It was a real pleasure to be Ali and Bea’s Hobbit Hill Wedding Photographer back in the spring. The venue is fantastic, giving brides and grooms the opportunity to plan an informal and rustic outdoor wedding but with all of the facilities you need for a big party!

Hobbit Hill wedding venue is set in the heart of the Ribble Valley near Stoneyhurst and Clitheroe. It’s nestled on a hillside with open fields, woodlands, and fantastic views. Unfortunately, there are no hobbits left but this is where they originally lived before they were driven out by an orc army in the year 1289. That’s not quite true of course, it was probably closer to 1265. But it is said that JRR Tolkein regularly walked the paths of the area and took inspiration from this part of the world for the Lord of the Rings books. For example, just down the road, you’ll find Shire Lane next to the Shireburn Arms, which is where Bilbo Baggins used to live.

An outdoor woodland wedding

Ali and Bea had their civil ceremony in the woodland clearing, which is pretty idyllic if you ask me. There’s a long aisle through the trees, lit with string lights leading to an open area with a permanent wooden Pergola and benches for guests to sit on.

The weather was great and after the throwing of copious amounts of confetti, the party spilled out into the beautiful outdoor spaces next to the main barn. The barn is relatively newly built and thoughtfully constructed with big windows down one side, which not only provide a fantastic panorama for guests but also let in plenty of natural light to keep the photographers happy 🙂

Wedding Photography at Hobbit Hill

From a photography point of view, I really love this venue. It has plenty of quirkiness, rustic charm, and an informal vibe that allows couples to plan modern and relaxed weddings which are less ‘weddingy’ than many traditional wedding venues. The surrounding countryside provides a great backdrop and the position of the venue on the hill beautifully catches the light as the sun sets over the valley.

Ali and Bea’s wedding was a real pleasure to photograph, because of the way they had planned the day. It was all about them (and their dog) and their closest family and friends. Because of this, It was an effortlessly beautiful occasion and I’m truly honored to have been there to photograph the day for them.

If you’re planning a non-traditional outdoor wedding either at Hobbit Hill or somewhere with a similar number of windows, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you.