Ambleside
Wedding Photographer

Are you getting married in Ambleside?

Getting married in Ambleside? You have picked one of the most beautiful spots in the Lake District, and I would love to photograph it.

Ambleside has been the backdrop to some of my favourite weddings, from lakeside ceremonies to cosy celebrations in old coaching inns. It is a town made for wedding photographs, with the fells, the lake shore and the cobbled streets all within walking distance.

Couple kissing in sunlit countryside wedding scene.

A little about me

My approach is all about storytelling in a relaxed documentary style, focusing on the real emotions, and creative yet natural portraits. The weddings you see across Andy Wade Photography are all real days I’ve documented, so what you see here is exactly how I’d photograph yours.

Originally from South East London, I am now an honorary northerner after living in this neck of the woods for over 20 years. I live in Todmorden with my wife, two children and two dogs. I’m pretty chilled and love being out with my family, walking the dogs in the wilds of Lancashire, The Dales & The Lake District. I’m also a bit of a foodie and love a good crackly fire in the local establishment in the winter!

Andy Wade Photography is an award-winning wedding service proudly serving Ambleside and the North West of England.

MORE ABOUT ME
Smiling man holding a camera in monochrome photo.

The Beginning of Your Journey

Ambleside: The Ideal Place to Say “I Do”

My approach to Ambleside weddings is to let the day, and the landscape, do the talking. I document everything as it unfolds, the big moments and the quiet ones in between, without turning your wedding into a photoshoot.

That means no stiff posing and no long lists of staged shots. You enjoy your day with the people you love, and I make sure you have the photographs to relive it, real, unforced and full of feeling.

Ambleside itself is a gift for a wedding day. Waterhead pier and the lake shore are minutes from most venues, the old town with its tiny Bridge House is made for portraits, and the surrounding fells give you drama in every direction, whatever the weather decides to do.

The town has history too, from its Roman fort at Galava to the 17th-century Bridge House over Stock Ghyll, one of the most photographed buildings in the Lakes. For couples, it means characterful backdrops that feel unmistakably Lakeland.

Whether you are marrying in St Mary’s Church, celebrating at a country house on the lake shore, or keeping things intimate at a boutique hotel, Ambleside gives you a wedding with a real sense of place, and I will make sure your photographs show it.

MY PORTFOLIO

My favourite Wedding Venues in Ambleside

START YOUR FOREVER

Ambleside and its surroundings are home to some wonderful wedding venues, each with its own character. Here are a few of my favourites.

Forest Side is a Victorian gothic mansion on the edge of Grasmere, with beautifully restored interiors and a kitchen garden that supplies its Michelin-starred restaurant. A spectacular choice for an intimate, food-loving wedding.

The Daffodil Hotel and Spa sits right on the shores of Grasmere, a contemporary hotel with the lake and fells as its front garden. The lakeside lawns are gorgeous for drinks and photographs in any season.

Broadoaks Country House is a Georgian gem between Windermere and Ambleside, with gardens running down towards the river and a real house-party feel. I have photographed weddings here and it is always a warm, relaxed day.

Bride and groom outside historic manor house

THE FOREST SIDE

Historic stone hotel with lush green garden landscape.

DAFFODIL HOTEL & SPA

Happy couple leaving wedding with confetti shower.

MEREWOOD HOTEL

Gorgeous Wedding Venues in Ambleside

Each of these venues brings something different to an Ambleside wedding, from lakeside glamour to country house charm. Whichever you choose, you are in one of the most beautiful corners of England, and your photographs will show it.

PICTURE PERFECT MOMENTS

Award Winning Wedding Photography

Welcome to Andy Wade Photography. I am an award-winning wedding photographer covering Ambleside, the Lake District and the North West, and this corner of Cumbria is one of my favourite places to work.

Serving Ambleside & the Lake District

Planning a wedding in the Lake District gives you a backdrop that nowhere else in England can match. Lakes, fells, stone villages and big skies, all within a few miles of each other, and all of it finds its way into your photographs.

I photograph weddings across Ambleside, Cumbria and the wider Lake District, and I know how quickly the light and weather can change here. That local knowledge matters: I always have a plan for portraits whatever the clouds are doing.

