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The Unofficial Skipbridge Wedding Venue Guide – Discover this quirky Yorkshire wedding venue

A quirky outdoor wedding venue near York - Skipbridge is full of fun, character, animals, tipis, and has plenty of accommodation on site.
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Summary of Skipbridge wedding venue

Skipbridge wedding venue
Skipbridge Country Wedding venue – outdoor tipi wedding venue near York

A quirky outdoor Yorkshire wedding venue is well established (since 2011) and constantly improving. It’s a laid back, flexible, outdoor, quirky tipi wedding venue with plenty of space, accommodation for 50 guests, exclusive use for the whole weekend, a menagerie of animals, run by a team of people whose main aim is to wow you and your guests! Here is a link to the official Skipbridge wedding website.

Location – Where is Skipbridge?

Skipbridge is located just off the A59 between York and Harrogate (about 8 miles/ 20 minutes north-west of York). It is a family farm, with cottages, which has been converted to a permanent wedding venue complete with tipi and more!

Facilities at Skipbridge wedding venue

Coming soon

The capacity of Skipbridge wedding venue

100 guests with a standard set-up, but the tipi can be extended to accommodate 150 seated.

Ceremony location

A willow Bower under the willow tree is licenced for legal wedding ceremonies by Harrogate Borough Council. The chairs are all set out outside, and the couple stands just inside the structure.

Transport to Skipbridge

Skipbridge is on the side of the A59 between Harrogate and York, so there are plenty of buses which pass by… however, you’d need to walk up to Nun Monkton Lane end, which is a 14-minute walk along a very busy road with no pavement or street lights – I would not recommend this, especially in the dark – it won’t be safe!

The only safe option really is a taxi, or to hire a minibus for a couple of hours which drops people at Hammerton train station.

From Skipbridge it is only a 3-minute drive to Hammerton Train Station.

The last trains from Hammerton to York are 9.27 pm and 10.27 pm

and the last trains from Hammerton to Leeds are 10.24 pm and 10.57 pm

Accommodation

Skipbridge Farm Cottages provides onsite accommodation in the form of 6-holiday cottages, available for 1 night or the whole weekend, and glamping accommodation – in total Skipbridge can accommodate up to 55 guests on site (some of this accommodation includes hot tubs).

The bridal suite is Wally’s wagon – which is a converted railway carriage with a hot tub.

Car parking

There is plenty of space for parking at Skipbridge – a whole field is available for this.

Photo opportunities – Skipbridge wedding photos

You asked the right person! I’m a wedding photographer, and Skipbridge is one of my closest wedding venues (I only live 10 minutes away), and I have photographed a few Skipbridge weddings.

It is a fantastic place for wedding photos for the following 3 reasons:

  1. It is outdoor so for most of the time there will be plenty of light to produce excellent quality photos (indoor venues are much darker – outdoor photos have more detail and colour), so your photographer can focus on capturing moment and composition without being distracted by difficult lighting conditions.
  2. There is plenty to entertain people so candid photos are great – candid photos of people interacting and having fun are one of my specialities, so Skipbridge is one of my favourite venues because there is so much for guests to do. There are animals to pet, croquet to play with, lots of different areas to explore, and there’s always laughter and singing!
  3. There are so many beautiful backdrops for couples photos. Although I specialise in candid photos, I also like to take some stunning couples portraits – at Skipbridge there are some stunning backdrops all very close by, so you can get some lovely portraits without having to travel far (I can usually bag all these portraits in 15 minutes).

Are there any challenges for a Skipbridge wedding photographer?

Tipis can be tricky to photograph inside due to the colour which comes through, and how dark they are – but an experienced photographer should be able to cope with this.

Skipbridge wedding reviews

I have scanned the reviews on Facebook and Google and this list summarises the most common comments.

  • Skipbridge wedding staff go above and beyond what guests would have expected.
  • Excellent venue for a whole weekend wedding celebration
  • Be aware – there are noise restrictions – so a live band or DJ isn’t really practical. They do have an amazing acoustic guitarist who plays throughout the day and gets everyone involved.
  • Full English breakfast the next morning in the tipis is a fantastic opportunity to get together with guests again.

Skipbridge wedding prices

For venue hire only (not including accommodation or catering) prices start at £11k apparently.

I’m not affiliated with Skipbridge, so this might not be accurate as it isn’t listed on their website. Catering is not included – but they have catering partners they can recommend and who work there regularly.

Availability

Fully Booked up 2 years in advance. 

Summary

If you are a couple who want a relaxed sort of wedding, full of personality – Skipbridge is fantastic. It’s a countryside, outdoor venue perfect for a full wedding weekend.

If you are planning a full wedding weekend, have a look at my Full weekend wedding photography package (coverage from Friday until Sunday afternoon).

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