Marleybrook House Wedding Photographer: a planning guide

Marleybrook House is a seventeenth-century thatched farmhouse on Stourmouth Road at Preston, in the Stour valley about eight miles east of Canterbury, near Wingham. It sits in five acres of cottage garden, walled garden, paddock and woodland. Hidden in the grounds is a vintage fairground, with dodgems, a carousel, a big wheel, a waltzer and swing boats, which the venue calls the largest private fairground in the UK.

That fairground is what most people have heard of, and it’s what makes a Marleybrook wedding photograph differently from anywhere else in Kent. But the gardens are the part I’d plan around.

I haven’t photographed a wedding at Marleybrook. This guide is drawn from the venue’s own pages and FAQs, Kent County Council’s ceremony listing and other photographers’ published weddings there. It says where they’re silent.

The ceremony

There are three ceremony areas, and the whole estate is yours for the day.

The Walled Garden is the one that appears most in other photographers’ work. It’s enclosed, planted and climbing with roses, so it’s intimate even with a full guest list, and the walls cut out the wind.

The Glade is open and edged with trees, looking out over the Stour valley. It’s the more spacious of the two outdoor spots, with a wilder feel.

The Oak Barn is indoors, timber-framed and hung with hops. It’s the rain plan, and a good ceremony room in its own right.

The venue seats up to 150 for the ceremony and the meal, and up to 250 in the evening. Ceremonies are conducted by Kent County Council registrars and take about half an hour. The venue books them for you and you pay the council directly. You can also marry somewhere else, such as a church in Wingham or Canterbury, and come here afterwards.

The fairground

The rides are part of the venue hire, so you don’t book them separately. Most couples keep them hidden until after the speeches, then lead everyone down a path to them, and evening guests can use them from 6pm.

For photographs, the reveal is the moment to plan for. Guests seeing the rides for the first time is a much better photograph than anyone posing on a carousel. After that, it’s dodgems and the big wheel against the last of the light, which is as unposed as a wedding gets. My only request is that the reveal happens while there’s still some daylight. Lit rides look wonderful at dusk, and harder to photograph once it’s fully dark.

The light

The venue doesn’t publish which way anything faces, so I’d visit at the time of your ceremony a few weeks before, as I would anywhere new.

What I can say: the walled garden will have patches of shade at any time of day, which is kind to faces in summer. The thatched cottage is the classic late-afternoon photograph here, and the woodland paths are good for portraits in the middle of the day when the open lawns are harsh. The Glade, open and looking out over the valley, is the place for the last hour before sunset.

Timings

• Venue hire starts at 11am. Suppliers can set up the marquee and ceremony area from 9am.
• Guests are best arriving an hour before the ceremony, when the bar opens.
• Evening guests from 6pm.
• Bar and music close at 11.30pm, with carriages at midnight. There’s no late licence.
• Cars left overnight need collecting by 10am the next morning.

With the venue opening at 11, a 1pm or 2pm ceremony is typical. Getting ready usually happens on site, in the preparation studios or the wedding suite.

Rules that affect the photographs

• Confetti is natural petals only, and outside only. Petal confetti photographs better anyway.
• Candles are LED only, and sky lanterns aren’t allowed. The house is thatched and there are animals on site.
• Fireworks are possible on a limited number of dates each year, for a site fee. Ask before booking a display.
• Catering is in-house, though approved food vans can come in for a site fee.
• Sparklers and dogs aren’t covered in the published FAQs. Ask the coordinators and get it in writing.

Practical notes

• Accommodation. The wedding suite sleeps up to six and has a hot tub on the terrace. Everyone else stays nearby, and the venue sends a list of hotels.
• Getting here. Stourmouth Road, Preston, Canterbury CT3 1HP. Free parking on site, and room for a 72-seat coach. Minster is the nearest station. Canterbury East and West are about twenty minutes away by taxi, so book taxis home in advance.
• Access. The venue is single-level and fully accessible.
• Coordination. Three coordinators work on each wedding, and one is there on the day.

There’s more on the area on my Canterbury page. If you’re comparing barn venues, here are four near Canterbury side by side.

From here

Marleybrook suits a couple who want a garden wedding by day and a proper party by night, with something their guests will still be talking about years later. It’s a long, full day with a lot happening, and my full wedding day covers it from getting ready to the fairground. Pricing is public, and you can get in touch any time.