A DIY wedding at The White Hart in Brigg with a riverside setting, plenty of personality and a groom who decided getting married wasn't quite enough responsibility for one day - so he cooked the wedding breakfast too.

The White Hart pub sign featuring a white stag on a dark circular board, mounted on a bracket outside a white building.
Two smiling women sharing a joyful moment, one in white shirt and other in burgundy dress, exchanging a small gift indoors.
Experienced chef in gray apron and glasses squeezing citrus into a pan of greens on a modern kitchen stovetop.
Bride and groom walking through confetti shower after wedding ceremony outdoors.
A smiling bride and groom walk hand in hand past a white building, bathed in golden sunset light on their wedding day.
Bride and groom embrace against rustic brick wall, groom in plaid suit with red tie, bride in lace wedding gown smiling.
A person lying on a brown leather booth seat beneath a Marston's pub sign.
Smiling bride in white feathered dress clasping hands at wedding reception with guests in background.

Sean & Steph's Wedding Day


Everything happened at The White Hart, which meant the morning had a brilliantly relaxed feel to it. Steph got ready upstairs while Sean and the groomsmen were elsewhere in the building preparing for the day — although, as it turned out, Sean's responsibilities were going to extend slightly beyond putting on a suit and remembering where he'd left the rings.


The ceremony took place inside the venue before everyone headed outside for confetti and drinks by the river. With the whole place exclusively theirs, there was no rushing between locations and the day could unfold around the pub exactly as they'd planned it.


And then, while most grooms might reasonably consider their work done for a few hours, Sean headed for the kitchen.

Senior chef in apron and glasses cooking greens in pan, adding seasoning in modern dark kitchen.
Black and white photo of a chef cleaning kitchen equipment in a professional restaurant kitchen.
The White Hart pub, a whitewashed building with red-tiled roof on a quiet street corner in an English village.
Black and white photo of a young blonde child sitting by a window in a patterned robe, looking down thoughtfully.
Black and white photo of a man dining with two young girls at a restaurant table with plates and glasses.
Two people conversing in a dimly lit industrial space, captured through a narrow foreground perspective.
Adult braiding young girl's hair in a dimly lit room, child sitting calmly in chair wearing gray jacket.
Makeup artist applying eyebrow makeup to a smiling bride in a white robe during bridal preparation.
Bride getting ready in soft light, assisted by bridesmaid in black dress, captured in moody wedding preparation photo.
Young flower girls in white dresses sitting on carpet in soft natural light during a wedding preparation.
Bridesmaid helps bride with veil during wedding preparations in black and white photo.
Bride in white robe kneeling on floor in dramatic black and white wedding preparation photo.
Bride in white robe kneeling on floor putting on wedding garter in sunlit room.
Five young flower girls in pink tulle dresses smiling together on a sofa before a wedding.
Bride in lace backless wedding gown and veil smiles over shoulder while bridesmaid in purple dress assists her.
Smiling officiant in pinstripe suit holds ceremony papers while addressing bride and groom at wedding.
Two young flower girls in white dresses standing together at a wedding ceremony.
Young ring bearer in navy suit holds adult's hand during wedding ceremony, looking up adorably.
Bride and groom exchange vows at floral arch altar surrounded by seated wedding guests indoors.
Smiling bride in lace gown and veil during wedding ceremony, exchanging vows with groom in plaid suit.
Wedding ceremony with bride and groom at altar while officiant in red dress addresses seated guests.
Two men in suits exchanging wedding rings in a wooden box during a wedding ceremony preparation.
Woman holds colorful autumn bridal bouquet with young boy at wedding reception.
Bride and groom walk through confetti shower with smiling guests lining outdoor wedding venue path.
Bride and groom signing wedding register at wooden table, groom in plaid suit with floral boutonniere.
Smiling groom in tweed suit with floral boutonniere celebrates with confetti at outdoor wedding ceremony.

When the Groom Is Also the Chef


Sean works professionally in the food world, so apparently trusting somebody else with the wedding breakfast was never really on the cards.


