By Jason Noblett
The two central London venues that I’ve photographed weddings in more than any other are One, Whitehall Place, off the Victoria Embankment, and The Lansdowne Club in Mayfair.
One Whitehall Place is the home of the Liberal Club, and a Victorian masterpiece designed by the man behind the Natural History Museum. There are many rooms which can be used for a wedding, but it is probably the grand marble spiral staircase which is its most well known feature. I was photographing a wedding there a few years ago and the bride was planning on using the lift to get to her ceremony on the fifth floor. However we soon found that the dress was too big to fit in the rather compact lift so she was forced to take the stairs instead. I had run up floor a little ahead of her and took a picture of her walking through a tier and it’s become one of my most well-known images.
The staircase can also be used for a photo of the entire wedding party. This will mean spreading the guests out over several layers of the stairs, and consequently lighting will become an issue, but if the skylight is well lit then the results make for a powerful image.
The rooms within One Whitehall Place can be very challenging for a wedding photographer. Most of them are oak-panelled, which coupled with direct sunlight through the south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows gives a great deal of contrast. It’s very easy to unintentionally take a series of silhouettes if taking images of people standing in front of the giant windows.
The dining room is also a photographic challenge. The overhead lighting is typically kept very low and candlelight is used on the tables. Candlelight looks very soft and pretty in photographs, but can also give severe autofocus issues.
Outside, the garden runs parallel to the Victoria Embankment, and whilst it’s a little narrow the exterior of the building gives a pleasant background to the wedding guests.
The Lansdowne Club is a private members club situated off Berkeley Square in Mayfair. There is a small courtyard in the centre of the building which is very popular for summer weddings. Photography is very straightforward in the courtyard, as there is no distracting background to speak of, and often a string quartet will be playing in a corner. It’s also possible to walk up to the 1st floor and take some aerial images of the entire courtyard full of wedding guests.
The dining room is large and spacious, and again it’s possible to climb a small staircase and take pictures of the Bride and Groom entering for their wedding breakfast.
Berkeley Square is nearby and a useful option for a wedding photographer and a very up-market backdrop for the happy couple. It is usually pretty quiet on a Saturday and spacious enough to avoid distracting backgrounds. There are plenty of benches around to provide props for the wedding guests. It’s fantastic having opportunity to see this iconic buildings as a London Wedding Photographer.
When it come to experience and professionalism with photographing weddings in London I would suggest using a leading london wedding photographer – The knowledge of London and it’s wedding venues is invaluable and best delivered by a experienced and talented wedding photographer.
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