QUICK ANSWER
If you’re looking for a Brinsop Court wedding photographer, we’re The Mays (Marta May Photography) – a husband-and-wife team capturing a wedding at Brinsop Court in our DOCU-ART style (candid documentary moments + cinematic, artistic portraits). We’ve photographed 40+ weddings here, so this guide shows exactly how the day flows – from getting ready to dancing in The Knot Barn.
A dream wedding venue
We are Marta and Artur, award winning Herefordshire and Cotswolds photographers and we just love a good wedding at Brinsop Court. We have documented many amazing celebrations there, including the first ones this venue has ever hosted and we’re on their recommended suppliers list too. Get in touch with us to see if we’re free on your date.
This post is designed to be about all the amazing celebrations we had the pleasure to document. But it’s just impossible to write about more than 40 celebrations (this is how well we know the venue!), so for the purpose of this post we’ve only selected six films/slideshows and a lot of single images from other weddings too!
KEY FACTS
1. Location: Brinsop Court, Hereford, Herefordshire
2. Vibe: Historic manor house + moat + modern barn party space
3. Ceremony options: Indoor rooms + outdoor spaces (multiple choices on-site)
4. Party space: The Knot Barn (built for big evenings, great light, big energy)
5. Best photos: Moat + courtyard + woodland + golden hour walks
6. Weather plan: Works brilliantly in rain (beautiful indoor spaces)
7. Perfect for: Weekend weddings with guests staying on-site (easy, relaxed flow)
Firstly, we want to give you an idea of how a wedding at Brinsop Court can look like – where to get ready, where to have the ceremony, couple pictures, wedding breakfast and the party. Then we’ll show you how they look in different seasons and lastly we’ll select our TOP images taken at Brinsop over the years. We hope that will help you plan the most AMAZING wedding celebration EVER!
The magic of Brinsop Court weddings
When you see Brinsop Court, you will fall in love with it. During our chats we very often ask how our couples are planning to decorate their venues. And we agree that Brinsop Court doesn’t need any decorations – it is just so beautiful there.
Brinsop Court also creates this unique atmosphere by allowing their clients to spend the whole weekend there. They can enjoy the venue and the surrounding areas, take their cameras and telephoto lenses, density filters and just explore the countryside. The possibility of having a few days of celebrations is amazing because many of our Brinsop court brides and grooms come from different parts of the UK or even from different countries.
A typical wedding day at Brinsop
So how do you imagine your wedding day – take a look at our photos and see if they can help you visualise yourself and all your family and friends….
GETTING READY
You can get ready in the Ivy Cottage, that has the most incredible views and if you’re staying overnight – make sure you use the bathtub and actually enjoy the picturesque sunset there!
Our you can get ready in the manor house itself – brides usually get ready in the Bailey wing and grooms in the Tirrels or Dansey wing but it is your day, so just pick the area that speaks to you the most.
YOUR CEREMONY
The sky is the limit, literally! We’re so glad you no longer have to be ‘under the licensed roof’ to be able to sign the papers. You can literally sit under the sky and do the legal bit there. It feels so surreal that this wasn’t possible just a few years ago! Brinsop has so many incredible options as far as the ceremony is concerned:
In the Courtyard // on the Wordsworth Lawn // Cricket Pitch Lawn and Cedar Tree
in the Elizabethan Library // The Banqueting Hall
Woodland Area
at a nearby or not so nearby church:
Hereford Cathedral
RECEPTION DRINKS
One of the many things we love Brinsop Court for is that there is always a plan A, B and C so you really don’t have to worry about the weather! If it rains, you can use their stunning indoor spaces, warm up by their cosy fireplaces and sip the cocktails whilst chatting to your friends and loved ones. I mean, who would even want to go outside when you have so many amazing spaces inside!
But of course if the weather is nice – you can enjoy your cocktail hour and canapes in the courtyard or outside on the lawn, you can even have your horah dance around this time in front of the main entrance which is a perfect space for your confetti moment! Or you can have some garden games on the Cricket Pitch Lawn – perfection!
FORMAL GROUP PICTURES
We always work around your schedule, so if you decide to have the reception drinks on the Cricket Pitch lawn, we’ll have your formal group photos under that cedar tree, so you don’t have to walk back to the courtyard for example. We’ll find the best place, don’t worry – on the day we just assess the lighting and then decide what works best. Don’t worry about it – we’ve done it hundreds of times, that’s why you’re hiring professionals, right?
WEDDING BREAKFAST & THE SPEECHES
Another thing we love Brinsop Court for is the fact that you can use so many incredible spaces throughout the day. So if you book this venue for your celebration, it comes with a guarantee that your guests WILL be amazed!
