Penistone sits where South Yorkshire runs out and the moors begin. Ten minutes one way is Denby Dale and the West Yorkshire hills; ten minutes the other is the A628 climbing towards the Peak District. For a Penistone wedding photographer that means dry-stone walls, long views and weather that changes its mind by the hour, which is exactly the kind of day I like.
"Round here the venue is the hills. Whatever you book, save twenty minutes for a walk up the lane, because that's where the pictures are."
The VenuesWhere Penistone couples marry
- iCubley Hall. Penistone's own, a family-run hall with a barn and a bandstand in the grounds, seating sixty to a hundred and ten for the meal.
- iiWortley Hall. Six miles out, an eighteenth-century house in twenty-six acres, one wedding a day and five licensed rooms to choose from.
- iiiThe Dog & Partridge. Up at Flouch on the A628, between Penistone and Sheffield, with marquee weddings on the moor's edge. The one in the story below.
- ivOver the border. Bagden Hall in Denby Dale, where I've photographed more than ten weddings, and Holmfirth Vineyard a few miles on. Both close enough to count as Penistone weddings.
A Real Penistone DayMr & Mrs Baines, church to big top
The Baines wedding opened my 2022 season, after the covid cancellations had pushed it back more than once. It was worth the wait: a church service with a surprise in it, a marquee on the moors, two bands, and rain that arrived at exactly the right time.
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St John the Evangelist, Upper Denby
Churches make photographers nervous, most are dark and cold. St John's is neither. Recently refurbished, light inside and out, and it doubles as the village's community space.
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The surprise at the door
As the new Mr and Mrs Baines turned to walk back down the aisle, an oompah band, Grumpah, marched in from outside and led them out. Some guests jumped, some cried, and a good number sang All You Need Is Love. I hope more couples do this.
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The big top at the Dog & Partridge
The reception was in a marquee in the pub's grounds, up on the moor. Stems Design of Huddersfield dressed it with flowers everywhere you looked, the centrepiece hung on two wooden ladders slung between the main poles.
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Two bands
Grumpah played the guests in and led the couple to their seats for the speeches. The second band opened after the first dance with S.O.B. by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, which tells you everything about this couple's taste.
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Rain, at last
Sunshine all day, then rain after dark. Perfect. An umbrella and a champagne bottle in the same frame, lit from behind, on a moor. Those are the pictures at the top of this page.
"A marquee on the moor gives you the one thing a hotel can't: the sky. Sun for the speeches, rain for the portraits, and nobody had to move a chair."
PricingA full day in Penistone
A full day of Penistone wedding photography starts from £1,800, with no travel charge anywhere in Yorkshire, Barnsley and the Peak edge included. The pricing page has what's included and the shorter coverage options.
More Weddings NearbyDenby Dale and the Holme Valley
More than ten weddings at Bagden Hall in Denby Dale, including an autumn one and a summer one, and the vineyard weddings a valley over at Holmfirth Vineyard.
