Yorkshire Wedding Photography and the best venues in the region

As a Yorkshire Wedding Photographer, let me run you through my favourite Yorkshire wedding venues!

Yorkshire is the largest county in the UK and we are positively spoilt for choice for wedding venues – from ancient castles, gastro-pubs, smartly converted barns, national trust ruins and at funky boutique hotels!

I’m Barnaby Aldrick, a Leeds-based Yorkshire wedding photographer with a decade of experience capturing couples wedding stories, across Yorkshire and beyond. My journey in photography, enriched by a degree in Psychology, has found me shooting fabulous weddings up and down this stunning county, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to run through the best Yorkshire wedding venues with ideas, inspiration and links…

The best wedding photography venues in York City Centre

York is the historic capital of Yorkshire, overlooked by the huge Minster and famous for the ramshackle 14th century street ‘The Shambles’. Within its giant stone walls are all kinds of ancient gems to host a wedding. The one I’ve photographed most at are The Merchant Adventurer’s Hall (main image above) – a medieval guildhall that was one of the most important buildings in the medieval city. I’ve also photographed enjoyed shooting weddings at Bedern Hall – a stunning 700 year old hall – St William’s College – a stripy tudor building around a secret quadrangle, once a home for York Minster’s priests – the Hospitium – a stunning hall in the grounds of the Museum Gardens, between the Ouse and the ruined Abbey – and The Merchant Taylors Hall – an historic guild hall, for the less adventurous and those into fabrics. ;) You can’t go wrong at any of these lovely spots!

Wedding photos at the best wedding venues in Leeds

My home town of Leeds has plenty of exciting venues within easy reach of this bustling metropolitan Northern powerhouse. In the city centre I’ve papped civil ceremonies overlooked by the wise owls at Leeds Civic Hall and the Leeds Town Hall (top left and right in the above images), and often these affairs end up at interesting gastro-pubs such as The Foundry, the Midnight Bell or The Crossed Keys, or at the funky, alternative former-church-cum-arts-space LeftBank in Hyde Park (where I actually had my wedding!).

Within a 15 minute drive of the centre, The Mansion at Roundhay Park (main image above) is an 1800’s Grade II listed building set in over 700 acres of gorgeous parkland, overlooking lakes and woodland.

The best wedding venues outside Leeds and York

Heading out of Leeds you’ve got Woodlands Hotel (top left above, looking misty) – a country house that’s added a brilliant orangery to it’s wedding space – and the Hansel & Gretel looking stack of Holdsworth House out near Halifax (above right). Denton Hall (main image above) – a grand stack overlooking Otley Chevin – was one of my faves, and closed its doors in 2022 to undergo a full makeover and I can’t wait for its return soon as Denton Reserve!

There are just so many amazing stately home offerings, from stack a funky driving theme Bowcliffe Hall, to the elegant Birdsall House, with its newly refurbished basement ‘Old Kitchens’, Newburgh Priory – a country home that’s still lived in and run by the family and with it’s very own ruins, and the smart new player on the scene, Burtonfields Hall!

South of Leeds you’ve got Oulton Hall (above left) – an 18th century mansion, spa and 27 hole golf course – and Waterton Park (above right) – a spa with an old hall on its own island, accessible via a bridge!

Harrogate Weddings – from the Victorian to the modern!

Heading out towards Harrogate and Knaresborough are a plethora of wedding venue options, my favourite being Goldsborough Hall (main image above) – a 17th-century country mansion with royal connections, set in 12 acres of landscaped. There’s also a new garden centre Crimple Hall that’s worth a look for something funky!

Within the city are the Victorian super hotels of The Old Swan or the Sun Pavilion, but heading out of Harrogate, you’ll find Rudding Park (above left) a listed Regency building with a modern state of the art spa, stunning golf course and a stunning little 19th Century Chapel.

Wetherby Weddings – Converted Barns and Country Houses

In the direction of Wetherby is my favourite wedding barn venue Priory Cottages (above right) – in the a working family working farm, with stunning cottages in a courtyard facing an ancient 12th century priory.

Not far away is another spa and country house venue Wood Hall (main image above) – with its pride and prejudice style sweeping drive down to it affording lovely views of rolling Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire’s best wedding venues

Heading into North Yorkshire you pass the elegant Hazlewood Castle wedding venue (top left above) – a pet friendly spa, with grand dining rooms and sneaky priest holes. And in the vein of Henry VIII’s priest drama, Yorkshire’s has stunning Abbey ruins; my favourites being Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds and Fountains Abbey up near Ripon (main image above).

Wedding venues in The Yorkshire Dales

Gods County shines brightest in the Yorkshire Dales, and one of my favourite castle venues there is Bolton Castle (main image above) – perhaps not perfect in winter, but stunning banquet hall vibes with towers and turrets and lovely views across Wensleydale.

Swinton Park near Marsham is an opulent stunner up this way too, or for something more low key, there’s the gorgeous boutique gastro-hotel Yorebridge House in Bainbridge. There are also a glut of wedding venues around Burnsall (above left) in Wharfedale – including The Red Lion and the Devonshire Fell in the pretty village itself, The Tithe Barn at Bolton Abbey and the Priests house up the hill, and the Michelin-Starred Devonshire Arms, which has it’s own helepad in case you need somewhere to land your chopper!

If you’re looking for a bit of fun from a wedding venue, there’s nothing more unique than a wedding at the Crab & Lobster – a boutique hotel in the truest sense – a quirky, kooky hotel, decorated with whimsy and adorned with all manor of random trinkets! I mean, they’ve not only got an 7ft yeti who’s dressed in different outfits every time I visit, but there’s also a hidden beer tap that’s free for all those lucky enough to find it – what’s not to love!?

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s class, culture and spectacle with a wedding at the Bowes Museum up in Barnard Castle near Durham – where you can host your wedding in a French-style chateaux surrounded by a World-class art!

My favourite venue in the Dales though, on the edge of Richmond, is Middleton Lodge – an extensive Georgian Estate wedding venue, with no less than three wedding venues – a Georgian country house, a former coach house and now the Fig House. It’s been fab seeing this venue expand and improve over the years!

Gastropub wedding venues of Yorkshire

One thing I do love Yorkshire for are the high-end gastro-pubs that also host fab weddings, such as the gastro mecca of the Angel at Hetton or The Pheasant (main image above) and Michelin Starred wedding yorkshire venue The Star Inn – both in the same quaint village of Harome, near Helmsley.

Wedding venue options in East Yorkshire

East Yorkshire is often a bit overlooked for weddings, but venues such as Saltmarshe Hall and Carlton Towers (above main image and both near Goole) are absolutely gorgeous!

Yorkshire Castle Wedding Venues

I’ve mentioned Hazlewood Castle, and Castle Bolton, but I’d say my fave castle wedding venue was the superb Ripley Castle (above main image) – a Grade I listed 14th-century country house in a time warp of a village (with an amazing ice cream shop!). Sadly it’s stopped trading as a wedding venue, but it might be bought and re-opened again soon!

What is the BEST Yorkshire Wedding venue then?

We’ll as you can see, we’re spoiled for choice in Yorkshire, and the best venue is… the venue that’s best for a couple! And wherever is finally chosen, it’s my job and my pleasure to tell a candid, love-filled story of the day – championing all the fun and frolics, and while letting the day unfold naturally and not become dominated by the photography!

I hope this list of my best Yorkshire wedding venues has given you some ideas and inspiration.

Consistent 5 star reviews!

It’s so important to me that my couples have a fab experience with me, and these reviews from real couples on Google and Facebook are great to read, straight from the horses mouth: