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Weddings

About

On Hitched.co.uk since 2020

Last update: November 2023

The Hospitium is a wedding venue located in York, North Yorkshire. This property is a truly charming and unique setting for your wedding. The 14th century listed building is settled within the stunning York Museum Gardens, overlooked by St Mary’s Abbey, providing the perfect backdrop for your wedding photographs.

Facilities and Capacity

The venue is set over two floors, allowing you and your guests to celebrate the whole day in one stunning and exclusive building. The Hospitium is licensed to hold civil ceremonies and partnerships in a peaceful, private setting for an intimate celebration. This location can accommodate up to 110 guests for a ceremony, 130 guests for a seated dinner, and up to 150 for an evening reception. The bottom flow boasts stone walls and floors with plenty of hanging foliage to give a whimsical garden aesthetic. At the same time, the top floor features a rustic style of vaulted ceilings and large windows, allowing for natural light to flood the room.

Services Offered

Throughout your wedding plans, you will enjoy the dedicated services of an experienced wedding coordinator. All of the staff at The Hospitium provide an exceptional level of service to ensure that every detail of your big day is perfect and everything runs smoothly. Their dedicated caterers, ‘Bradshaws of York’, will be on hand to create the most delicious dishes for your wedding breakfast. They provide an extensive range of menus to suit your individual needs in order to deliver the perfect dining experience. The team is happy to discuss your ideas and requirements with you, using their expertise to help you create your dream day. For more details, you can get in touch with this venue.

Frequently asked questions

Venue Type:

Historic
In the City
Unique Weddings

Ceremony Options:

Civil Ceremony Licence

Dining Options:

Seated Meal Facilities
Corkage Option
Alcohol Licence
Buffet Meal Facilities
In House Catering

Evening Entertainment:

Dance Floor
Entertainment Licence
Live Band Facilities
Evening Reception Facilities
DJ Facilities

Venue Staff Assistance:

Master of Ceremonies/ Toastmaster
Wedding Coordinator

Other Features:

Exclusive Use
Disabled Facilities
Confetti Permitted
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Do you have any questions?

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5.0 out of 5 rating
68 reviews
  • Quality of the service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value for money
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    5 out of 5 rating
100% Recommended by couples
68 reviews
L
Lydia S. Married on 23/09/2023
4.8 out of 5 rating

Phenomenal venue

We chose this venue based on how exceptional the staff were. It didn't feel like the other venues we visited which all felt so much like a conveyor belt of weddings, with no personality at all.
The staff at the Hospitium were exemplary - so so helpful and enthusiastic. Great communication and really professional. If i were to do it all over again, I would still chose this venue. The only caveat would be that it would have been nice to have had the option of a different caterer (though Bradshaws were superb)
P
Pete Married on 14/09/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding venue!

We had our wedding at The Hospitium last week and could not have wished for a better venue! Claire and the team were extremely helpful in the run up to the big day and then from start to finish on the day, meaning that we didn't have to worry about a thing. Thank again for helping to make it our perfect day!
T
T Married on 19/05/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Wedding of our Dreams

We could not be happier with our choice of the Hospitium as our wedding venue. Having only got engaged in October 2017, we had a very short engagement! When I contacted the Hospitium, we went to look round the very next day! As soon as we saw it, we fell in love. It is so beautiful inside and the location is unrivalled.
Throughout the whole planning process, Claire and Eve the wedding planners were so helpful, responding to emails amazingly quickly and always being supportive and lovely.
On the day itself, the venue looked absolutely magical, thanks in part to the staff who helped us set everything up! There were so many people around making sure everything ran perfectly - from the security guards, to Claire and Eve, to all the other staff at the venue constantly ensuring everyone was having a great time. The catering from Bradshaws was delicious - several of our guests have contacted us to say it was the best wedding food they've ever had - and especially good at catering for special diets. We had children, vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs and nut allergies and every single person got a three-course meal of impeccable standards.
It is also a really accessible venue. We had elderly grandparents in attendance and it was great that there was a ramp into the venue, a lift to the upper level and a disabled toilet. Staff were very helpful in opening the Marygate gates so that taxis could drive right up to the door, meaning those who struggled to walk didn't have to trek across the gardens and could be dropped off and picked up easily.
I would 100% recommend the Hospitium as a wedding venue as I think it is such good value for a fantastic setting and wonderful staff.
C
Chris Married on 09/12/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect winter wedding!

