outdoor kitchen, cob pizza oven, fire circle, and a May pole!
14. SS Great Britain, Bristol
📍 Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Road, Bristol BS1 6TY
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 160 guests
💰 enquire for prices
Now this is a pretty unique outdoor wedding venue - a famous ship from the 1800s, the SS Great Britain.
This lovely couple that I photographed actually got married inside, but you can have an outside wedding ceremony in the Riggers’ Yard, which has stunning views across the harbour, as you get married right by the water’s edge.
I only just managed to resist getting them to pose like Kate and Leo in Titanic, and in hindsight, I shouldn’t have! If you choose this as your wedding venue, please hire me as your wedding photographer so that I can right my wrongs.
15. Arnos Vale, Bristol
📍 Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bath Road, Bristol BS4 3EW
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 up to 80 guests (60 seated, 20 standing)
💰 from £2600
This is a super cool and alternative wedding venue in Bristol - yes, it is the cemetery you’re thinking of, but I promise it’s really romantic and not spooky (unless you want it to be).
The Underwood Centre at Arnos Vale is a beautiful spot to get married outside amongst the trees, with fairy lights hanging from large oak beams and a rustic tin roof, which will keep you dry if it rains.
And if an outdoor wedding ceremony won’t work, there are two absolutely stunning indoor spaces too - the Spielman Centre and the Anglican Chapel.
16. Winterbourne Medieval barn, near Bristol
📍 Church Lane, Winterbourne, South Gloucestershire BS36 1SE
👩🏼🤝👨🏻 30-200 guests
💰 enquire for prices
This wedding was a super memorable one for me as a wedding photographer - friends took turns sharing their favourite stories about the couple before they said “I do,” and they had an exit involving two bubble guns and a four-piece jazz band.
As you can imagine, this beautiful wedding venue has so much rustic charm, as it was built in 1342. It’s really close to Bristol, but it has the feel of being in the middle of nowhere, it’s really secluded and special.
The staff are super friendly and make a busy event look seamless and glorious too. They’re fully licensed for civil marriages and partnerships, and are proud to be an LGBTQ+ friendly venue.
So that’s my round-up of (in my opinion) the best outdoor wedding venues in the Bath and Bristol area, most of which I’ve been lucky enough to photograph, and a couple that I’d love to - if you’re planning a wedding and still need a wedding photographer, please do get in touch.
I’ll be sharing a snippet of this list over on Instagram too, so if you think I’ve missed an awesome outdoor wedding venue, head over there and let me know!
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