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The Best Venues for London Wedding Photography
London is renowned worldwide. It’s a city with a long, fascinating history. Founded as a major permanent settlement in Roman times, it’s a city with a long, fascinating history.
As a wedding photographer, London has it all. Formal and quirky. High-profile and discreet.
It has centuries-old architecture and avant-garde, cutting edge buildings. It has concrete jungle and wild parklands, glass skyscrapers and formal gardens.
I’m a wedding photographer London suits down to the ground, because I love clean lines and structure, and the challenges and opportunities which such a big city throws up, making each celebration perfectly unique to the couples and guests celebrating.
Below I’ve listed just a few different types of London wedding venues, and my favourite ones in each category.
The best London venues for: heritage & glamour
The Ritz
This five-star Mayfair hotel has been established over more than a century as an internationally-renowned luxury hotel, renowned for its high-end service and opulence. For sophisticated elegance, The Ritz is a no-brainer.
Different spaces allow The Ritz to accommodate all sorts of weddings, from the discreet William Kent House, a private townhouse inside the hotel, and its small William Kent private dining room, to the larger scale Music Room, bathed in natural light.
The Ritz’s magic stretches beyond the many spaces you could choose to hold your wedding in. From its Michelin-starred dining to its brand new botanical escape, the “Secret Garden”, you’ll be enveloped in their luxurious welcome from the moment you step foot in the door (held open for you, of course).
Why The Ritz is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
I consider The Ritz one of the best venues for London wedding photography because its iconic reputation is matched by the reality of the experience. The service is warm and friendly; it’s formal, but above all, it’s there to put you at ease and make you feel welcome.
As a photographer, The Ritz is the perfect venue for opulent London celebrations - all sparkling chandeliers, grand staircases and historic grandeur.
Claridge’s
Again in the heart of Mayfair, Claridge’s is another classic luxury London hotel with a pedigree. For more than two centuries it’s welcomed guests into its distinctive and stylish spaces, so a wedding at Claridge’s is bound to be iconic.
From the echoing checkerboard marble floors to the generous, light-drenched hallways and ceilings decorated by ornate swirling cornicing, Claridge’s is generous of scale, stylish, and timeless.
Why Claridge’s is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
Combining intimate and grand spaces, Claridge's is fundamentally flexible - from the Art Deco ballroom to the mezzanine Highgrove space, it’s versatile, so there’s a space set to perfectly host your celebrations.
No area or room here is ‘the best’ - there are so many stylish spaces to suit you and your unique celebration. It’s also got the sheer scale to host up to 400 guests, if your guestlist is truly impossible to chop!
Chelsea Old Town Hall
This Grade II-listed Victorian venue on the King’s Road is another favourite celebrity haunt. Suffused with light from vaulted ceilings, the Main Hall is a gracious historical space in which to say your ‘I do’s, whilst the Small Hall and the Cadogan Suite work well for smaller, more intimate ceremonies. Cool blue and mint shades throughout create a freshness which is grounded by the warm wooden floors.
Why Chelsea Old Town Hall is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
Chelsea Old Town Hall is in a great location, plus the iconic shots we can capture of you descending the Town House steps after your ceremony are so quintessentially London, whatever the season!
The best London venues for: discreet & intimate dining
Langan’s
The red velvet darkness of the private hire room upstairs at Langan’s is the epitome of timeless style, in my opinion. Rich red and sumptuous gold make for the most exclusive, opulent (and cool!) bar setting.
Alongside expert sommeliers, mixologists and chefs, your intimate and discreet once-in-a-lifetime celebrations can be tailored bespoke to your desires, making for a really personal, individual celebration.
The more light-suffused Mural Bar is a really flexible event space too, with a slightly higher capacity. You can even private hire the idyllic, art-strewn Brasserie in its entirety, if you need to accommodate a larger wedding party, at a sit down meal for up to 160.
Why Langan’s is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
Langan’s oozes private member’s club cool. British elegance meets French sophistication for an aesthetic I love - one which encourages candlelit toasts, heads thrown back in laughter, and that special hubbub - of everybody being completely immersed in joyful celebration and hedonistic enjoyment.
The Greenhouses
Now for something a little different! Located in Marylebone, so wonderfully convenient, The Greenhouses is an intimate setting with a really unique feel. Offering several private dining spaces within greenhouses bedecked in a type of flower or foliage - from wisteria to bougainvillea - The Greenhouses brings the outside in. Somehow this makes for a truly special, very cool feel, which encourages guests to create a uniquely charged, unforgettable atmosphere.
Within the grounds of a Grade I-listed former church, the Marylebone venue (there is a sibling venue in the City) brings a stunning and unusual balance to a city-centric day, throwing greenery and light into London’s monochromatic palette and right angles.
Why The Greenhouses is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
You’ll feel magicked away from the bustle of central London, which is only steps away. Memorable, intimate, inviting, softly lit - what’s not to love?