We got married here on 9th December, it's a perfect venue for a wedding and everyone commented on how unique and special the venue was. The Hospitium staff and Bradshaws catering staff were superb from start to finish during our planning and day itself. It's great value too compared to other venues we look at and nice that it contributes towards the upkeep of the museum gardens. Nothing to fault with anything, it's a special venue with great staff.

The ceremony room downstairs is beautiful with the stone columns and window seats. Our florist Fiona Hogg did an incredible job with decorating it. The upstairs room for the meal is great to not have any turnaround time between the night do and is ideal for the 100 people we had.

Couldn't recommend this highly enough for a wedding or just a visit. Tucked away in the centre of York you don't feel at all like you're in a city centre.
D
David Married on 01/04/2017
5 out of 5 rating

Fishlock and Jenkins wedding 1st April 2017

Our daughter Adelle was married to David And held their reception at the Hospitium.
From our first viewing to the end of the reception everything was first class.
The staff were brilliant the catering exceptional from Bradshaws.
The ultimate compliment is to say if the wedding was taking place next week we would not change a single thing.
A big thank you to all concerned. Brilliant, and we have no reservations in recommending this venue to anyone.
J
Jean Married on 25/09/2016
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing wedding venue

In September our daughter got married at The Hospitium and it was just THE MOST PERFECT day! The building is absolutely beautiful- full of history and character- and the setting within the museum gardens is delightful. The gardens and surroundings are picturesque In every season, and the Abbey ruins are wonderful for photographs.
The staff at The Hospitium were just fantastic. We were shown round early in the year by Claire who oversaw the whole process of organising the wedding and who finally supervised the actual event. We cannot thank Claire and also Eve enough for all their help- it was faultless and nothing was too much trouble for them. Bradshaw's the caterers were also brilliant, again we could not fault them. Everyone who attended the wedding said what a fantastic wedding it was, with many guests commenting that it was one of the the best weddings that they had attended. Thank you once again for a perfect day!
T
Tom
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Wedding

We had our wedding here on 19th of December 2015.
The intimacy of this historical venue along with its beautiful museum grounds, and the city of York offered a trip to be remembered by our guests who flew from all over the world. The staff was kind, warm and professional. The food was absolutely wonderful. We wished we all had a bigger stomache! It was delicious! It truly was the perfect day for us and all of our guests. Thank you for the wonderful memories of a lifetime. --Tom and Yebin
T
Tom
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Wedding

We had our wedding here on 19th of December 2015.
The intimacy of this historical venue along with its beautiful museum grounds, and the city of York offered a trip to be remembered by our guests who flew from all over the world. The staff was kind, warm and professional. The food was absolutely wonderful. We wished we all had a bigger stomache! It was delicious! It truly was the perfect day for us and all of our guests. Thank you for the wonderful memories of a lifetime. --Tom and Yebin
S
Ste
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful building, helpful staff - perfect venue!

Originally, we picked the Hospitium almost at random; just because it seemed like a nice building, and was both large enough to fit our nearly 100 guests, and convenient for everyone to reach. However, our random choice turned out to be an incredible stroke of luck, and I don't think we could have asked for a better venue.

The gardens make a good place for photos - we had an autumn wedding, and the trees give everything a lovely golden colour. You will get a lot of tourists asking to take your photo too!

The building itself retains its medieval charm, but it's comfortable and accessible (there are lifts). The stone pillars downstairs look great with lights and greenery (one note about these - they can block some guests' view, so bear that in mind when planning seating, and perhaps let people move out of their seats a bit). The upstairs, with black-and-white timber, looks good with gold decorations and a few black-and-white highlights. We fit about 95 people upstairs - a bit of a tight squeeze with the buffet and top table, but if you have a sit-down meal you can apparently fit a few more tables in.

The venue does have dedicated caterers and a DJ, but we had no problems with either of these (the DJ has surprisingly good taste for a wedding DJ!) and the food was incredible. (One odd detail - although it was a buffet, you had to ask specially for vegetarian options. I'd recommend asking for veg to be put alongside the meat)

Finally, the staff themselves were great. Our contact was always available to answer questions and show us around the building. Overall, a beautiful - and more importantly, stress-free! - place to get married.
S
Sue
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect Easter wedding venue

