Venues I LOVE – Norton Fields

What is particularly fabulous about this venue is the amount of space that it offers you as a couple and the number of opportunities that offers your photographer as well.

Norton Fields – The Venue

As the photographs on this page will show, I was lucky enough to share Louie and Stacey’s wedding day with them at Norton Fields.  What particularly blew me away was the friendliness and supportive nature of the owners as they helped me, Stacey and Louie by letting us visit the Venue a number of times in the run up to the big day.  This was truly invaluable so that I could help Stacey Louise visualise what we had discussed, and show them exactly how we could make everything truly spectacular.  It also made for some lovely engagement photos as you’ll see below in the Venue Owners section.

So let’s start with accommodation and space for the morning of the wedding.   The stables have been converted to make a fantastic space for the bridal party to get ready in the morning. There are copious bedrooms available and in Stacey’s case her party stayed with her the night before in The Cottages. There is lots of natural light, plenty of space to enjoy and most importantly it has that rustic feel.  There is also a fabulous outdoor staircase which leads down from the bridal suite. This is a fantastic place to get images of the bride descending the stairs as you join with your bridesmaids as you head to your wedding ceremony. If you need further accommodation, there is also the Upper Rectory Farm Cottages which can sleep up to 30 people.

Church of St Michael and All Angels, Appleby Magna

Stacey and Louie got married at the nearby church of St Michael and All Angels up the road in Appleby Magna. Norton Fields is however fully licensed for civil ceremonies therefore if you did want to stay onsite to say your “I do’s” you most certainly can.  The site itself is within Leicestershire therefore it is the Leicester Registration service that you need to contact to arrange this.

The church of St Michael and All Angels was for me a revelation. A lot of churches in the UK have a tendency to be somewhat dark and lacking in light. What is most apparent from the moment you walk through the doors, is the amount of natural light flooding in through the large windows. Also, the ceiling is higher than average which really adds to the feeling of space and togetherness.

Additionally, with the suitable permissions from the verger, there is a balcony area that allowed for a slightly different perspective on the wedding ceremony. Finally, outside there is a stepped terrace which we used for blowing bubbles.  It is important to note that if you wanted to do confetti instead you would need to be on the road, not the stairs, hence making the choices we did!

Travelling back to Norton Fields

Back to Norton Fields, from the church in Appleby Magna it’s a short 5 minutes drive.  As you near the venue you the driveway leads down to the reception area, this driveway is in itself incredibly picturesque.

The main space for weddings is the converted barn and corn sheds. This is frankly huge.  One thing which is particularly noticeable is the lengths taken to ensure natural, beautiful light floods in through the wall of patio glass doors.  It also has the most delightful patio area adjoining it: this is fantastic for the summer months when the sun is shining and allows your guests to relax and enjoy the day. It is also a fantastic place to consider having a cellist or similar for live music.

Linking off the patio area is the Farmland itself. This goes on and on as far as the eye can see. At the end of the pathway there is a fabulous wooded area, and at the other end of the driveway leading to the main road you’ll also find a copse which is also perfect for photographs.

The bar area within Norton Fields has a wonderful industrial feel to it. Given the lighting conditions in here and the different types of metal, it offers something unique when it comes to photographs. Unfortunately on Louis and Stacey’s wedding day, we did run slightly light on time therefore will not able to fully utilise this. You will however in the venue owners section below see some photographs that I took with Louis and Stacey on their engagement shoot as we visited the Venue together. This will hopefully give you some idea of the potential you find here!

One of the best things about Norton Fields is that all around you is amazingly beautiful countryside. This makes sunset a true delight. At every point of the year, sunset will be unobstructed and if you are really lucky the sun will drop between the two trees in the distance on your special day.  As you will see, the owners were kind enough to allow me to use some smoke bombs for the evening photographs. For me, it was an added bonus adding a little bit more zing to the photographs! 

Finally, there is also a fantastic little wooded area adjoining the main venue space which I used for sparklers in the evening which was a lovely way to top off this special day.

You can also see that in the evenings the owners also provide fire pits to keep the guests which I’m outside warm. These also have a fantastic feel to them and make for a final signature moment as the two of you celebrate together.

Norton Fields – The Owners

You will note that I put owners not staff!

One of the best things about this venue is the fact that the owners are still deeply involved in running weddings. you certainly get a significant attention to detail from them and they are always willing to help and do anything they can to help anybody.

In the run-up to the Stacey and Louise wedding day Tori, David and Jean were always kind enough to keep me looped in with the plans for the big day.   They were also very open to little ideas I had to make things special, and were always willing to listen to my crazy thoughts.  Most importantly, the three of us got to visit frequently and snap away as you’ll see below!

One of the things that would always stick in my memory is driving up to the venue and being greeted by their delightful puppies. It is certainly clear that they are definitely part of the family and like the rest of the family they just wanted to help and be there for cuddles.

It is really very refreshing to find such a family-oriented atmosphere and one which lends itself so beautifully to a wedding day.

Spending a wedding day at Norton Fields was a true delight. I can highly recommend this venue and know that should you wish to get in touch Tori, Jean and David would be delighted to look after you in the best way possible!  If you do decide to reach out please let them know that I sent you!