Say I Do next to some of the world’s most majestic animals at the award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park

18th February 2022

2022 is set to be the year of love for thousands of brides and grooms who had to postpone their weddings due to the pandemic.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s safari-themed wedding day packages allow couples to have a special ceremony without flying all the way to Africa. The park is home to more than 60 rare and endangered species, where your wedding photos can include some special guests like Rhinos, Lions, Giraffes and Lemurs.

The park has been inundated with bookings since announcing their weddings could take place once again. Chris, 32, a School Sports Partnership Manager and Abi Bethell, 33, a Police Officer both from Nottingham have been together for just over three years. They were one of the couples that got married in the park in 2021 and first visited the park for Abi’s 30th birthday, which is where they saw that you can get married at YWP. 

“I might be biased but it was the best wedding i’ve ever been to, we were so excited to go somewhere different. Our grandparents were slightly dubious about us getting married at the park as it’s less traditional, but they were really impressed with the venue and loved being able to see all the animals”.

“The highlight of our day was definitely feeding the rhinos and the one to one photos with them and the staff were absolutely brilliant, especially Matthew who was with us every step of the way, the value for money was just incredible” said Chris Bethell.

Previous weddings have created stunning memories and extraordinary wedding albums that show the bride and groom up close and personal with the animals. 

The park’s ceremony suite can host up to 120 guests and has breathtaking views across the park, can be hired on its own for civil marriages but for the perfect day it can be combined with one of YWP’s fantastic wedding reception packages for a safari wedding experience. 

Guests can enjoy drinks in the picturesque Caramba Gardens and packages can include a wedding breakfast with either a luxury hot buffet, BBQ or hog roast. 

“We have an experienced team of event specialists who know how to ensure the day is extra special and we are delighted that we already have weddings booked in at our memorable venue this year.” said Matthew Zaremba, Corporate Sales Executive at YWP. 

“We want to create a whole adventure to a wedding day, from the wedding breakfast to the evening celebration with e photo booth and resident DJ. We can cater to all wedding reception styles and budgets” added Matthew. 

YWP has been hosting weddings since it was granted a license in 2014 and has seen a spike in bookings after Christmas and New Year. They’re expecting even more interest after Valentine's Day in the month of love, especially with the opening of their Hex Hotel this spring which will provide luxurious accommodation for weddings at the park. The Safari Cafe and the Evolution restaurant are also available to exclusively book for your wedding party.

The park, which opened in 2009, allows visitors to get up close to some of the world’s most endangered and beautiful animals, including Amur Leopards and Tigers, African lions, and the country’s only Polar Bears, in a breathtaking walkthrough adventure.