Spring at Somerset House
Lauded chef Skye Gyngell, rest in peace, famously opened her restaurant Spring in Somerset House in 2014, as her first solo venture after having such an impact at Petersham Nurseries.
The attention that went into every detail of Spring, right down to the beautiful linens the staff wear, carries through to this day, making it not only a gastronomic treat but a beautiful backdrop for an intimate wedding, or Rehearsal Dinner celebration.
The Salon is an intimate private dining area which seats up to 36 guests in an interior atrium, but you could also hire the whole restaurant, for a sit down dinner for 116.
Why Spring is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
Natural botanical designs by acclaimed landscape designer Jinny Blom climb the walls of the atrium, reminding you that Spring prioritises a connection to produce, simplicity and the land.
It’s such a perfect choice for a couple who value the artistic heft of Somerset House, a minimal, organic, and refined aesthetic, alongside the highest quality produce expertly and thoughtfully prepared without fuss and frills.
The best London venues for: Iconic London wedding photography
The Ned
The Ned is a truly iconic London hotel, and the perfect reception venue for couples choosing to marry elsewhere and then enjoy a party here - or, indeed, to spend the whole celebrations within.
At chic London weddings I love taking my clients outside to capture couples’ portraits against the thriving backdrop of the city, in all its cosmopolitan rush and centuries-old architecture. The Ned is then perfectly placed to welcome you back inside with open arms, ready for the party to begin!
Why The Ned is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
A roof terrace where we can capture those glowering grey-sky shades of St Paul’s elegant dome in the backdrop? Where you nestle against the stoic walls of The Bank of London, yet sit in a contemporary space of modern comfort and natural light? It’s all at The Ned.
The Landmark
Exquisitely refined and timeless, The Landmark is another London hotel with prestige behind its name. All of their banqueting rooms are licensed for wedding ceremonies, but it's from the reception onwards where The Landmark comes into its own (300 bedrooms onsite certainly makes accommodating your guestlist easier too!)
Different spaces suit different capacities, with the striking Marble Ballroom sitting up to 300 guests in an elegant space of tall ceilings and grand fireplaces (conveniently located right next to the Champagne Room too - which has to be everyone’s favourite, doesn’t it?!)
Why The Landmark is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
The atrium-covered Winter Gardens, covering the many storeys of the hotel, truly are the cherry on the cake, as towering palm trees grow from the floor around a central bar and grand piano, and sweeping staircases curl down from above.
Royal Automobile Club
The grandeur of this private members club, the Pall Mall clubhouse, sets the tone for a really special, formal day. Opulent decor and old-fashioned charm meet in a space where you’d feel out of place wearing anything but your finest finery.
Floor to ceiling windows in the Terrace Room bathe the space in light, and step onto the terrace itself for views over Carlton Gardens and St James’ Park beyond. Larger ceremonies are held in the Mountbatten Room, bedecked in chandeliers and sumptuous soft furnishings, with mirrored panels and marble fireplaces drawing your eye within, and a bird’s eye view of Pall Mall drawing your eye to the world beyond.
Why the RAC is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
This space holds a place in my heart, as my father would bring us here as kids for special occasions. Men would be dressed in suits and ties, and I would be in my smartest Sunday clothes (and sworn to best behaviour). It was built for the most traditional, memorable ceremonies.
The best London venues for: Church Ceremonies in the City
St Stephen Walbrook
Nestled quietly in the heart of the city, the Church of England church St Stephen Walbrook is a light-bathed space steeped in history and tradition, under a magnificent dome. This Christopher Wren masterpiece, architect of famous buildings like St Paul’s and Kensington Palace, represents a quintessentially London architectural grandeur.
Warm white stone colonnades ring the central dome, a towering vaulted dome throwing light from far overhead, lending gracious elegance and space to the contemplative space below.
Why St Stephen Walbrook is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
The central stone altar carved by renowned sculptor Henry Moore just shows how this church considers heritage and history as timeless values. Recently renovated and restored, it unites the best of heritage London architecture with the natural light, organic tonalities, and clean lines I love so well.
St Peter’s, Eaton Square
Set in stylish Belgravia, St Peter’s Church of England church is a neoclassical religious ceremony space, designed by architect Henry Hakewill, decked out with Ionic columns and a portico. Its stunning gold mosaic apse is a glorious central statement, and brings warmth to the cool white walls and natural light.
Why St Peter’s Eaton Square is one of my favourite London wedding venues:
The central stone altar carved by renowned sculptor Henry Moore just shows how this church considers heritage and history as timeless values. Recently renovated and restored, it unites the best of heritage London architecture with the natural light, organic tonalities, and clean lines I love so well.
I hope that sharing my favourite venues for London wedding photography has been useful. Across the roster of venues sprawling across this great city, there will be a spectacular wedding venue which is the perfect choice for you - I hope the above helps you in your journey!
If you’re looking for a wedding photographer for your London wedding, please use my enquiry form to get in touch with me today.
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