My Approach to Wedding Photography

My approach is simple: I photograph your day as it really happens. No endless posing, no disappearing for hours, just honest, story led coverage that lets you get on with enjoying yourselves. The best photographs come from real moments, and my job is to be in the right place when they happen.

I thrive on the energy of a wedding day, from the nerves of the morning to the chaos of the dance floor. Most of the day I work quietly in the background, and when we do sneak off for portraits, I keep it relaxed and quick, about 20 minutes, so you can get back to your guests.

View My Wedding Portfolio

Have a look through my portfolio and you will find full galleries from real weddings: relaxed, candid moments, the big emotional bits, and the details that made each day theirs. It is the best way to get a feel for how your own wedding story could look.

Get In Touch

If you are looking for an Ambleside wedding photographer who will tell the story of your day honestly and beautifully, I would love to hear from you. Tell me your plans, and let’s chat.

CONTACT ME
  • A group of people stand in a circle on a grassy lawn, with shadows cast clearly by the bright sun. Center frame, part of a bride's white dress and a groom's suit are visible. A shadow of two people, one with a trumpet, is prominent in the foreground. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A young girl wearing a white dress and pink sunglasses sits on a grey sofa, holding a black electronic device. The sofa has two patterned cushions, and there is a floor lamp and a small table with plants in the corner of the room. A red "M" logo is in the top right corner. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A person wearing a "Bridal Party" shirt arranges large, silver, inflated letter balloons in front of a decorative wall mirror in a floral-patterned room. The image is in black and white with a "Reportage Award" logo in the upper right corner. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • 2026 Wedding Awards, Regional Winner badge.
  • A badge with a black background shaped like a stylized "R." It reads "TOP 10 Photographers UK 2022" in white and silver text. Perfect for a wedding photographer, the bottom of the badge features the "This is Reportage" logo in white. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A black and white badge with the text "2022 TOP 30 PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD" in bold white letters. Shaped like a stylized 'R,' the badge features "This is Reportage" at the bottom in smaller letters, celebrating excellence in Documentary Wedding Photography. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • Text in the image reads "Top 2 Wedding Photographer UK & IE 2023 - MASTERS of Wedding Photography" in black and gold text on a white background. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A blue square graphic featuring a white illustration of a raised fist holding a camera, with the text "Wedding Photographer of the Year" and "Top 10". The phrase "Keeping It Real" is also included in a smaller box below the fist. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • Green text inside a rectangular frame reads "Fearless Award" with the words divided across three lines. A small, stylized ampersand connects the second and third lines. The frame and text are drawn in a simple, clean style. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A circular logo with a red center featuring a stylized white "M" and the text "MASTERS OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY" encircling the red center against a white background, followed by the words "AWARD WINNER" at the bottom. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • WPS Inspirational Wedding Photographers logo. The text features 'WPS' in bold black letters, with the 'S' in red, followed by 'INSPIRATIONAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS' in black. Below, it reads 'ABOUT ME: WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY SELECT' in smaller black font. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A logo featuring the text "ISPWP - International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers" on the left, and a mosaic pattern with the word "MEMBER" on the right, perfect for your About Me page. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • A circular badge with a dotted border reads "Fearless Photographers." Inside, the text says "2023 World Top 50" with "Andy Wade" and "UK" beneath. Learn more about me and my journey in capturing moments that matter. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
  • Regional Wedding Industry Awards logos

What my couples say

LOVELY WORDS FROM LOVELY PEOPLE

ALL THE BEST BITS…

My Wedding Blog

My latest blog posts from weddings around Ambleside.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Check out my FAQs

Here are some of the frequently asked questions I get about my wedding photography.

No. 90% of any day I shoot is completely candid. I can photograph all day without a single ‘posed’ photo. The portraits of you both, if you’d like some, are kept simple and as natural as possible; nothing cheesy and nothing awkward. Usually the portraits of you are created during a relaxing wander together for 20 minutes or so with me capturing shots as we go along – so not really posing. We may stop in a certain spot but most of that time you’ll forget I’m there and the portraits will feel and look perfectly natural. Just think of this as a bit of ‘you time’! There is the option to create a specific photo with flashes which I set up – but only if you want that. Even if I do it will be set up before we do it so that you can spend the maximum time with your guests. Otherwise I’ll just photograph the day as it happens.

