As part of this new series of posts, I wanted to share some of my favourite Yorkshire venues from the perspective of a wedding photographer. As a couple looking around for potential venues, it’s probably quite overwhelming to try and visualise how this place might become the heart of one of the biggest days of your lives. There’s so much to consider!
You’ll probably get a whistle stop tour of this beautiful new place, see all the best bits and receive lots of information on how the staff plan to take care of you on your wedding day. But until you’ve really been there and seen what the venue has to offer, it can be hard to really imagine what that all might look like. I’m here to offer an insight into a venue’s strengths and where they really shine from the perspective of your photographer. Let’s start with one of my very favourite Yorkshire venues: Hornington Manor.
1 – The sunsets are to die for
Most wedding photographers will tell you that golden hour is the magic fairy dust at the end of a beautiful wedding day (although perhaps not quite so poetically…). It adds such a glow and a whole other level to your wedding photos. This is where Hornington Manor really shines.
The sun sets outside the back of the venue, with views across miles and miles of open farmland. No obstructions across the Yorkshire countryside, no jarring buildings or big trees blocking the light. This is also part of the venue where your guests are separated from at this time of the day, so you won’t have a crowd for your pictures. If you’re lucky enough to have nice weather for your wedding, you’re pretty sure to be blessed with that golden hour glow.
2 – Everything at your fingertips
One of the best features of this wedding venue is the fact that EVERYTHING is on site. Accommodation for you and your guests, the ceremony barn, the gardens for the drinks reception, and a totally separate barn for the wedding breakfast and dancefloor. There’s no mad dash in the car from prep to the ceremony, just a short walk across the beautiful courtyard. This is such a huge win for so many different people on your wedding day:
For you guys – no need to fork out hundreds of pounds for a wedding car
For your guests – no need to organise taxis or parking between venues
For your wedding photographer – no need for a stressful drive to the venue hoping not to get stuck behind a tractor!
3 - More fairy lights than you can shake a stick at
Fairy lights add such an extra dimension for your wedding photos, and Hornington Manor has them in abundance. Not only to they have them throughout the barn, but there is an entire section of the room completely covered by them as the backdrop to your dance floor! A whole wall of twinkling lights and it’s utterly magical.
4 – They are continuously improving
One thing I love about this wedding venue is that it is consistently striving to be better, and considering it’s already one of the best wedding venues in Yorkshire, I’d say that’s pretty impressive.
Since shooting my first wedding at Hornington Manor a few years ago, they have added accommodation pods to house more wedding guests, added a brand-new wedding barn for all their ceremonies, and have recently undergone a refurbishment of the bridal suite and courtyard area.
As a photographer, it’s sadly all too common to see wedding venues in Yorkshire that feel a little ‘tired’. A wedding venue as popular as Hornington can probably afford to rest on their laurels from time to time, but it’s so encouraging to see that they simply want to be the best they can be for their couples.
So if you’re a sunset loving couple who just want a stress-free wedding day, this is the place for you! There must be something in the water here at Hornington because the three wedding I’ve shot here have all been outstanding. Can’t wait to be back soon!