We would LOVE to photograph a feast at the Astley pergola or in the courtyard. We nearly photographed the courtyard one, but the weather was so unpredictable and the party moved to the Knot Barn instead. But this is a little dream of ours – just imagine the tables in the courtyard, a proper Italian style feast under the fairy lights!
The Banqueting Hall // The Knot Barn
COUPLE PICTURES
Again, we work around your schedule. Of course if we see the amazing light, or a rainbow (if you get a bit of rain on the day, don’t worry!), we will let you know, that’s our job, but typically we choose the moments when your guests are to busy to be looking for you. This way you will have amazing photos and nobody will even notice that you’re away. For this reason, when your guests are making their way to the breakfast, we whisk you away for some pictures and then again – when they are busy chatting after the dessert – we might have a few more photos in the woodland area.
It all depends on the time of the year and when the GOLDEN HOUR is.
THE PARTY
Some couples choose not to cut the cake or have the first dance – remember, this is your day and you do it your way – but nobody will miss the party! And Brinsop Court has seen some of the most incredible dance floor moves EVER! Have you seen their gorgeous KNOT BARN – just perfect for the evening fun! This is the part of the day we LOVE, so we never leave just after that first dance. Why leave when you can capture this!
NIGHT PORTRAITS
If you’re feeling adventurous, why not have the night portraits? Let us know if you fancy sparkler photos, or fireworks, or that fashionable champagne picture? If it rains at night, and you’ve already had your first dance, maybe you’ll be up for some creative shots in the rain? Give us a few seconds to grab our tripod, off camera flashes, trigger and a wide angle lens and we’re ready to take some amazing photos for you!
Examples of real weddings photographed by us at Brinsop Court
Because we have photographed so many, we had to find a practical way of presenting them to you, so you can get the most out of this information. What a better way to showcase Brinsop Court celebrations than to show you how they look like in different times of the year? When is your celebration?
SPRING
Think apple trees in blossom, daffodils, flowers everywhere, longer days, mild temperatures
SUMMER
Think deep green colours, super long days, canapes and drinks outside, strolls by the moat, garden games.
AUTUMN
Think the best light – soft during the day, golden light in the evening, marsmallows and fire pits, sparklers, red and golden leaves
WINTER
Think chilling inside by the fireplace, holding mulled wine, candles and fairy lights!
Our first wedding
The first bride and groom whose big day we photographed at Brinsop Court, was a German Scottish pair. Their friends and family had to travel quite long distances to celebrate with them. This is the reason they came up with a brilliant idea of booking Brinsop Court for the whole week. They enjoyed not only the day but the whole week together with their friends and family which is the perfect solution when your guests travel from various parts of the UK or the World.
FAQs
1: Where are the best ceremony spots at Brinsop Court?
Brinsop has a few beautiful ceremony options, and it really depends on your vibe. If you want something classic and elegant, the indoor spaces in the manor feel timeless. If you want fresh air and that “wow” moment, the outdoor options can be stunning in the right light. You can see Brinsop’s ceremony locations here.
2: Where do couples usually party at Brinsop Court?
The main party space is The Knot Barn – and it’s made for a proper celebration. It’s where the evening comes alive: first dance, big singalongs, wild moves, and that beautiful “unscripted dance-floor chaos” we love photographing. Here’s Brinsop’s page about The Knot Barn.
3: What if it rains on our Brinsop Court wedding day?
Brinsop is one of the best venues for rain because the indoor spaces are genuinely gorgeous (not “backup plan” vibes). We can do cosy portraits in the manor, dry confetti moments under cover, and then grab a quick outside window if the weather gives us five minutes. Rain at Brinsop often looks cinematic – and the day still flows beautifully.
4: How much time do we need for photos at Brinsop Court?
You don’t need hours. For couple portraits, 15–25 minutes is usually perfect – especially if we do it in two short pockets (a few minutes earlier, then a quick golden-hour top-up later). For group photos, most couples do best with 10–15 minutes if they keep the list tight. We’ll help you plan it so you don’t lose your drinks reception and you still get the photos that matter.
5: Are Marta May Photography and The Mays the same team?
Yes – it’s the same team. Marta May Photography is our brand name, and THE MAYS is us: Marta + Artur, a husband-and-wife duo. We won TWIA in 2023 under THE MAYS, and that’s also the name you’ll see us listed under there.
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
Let us know if you want to meet up and chat about your photography and we’ll happily show you many more examples. Like the English Italian rainy day with a beautiful marque on the lawn if you want to see our photography results from a rainy wedding day at Brinsop Court.
Please get in touch with us if you are planning your celebrations at Brinsop Court and looking for your photographers. This venue is just fantastic. We are so lucky to live in Herefordshire, not too far away from the Cotswolds and Wales, because of all the beautiful views and venues scattered across the county.
