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When you book your St Albans Registry Office wedding photographers, you may or may not know you are booking one of the most unique and also famous buildings not just in Hertfordshire, but the entire UK.

St Albans Registry office wedding venue

Bride arrives at St Albans Registry wedding

I (David) thought that seen as we’ve/I’ve worked at this lovely venue now about ten times that I really should write something about it. If nothing else to be a heads up for anyone considering it for their wedding ceremony.

St Albans registry wedding ceremony 2

St Albans registry wedding ceremony crowd laughing

I love a bit of history and this place has it in spades! St Albans is a beautiful town, a jewel as far as I’m concerned in Hertfordshire, and I often find any old excuse to go shopping there, usually on a Sunday with the family. It was an important Roman settlement and among many other places of interest has a stunning cathedral and grounds, not to mention a brilliant comedy festival in the park.

St Albans wedding couple by wall hand in hand

The registry office itself was the governor’s residence for what was formerly St Albans prison. The prison itself opened in 1867 and closed at the beginning of the first world war. The entrance gate and outer walls still exist, along with of course the part used for the registry office. I love to use those old walls whenever I can in the time I have before heading off to reception venues. The doors to the registry were famously used in the 1974 much loved BBC comedy series “Porridge” starring Ronnie Barker, as the entrance to the fictional Slade Prison. Note the camera phone selfie with myself and the wedding party towards the end.

Wedding couple walk past St Albans registry walls wide shot

Wedding couple walk past St Albans registry walls

I’ve chosen to show my most recent visit as a St Albans Registry Office wedding photographer to be the focus of this blog post. This was a Saturday and my lovely couple were N and R tying the knot officially before their summer wedding in Cyprus. Unfortunately I was already booked on that particular date ๐Ÿ™‚

Bride and groom laugh by St Albans Registry doors

I was as usual there in good time to refresh my memory of the venue and to look where the light was best for pics, this is something I ALWAYS do. It doesn’t matter how often you do a venue, one way or another it is different every time.

Wedding couple kiss at St Albans Registry office gates

Bride and groom sit on stone bench St Albans Registry wedding

N and R arrived in separate cars and it soon became apparent there had been some crossed wires and the bridal bouquet and confetti had been left at home by mistake! Good news though that the ever helpful, and I have to say really friendly registrars at St Albans, had an emergency bouquet to hand, which I rather liked anyway ๐Ÿ™‚

St Albans Wedding Registry couple in gardens

This was a very intimate wedding, the couple and four guests including one best man and his partner, one sister and the bride’s best friend.

St Albans Registry Office Wedding couple sat on bench in groundsBride and groom by canon St Albans Registry wedding day

Once the ceremony was done and everyone had a good cry, I took N and R around the grounds (admittedly rather small). I made sure to get plenty of the old prison walls and doors in their shots. Plus a very well preserved 1840 siege canon that imposing sits at the front of the registry office.

Wedding couple together at St Albans Registry office

Wedding-couple-laughing-at-St-Albans-Registry-office-gates

Wedding couple pose by canon at St Albans Registry Hertfordshire

Although I visit a great variety of venues as a London and Home counties wedding photographer, I’m really looking forward to returning to St Albans registry in the near future!

Big Day Weddings selfie St Albans Registry Office

By David Green

Oh and here’s our lovely couple, and Ronnie Barker leaving from the same spot (blurry BBC image)

Bride and groom at St Albans Registry gates

Ronnie Barker Porridge St Albans Registry gates

St Albans Registry wedding couple run past wall image

Big Day Weddings

David and Joanna Green are Time Out recommended, award winning fulltime London wedding photographers. Mum and dad to four wonderful children and three family dogs. Lovers of all things photographic and wedding related. Covering Greater London and destination weddings in the UK and Europe.

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