Real Wedding · Oxfordshire
The Great Barn Aynho Wedding Photos
Georgina & Piers, an Oxfordshire wedding at The Great Barn, Aynho
The Great Barn at Aynho is an exclusive-use barn wedding venue on the Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire border, all high ceilings and old wooden beams, the kind of place that carries a wedding beautifully. Georgina and Piers married nearby on a bright, sunny day, and from the moment I met Georgina I knew I had a seriously stylish bride on my hands: Alexander McQueen earrings and the sleekest of wedding dresses.
This is their full day, from the morning preparations through a church ceremony and back to The Great Barn for the reception, right up to the point where Georgina ended up crowd surfing across the dance floor. Whether you are looking for a Great Barn wedding photographer or planning your day elsewhere in the county, you can read more about how I work and my wedding photography in Oxfordshire. Here is how Georgina and Piers’ day came together.
Stage 01 / Getting Ready
Getting Ready
Champagne, sage green, and a seriously stylish bride.
I was booked for the full day, so I arrived a couple of hours before the ceremony at Georgina’s house, where the champagne was already flowing and her bride tribe were lovely and up for a laugh. Their dresses were a beautiful sage green, a palette I love for a wedding. Georgina was a seriously stylish bride, with Alexander McQueen earrings and the sleekest of wedding dresses. While The Great Barn hosts its own ceremonies and civil unions, today’s vows were taking place at a quaint village church nearby, and Piers looked dapper in his navy blue suit.
Stage 02 / The Ceremony
The Ceremony
A quaint village church, full of light.
Georgina came down the aisle on her dad’s arm, with the cutest page boy and flower girl leading the way. Most of my weddings these days are civil ceremonies at the venue itself, so I always enjoy the occasional church, and I was thrilled by the light streaming in through the windows here. Their ceremony was beautiful, full of laughter and emotion, and as they exchanged their vows and rings you could see exactly how much they meant to each other. Then it was confetti, hugs, and back to The Great Barn for the rest of the day.
Stage 03 / Drinks Reception
The Drinks Reception at The Great Barn
A gin bar, a saxophonist, and the party begins.
After confetti outside the church, everyone made their way through the countryside to The Great Barn. While the guests arrived I took a quick tour of the grounds and the beautifully dressed Croughton barn, all high ceilings, wooden beams and a palette of pure white florals, so classy. The drinks reception was a lesson in how to do it: a gin bar and a saxophonist playing through the afternoon. I always recommend live music for the drinks reception, and you could see it working here, everyone in the mood well before the party proper had started.
Stage 04 / Portraits
The Portraits at The Great Barn
A sunny afternoon, stolen away for a while.
It was a gorgeously sunny day, so while the guests enjoyed their drinks in the sunshine I stole Georgina and Piers away for a while, along with their brilliant bridal party. When it comes to group photos I am a firm believer that less is more, so we keep the formal list short and then get back to the documentary moments that make a day memorable. A handful of portraits of the two of them, the sun doing the work, and we were done.
Stage 05 / Speeches
The Speeches at The Great Barn
A standing ovation, and a few raw reactions.
The speeches were a blast, and the best man earned himself a standing ovation. This is one of my favourite parts of the day to photograph: I stay to the side and watch the room, catching the raw reactions as much as the person on their feet. Georgina and Piers laughing, the mother of the bride welling up, a guest doubled over, glasses raised. Those honest, in-between moments are what I am really there for.
Stage 06 / Evening Reception
The Evening at The Great Barn
Where Georgina ended up crowd surfing.
After some lovely food, and impeccable service from The Great Barn team, the party got going for real. I am not joking when I say one of my favourite photos of the whole day is Georgina up on the crowd, and she was not the only one who ended up airborne. I love it when a dance floor gets a little wild, and this one absolutely did. It was so much fun to photograph, right through to the end of the night.
In Closing
Final Thoughts on The Great Barn Aynho Wedding Photos
The Great Barn is a barn venue done properly. The beamed barns and the Card Shed give you room to move through the day, the Oxfordshire countryside sits right outside for portraits, and being exclusive use means the whole place is yours from the morning to the last dance. Just outside Banbury, it is one of the loveliest barn wedding venues in Oxfordshire, and Georgina and Piers’ sunny day showed exactly what it can do.
A beamed barn, a sunny day, and a dance floor that would not quit.
Their gallery is what a Great Barn wedding really looks like, church ceremony and all. If you are still weighing up where to marry, you can see more of my recent weddings in my portfolio.
Jordan Fox
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