There are so many wonderful spaces to capture relaxed London wedding photography that it is hard to choose a selection.  Apart from a wish list which includes The Secret River Garden wedding gig at their gorgeous venue on the Thames in Twickenham! But to choose a couple of my favourite London wedding venues is easy. The best places for relaxed London wedding photography include a couple of must have features.  For a photographers perspective, light is a really key element when selecting a London wedding venue. This is why I adore the first venue that is going to be showcased.

An OLD MARYLEBONE TOWN HALL WEDDING 

As London wedding photographer, an Old Marylebone Town Hall wedding is so quintessentially London. From the glorious outdoor pillars that showcase the town hall entrance, to the sweeping staircases inside. The ceremony rooms are full of luscious light from big gorgeous windows which highlight couples taking their vows beautifully. Take a look at Anna and Sam’s Old Marylebone Town Hall wedding here. With lovely wide steps for confetti throwing and a picturesque London Mews behind the Town Hall for some quick couples portraits, this venue is really a winner in my eyes.  Whether you are planning a small wedding or grand celebration Old Marylebone town hall ticks all the boxes.

ISLINGTON TOWN HALL

Another town hall that is a notorious London wedding photographer hang out, is Islington Town Hall. With it’s iconic red carpeted hall (which to some is off putting) and in the round seating. The large ceremony room is such a wonderful space that as a wedding photographer you do not feel intrusive within proceedings. There isa great space outside that allows for confetti and for wedding transport to be parked. Overall it is a solid favourite London wedding venue.

CHELSEA OLD TOWN HALL WEDDING

The area around Chelsea Old Town Hall is so gorgeous. As a London wedding photographer the surrounding area of Kensington is extremely photogenic. Not to mention the intimate wedding ceremony room at the Town Hall. It is perfect for smaller scale weddings and also has the space to accomodate larger parties as well. It is a great all round London wedding venue. Check out Richard and Yue-Zhen’s intimate Chelsea Old Town Hall wedding and see for yourselves.

Relaxed London Wedding Photography Venue Wish List

THE SECRET RIVER GARDEN WEDDING

BINGHAM RIVER HOUSE WEDDING

ASYLUM CHAPEL WEDDING

THE HOXTON SOUTHWARK WEDDING

THE BARBICAN WEDDING

This list is my wish list for London wedding photography goals. To photograph at any of these venues would be incredible. Including the ones I have already had the pleasure of photographing at, to be invited to shoot an Old Marylebone Town Hall wedding again for example would be wonderful.

I Hope You Have ENJOYED reading about my FAVOURITE London Wedding Venues

If you are looking for a destination wedding photographer or a Surrey wedding photographer please do get in touch. I am mostly based in the UK but I would love to test the waters as a Copenhagen wedding photographer or further overseas. There is also a blog about my favourite Surrey wedding venues that might take your interest with wedding inspiration.

PERHAPS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR LONDON ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY?

It is not just London weddings that I have the pleasure of photographing – take a look at Sarah and Tim’s London pre-wedding shoot or perhaps Amy and Siobhan’s London engagement photography shoot at the Southbank.

GORGEOUS GREENWICH LONDON COUPLES ENGAGEMENT PHOTOSHOOT

This very lovely London pre-wedding shoot has a very special purpose. On the surface it looks like your average London couples engagement shoot. Smiling faces, couple walking hand in hand around Greenwich. But behind the images, lurks a very familiar story. Sarah and Tim are from the US and had planned on a Spring London engagement shoot with a wedding in September back home in New York. But then Corona happened, and like many others their plans changed.

First post-Corona-Virus engagement shoot 

After postponing our shoot dates together to comply with government guidelines, we finally met on a sunny September morning. Coincidentally it was the morning of what should have been their wedding. Which gave extra meaning to this London pre-wedding shoot. We met in Greenwich Park and chatted a little about how different life was at this current moment. It was important to acknowledge that in the space where warm greeting hugs were, there were little waves and elbow grazes!

