My top locations for a truly Yorkshire destination wedding
I specialise in working with international couples travelling to the UK for their Humanist wedding ceremony. Here are my top locations for couples wanting to take advantage of Yorkshire’s history, tradition, stunning natural beauty and luxurious wedding venues…
Swinton Estate captured by Lily North
Swinton Estate - a wedding destination for history lovers
One of England’s largest privately owned estates, Swinton Estate brings together heritage, luxury and romance. The hotel offers a number of intimate and larger ceremony spaces, and yes you can stay in the turret as your honeymoon suite!
Swinton combines historic grandeur with nature and wilderness; couples can combine their Humanist wedding ceremony with wild swimming, falconry experiences, clay pigeon shooting or simply walking and enjoying the estate’s 20,000 acres of rural beauty.
My first wedding ceremony there was an elopement for Mark and Nicole, who flew in from LA. As art-lover Nicole put it: ‘We just wanted to run away to an English Castle!’ And who could blame them?
Images by Lily North
Grays Court - a peaceful haven in the city of York
Overlooking the gardens at Grays Court - captured by Amy Faith
Tucked away down a cobbled street, just a stone’s throw from York Minster is Grays Court. Overlooked by the city walls, this Grade I listed building exudes refinement, grandeur and elegance. Wedding guests love an excuse to visit York, with its winding Medieval streets, museums and galleries and Yorkshire hospitality, plus award-winning dining at The Bow Room Restaurant.
Grays Court offers a very English experience to wedding couples and their guests, and is one of my favourite places to work because of its friendly staff.
Tasha + Raef combined a Chinese Tea ceremony with a very English Afternoon Tea to create something memorable and unique on their wedding day.
Images by Amy Faith.
The English country house wedding experience - Burtonfields Hall
Image by Gina Fernandes
Some of my favourite weddings to attend as a guest are those where a couple take over a country house for a weekend and make it their own. Being a family home, Burtonfields Hall is ideally set up for this kind of wedding, with space for family and the wedding party to stay over and access to the kitchen so you can truly feel at home.
This results in the perfect blend of elegance and formality: who wouldn’t want to pretend this is their home, even if just for a weekend?! Weekend long wedding celebrations continue to be popular, and they bring guests together like nothing else.
Kate and Ben’s Humanist wedding ceremony brought together readings reflecting Kate’s Scottish heritage, some highly personalised music choices along with meaningful words.
Images by Gina Fernandes
The Hospitium, York - An atmospheric Medieval wedding venue
Image by Rachel Bice Photography
Set within the peaceful gardens of the Yorkshire Museum, The Hospitium is an enchanting space to host a celebrant led wedding in one of Britain’s most historic cities. Dating back to the 14th century, this stone and timber building is rich in character, resulting in a perfect harmony of ancient history, beauty and character.
Surrounded by the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey and right next to the River Ouse, The Hospitium feels worlds away from the bustle of the city yet it is at the heart of York. For couples travelling from abroad who want to experience historic Yorkshire, The Hospitium is the perfect choice for a Humanist wedding.
The Hospitium’s beautiful gardens provide the perfect setting for wedding reception drinks and photos, and the site is within walking distance of York’s many hotels. York is also ideally situated for international travellers because of its rail, road and airport links.
Intrigued by The Hospitium as the setting for your UK destination wedding? Check out Allison + Mark’s wedding and Natalie and Mathew’s Irish handfasting for more inspiration.
Featuring images by Hannah Shearman, Carmen Falkenburg and Rachel Bice.
Elope t’ Yorkshire Moors!
Image by Matt Guest
I’m predicting with the release of yet another version of Wuthering Heights, the Yorkshire Moors will have their own starring moment in weddings and elopements! And who can blame people for being drawn to them - they have serious main character energy!
There’s so many gorgeous places in Yorkshire where you could elope, just you, your friendly Yorkshire wedding celebrant, a photographer and the vast open sky and landscape. I’m particularly keen on the North York Moors, which are just an hour’s drive from York through the most amazing rugged countryside, yet are a completely different world! Other possible sites for a Yorkshire Moorland elopement include Ilkley Moor, Haworth and the Cleveland Hills.
Imagine having the stunning Almscliffe Crag as the backdrop to your celebrant led wedding, captured here from Almsliffe Valley Weddings by Matt Guest.
