Maryam and Haddi were married at Kew Gardens with a Persian ceremony in the Nash Conservatory, portraits out in the gardens, dinner in the Orangery and a sparkler exit at the end of the night.
Kew is the one London venue where the gardens are the point. Three hundred acres of them, a couple of Victorian glasshouses and a palace, and a ceremony room that was moved here brick by brick from Buckingham Palace. The trick on the day is not trying to use all of it.
The sofreh aghd in the Nash Conservatory
The Nash Conservatory was built at Buckingham Palace and moved to Kew in 1836. It has tall windows on three sides, so the light is all natural and comes in from almost everywhere. For a photographer that is about as good as a ceremony room gets. It also means there is nowhere to hide, so I pick my spots early and stay put.
The sofreh is the part of a Persian wedding I always give proper time to. It gets built early, the family has usually put more thought into it than anything else, and it is gone by the evening. Photograph it before anyone sits down, then again with the two of you in front of it. And Persian ceremonies are not quiet. There is laughter and people talking over the whole thing. That is the wedding, not a distraction from it.
Portraits by the Palm House and Kew Palace
Afterwards we did portraits in three stops: the pond in front of the Palm House, the open lawns, and Kew Palace with its formal garden. Three is about right here. Kew is huge, and any more and you spend your drinks reception in a golf buggy. I work out the route beforehand and keep it close to where you already are.
Weddings at Kew start late in the afternoon, so from spring to the end of summer the portraits land in the best light of the day. In winter it is dark by half past four and outdoor portraits mostly are not possible. If the gardens matter to you, aim for April to September, or ask Kew about getting in earlier for photographs.
Dinner in the Orangery
Dinner was in the Orangery, a long room with high ceilings, big arched windows and a black and white stone floor. It photographs cleanly from the far end, so I like to get the room once before the guests sit down and again once they have.
Dancing and a sparkler exit
The dance floor filled up and stayed full, and the night finished with a tunnel of sparklers. If you want a sparkler exit, plan it with the venue rather than turning up with a box. Ask what is allowed and where, and I will be at the far end of the tunnel facing you.
Maryam and Haddi
Congratulations to you both, and thank you for having me. A Persian ceremony in a conservatory full of light, portraits by the Palm House and a dance floor that never emptied.
Getting married at Kew Gardens?
I photograph Persian weddings across London, and the Nash Conservatory suits a sofreh very well. London prices start from £1,350, all on my London wedding photography prices page, and your gallery arrives within a week. Kew Gardens station, on the District line and the Overground, is about fifteen minutes’ walk from the Nash Conservatory. Send me your date through the contact page and I will tell you straight away whether I am free.
Related: London wedding photographer, Syon Park weddings just across the river, and a Persian wedding at the Royal Courts of Justice.
More London weddings
A few more London weddings I have photographed, two of them Persian. For prices and how I work, see my London wedding photographer home page.
Syrus & BibiA Persian couple's civil wedding in the Westminster Room, confetti on the steps and portraits in Regent's Park.
Navid & RoujinA Persian Aghd under the vaults of the Main Hall, after getting ready at the Corinthia and portraits in Hyde Park.
Sam & MattA wedding in the OBE Chapel, from the Corinthia in the morning to dinner in Mayfair.
Gayathri & PranavA 7pm ceremony in the Paddington Room, confetti in the dark and portraits by lamplight.
