The Hospitium
Wedding Photographer

Are you looking for Wedding Photographer at The Hospitium?

I’m Andy Wade, an award winning photographer, and The Hospitium is one of York’s most unique venues: a 14th-century building in the Museum Gardens, overlooked by the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. It’s a place built for gathering people together, which makes it perfect for the candid, story-driven photography I love.

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.

Abbey ruins, gardens and seven centuries of hospitality: your photographs will be unforgettable. Let’s create something beautiful together at The Hospitium.

Wedding Photography at The Hospitium

Wedding Stories from Yorkshire

A gorgeous place in the world

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The Hospitium Weddings

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

The Hospitium Wedding Venue

Inside the Hospitium

The Hospitium is one of York's most unique wedding venues: a 14th-century two-storey building in the beautiful Museum Gardens, overlooked by the striking ruins of St Mary's Abbey. The building has always been a place of hospitality, from a guest house for the monks of the abbey to a unique and beautiful wedding venue today.

The two floors give you flexibility for your ceremony and celebration, with the stone architecture providing all the atmosphere you could want. Run by York's venues team, it's professionally managed and utterly distinctive.

Two floors, six centuries

The Museum Gardens are one of England's most romantic settings: the abbey ruins, the gardens along the Ouse, and the Hospitium's medieval stonework, all in the heart of York yet feeling completely apart. For portraits, it's a photographer's dream.

The day flows through six centuries: ceremony in the ancient building, drinks in the gardens among the ruins, portraits around one of England's most historic spots, then an evening of celebration in true medieval style.

Bride and groom embracing on wedding day.
  • Woman kisses child in formal wear before wedding.
  • People toasting champagne at a celebration.
Happy couple hugging at a wedding reception.
  • Hands holding memorial locket with photo and message.
  • A woman in a white dress is doing her makeup, facing a mirror. Her face is reflected in the mirror and is visible clearly on a smartphone screen held nearby. Another woman with curled hair and a dark dress stands beside her, slightly out of focus. Image by Andy Wade Photography.

The History of The Hospitium

The abbey's guest house

The Hospitium dates from the 14th century, built as the guest house of St Mary's Abbey, once one of the wealthiest Benedictine monasteries in the North. After the Dissolution, the great abbey church fell into the romantic ruin that dominates the Museum Gardens today, but the Hospitium survived.

It has served York in many roles across six centuries, always returning to hospitality, and it stands today as one of the oldest venues in the country still doing what it was built to do.

Still doing what it was built for

Managed by York Museums Trust, weddings at the Hospitium support the care of the Museum Gardens and York's heritage. For a wedding steeped in genuine medieval history, in the middle of one of England's finest cities, it's incomparable.

How To Get To The Hospitium

The Hospitium is in the Museum Gardens, off Museum Street in central York, postcode YO30 7CW. York station, with direct trains from London, Leeds and Manchester, is about 10 minutes' walk through the city.

The nearest car parks are at Marygate and the city centre, a short walk away.

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.

As your The Hospitium wedding photographer, I’m committed to creating a collection that reflects the true emotion of your day, ensuring you have memories to cherish forever. Let’s tell your unique story together.

I couldn’t be more excited to join you on your wedding day at The Hospitium, document your day, and capture all the little moments that make it truly yours.

MORE ABOUT ME
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What my couples say

LOVELY WORDS FROM LOVELY PEOPLE

I am super grateful for the amazing reviews my previous Yorkshire 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.

  • 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.
  • 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
  • Top 10 Keeping It Real 2025 Awards badge
  • 2026 Wedding Industry Awards Regional Winner Logo
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My Yorkshire Wedding posts

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Frequently asked questions

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.

Yes, the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey overlook the building and are one of England’s most romantic settings for portraits. Between the ruins, the gardens and the medieval stonework, it’s a photographer’s dream location.

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 two floors give flexibility for ceremony and celebration, and I like to use that change of level and light as the day moves. It gives the story of the day some natural variety.

Very much so, the gardens along the Ouse feel like a world apart even though you’re in the heart of York. It’s a genuinely special setting to gather everyone in for photographs.

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Looking for other venues in the Yorkshire?

FIND YOUR PERFECT VENUE

I’ve shot all over the Yorkshire in North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Leeds, Bradford, York and Todmorden! There are so many gorgeous venues alongside The Hospitium! Check out my full list of stunning locations in the Yorkshire;

Aston Hall Hotel, Birdsall House, Bowcliffe Hall, Broughton Hall, Bunny Hill Weddings, Burtonfields Hall, Carlton Towers, Cave Castle Hotel, Coniston Hotel, Cubley Hall, Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa, East Riddlesden Hall, Falcon Manor, Fielden Hall, Goldsborough Hall, Grantley Hall, Grays Court, Harewood House, Hellaby Hall Hotel, Hodsock Priory, Holdsworth House, Hornington Manor, Howsham Hall, Left Bank Leeds, Manor House, Merchant Adventurers Hall, Middleton Lodge, Newby Hall, Oakwood Hall Hotel, Oulton Hall, Ripley Castle, Rise Hall, Rudding Park, Saltmarshe Hall, Sandburn Hall, Swinton Estate, Tankersley Manor, Temple Newsam, The Chimney House, The Fleece Countryside Inn, The Grand Hotel & Spa, The Mansion, The Normans, The Queens Hotel, The Tithe Barn Bolton Abbey, The Venue, The Victoria, Thicket Priory, Todmorden Town Hall, Victoria Hall, Waterton Park Hotel, Wentworth Woodhouse, Wharfedale Grange, Whirlow Brook Hall, Woodlands Hotel, Wortley Hall, York Guildhall
  • Bride descends staircase, groom watches
  • Elegant garden party with live music
  • Woman arranging flowers on ivy-covered balcony
  • Bride and groom walking through countryside
  • Guests line up outdoors for wedding ceremony
  • Man with baby under 'Happily Ever After' sign
  • Bride smiling with groom giving a thumbs-up
  • Wedding couple with moon sign backdrop
  • Large wedding group outside a historic building.
  • Elegant wedding venue with wooden beams
  • Bride and groom walking by elegant manor
  • Bride and groom under ancient stone columns

Drop me a line

I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

If you’re looking for a Hospitium 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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