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Islington wedding couple laugh by blue wall Upper Street London

Last ever Islington Town Hall Wedding…before lockdown

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London venues and events, London Wedding Photographer, London Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

This was a truly lovely and somewhat surreal wedding spent with Alex and Brett, for the very last wedding ceremony at Islington Town Hall before London’s end of March lockdown.

Islington Town Hall wedding couple by London street signs

It felt a privilege, and quite honestly inwardly a little sad for me, to document a special day which none of us knew from the registrars to general staff of the Town Hall, when any of us would be back.

Islington wedding couple back to back by brick wall central London

That didn’t dent the energy of myself or this really fantastic couple and their three guests. One photographer only (David) plus five people, that’s all we were legally allowed!

Bride and groom cross road after Islington wedding

No reception either, as the government at that time had already ordered the closing of venues.

Islington Fire Station wedding image with bride and groom

Anyway, I had a good sense of what Alex and Brett were looking for from our chats on the phone, and as a former resident of the borough and a very frequent wedding photographer at Islington Town Hall, I knew where to go and where the light would be in the surrounding area.

Upper Street wedding reception venue with bride and groom

Meeting firstly in front of that imposing Islington landmark we hit the ground running, with literally energy and laughter all the way.

Islington Town Hall wedding ceremony Mayors Parlour

We really love people and what we do and I think time and again it shows in the photography and the good-natured energy we bring to every wedding. Check out our Google reviews to read what previous couples think of us here: Google wedding reviews

Bride and groom hug Islington Town Hall Mayors Parlour

We spent just under thirty minutes on our pre-ceremony travels before returning to the Majors Parlour for the big event. Ahh how we love the Mayors Parlour. Why? Because that’s where we were married ourselves, so it’s always very special to return to that particular part of the Town Hall.

Wedding couple and marriage certificate Islington Town Hall

After a suitably touching and intimate ceremony and some quick shots in the nearby corridors, it was time for the world’s smallest confetti throw on the steps leading to Upper Street!

Wedding party walk down Islington Town Hall steps

I said my goodbyes as these crazy cats skipped away down the street and I rode off in the sunset.

Small wedding confetti throw Islington Town Hall

Islington we love you. Until next time…Adios.

Islington bride and groom hand in hand by blue wall image

Going to let our little bridesmaid have the final say 🙂

Bridesmaid with balloons at Islington Town Hall

By David Green

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Couple by red phone boxes London wedding day Smithfield

St Paul’s Cathedral Wedding ceremony and Smithfield Reception at The Butchers Hook and Cleaver

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London venues and events, London Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesNo Comments

When we started capturing wedding days St Paul’s was on our bucket list of places to photograph, if the opportunity arose. Little did we think we would be there multiple times, let alone become regular St Paul’s Cathedral wedding photographers.

Bridal prep on St Pauls Cathedral wedding morning

Groomsmen talking near St Pauls Cathedral on wedding day

When ‘J’ and ‘N’ got in touch to tell us their big day plans for a ceremony at this national treasure, we knew exactly what to expect and also the protocol and rules that St Paul’s asks wedding photographers to abide by.

Groomsmen laugh in front of St Pauls Cathedral

Having done an engagement shoot with these guys in Greenwich Park, we had already got to know them a little better and what worked best for them image wise. Here’s one of those images below.

The day started with myself jogging between ‘J’ and her bridal prep at the lovely Leonardo Hotel in the shadow of the cathedral itself, and then with N with his son and best man at a coffee shop a few streets away. Joanna stayed with the bridal party because she doesn’t like jogging, ha ha just a little joke of course.

Bridal party walk to St Pauls wedding

When the time came I also took a bunch of candid and messing around shots with the wedding party meeting on the famous steps of the cathedral. These parts of the day are always interesting because it’s such a public space and you know that the photographer and their antics are also becoming an Instagram post for someone visiting the capital.

OBE chapel wedding ceremony St Pauls Cathedral London

For wedding ceremonies at St Paul’s everything takes place in the atmospheric OBE chapel. For photographers the rules are strict. We are only allowed to photograph the wedding party before the ceremony, then the brides entrance, the first hymn and the recessional. All shots have to be from the very back of the chapel, and all without flash of any kind. No problem!

The best wedding photo at St Pauls Cathedral London

After the ceremony there is a couple of minutes to be able to take non flash shots under the iconic dome, so there will always be interested members of the public behind you.

Wedding party waves on the St Pauls Cathedral

London bus passengers wave at St Pauls Cathedral wedding party

The place where we usually do any requested family and friends shots on the steps of the north transept entrance, was having some renovation. That is a fairly private area, whereas the south transept we had to use as an alternative exit is not. Nevertheless we got some great shots, and I particularly liked involving the public on their London buses waving at us all. See the pics above 🙂

Bride and groom hold hands by red London phone boxes

After that it was time for the wedding party to head to old Smithfield and the impressive Butcher’s Hook and Cleaver gastro pub.

Bride and groom on St Pauls Cathedral steps

Bride and groom at St Pauls Cathedral fisheye lens

Wedding couple outside St Pauls Cathedral

While this happened we spent half an hour with the newly weds doing some quick couple shots around St Paul’s, and then by Smithfield Market itself. It’s one of our favourite parts of the day, and from what couples tell us, one of theirs too.