After the ceremony he swapped wedding duties for kitchen duties and got to work on the meal, with a few groomsmen finding themselves unexpectedly recruited into the brigade. From my point of view, it was brilliant. Wedding days usually give me plenty to photograph behind the scenes, but it's not often that one of those scenes involves the groom in a chef's hat preparing dinner for everyone he has just invited to his wedding.


It also summed up the whole day rather nicely. The White Hart gave Sean and Steph the freedom to do things their own way, and they absolutely ran with it.

Experienced chef in apron squeezing citrus over a pan of greens on an induction cooktop in a modern kitchen.
Black and white photo of a chef cleaning kitchen equipment in a professional restaurant kitchen.
Chef preparing food on a cutting board in a professional kitchen, focused on culinary work.
Chef in black apron and blue gloves preparing food beside steaming pot with stacked white plates nearby.
Hand holding an elegant floral wedding menu card with sections for starter, main, and dessert courses.
Bride placing a white cap on groom's head at wedding reception, both smiling joyfully.
Man in white chef hat and warning apron smiling at a festive indoor event with floral decorations.
Hand pouring olive oil from orange squeeze bottle into white espresso cups on saucers arranged on a table.
Bearded man in chef hat and warning apron holds two coffee cups in a restaurant kitchen.
A smiling chef in glasses and black apron plates multiple dishes in a restaurant kitchen.
Smiling male chef wearing a humorous chef hat and warning apron holds two small dishes in a modern kitchen.
Three men in chef hats and white aprons smile while holding plates in a festive restaurant setting.
Two men in formal attire embrace warmly at a wedding reception, one wearing a chef hat and apron.
A smiling chef in a humorous apron and hat plates gourmet dishes in a professional kitchen setting.
Three professional chefs in white uniforms and aprons plating gourmet dishes in a modern restaurant kitchen.
Male chef in white apron and blue gloves carefully plates a green sauce on a white dish in a kitchen.

A Wedding at The White Hart, Brigg

The White Hart works particularly well if you want a wedding that doesn't feel overly prescribed.

It's an exclusive-use venue in Brigg, right beside the Old River Ancholme, with accommodation on site, plenty of character inside and a riverside beer garden outside. More importantly for Sean and Steph, it gave them the flexibility to shape the day around what they actually wanted — including taking over the kitchen.


Photographically, there's plenty to work with without travelling anywhere. The darker interiors give the indoor photographs a completely different feel to the riverside outside, while the streets immediately around the venue give us a few more options if we fancy disappearing for portraits later in the day.


No wedding-conveyor-belt feeling. Which suited this one perfectly.

Smiling bride in lace wedding dress touching her necklace, with floral arrangements in the foreground.
Woman in brown dress laughing at elegant dinner table with wine glasses and gold mirrors.
Joyful woman laughing at a wedding reception dinner table with guests and champagne glasses in background.
Bearded man in vest raising champagne glass at formal dinner table during celebration event.
Joyful bride raises arms in celebration beside groom in plaid vest during wedding ceremony indoors.
A smiling woman with red hair sits at a dining table surrounded by elegant wine glasses in a dark interior.
Groom giving wedding speech at reception table with bride seated beside him and floral arrangements.
Elderly man with glasses and beard wearing vest and red tie sits at a restaurant table with wine glasses.
Happy bride and groom smiling at wedding ceremony with colorful floral bouquet in foreground.
A smiling young woman in a black dress sits beside a bearded man at a lively indoor dinner event.

A Quick Escape for Portraits


Later in the day the light outside became far too good to ignore, so I borrowed Sean and Steph for a quick wander. We didn't need to go far. The streets and brickwork immediately around The White Hart gave us plenty to work with, and that low evening light did most of the heavy lifting. Twenty minutes, no elaborate photoshoot and then straight back to everyone else. Exactly how I like it.

Smiling bride in backless lace wedding dress glowing in golden sunlight on a cobblestone street.
Bride and groom posing outside The White Hart pub on their wedding day in a charming English village street.
Smiling bride and groom walk hand in hand past a white building in golden sunset light.
A smiling bride in a lace gown embraces a groom in a plaid suit against a rustic brick wall.
A bride and groom share a romantic golden hour moment leaning against a brick wall, with the sun glowing warmly behind them.
Bride in lace gown and groom in plaid suit smiling together on a street at golden hour.
Bride and groom walking hand in hand on a cobblestone street at golden hour, wearing elegant wedding attire.
A joyful bride in a lace gown laughs as her bearded groom in a plaid suit embraces her during golden hour.
Bride and groom walk hand in hand down a sunlit street at golden hour in a charming English town.

