Ashfield House
Wedding Photographer

Are you looking for Wedding Photographer at Ashfield House?

I’m Andy Wade, a documentary wedding photographer based in Lancashire. I’ve photographed weddings at Ashfield House in Standish, and it’s a venue that suits my style down to the ground: an 18th-century country house, proper gardens, and a ballroom full of natural light.

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.

If you’re planning an Ashfield House wedding, this page is my photographer’s view of the venue and how I approach the day there. Portraits take around 20 minutes, so the day stays yours.

Here’s Courteney and Nathan’s wonderful wedding at Ashfield House as an example. What a day!

Wedding Photography at Ashfield House

Ashfield House Weddings

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

What Ashfield House is like as a wedding venue

Inside Ashfield House

Ashfield House is a beautifully restored 18th-century country house in Standish, near Wigan, with the original fireplaces and sweeping staircase still doing the heavy lifting. It's exclusive-feeling without being stiff, and because the layout was designed specifically for weddings, the day just works: ceremony, drinks, wedding breakfast and party all flowing from one gorgeous space to the next.

The ballroom light deserves its own mention, because the ballroom is the room photographers care about here. Big windows, soft natural light and a neutral, elegant finish mean your photos look wonderful without a single flash, and the room dresses beautifully for any style of wedding. There are 15 guest bedrooms too, so the people who matter most can stay the night.

That famous ballroom light

The gardens are immaculately kept, which makes outdoor ceremonies and relaxed drinks receptions easy, and gives us lovely options for portraits without leaving the grounds. The house sits back from the road behind its own greenery, so once you're in, it feels like your own private place.

The team here are wedding people through and through: they love a brainstorm, they don't do silly rules, and the in-house catering is genuinely excellent. It all adds up to a day that feels relaxed for you and easy for your guests.

A bride and groom stand facing each other holding hands during a wedding ceremony at Ashfield House in Lancashire. The bright room is adorned with a chandelier, and the officiant's back is to the camera. Guests, dressed in formal attire, are seated on both sides, smiling and watching the couple. Image by Andy Wade Photography.
A bride and groom stand in front of a large, brick building adorned with lights at Ashfield House in Lancashire. The groom, wearing a dark blue suit, gazes lovingly at the bride in her white, off-shoulder wedding dress with a veil. They smile and hold hands as they share this special moment. Image by Andy Wade Photography.

The History of Ashfield House

From The Fields to Ashfield

Ashfield House was built in 1755 by Felix Leach, founder of the Crawford business in Wigan, and was originally known as The Fields. It was enlarged in 1872 by John Lancaster, then Liberal MP for Wigan, whose improvements gave the house much of the character it has today.

For most of its 250 years it has been a private home to only a handful of families, which is why it still feels like a house rather than a venue, even on a busy wedding day. The fireplaces, the staircase, the proportions of the rooms: none of it was built to impress paying guests, and that's exactly what makes it so impressive.

Still a house, not a venue

Today Ashfield House is one of the Wigan area's best-loved exclusive wedding venues, restored with real care and run by a team who specialise in weddings and little else. That focus shows in everything from the layout to the food, and it's earned the venue a loyal following among couples across the North West.

How To Get To Ashfield House

Ashfield House is in Standish, just north of Wigan, postcode WN6 0BQ. From the M6, leave at junction 27 and follow the A5209 towards Standish, then pick up the A49 Preston Road north through the village; the house is signposted and set back from the road in its own grounds.

Wigan's two stations, North Western and Wallgate, are about 10 minutes away by taxi, with direct trains from Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and London. There's plenty of parking on site.

My Style of Photography

I’m known for my documentary approach in wedding photography, capturing authentic, natural, and heartfelt moments. I aim to narrate each couple’s unique story through genuine, candid captures that resonate with real emotion. Having received numerous awards both in the UK and globally, my commitment and expertise in my field are well recognised. Offering my services throughout the UK and overseas, I cater to couples looking for a photographer who can document their day as it unfolds, ensuring a true representation of their special moments.

Why book Andy Wade Photography?

You’ve found your venue, and now you want the day photographed as it actually happens, not staged around the camera. My style is natural and documentary: genuine moments, real emotion, and the laughter, tears and everything in between, documented quietly while you get on with enjoying it.

I’ve photographed weddings at Ashfield House, so I know how the day flows here and where the light works best, from the ballroom windows to the gardens.

My approach is documentary: the day as it happens, with around 20 minutes of relaxed portraits. If you’re planning an Ashfield House wedding, I’d love to hear about it.

Smiling man holding a camera in monochrome photo.

What my couples say

LOVELY WORDS FROM LOVELY PEOPLE

I am super grateful for the amazing reviews my previous Lancashire couples have left on my Google and Facebook profiles.

My Features & Awards

I’m an internationally recognised photographer, and I measure and challenge myself against the best in the world.

Latest musings

My Lancashire Wedding posts

Questions? I’ve got you

ABOUT ANDY WADE 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.

The ballroom light deserves its own mention, honestly. Big windows and soft natural light mean your photos look wonderful without a single flash, whatever style of wedding you are having. It is the room I look forward to most whenever I am booked at Ashfield House.

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.

They are, the gardens are immaculately kept, which makes outdoor ceremonies and relaxed portraits easy without ever leaving the grounds. The house sits back behind its own greenery, so once you are in, it genuinely feels like your own private place.

I usually ask for around 20 minutes, which is long enough to make the most of that ballroom light and the gardens without pulling you away from your guests for long. The layout here was designed for weddings, so the day flows easily between spaces.

Drop me a line

I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

If you’re looking for a Ashfield House Wedding Photographer, it would be great to talk!

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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