Bride and groom kiss by Smithfield Market phone boxes

A fantastic drinks reception at the Butchers Hook and Cleaver was followed by speeches, cake cutting, much merriment and an excellent live band to boogie the night away to.

Bride and groom outside The Butchers Hook and Cleaver Smithfield

By David Green

Here’s another St Paul’s Cathedral wedding on the blog: St Paul’s Cathedral Wedding Photographers & Skinners Hall Reception

Butchers Hook and Cleaver wedding collage one

Butchers Hook and Cleaver wedding collage two

Butchers Hook and Cleaver wedding reception collage three

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London engagement couple at Lloyds Building London

Best London Engagement Shoot from Covent Garden to Leadenhall Market

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London venues and events, London Wedding PhotographersNo Comments

Now when we say best London engagement shoot, what we mean by that is that we think we followed best practice for these particular guys, in the time we had, and the areas of London we were in.

‘A’ and ‘A’ are getting married in Faro Portugal with us as their wedding photographers. This London engagement shoot gave us a good chance to get to know them better, and find out before the fact how they respond to our way of working.

Engagement couple at Dean Street Town House

Now we are course a little like chameleons in our approach, adapting quickly to suit personalities and situations. Reason being that ultimately our job is to bring out the best of what is already there within people. Add to this we put our particular spin on things, but then always remembering to give our couples what they value in terms of imagery and approach. And then go beyond…

Dean Street Townhouse engagement shoot image

For this lovely couple with their wedding being abroad and with special requirements, we designed a package to suit them, with a built in central London engagement shoot too.

London engagement shoot by Ronnie Scotts jazz club

As is usually the case David did this particular assignment, and what an early start on a Sunday it was too. These two actually had their first date at Dean Street Townhouse in Soho and they were keen to incorporate the venue in some of their images.

Outside the Ivy London engagement shoot couple hold hands

The Townhouse gave us a fifteen minute window of opportunity just after they opened for breakfast at 8 am. I’m particularly grateful for the free expresso’s they gave me!

Bride and groom kiss at The Ivy London wedding

As a popular wedding photographer I believe you need excellent people skills, and that boils down to really enjoying the company of others and the fun of meeting new people, and be able to relax and relate fast. To illustrate, the first black and white image of ‘A’ and ‘A’ sat in the Dean Street Townhouse restaurant is taken less than three minutes after first meeting them. They look pretty chilled and happy don’t they?

London engagement shoot couple kiss in sun Waterloo Bridge

When I arrived in my Uber to Soho it was pouring with rain, fortunately when we had finished our 15 minutes in Dean Street it has pretty much stopped. We then walked towards Covent Garden and took shots wherever we felt was relevant, including good old Ronnie Scott’s jazz club.

Couple kiss by red London phone box engagement shoot image

I’m always on th look out for an iconic red London phone box to anchor a shot with too.

Couple kiss by pillars in Covent Garden engagement shoot

I loved the fact that Covent Garden was virtually empty. I’ve been there so many times, but it’s a different place early on a cold Sunday morning in the rain! A chance to play around the pillars near the Royal Opera House with absolutely nobody in the background. Nice.

Couple in Leadenhall Market London engagement shoot image

Walking down to Westminster Bridge and then on to one of my favourite spots the Victorian splendour of Leadenhall Market, which once again was fairly people free. I put the above image into an international image competition and won, so that was a welcome bonus.

London engagement shoot couple embrace by red phone box

A quick jaunt to the Lloyds building and then it was time to say goodbye. All in all, in terms of the way we did things it was the best kind of London engagement shoot and we really look forward to working with these guys in Portugal on their wedding day.

Engagement couple hold hands on steps of Lloyds Building London

London engagement shot by Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Couple kiss under neon sign Leadenhall Market shoot

Engagement couple on London subway steps

By David Green

You can see some more of our London engagement shoots by following any of the links below:

London Engagement shoot at Southbank and Tower Bridge again

Kenwood House Engagement Shoot Photography in Hampstead

Oxo Tower and London’s Southbank engagement shoot

Engagement Shoot at London’s Alexandra Palace in Muswell Hill

There are many more if you use our search facility on the site too 🙂

 

 

 

 

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Essenden Country Club wedding photographers couple shot

Another lovely Google review from an Essendon Country Club wedding day

By Barnet Wedding Photographers, London Wedding Photographers, Wedding VenuesOne Comment

Thank you so much Zoe and Marina for your lovely google review, after your fabulous Essendon Country Club wedding. Working on your storybook album this week 🙂

Review and full text below:

“Thank you so much to David and Joanna for capturing our special day. One of the main reasons we chose to go with David and Joanna was their ability and talent to capture the moment and use the lighting in a way we saw no one else do. Believe me we carried out our research and Big Day Weddings was our first choice. We had a great time getting to know them both and David kept us laughing all the way through the day. We highly recommend Big Day Weddings to capture your special day in the most uniquely beautiful way.”

By David Green

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Quickie wedding post! Balloons ahoy….

By London Wedding PhotographersNo Comments

Just a short post today as we are busy editing four wedding from the last twelve days in London. Just love the feel of this image from Naomi and Ste’s Devonshire Terrace London wedding. They carried those ballons all the way from their ceremony at Bevis Marks to the reception at Devonshire. Full blog posts coming soon. Only twenty posts behind! We don’t blog every wedding as it’s more important to us to work on our images and get them out in good time to our naturally eager newlyweds!

Devonshire Terrace London wedding

By David Green

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