Hollins Hall Hotel Wedding Photographer

Hello, I’m Dave. I’m a relaxed, documentary wedding photographer based here in West Yorkshire, and Hollins Hall is a venue I’ve been photographing weddings at for years. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer for Hollins Hall, this page should give you a feel for how I work and what the venue is like to shoot in.

Hollins Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf sits on top of the hill above Baildon, near Shipley, with the whole Aire Valley spread out beneath it. There are 200 acres of woodland, lawns and golf course to explore, a grand stone entrance for the confetti, and a view that does something special in the last hour of light. Getting married there? Check my date and tell me about your plans.

Hollins Hall at a Glance

Photographing a Wedding at Hollins Hall

Most couples get ready at the hotel, which makes the morning easy. The rooms have big bay windows, so there’s plenty of soft light for hair and make-up, and I can move between the two of you without anyone travelling. A reveal with Dad before the ceremony works really well here. Sophie did one in 2021, Amy did one this summer, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room either time.

Ceremonies are held inside, in one of the three licensed suites. The Hawksworth Suite is the biggest and has its own terrace, the Bronte Suite looks out over the front lawn, and the little Thompson Suite sits where the original manor house once stood, which is lovely for a very small day. I’m at the front for the vows and the rings, then I move to the back to catch the walk back down the aisle.

Afterwards everyone heads out to the front entrance for the confetti. The old stone doorway gives it real presence, and at Amy and James’s wedding the guests lined a red carpet all the way down the steps. Group photos work well on the lawns nearby, and there’s room for a big picture of everyone if you’d like one.

The grounds are the real strength for portraits. A short walk from the hotel you have woodland paths under tall trees, which give soft, even light even on a bright afternoon, open lawns, and long grass at the edge of the golf course that glows gold in the evening. Twenty to thirty minutes is plenty. I usually split it: a short set after the drinks reception, then ten minutes later on when the light warms up.

Hollins Hall sits on top of the hill with the whole Aire Valley underneath it, and it’s worth keeping ten minutes free late in the day, because that view does something in the last hour of light that it simply doesn’t do at two in the afternoon. After dark, the hall itself becomes the picture, its roofline standing out against the evening sky. For Amy and James we finished with a champagne spray on the lawn in front of it.

The wedding breakfast and speeches happen in your own suite, and I move quietly around the tables for the reactions, which are often the best pictures of the day. At Amy and James’s wedding the bridesmaids danced in with glow sticks and heart-shaped sunglasses, and the evening party had the whole room singing along to a band from Valley Parade. There’s plenty of space for a proper dance floor, and I stay into the evening to catch the first dance and the party that follows.

If it rains, we won’t be stuck. The big windows in the suites and bedrooms give lovely light indoors, and the tree cover holds off a light shower long enough for a few pictures under the canopy. I keep an eye on the sky all day, and there’s usually a break at some point that we can make the most of.

Location of Hollins Hall

Hollins Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf, Hollins Hill, Baildon, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD17 7QW. It sits up on the hill above Baildon, between Shipley and Guiseley, so it’s easy to reach from Bradford, Leeds and the wider Aire Valley, and there’s free parking on site for all of your guests.

Real Weddings at Hollins Hall

Amy & James

A warm August wedding with golf course views, a sweetheart table for Amy, James and their little boy, and a Bradford City band to finish the night. Read Amy and James’s Hollins Hall wedding story.

Sophie & Nicholas

Sophie and Nicholas both got ready at Hollins Hall, and Sophie’s reveal to her dad before the ceremony is still one of my favourite moments from the venue. Have a look at Sophie and Nicholas’s Hollins Hall wedding.

Kanisha and James had a beautiful summer wedding at Hollins Hall. We’d met earlier in the year for their couple shoot, so on the day they were completely at ease in front of the camera. See Kanisha & James’s wedding.

Why Choose Hollins Hall?

Couples tell me they choose Hollins Hall for the views, and I can see why. It’s rare to find a venue with woodland, open grass and a sweeping valley view all within a few minutes of the door, and that gives your pictures real variety without losing much of your day.

There’s wildlife on the doorstep too. The venue says its woodland is home to roe deer, so keep an eye out on your portrait walk. It’s a lovely reminder that, for all the hotel comforts, you’re out in proper Yorkshire countryside here.

It’s also easy for guests. Everything happens in one place, from getting ready to the last dance, parking is free, and people can stay over and make a weekend of it with the spa and the golf course. With three licensed suites, it works for a very small wedding of ten just as well as a big party of 200 in the evening.

And if you’re wondering what it’s like to have me there, in the words of one of my couples, Chloe: “We honestly could not recommend Dave enough.”

Hollins Hall Wedding Questions

More Yorkshire Wedding Venues

If you’re still choosing, have a look at my guide to wedding venues in Yorkshire, or nearby venues like Chevin Country Park above Otley. Getting married somewhere else nearby? My Bradford wedding photographer page covers the other venues I know in the area.