In April 2024 I photographed my first Oakwood at Ryther wedding and what an incredible experience it was!
This stunning Yorkshire wedding venue boasts so much potential for wedding photography inside and out. I absolutely loved photographing a wedding day here and can’t wait to be back soon.
I’m Jenna, a wedding photographer based in Yorkshire. I love capturing fun and colourful wedding photos!
You can see my Oakwood at Ryther wedding photography throughout this page. If you’d like to see more, check out my Portfolio or find out more about my style of wedding photography on my Info & FAQs page.
A Beautiful Wedding Venue Packed with Rustic Charm
The Oakwood at Ryther is an incredible venue nestled in the Yorkshire countryside in Tadcaster. It’s convenient to travel to, being less than an hour’s drive from Leeds and York respectively and it has its own onsite accommodation so there’s no need to worry about getting home after your wedding.
The Oakwood at Ryther has a rich history that goes back to the late 16th century, but although it’s still a working farm, it has been totally transformed into the perfect barn wedding venue, with ample space and separate barns for your ceremony and reception.
You can stay the whole weekend at the Oakwood at Ryther and make the most of your wedding experience from start to finish!
Getting Ready in The Oakwood Barn
The large bridal suite opens out onto a mezzanine overlooking a huge open-plan kitchen, dining and living area: the perfect communal space to entertain wedding guests the night before the big day. Up to 32 people can stay in the Oakwood Barn, across the 15 available bedrooms, so if you have family and friends travelling from further afield they will be able to stay onsite.
When I arrived on the morning of the wedding, the couple’s family was enjoying the sun and countryside views in the courtyard. So, if you want to be surrounded by your loved ones in the lead-up to your wedding, then this is the perfect venue for that.
The bride and her bridesmaids got ready together in the bridal suite which has lovely natural light coming through the roof windows.
The Ceremony Hall
The ceremony barn is beautiful. It has arched beams up to the roof and fairy lights cascading down the wall at the end of the aisle which makes the perfect twinkly backdrop for a wedding photographer! It’s also full of natural light which makes for amazing pictures during the ceremony. There were happy tears as the bride reached the end of the aisle and gave her husband-to-be a hug.
The Ceremony Hall is so great for wedding photography, that I brought my couple back in later on to get some couple portraits using the fairy lights as a backdrop, and the natural light coming from the huge glass doors to light them.
Wedding venues don’t often have a dedicated ceremony hall, so the ability to use this space again later in the day is just one of the reasons I loved photographing this Oakwood at Ryther wedding.
Confetti and Drinks at The Oakwood at Ryther Wedding
After the wedding ceremony had finished, the couple had a moment to themselves whilst their guests made their way out of the glass doors and into the courtyard for this epic confetti photo.
As a wedding photographer, I know exactly how to get the best confetti shots, so if you’re looking for tips for your own wedding day, check out my confetti photos guide on my blog.
There is plenty of space to enjoy the drinks reception in the courtyard and for group photographs with family and friends. This is my favourite part of a wedding day to photograph as I love to capture fun, natural photos of guests enjoying the day.
Oakwood at Ryther Wedding Photography Portraits
At this Yorkshire wedding venue, there is no shortage of locations for wedding couple portraits. We made use of the ceremony hall, courtyard and gardens and even the lovely brickwork later on in the day.
My aim as a wedding photographer is to keep the portrait session short and sweet with minimum time spent away from close family and friends. I loved this Oakwood at ryther wedding because we didn’t have to go very far to get lots of variation in their photos.
After the wedding breakfast, we took the opportunity to explore more of the family farm and headed around to the Rapeseed fields for more portraits. The yellow colours of the flowers popped in the evening sun and I used them to frame the couple more creatively as they were walking.
The Old Grain Store Wedding Reception
The old grain store is another beautiful versatile space with a large bar on one side, seating for the meal on the other and a modern staircase leading up to a large mezzanine with comfy seating.
The couple made their entrance into the room via the staircase to cheers and claps from their guests. I love this photo as you can see all the reactions as they are cheering.
The speeches were soon underway. This is another one of my favourite parts of a wedding day to capture because I love all the emotion it brings to the photos.
Top tip for your wedding speeches, Have your top table in front of a wall/backdrop instead of a window for the best light like this couple did. The windows along the length of the old grain store provided the perfect light for the most important people on the top table.
During the evening room turnaround, guests gathered in the wedding ceremony barn once again for cocktails and the chairs were rearranged into a more social setting.
Guests helped themselves to candyfloss in the courtyard and played garden games in the evening sun.
Party Time at The Oakwood at Ryther
I love photographing at wedding venues that have a high vantage point, especially like this for the first dance as I was able to capture the dance floor as a whole with their wedding guests surrounding them. As the dance went on I quickly ran down the stairs to capture them again, this time from their guest’s point of view.
My style of documentary wedding photography is all about telling the story in a unique and creative way, differently from how the couple experience the wedding day themselves. I love to be able to layer stories and context into my photos and this wedding venue gave me the perfect opportunity to do it!
Once the band kicked in with the music there was plenty of dancing along with guests eating cake and donuts. I loved watching everybody party, celebrate and let their hair down towards the end of the night.
As the band took a break, we ventured into the garden for one last bit of relaxed wedding photography and the sun gave us a lovely golden hour, a photographer’s dream.
See more photos from this stunning Oakwood at Ryther wedding below!
Wedding Photography at the Oakwood at Ryther
I had a fantastic time photographing at this gorgeous wedding venue for the first time and I hope to be back one day soon!
If you’re getting married at the Oakwood at Ryther, and you like the look of my colourful, documentary style of wedding photography, I’d love for you to get in touch! Contact me and tell me all about your plans.