Exmoor Wedding Photographer
I live on Exmoor, just outside Dulverton, which to my mind is a slightly unfair advantage when it comes to photographing weddings here. I know which lane floods, where the sun drops behind Dunkery in October, and which farm gate gives you the view without a twenty-minute yomp in a dress. Most of the photographers you’ll find for Exmoor are driving in from Exeter or Taunton. I’m driving in from the next valley.
Why Exmoor is a brilliant place to get married
It’s wild, properly wild, in a way that most of the South West isn’t any more. Moorland, ancient woodland, a coastline with the highest cliffs in England, and villages that look like they’ve been set-dressed. It also rains sideways and the phone signal is theoretical, so you need a photographer who’s relaxed about weather and knows the plan B spots. That’s the honest pitch.
My style is documentary first: I’d rather catch your gran laughing than line everyone up for an hour. We’ll do the family groups, of course, but quickly, and then I’ll get out of the way and let the day happen.
Places on and around Exmoor I love to photograph
Dulverton. A market town full of character, nestled in the hills on the River Barle, with All Saints Church in the middle of it and some of the best food on the moor. The river banks, steep and wooded on both sides, are a gift for couple portraits.
Tarr Steps. A medieval clapper bridge, and not just any clapper bridge, the longest in the country. Couples crossing it on foot is a photograph that makes itself. The bridal car can cross the ford too, though I’d suggest a Land Rover rather than a Rolls! Tarr Farm Inn sits right beside it for a weekend-long celebration.
Dunster. A castle (every princess’s dream, apparently), a medieval yarn market, a gorgeous church, and Knowle Manor just up the road, which I’ve photographed and love.
Porlock and Culbone. Porlock Bay for sea air and oysters, and a half-hour walk through the woods to St Beuno’s at Culbone, said to be the smallest parish church in England. If you want a tiny ceremony somewhere nobody will ever forget, this is it.
Selworthy. National Trust thatched cottages, a whitewashed church high above the valley looking across to Dunkery Beacon, and the best cream tea I’ve had to date at the Periwinkle tea rooms. Forget canapés.
Exford, Winsford and Withypool. The heart of the moor. St Peter’s at Exford perched above the village, Winsford’s packhorse bridge, and the Royal Oak at Withypool for an intimate reception of up to 30 with a hundred for the evening.
Wimbleball Lake. 370 acres of water on the eastern edge of the moor, with marquee weddings on the shore and Haddon Hill above it for the energetic couple who want the view.
Wedding venues on Exmoor and its edges
- Knowle Manor, Dunster: photographed, gallery below
- Tarr Farm Inn, Tarr Steps
- The Royal Oak, Withypool
- Marquee and tipi weddings at Wimbleball Lake
- Church ceremonies at Dulverton, Exford, Selworthy, Culbone and Dunster
Alex and Suzanna at Knowle Manor
The day started at Suzanna’s childhood home, a farm in Exford, with her closest friends and family helping her get ready, and ended at Knowle Manor on a day that, after two Covid postponements, a baby and a dog, was finally sunny. This is what an Exmoor wedding looks like when it all comes together.
Practical notes for photographs on Exmoor
- Light. The moor is high and open, so the golden hour is long and the sunsets are something else. Inland in the valleys the light goes earlier.
- Weather. It changes by the hour. Moody skies photograph beautifully; I’d rather have drama than flat blue. Bring wellies for the portraits and we’ll swap back to the nice shoes after.
- Getting around. Lanes are single-track and satnavs lie. I’ll always recce the route between church and reception beforehand.
- Elopements and small weddings. Exmoor suits them. If it’s the two of you and a handful of people, say so and we’ll build the day around the walk, not the timetable.
Questions couples ask me about Exmoor weddings
Where are you based? Exton, near Dulverton, in the national park. Most Exmoor venues are under half an hour from my door.
Do you travel beyond Exmoor? Yes, across Somerset and Devon regularly, and further for the right wedding.
What’s your style? Natural and documentary. A few relaxed portraits, the family groups done quickly, and the rest of the day photographed as it happens.
Do you offer an engagement shoot? Yes, and on Exmoor it’s half the point: an hour on the moor before the wedding so you’re used to me and the camera.
Taking a limited number of weddings for 2027 and 2028
If you’re getting married here and my way of working sounds like your kind of thing, I’d love to hear about your plans. Drop me a line with your date and I’ll tell you straight away whether I’m free.
