Cain Manor wedding photography

Jacqueline & Rutger

Hidden in the countryside, on the brow of a hill where Hampshire meets Surrey, is Cain Manor. The latest addition to my favourite UK wedding venues list! I had the pleasure of capturing Jacqueline and Rutger’s wedding at this medieval masterpiece and I’m hooked on the place. It’s the ideal venue for an elegant but laidback day – and a dream for relaxed photography. Let me tell you what makes Cain Manor so special for wedding photos.

The venue without a label

Cain Manor is entirely enchanting. You arrive along a windy woodland driveway and imagine you’re about to see a typical country house venue. But then you spot a Tudor house with timber framing, leaded windows, and elaborate chimneys … and think you’ve somehow arrived in Stratford upon Avon. You walk in the front door to a warm welcome and cosy cottage feel with exposed oak beams, wooden floors, bare brick walls, and feature fireplaces – and yet it’s also spacious and contemporary. Next, you check out the music room, only to be transported to a triple-height barn. But it doesn’t have the staple dark interior you might expect. Nope, this one is light and airy with cathedral-like floor-to-ceiling windows, pale oak beams, and light plaster walls. Feeling surprised and in awe, you go upstairs (via a glorious staircase, obvs) to find top-notch boutique hotel bedrooms with inviting marshmallow beds, luxurious bathtubs, and verdant views – except it isn’t a hotel, it’s like home. And then there are ten acres of grounds with a courtyard terrace, manicured lawns, meticulously maintained gardens, wild meadows, and ancient woods. I have no idea what you call that. A ‘take-me-back-now’ venue?!

And it’s owned by the Harper Weddings group. Which makes it a sister venue to another of my favourite UK wedding venues – Notley Abbey. And you can tell they’re related. Because Harper Weddings has an effortless knack for balancing the old and new. They’ve beautifully preserved Cain Manor’s original features and added contemporary convenience and luxury to create a warm and inviting venue with palpable history.

A close-up architectural detail of a leaded window set in timber framing at Cain Manor

Views of Cain Manor showing dramatic chimney stacks and timber framing

The landscaped gardens at Cain Manor with a pergola and wooden barrels planted with colourful summer flowers

A view of the back of Cain Manor taken from the meadow which is filled with buttercups

The outside of the music room barn at Cain Manor

The courtyard terrace at Cain Manor surrounded by tall trees and planted borders

An indoor room at Cain Manor with two velvet chesterfield style sofas in front of a large feature fireplace

The communal area upstairs at Cain Manor with oak beams and cast iron chandeliers

The wedding suite at Cain Manor with a four-poster bed and large floor standing mirror

Yep, Cain Manor looks the part. So it’s a great backdrop for your wedding photos. But there are other reasons why I love being a Cain Manor wedding photographer.

Three reasons you’ll love your wedding photos at Cain Manor

Fantastic flexibility

One of the great things about photographing weddings at Cain Manor is the variety of photo opportunities. There’s so much variety in the house and grounds – which means there’s a beautiful backdrop for everyone. Go dramatic on the staircase, natural in the meadow, or romantic against the house. And there’s way more than you can include in one day – which means a unique collection of photos. There are some private and romantic indoor nooks for rainy-day portraits – like the staircase, upstairs windows, and garden pergola. And the front door or window end of the bridal suite are great covered options for wet-weather family photos – though you’ll need to keep your group sizes small to fit everyone in. I also adore the minstrel’s gallery to capture a bird’s-eye view of the ceremony.

Relaxed atmosphere

The Harper Weddings planning team will greet you like friends, the mere sight of their big squishy cushion-covered velvet sofas will leave you ready to move in, and all the little thoughtful touches like a live stream webcam for your ceremony and beautifully presented hydration station will make you feel cared for. You have exclusive use – so it feels like home. It’s in a secluded spot – so it feels like a calming retreat. And it has a palpable history – so it feels like a romantic film set. Yep, all the ingredients for a relaxed wedding – which, happily, is also the recipe for relaxed wedding photos!

Experienced team

One of the secrets to stunning wedding photography is preparation. And the Cain Manor wedding planning team were quick to welcome me and see if there was anything I needed from them. This was incredibly helpful the first time I photographed a wedding at Cain Manor, as they were able to point me in the right direction for the bridal suite, suggest high vantage points for a big group photo of everyone, and let me know where I could store my kit so it was to hand but out of sight. So helpful! And it’s those little things that take a weight off my mind and allow me to focus on actually taking photos. And if they look after me like that, imagine how well they’ll look after you!