Ahh, the lovely Exton Park - one of my biggest wedding venue crushes. This has nothing to do with its close proximity to scenic Rutland walks, scrumptious foodie destinations, and irresistible independent boutiques that could be frequented en route to a wedding (much)... and everything to do with the relaxed and romantic vibes.
Exton marries natural beauty and luxurious architecture in glorious style. There’s the house itself - an imposing wedding reception backdrop with gables, chimneys, and splendor in spades. Then there’s the sophisticated sunken parterre complete with a soothing fountain. And all that formality? Effortlessly offset by rambling nature, beautifully interrupted every so often by a curious ruin, romantic folly, or lavish farm structure.
There’s more, more, and more to Exton Park. It’s grand, quaint, and quirky all at once.
And if this sounds like something out of Country Life magazine… well, pass me the Editor’s number, please. Because it’s front-cover-worthy.
Nature and quirky feature lovers unite.
Exton Park has, and is, everything.
Exton Park
Wedding Photography
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Your ceremony and reception in one place. Unusually, Exton Park can offer different types of wedding ceremony – Church of England, Catholic, civil, and outdoor celebrant weddings. And your reception will be within a bouquet toss of each of them. Which means less time on travel and logistics, and more time making - and photographing - memories.
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Out of the ordinary spots for pictures of the two of you. Name me another wedding venue with a crumbling ruin, an octagonal dairy, and a dovecote that’s big enough for cattle too. Yep, Exton Park has some unique features. So if you want wedding photos that couldn’t possibly have been taken anywhere else, we’ll make a beeline for these spots.
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Relaxed grandeur. An alfresco reception set against the beautiful backdrop of Exton Hall brings a chilled yet elegant feel to your day. Which is just the ticket for laid-back romantics who value aesthetics and want the background in every photo to be beautiful.
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Open spaces with points of interest aplenty. It’s the ideal location to create super stunning yet really relaxed pictures of the two of you. Especially as an after-dinner walk or as the sun sets during golden hour.
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Nature, nature, nature. All around. Take your pick from woodland walks, countryside views, riverside paths, manicured gardens … Whatever takes your fancy, the backgrounds are beautiful in every direction.
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Five reasons you’ll love Exton Park for your wedding photography
I’ve had the pleasure of photographing several weddings at Exton Park, including Catholic ceremonies in the estate chapel and Church of England weddings at St Peter & St Paul’s Church in Exton village. And to complete the holy trinity of Exton wedding venues, a civil ceremony at Fort Henry is in the diary next year - yay!
And I can happily confirm, every wedding at Exton is a joy and totally unique. I adore it there and if Exton Park was the only wedding venue I ever worked at, I’d be a very happy bunny. I’m a huge fan!
It’s the atmosphere of a grand, historic setting and being immersed in nature that gets me most. I also love the variety of different backgrounds and features which allows me to capture something unique for every couple.
So as well as being super excited for you getting married at Exton Park, you can be sure I know my way around and how long it takes to get from place to place. This means both your time and mine will be used wisely, so you get amazing photos but not at the expense of actually enjoying your day.
Hello, hi, bonjour! I’m Sarah.
My Experience at Exton Park
Just imagine yourselves (and your photos) here…
The Exton Park Gallery
Sam & Pete
"Sarah is everything you need from a wedding photographer and more. She listens extremely well and understands and respects her couples' needs. With an excellent eye for detail, Sarah captured the most precious little moments we will never forget and to a very high standard.”
Lucy & Fergal
“We just wanted to say the biggest thank you for the photos - they are absolutely perfect and captured the day perfectly!! Every time I go through I feel like I find another gem! It’s been amazing to go through them with family and friends and relive the memories from the day!”
Rachael & Adam
“They are completely gorgeous and captured our day so well. Thank you so much for your hard work and expertise. We will be sure you pass your name on to anyone we know getting married. We're thrilled!”
Kind words from Exton Park couples
Include your furry family members. Exton Park is dog-friendly and with so much space and nature, they’re sure to feel at ease. If you have someone who can ferry them around for you, even just 10 minutes to cuddle or play with them and have some photos together will be a core memory.
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Prepare for wet weather. There are no indoor photo locations at Exton Park and, whilst there are covered spots for portraits of the two of you, you’ll need large umbrellas to get around. For group photos, your options are either inside the church or chapel (with your vicar/priest’s permission) or a clear space inside your marquee (past couples have made a photo area that doubled-up as a selfie-station or photobooth later on). I also recommend some shoes you don’t mind getting wet on the grass - because there’s no avoiding it!
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Consider a marquee with clear walls. If it’s wet or too cold to be outside, see-through walls will let in lovely light for your photos, as well as bring the outside in and still allow the setting to be a feature of your photos.
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Slot portraits in as you move. Exton Park will spoil us with incredible features for your photos. But it takes quite a bit of time to get to all those great places. So if there are spots where you’d really like some posed photos, take them as you go through the day. Take chapel photos, when you’re already near the chapel. Take photos by the lake, when you’re at the marquee. It saves so much time and you won’t feel like you’ve spent ages in front of the camera.
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Bring your magic pipe. If you’re getting married at Exton church or chapel, leading your guests pied-piper style from your ceremony to the lawn for your drinks reception is a really lovely moment - and makes great photos. It takes a little encouragement from your Ushers to get everyone to follow rather than stand and chat, but it’ll be worth the memory.
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My top five planning tips for wedding photography at Exton Park
How good is this? Your Catholic ceremony in the same place as your wedding reception. So unusual. The atmosphere is really quite something and it’s a natural light dream for wedding photography. Flick through some highlights of my work there.
Exton Park chapel wedding ceremonies
Planning a wedding at St Peter & St Paul’s church in Exton village? Take a look at some of my favourite photos I’ve captured there ...
Weddings at Exton village church
If you're getting married at Exton Park, you can have your pre-wedding shoot in the grounds. It's a great way to get used to the camera and have photos in spots that might be too far for W-Day itself. Or just a great excuse to spend more time in this incredible place!
Pre-wedding photoshoots at Exton Park
FAQs
Handel and Shakespeare performed in the grounds.
The estate spans across four parishes - Exton, Cottesmore, Greetham & Horn.
The chapel was added in 1867 to mark the 2nd Earl’s conversion to Catholicism.
The legend of the Mistletoe Bough - a wedding night game that ended in horror - is rumoured to have originated at Exton. Probably best you don’t play hide and seek on your wedding day.
The dovecote is home to a family of barn owls.
Psst! Did you know *this* about Exton Park?
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