Hotel Café Royal wedding photographer
A recommended photographer at the hotel, with access to the private spaces and roof terraces most guests never see.
A five-star hotel on one of the best addresses in London, where the West End, Mayfair and Soho all meet. I’ve photographed enough weddings here to know exactly where the light lands, and when.
Where the day happens
Gilded, mirrored, the showpiece
Views up and down the arc of Regent Street
Once the old Grill Room
Some of the best backdrops in central London
A short history of the Café Royal
The Café Royal opened in 1865, started by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, a French wine merchant who’d arrived in Britain with about five pounds to his name and went on to build what was, at one point, considered the finest wine cellar in the world.
By the 1890s it had become the place to be seen in London. Oscar Wilde held court here; it was in the old Grill Room, now the Oscar Wilde lounge, that he was dining with Lord Alfred Douglas when the Marquess of Queensberry walked in. Over the years the guest list ran from Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw to Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1973, David Bowie threw his famous farewell party for Ziggy Stardust here, with Mick Jagger, Lou Reed and Ringo Starr in the room.
The building was carefully restored and reopened as a hotel between 2008 and 2012 — 160 contemporary rooms and suites behind a listed façade. For a wedding, that mix matters: the bones of the place do a lot of the work in the photographs before I’ve even lifted the camera.
Photographing the bridal prep
The morning is one of my favourite parts of the day to photograph here. The suites are quiet, the light is soft, and there’s space to work without anyone feeling crowded — which means I can stay out of the way and let the morning unfold properly.
I’ll photograph the hair and make-up, the dress hanging and then going on, the rings, the shoes, the note from your partner if there is one — the details as well as the moments. And I’m always watching for the real reactions: the mother of the bride seeing the dress, the bridesmaids’ faces, the last quiet minute before everyone heads down. None of it is posed.
Quietly, through the whole day
A ceremony in the ballroom is a real thing to photograph — the chandeliers, the gilding, the painted detail do half the job. I work quietly through it: the walk in, the vows, the rings, the first kiss, and just as importantly the faces in the seats while it’s all happening. No stepping into the aisle, no interrupting the moment for a better angle.
Speeches are where a lot of the best photographs of the day quietly happen, and not always from the person speaking — I’m watching the whole room. And for the first dance, what I’m after is the two of you and the way the room folds in around you, not a staged shot, just the moment as it actually felt.
The bridal suite at Hotel Café Royal
Spending your first night as a married couple in one of the suites here is a fitting way to end a day spent in the building. The rooms are calm and beautifully done, with views out over the West End, and if there’s time at the end of the night I’ll often take a few last frames there — quiet, unhurried, the two of you finally off your feet. They tend to be among the favourites from the whole gallery.
Availability
Is Your Café Royal Date Free?
Check your date against my live diary before you enquire — it updates automatically from my booking system.
For the venue itself, the events team is at Hotel Café Royal weddings. I’m taking bookings now for 2026 and 2027. Curious what a wedding here actually looks like? Read Rob & Bessie’s day.
Send me your date and I’ll check it
As a recommended photographer there, I know the building, the team and the rhythm of a day inside it. I read every enquiry myself and reply personally, usually within a couple of hours.
- Weddings here follow my standard London packages — no premium for the venue
- Full edited gallery delivered within one week of the wedding
- High-resolution downloads, no watermarks
See full pricing & packages before you enquire.