We held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Hospitium this Easter – and it was fantastic. Not only is the venue perfect, but the sun was shining too!
The Hospitium staff couldn’t have been more helpful, making time for us from the initial enquiry a couple of years earlier, all the way through to the wedding. Our florist, Sarah Elizabeth, dressed the venue perfectly, both upstairs and downstairs. Bradshaws, the caterers, made wonderful canapés and wedding breakfast, in addition to running the bar. A Taste of Italy’s tricyle provided the ice cream and Chris Milner captured it all perfectly on camera. The Hospitium staff made it all work together and we can’t recommend the Hospitium highly enough.
S
Stephen
5 out of 5 rating

Superb Wedding Venue

We hosted our daughter's wedding at 'The Hospitium' in July 2014. Their staff were wonderful and very flexible to our wishes. Our florist (Mandy) who regularly works there, decorated the hall beautifully to our requirements including a floral, petal pathway alongside the aisle. It was enchanting. Upstairs, the wedding breakfast layout was designed to suit our numbers and wishes. The staff decorated the hall with our supplied, lighting strings and bunting to our tastes. We had 60 guests, seated comfortably. There is room for more. We had the service downstairs, then drinks, canapes and photos (Chris Miller) outside in York Museum gardens. The many fine old limestone ruins make a superb background for pictures. The stairs outside the venue allow a photographer to picture all guests below from a great vantage point. The cash bar gave a good choice of quality beers, wines and spirits. We enjoyed a superb wedding-breakfast upstairs. Regular caterers, 'Bradshaws' were excellent. They gave a good choice of available menus and wines. Their serving staff were well-trained, experienced, flexible and friendly. Hot food was served quickly so that no-one was left waiting for food. Meanwhile, Hospitium staff cleared the downstairs area, so that a live group, could play for guests and start the dancing. In a break at 9pm we had our recorded music whilst a buffet was served upstairs. The band started up again to finish off the evening superbly. The downstairs area made a great dancing area, as well as having been a reverential site for the earlier wedding service. The best wedding ever attended was a view expressed to us by many guests. A fantastic service by the Hospitium and the other providers. We thoroughly recommend the whole package. We cannot thank 'The Hospitium' staff enough. Profits help York Museum and gardens.
S
Simon
5 out of 5 rating

Perfect wedding location

We're so pleased that we chose The Hospitium for our wedding. It's a beautiful building with lots of character so we didn't need to add much decoration as it's got everything already. It's a great venue for excellent photos as there are lots of nice buildings in The Museum Gardens which provide the perfect backdrop.

The staff at York Venues and caterers at Bradshaws of York were fantastic, listened to everything we wanted and gave us our perfect wedding day. We'd highly recommend choosing The Hospitium.
G
Gary
5 out of 5 rating

Kirsty & James' wedding - Saturday 07th June 2014

The Hospitium is set in beautiful/picturesque grounds literally a few yards walk from St Mary's Abbey (a great backdrop for photos) in York. The Hospitium building itself is nothing short of perfect - built on two floors it allows the whole day's festivities to be held in one building, from the ceremony & wedding breakfast, to the evening disco and buffet.

The interior of the building is every much as impressive visually as the outside, adding a really great ambiance to everything that happens - and again allowing some sensational photos, and the Hospitium Staff are always on hand to help when required, but never intrude.

The help, coordination, guidance and advice offered by the venue at the planning stages is exemplary - ensuring that everything goes as smoothly as it can on 'The Big Day'.

I have absolutely no hesitation (as the Father of the Bride) in strongly recommending this fabulous venue to anyone who is looking for a great place to get married.
C
Carly
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing venue with fantastic staff!!

Well, where do we start!!!! 18 months ago we booked The Hospitium as our wedding venue completely blown away by its beauty and it's surroundings!
Our wedding was at the weekend and it exceeded every expectation we had! The venue was stunning and the staff have been truly fantastic! Melody, I can't thank you enough for all your help and organising of every tiny detail and Nick for dealing with Mark on the morning and putting everything together. ;-) It all looked beyond perfect and plus we got the weather! :-)
The venue alone is outstanding but every single person involved gave us a phenomenal day!! One we will honestly never forget! Thank you! Lots of Love the new Mr & Mrs Field x x x
R
Richard
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Wedding Day

We could not recommend The Hospitium more highly. As a wedding venue, it exactly matched what we were looking in being beautiful and unusual. So many of our guests commented on how much they loved the building, space and grounds.
The staff on the lead up to the day were amazing, nothing was too much trouble and no question too silly. The staff on the day were just fantastic, always on hand and often anticipating our needs.
This all helped to make our special day the best it could be and we wouldn't have changed a single thing!
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York Museum Gardens YO30 7BH York (North Yorkshire)
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