Choosing Greenwich as a location was very special to the couple. Having a London couples engagement shoot was important to them both. They only lived a short walk away and had spent much of their lockdown time walking around the park with their dog. Before a shoot I always like to ask couples to pick a location that has a particular meaning for them (if they have a place.) This gives the engagement shoot an extra layer of intimacy, as it is a place where you have a connection.  It was the perfect setting. The right mix of Summer ending and Autumn appearing. A bright crisp morning with warm sunshine plus a whole lot of love and laughter thrown in too!

It Just Goes To Show That Corona Cannot CANCEL Love

Thank you for looking through Sarah and Tim’s London couples engagement shoot

Photographing couples in love is such a passion of mine. I especially love a London pre-wedding shoot and get very excited when photographing anywhere around town. Take for example Siobhan and Amy’s Southbank engagement shoot or Anoushka and Laurie’s South Farm wedding. 

ALTERNATIVELY 

In a previous blog post I discussed what the Schitt’s Creek wedding could teach us about postponed Covid weddings – in light of this postponed wedding London couples engagement shoot it might be just what you are looking for? If you are in the process of planning a smaller wedding here is your complete micro wedding guide. 

Capturing London engagement photography is so fun, especially this shoot. Anoushka and I go way back, before she booked me for her Forty Hall Engagement shoot we were at university together. Getting together with old school friends is why I got into this business. Of course I am kidding. But connecting with old acquaintances is such a wonderful experience. To be able to witness and capture people on one of the happiest days of their lives is a rare experience. It is always an extreme honour when dear friends entrust their assurance unto you to as a professional.

The truth is when Anoushka contacted me about potentially photographing her wedding, I was ecstatic! Here is a little more about her plans. She was to marry Laurie in a registry office at the end of October and then have an Indian ceremony at South Farm.  I have always loved the South Farm wedding venue – there are actually pigs and piglets on site! When deciding on the location of their engagement shoot Laurie and Anoushka settled on a Forty Hall engagement shoot. You can see their colourful South Farm wedding here. 

It was such a GORGEOUS location for a London engagement shoot

Anoushka and Laurie are going to have their afternoon reception at Forty Hall after their registry office ceremony. Their Hindu South Farm wedding will take place after the church ceremony on another day.  Forty Hall seemed like the perfect place to have their engagement shoot there. I love to shoot London engagement photography. We met up and walked around the beautiful gardens. Talked about wedding plans and how they were feeling about the big day. It was also a great time to catch up. I had photographed their friends wedding last year and it was lovely to connect and reminisce.

Both Anoushka and Laurie were slightly nervous about having their photograph taken, Anoushka mostly. This is not uncommon! Having your photograph taken by a relative stranger is not an easy thing. This is why engagement shoots are the most amazing ice breaker. You are able to get to know your photographer a little and feel more comfortable in front of the camera. You do not need to be worried about angles and how you look. There will come a point in your engagement shoot when you will realise that being goofy and real is when you are in a safe space. Hopefully from the images you will see that both Laurie and Anoushka eased in to their engagement shoot like utter pros.

Thank you for reading all about Anoushka and Laurie’s Forty Hall Engagement Shoot

If you would like to see their South Farm wedding then look no further. It was the most glorious day and has been featured since on Bride and Tonic’s wedding blog. For more London engagement photography head on over to take a look at Tamara and Nick’s gorgeous Greenwich Park shoot or Sarah and Tim’s London engagement photography, also shot in Greenwich.

Although Tamara and Nick are getting hitched in Surrey at Busbridge Lakes, they wanted to have a London engagement photography shoot. To me this was thrilling. Being predominantly a Surrey wedding photographer does not mean that as a business I am limited to just the surrounding areas. The couple chose to have a Greenwich Park engagement shoot on a chilly morning in Spring. Finding places that are important to you as a couple is something that as a wedding photographer I encourage. Places hold special meanings to us as people which I think is important to incorporate.

Relaxed London Engagement   Photography in  Greenwich Park 

Tamara and Nick chose this Royal Park for their engagement shoot together. The space held a special place in their hearts and was somewhere they both wanted to remember together. Since chatting they said they would have found anywhere else to have the shoot hard to pick. That is the beauty of memories, some stick out completely. Similar to a previous couple that I had the pleasure of photographing. Amy and Ruth could think of no where else but Cusworth Hall for their engagement shoot together. There are sometimes venues or places that mean an incredible amount to a couple.

