London church weddings, we love them! Well any church wedding, although about fifty percent of all ceremonies we cover today are also in licensed and interesting civil venues. We love them too of course!
The reason we thought about writing about church services around the capital and home counties, is because we were asked recently to show a couple at a meeting some extra wedding images taken in churches. They were concerned about available light levels and where would their clergy allow photographers to shoot. The images in this piece were lifted from recent blog posts and were what we showed our couple to answer their questions. They actually booked us there and then.
Needless to say after ten years of fantastic experiences with wedding photography from St Pancras to St Paul’s to St Tropez (yes we have done them all) we are very well versed with capturing beautiful imagery in churches whatever the light levels and position we find ourselves in.
As every wedding day is different, so is every church and it’s clergy that we work with. Some vicars and priests are very relaxed with little restriction on what a photographer can and can’t do. Others have a very clear set of rules and some of whom send us them before the big day. We generally aim to find out well in advance so that we can plan, and we are always very respectful in the midst of a wedding ceremony.
We are mindful that a wedding service is an incredibly special and intimate moment for both the couple and their friends and family. Wherever possible we photograph from a distance and put our cameras into silent or semi silent mode.
It’s very important at this time to be as unobtrusive as possible. For the couple this part of the day passes so fast that the photos of what actually happened become even more critical to reliving the moment that their commitment to each other became a “real” marriage.
Some of the most important shots to capture well at any church wedding are the brides processional and the the corresponding recessional at the end of the newly weds. The exchange of rings, that first glance when the groom sees his bride to be, and of course the first kiss as man and wife are essential too.
Featured images here are London church weddings as diverse as St Paul’s Cathedral, The Italian Church Clerkenwell, St Bartholomew The Great, Southwark Cathedral, St George’s Cathedral, Shoreditch Church, St Sophia’s Greek Cathedral in Bayswater, Farm Street Church Mayfair, St Stephen’s Hampstead and many many more.
Here’s some links to a few of the previous writings and wedding images from the churches showcased in this post:
St Paul’s Cathedral Wedding Photographers & Skinners Hall Reception
Lansdowne Club and Farm Street Church Wedding Photography
Shoreditch Wedding Photographers. Claire & Jamie’s big day in East London.
Smithfield Wedding Photographer
Greek Wedding Photographer London & Saint Sophia Cathedral Bayswater
Southwark Cathedral wedding with Butlers Wharf, Tower Bridge & Vinopolis reception
By David Green