The Huntsman Inn Wedding Photographer

Hello, I’m Dave. I’m a documentary wedding photographer based in West Yorkshire, and the Huntsman sits out on the moor road above Holmfirth. If you are getting married there, this page should give you a feel for how I work.

The Huntsman Inn is a stone pub high on the Pennines above Holmfirth, with the countryside falling away on every side. It holds a civil licence, so you can marry there and stay put for the rest of the day.

My Approach to Wedding Photography at The Huntsman Inn

I photograph the day as it happens. Most of it you will not notice me doing. I will get everyone together for the family groups you want and find you both twenty quiet minutes for portraits, but the rest of the day is yours to enjoy rather than pose for.

I photograph weddings across West Yorkshire and the Pennines. My approach is documentary: I stay out of the way and photograph the day as it happens rather than staging it. You get 800 or more edited images back within three weeks, and there are 73 five-star Google reviews from couples I have worked with.

The Huntsman Inn at a Glance

Photographing a Wedding at The Huntsman Inn

The Harden Hill Suite is the room you will spend the day in. It seats 150 for a meal and takes 250 standing, and it has its own bar, its own entrance and a way out to the outdoor space.

What makes the place worth photographing is what is outside the windows. You are high up with panoramic views across the countryside, so even a five-minute walk out of the door gives us somewhere worth standing.

There is a late licence, and rooms if you want to stay over rather than drive back down the hill.

The practical advantage of the Harden Hill Suite is that everything sits within a few steps of everything else. It has its own entrance and its own way out to the outdoor space, so the ceremony, the confetti and the drinks all happen in the same corner of the building and nobody has to be herded from one end of a hotel to the other.

Portraits are quick here because the view starts at the door. Five minutes up the road and there is nothing behind you but the tops. Wind is the one thing worth planning around – it is exposed up there, and hair and veils have a mind of their own – so I would rather take you out for ten good minutes than keep you out for thirty. If the weather closes in, the brick fireplace and the beams give the indoor pictures somewhere to sit, and the low light in the corners is a gift rather than a problem.

The Inn Itself

Inside it is a proper Pennine pub: a big brick fireplace, open wooden beams, and low light in the corners. That is a gift on a winter afternoon, and it means the indoor pictures have some character to them rather than looking like any function room anywhere.

There are 15 ensuite bedrooms, so the wedding party and a good number of guests can stay over rather than arranging cars off the moor. It is dog friendly too, which matters to more couples than you would think. The inn is run by JW Lees, a brewery with over 190 years behind it.

Location of The Huntsman Inn

Greenfield Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, HD9 3XF. It is up on the tops on the road out of Holmfirth towards Greenfield, which is why the views do so much of the work.

Real Weddings at The Huntsman Inn

Hanna & Tom – The Huntsman Inn Wedding

You can see a full day at the venue here: Hanna and Tom at The Huntsman Inn.

Why Choose The Huntsman Inn?

The Huntsman is a pub rather than a venue with a wedding department, and couples who choose it tend to choose it for exactly that reason. Stone walls, a brick fireplace, open beams and a proper bar – it already looks like somewhere people are enjoying themselves before anyone has decorated a thing.

The views are the other half of it. You are high on the tops above Holmfirth with the countryside falling away on every side, so the backdrop changes with the weather and looks like nowhere else. Add 15 ensuite bedrooms, a late licence and a dog friendly door, and the day can run from the morning through to last orders without anyone needing to leave.

Planning Your Huntsman Inn Wedding

Up on the Pennines, the weather can change quickly, so it’s worth planning your portraits with a little flexibility. The Harden Hill Suite has its own entrance and access to the outdoor space, so we can pop out for a few pictures whenever the light looks good, and be back inside in moments.

I keep portraits to around twenty minutes, so you’re not away from your guests for long, and with the Signature and Complete packages we pop out again after sunset for fifteen minutes of twilight pictures. It also really helps to share your running order with the venue team and me a few weeks before, so everyone knows when the ceremony, the drinks, the speeches and the first dance are happening.

With rooms at the inn and a late licence, the evening doesn’t have to finish early. If you’d like to plan your timings, get in touch.

Huntsman Inn Wedding Questions

Planning a wedding around Holmfirth? Have a look at my Holmfirth wedding photography and Huddersfield wedding photography pages for more venues nearby, my prices, and answers to the questions couples ask me most.

More Yorkshire Wedding Venues

If you are still choosing, my guide to the best wedding venues in Yorkshire may help.