To say that I am looking forward to photographing Tamara and Nick’s wedding is an understatement. Their wedding venue is a particular favourite of mine and I cannot wait to get back there. Tamara is Russian and some of the wedding traditions that she has been describing to me sound incredible. Learning about other cultures and traditions is a wonderful experience. Being present at so many ceremonies and marriages holds immense responsibility and honour.

On the morning of the shoot, all three of us met at the gates of Greenwich Park. Tamara and Nick were slightly nervous – as we all are sometimes – about having their photograph taken. As I have said before, engagement shoots are the perfect opportunity to blow away those cobwebs of doubt. We walked, chatted and took some relaxed couples portraits. Hopefully, by the end of the shoot both Tamara and Nick felt more comfortable in front of the camera. It is always wonderful when couples relay back their first impressions and Tamara’s was just that. She emailed me and said:

“Thanks so much for the photos! It was the best surprise to receive so many photos and am so glad Nick and I picked you as our photographer!”

Thank you for looking through Tamara and Nick’s London engagement shoot

If you or your partner are thinking of planning a Greenwich Park engagement shoot then please look no further and send me an email. Having your photograph taken is a daunting experience but it is something that can be wonderful experience too. Since photographing this engagement I have had the pleasure of capturing Tamara and Nick’s wedding at Busbridge Lakes wedding. If you are unsure about choosing a wedding photographer I have written a blog with Five Reasons We Should Work Together.

Siobhan and Amy do not live in London so when they suggested a Southbank engagement shoot I was over the moon. I feel that the Southbank resonates with a lot of people; my mum was married at the Festival Hall and I have a lot of happy memories in this surrounding area. Shows at the Festival Hall, long meals over margaritas and sitting in the sunshine with friends and family by the river are just some of the reasons why I love it here.  Not only do I love this area of London but the Southbank certainly has a place in Siobhan and Amy’s heart too. They frequently come and visit London and choose the Southbank and Festival Hall to have a drink in the evening sunshine.

Relaxed LGBT Engagement Shoot

When they first enquired about wedding photography, they had found me through the venue they were having their wedding at – the gorgeous Dodmoor House. (Since writing this blog I have gone on to photograph their fabulous Dodmoor House Wedding – take a look here). When we arranged a meet up we even met to have a drink and a chat at one of their favourite restaurants Wahacca on the Southbank. We talked like old friends and I found out more about their wedding. As a couple it is clear that they really love the idea of their friends and family coming together and having a good time. This is exactly what they are going to provide – with jaeger-bombs on order at the wedding venue and food trucks providing the catering these two know how to put on a good party.

If you are interested in my photographing you as a couple please do contact me and we can have a chat.

Sunny LGBT Engagement Shoot On The Southbank

Like a lot of people they had both admitted that the idea of having their photograph taken was a little scary. This is exactly why engagement shoots are perfect to throw out those pre-conceived jitters about stuffy poses and awkward scenes. Take for example Amy and Ruth’s LGBT engagement shoot at Cusworth Hall where we spent the day together getting used to having portraits taken.

Although there is no right way to stand for a photograph – I approach photographing others how I would like to be photographed. We chat and find a natural rhythm which is right for the both of you, posing in ways that are comfortable. There is absolutely no pressure to look a certain way and if you are not big on PDA there is no way that I will enforce this upon you – I like my couples to be in the moment together and it is quite clear to see from the images that Siobhan and Amy did just that.

We parted ways after a couple of hours, excited for the next step in our journey together and for the wedding that we would meet again at in a couple of months time. So enjoy this lovely, relaxed Southbank engagement shoot and if you are interested in having a couples session drop me a line.

Thank you for looking through these photographs of Siobhan and Amy’s Southbank Engagement shoot and if you want to see any more of my engagement shoots check out Frankie and Ollie’s Surrey Countryside Engagement.