Firstly I have to be available on your day but after that just say “Let’s do It!”. Just fill out the email form on my contact page or just send me a text, a message on Instagram or just give me a call. A small deposit then secures the day. That deposit is refundable up to one month after the agreement to go ahead. In the meantime, I will send you some paperwork and that will include a contract which has the terms and conditions, which we both sign when you’re 100% happy. You’ll also receive a summary of what is in your package.

Your photos will be delivered in a beautiful gallery that will work on any device. You can control the sharing of your photos from your gallery for family and friends or to social media. You can download your photos in full, high resolution or in a smaller version should you wish to share them. There are no watermarks on your photos and are free for your personal use. There is also the option to buy prints and wall art and you can create and order albums from the ‘Shop’ area of your gallery. If you have a slideshow made then it can be viewed from your gallery as well.

For a 9 hour wedding you get an edit of about 500+ photos. If it is a 12 hour day then around 700+. I work on your photos intensely after the wedding, lovingly crafting them so that they are perfectly colour balanced with a bright, fresh look. There’s probably a ratio of a third black and white and two thirds colour.

Forest Side itself, on the edge of Grasmere, is a Victorian gothic mansion with beautifully restored interiors and its own kitchen garden, which makes for lovely intimate portraits close to the building. It suits couples after a food-loving, spectacular wedding rather than a big lakeside walk.

Yes. I think it’s good to meet as you can ask all the questions you need to. I’ll be around you for almost all of your wedding day so meeting up before the day is a great way of getting to know each other. I’m a nice chap and very comfortable with people I’ve just met, so it’s not a problem if we don’t. A video call is a really good way of talking things through if we can’t arrange a meeting.

Yes. Most people like a few photos of mum, dad and their close family as well as the bridesmaids and groomsmen. I get that it is important and can be good fun, too. It takes about 10 minutes to organise a photo of everyone, for example, and then about 2-3 minutes for each one after that providing everyone is available. You decide what those photos are if you want them – I don’t have a ‘list’ of my own. If there is 1.5 – 2 hours between your ceremony and wedding breakfast then I’d suggest to have something like 20 mins with you portraits and then 20 mins of group photos dotted about, so between 6-10 group shots max. This way you spend more time just being with your guests, which I will capture naturally. I hear many stories of people who have been to weddings and were really bored and made to stand around for hours while the photographer goes through a repertoire of their own group photos. That’s not me!

Yes. There is an amazing choice of albums and wall art that will be available from your gallery and that I can send you information on. There is so much choice that I do not put albums in my packages unless on specific request. I do have three album packages that broadly cover the options so if you would like to include one I would be happy to chat and look at putting an album in your package.

Yes, but you can have another photographer if you wish – called a ‘2nd shooter’. If, for instance, you’d like the groomsmen preparation photos covered fully as well and they are over 15 mins away, I can employ a second photographer to cover that for £350/day and they will stay until the speeches – so about 6 hours. A second photographer is great to cover a specific span of time but does not necessarily mean a ‘better’ set of photos. I can be in and amongst a whole wedding party quite easily and capture the essence of the day without a 2nd shooter but it does enable us to do more portraits together – if that is what you’d like – and we can have more angles covered in the ceremony. If you would like a 2nd shooter then we’d book them about 3 months before the day. They are always 1st class, professional photographers like me and shoot in my style.

The Daffodil sits right on the shores of Grasmere, with the lake and fells as its front garden. The lakeside lawns give gorgeous drinks and portrait spots in any season, and that view does a lot of the work in your photographs.

Broadoaks is a Georgian gem between Windermere and Ambleside, with gardens running down towards the river and a genuine house-party feel. I have photographed weddings there and it always makes for a warm, relaxed day in front of the camera.

SEE MY FULL FAQS

Contact Me

I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

If you’re looking for a Ambleside Wedding Photographer, get in touch for a chat!

Whatever stage you’re at in your wedding planning, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a message to see if we’re a good fit or to check my calendar and we can go from there. I’d love to hear from you!

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