Back to the pub



Then it was back inside for exactly the sort of evening you'd hope for when you've hired an entire pub for your wedding.


There were drinks behind the bar, cards on the tables, games of pool, cake, a first dance and eventually the point in the evening where any pretence of behaving sensibly disappeared.


By then everyone was thoroughly used to me being around, which is exactly where I want things to be. I could get on with finding the photographs while everyone else got on with the party.

Young boy in suit with red tie sits at bar beside Coca-Cola bottle and Guinness glass.
Two adults smiling and toasting with drinks at a social gathering event.
Three men in suits smiling and conversing at a formal event or wedding reception indoors.
Smiling man in plaid suit pouring Guinness beer from tap at bar counter.
Elderly woman holding a hand of playing cards at a wooden table during a card game with others nearby.
Groom in suit with floral boutonniere seen through gap, candid wedding portrait with soft bokeh background.
Black and white photo of a couple smiling at The White Hart pub, surrounded by bottles on the bar.
Large Scrabble board display featuring humorous and explicit words arranged in crossword style, mounted on a wooden frame.
Man in vest leaning over pool table taking a shot with billiard balls scattered across the felt surface.
People playing pool billiards in a dimly lit room at a social gathering around a glowing table.
Elegant three-tier white wedding cake with floral decor on rustic wood table, framed by ornate gold mirrors.
Bride and groom smiling while cutting their white three-tier wedding cake at their indoor wedding reception.
Black and white photo of people playing cards at a round table in a casual indoor setting.
Black and white photo of bride and groom sharing first dance at wedding reception with guests in background.
Bride and groom sharing first dance embrace at romantic wedding reception.
Bride and groom share intimate first dance, embracing closely in elegant wedding attire.
Bride and groom sharing a romantic first kiss at their wedding reception in black and white.
Guests dancing joyfully at a wedding reception party with purple lighting in the background.
Young flower girl in white tulle dress dancing joyfully at a wedding reception, holding hands with guests.
Man in beige blazer raising a beer glass at a bar with stained glass ceiling lights.
Woman in white mini dress clapping and dancing joyfully at a lively party with colorful stage lights.
People dancing at dimly lit party with green and red lights overhead.
Guests dancing and celebrating joyfully at a lively wedding reception party.
Smiling bride in white feathered dress clasping hands at wedding reception with guests in background.
Wedding guests dancing at a lively indoor reception, bride in white gown and woman in orange dress in foreground.
Two joyful party guests dancing and pointing at a lively evening event with colorful purple lighting.

Planning a White Hart wedding?


If you're considering The White Hart for your own wedding, its biggest strength is the freedom it gives you to make the place your own.


Everything can happen on site, there's accommodation for guests, the river gives you outdoor space and there's enough variety around the venue that we don't need to disappear elsewhere for photographs. Sean cooking dinner might be taking the DIY approach to its logical extreme, but you certainly don't have to go that far.


If you're looking for more weddings I've photographed around the county, have a look through my wedding photography portfolio, or tell me what you're planning below.


If you're planning your own wedding at The White Hart - or anywhere else in Lincolnshire - I'd love to hear what you've got in mind.

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FAQ

Can you have your whole wedding at The White Hart?

Yes. The White Hart is an exclusive-use venue with ceremony and reception space, accommodation and outdoor areas beside the river, so the entire wedding can happen in one place.

Where can we take wedding photos at The White Hart?

There's plenty to work with around the venue itself, from the riverside and beer garden to the darker interiors and surrounding streets of Brigg. We shouldn't need to travel anywhere unless there's somewhere specific you'd particularly like to use.

Do you photograph other weddings in Lincolnshire?

Absolutely. I'm based in Stamford and photograph weddings across Lincolnshire and the surrounding counties, as well as further afield throughout the UK.