Wood Hall sits on Trip Lane above Linton, built as a country retreat for the Scott family and now a hotel and spa with 101 acres around it. The back terrace looks straight down the Wharfe valley. The Italian garden is clipped hedges, gravel paths and an arched stone gate with ironwork in it. Indoors it is panelling, a staircase people gather on, and the Georgian Restaurant.
I have photographed two Wood Hall weddings and between them they gave me the whole venue: Laura and Mike's spring day with a church start at Sicklinghall, a Rolls up the lane and a rainbow over the valley, and Catherine and Matty's summer wedding with the ceremony in the house, confetti down the front steps and the roses out in the garden. I am not tied to any venue. Couples book me, not managers, and I will tell you straight what a place does to the pictures. This one hands you the view and asks you to be quick about it.
The sky was heavy over the valley when we pulled up. We went straight out anyway, and the rainbow came up behind them while we were shooting.
The RealityWhat Wood Hall actually gives you
- iThe Vavasour Suite. The hotel lists it at up to 100 for the ceremony and the wedding breakfast, with 150 for the evening. The Denby and Manton rooms take around 50 for a smaller day.
- iiLicensed indoors and out. Civil ceremonies inside or in the grounds. Which outdoor spots are licensed changes, so ask the team when you book rather than trusting a website.
- iiiThe terrace and the Italian garden. A stone balustrade above the valley on one side of the house, hedges and gravel and the arched gate on the other. The two portrait spots, both within a minute of the door.
- iv44 bedrooms. Four-posters and sleigh beds in some. Your side of the wedding sleeps on site, and it is dog friendly.
The CeremonyChurch first, or all on one site
Wood Hall does both well, and the choice changes the shape of the day more than anything else you decide.
Saint Peter's, Sicklinghall
The village church up the lane: red sandstone, a wooden wagon ceiling and clear glass down the nave, so for once I am not fighting for an exposure. Confetti through the arched door, then the car to Wood Hall.
At Wood Hall
Ceremony in the Vavasour Suite or outside in the grounds, drinks on the terrace, dinner in the house. Catherine and Matty did it this way: vows indoors, then straight out through the front door under the portico into the confetti. No transport, no timing gap, and the whole day in one set of pictures.
The DayHow a Wood Hall wedding flows
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Getting ready
In the house if you are staying, and with 44 rooms there is space for the whole party. Window light in the bedrooms, the staircase for the dress on its hanger.
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The ceremony
Church or house, above. Either way I am in place before the doors open and I do not move during the vows. If it is the house, the front steps and the red carpet are right outside the door for the confetti.
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The car
If you are coming from the church, the drive up Trip Lane under the trees is a picture on its own. Laura and Mike's vintage Rolls, navy over cream, is the frame I use to explain this venue to people.
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Portraits, twenty minutes, whenever the sky says so
The Italian garden, the rose garden and the terrace are all next to the door. Keep them loose in the timeline. When the light opens up we go, even if the schedule says drinks. Laura and Mike went out before either of them had a glass in hand and got a rainbow for it.
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Drinks and the staircase
Panelled bar, the lounge, and the staircase, which is where the bridesmaids end up in a heap for the picture.
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The evening
The Georgian Restaurant or the Vavasour Suite, then the music. The panelling glows once the lights go down, so I shoot the evening warm rather than fighting it.
- Where do the portraits happen? The terrace for the valley, the Italian garden for the gate and the hedges. Twenty minutes, and you are back inside.
- Church or house? Both work. The church adds the car and the confetti; the house keeps everyone together. Decide on that before anything else.
- Who stays? The hotel lists 44 bedrooms, so the wedding party and most of the guests can wake up on site.
- Rain? Everything except the terrace is under a roof, and the terrace is where the rainbow was. Spring here changes its mind, so I stay ready.
- Confetti, drones, fireworks? The hotel sets those rules and they change. Ask when you book. I will work with whatever they allow.
PricingA full day at Wood Hall
A full day of Wood Hall wedding photography, church start included, starts from £1,800. No travel charge anywhere in Yorkshire. The pricing page has what's included and the shorter coverage options.
Real WeddingsSee it on a wedding day
Two full days at this venue, one in spring and one in summer, photographed start to finish.
Read Their Wedding Story
Read Their Wedding Story
