Best London wedding venues
Don’t get us wrong stately homes and barns are great for weddings, we photograph in those venues all the time of course. But if you live in and around the greatest city in the world, London, then why not take a look at some of the weird wonderful and historic treasures the capital has to offer. Best London wedding venues is naturally a subjective opinion, but it’s one that’s based on working regularly in a large variety of celebration spaces that our city has to offer.
If your ceremony is church based then it’s going to be a reception only venue you would need to choose. However if it’s a civil ceremony then a whole smorgasbord of venue possibilities awaits you. Do we get married in one place then celebrate and eat at another? Or do we make sure we don’t lose any of our guests on the way and do everything in the same place!?
First port of call probably for many is to research London’s long tradition of event hosting in some of its most iconic hotels. We have worked in most, but are going to list some of our personal favourites. This takes into account the overall wedding photography experience for ourselves and also for our couples and their guests too.
The Savoy
Play place of the rich and famous for over a century now, it’s licenced for wedding ceremonies and of course you would be celebrating your day and enjoying your wedding breakfast in style. There’s also the Gordon Ramsay managed Savoy Grill in house too. Here’s a recent blog post we did on this great hotel: Savoy Hotel wedding photographer
The Dorchester
Opulent, traditional, with another long history taking in film stars and presidents, it’s one of Park Lane’s best wedding venues. Great catering and a lovely private roof terrace too. See our Dorchester Hotel wedding post here: Dorchester Hotel wedding photographer
The Waldorf Astoria.
Long established Waldorf (always make us think of the Fawlty Towers episode “Waldorf Salad”)
It has the most fantastic atrium, a grand space great for ceremonies. With the grand ballroom/dining room nearby.
Lord’s Cricket Ground
You don’t need to be a cricket fan to appreciate the splendour of your ceremony and reception in the famous Long Room. Bride and groom can get themselves ready in the England dressing room, and guests can wander round the fantastic cricket museum in the middle of the wedding day. Here’s a relevant article David wrote recently: Lords Cricket ground wedding photographer
Gibson Hall
Formally a grand banking Hall in the city’s financial district, it is now a grand and imposing wedding venue. There is also an internal garden for your wedding ceremony should you choose to have your whole day there. Plenty of space for the biggest occasions.
Landsdowne Club
Now a fantastic private members club in the heart of Mayfair it was at one time the home of the department store magnate Mr Selfridge. Fantastic art deco function hall and Georgian drawing rooms for your London civil ceremony.
Hoxton
Buzzing full of art spaces and galleries that will host your wedding reception, and great urban locations for wedding photography with a difference.
London Zoo
We went there as children, took our own four children, and go there now as wedding photographers. Get married there and then have you and your guests tour the zoo for free before sitting down to a fantastic wedding breakfast. There’s even an exclusive meerkat experience should you feel the need…. Here’s some images from our photographic trips to the zoo: London Zoo wedding photographer
Planes, trains, and St Pancras
Watch this space as we update soon with recent St Pancras weddings. You have the fantastic hotel to get married in, and should you fancy a wander then the station itself is yours to spend time with your chosen photographer (that would be David and Joanna right…?)
Of course this is by no means an exhaustive list, but it has definitely some of the best London wedding venues that we have enjoyed lately. The other bonus of having a central London wedding is that you could spend twenty to thirty minutes of the day getting out and about for your photography, be it famous landmarks, or the royal parks. The possibilities are literally endless, because the best venue of all is London itself!
By David Green
