Natural History Museum Wedding Photographer
There are not many places where you can get married under a 25-metre blue whale. The Natural History Museum in South Kensington is one of the most spectacular wedding venues in London, and after the doors close to the public, it's yours.
I haven't photographed a wedding inside the museum yet, so this page sticks to what the museum publishes about its wedding spaces, and to what I know of the streets around it, where I have photographed plenty of weddings and pre-wedding shoots.
It covers the spaces and their capacities, how an evening wedding at the museum works, how to photograph a hall this size after dark, and where to go for portraits nearby.
At a Glance
The Spaces
Where You Can Marry at the Museum
Capacities below are the museum's own figures for weddings and private events.
Hintze Hall and Fossil Way
The great central hall, with Hope the blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling and the grand staircase at the far end. Up to 450 for a ceremony or a dinner and dance, and up to 650 for dinner. It's the reason most couples come to the museum.
Earth Hall
Under the giant Earth sculpture at the entrance to the Earth Galleries, watched over by Sophie the Stegosaurus. Up to 200 for a dinner and dance, or 400 standing. Darker and more dramatic than Hintze Hall.
Darwin Centre Atrium and Courtyard
The bright, modern glass atrium beside the Darwin Centre's cocoon. Up to 150 for a ceremony or dinner, and a very different feel from the Victorian halls.
Garden Kitchen and Gardens
The museum's five acres of gardens reopened in 2024, with a bronze cast of the famous Diplodocus in the Jurassic Garden. Up to 300 for a reception or 100 for a dinner and dance, best in summer.
The smaller rooms
For an intimate wedding: the Images of Nature Gallery (40 for a ceremony, 80 for dinner), Earth's Treasury Gallery (25 for a ceremony) and the Anning Rooms (20 for a ceremony).
How It Works
An Evening Wedding at the Museum
The museum is open to the public during the day, so weddings happen in the evening. Setup starts at 6pm and guests arrive from 7pm. Standard hire runs to midnight, with extensions available into the early hours, and anyone in the gardens is asked to move inside after 10pm.
It's a dry-hire venue: you hire the space, and choose catering, décor and production from the museum's approved suppliers. Budget and planning time go further if you have a planner who knows the building.
A common way to do the day is a register office ceremony earlier on, portraits around South Kensington in daylight, and then the museum for the evening. Chelsea Old Town Hall, the Kensington and Chelsea register office, is a short taxi ride away.
Photography
Photographing a Hall This Size After Dark
An evening wedding in Hintze Hall is spectacular, and it's a genuine challenge to photograph. The hall is huge, the ceiling is high, and by the time guests arrive the daylight through the windows has gone. How it looks in the photographs depends mostly on the lighting your production company puts in.
- Talk to your lighting team early. Uplighting on the arches and a little light on the whale make the wide shots of the hall. If the room is lit only for the tables, the architecture disappears into the dark.
- Take the wide shots before guests sit down. The whole room, set and lit, with nobody in it yet, is worth ten minutes.
- Use the staircase. The grand staircase at the end of Hintze Hall is the natural place for a portrait and a group photograph.
- Do the outdoor portraits first. With a 7pm start, portraits outside need to happen before the evening, or at the end of a summer day.
I work documentary for most of the day, and quietly. I don't stop things to fix the light. The portraits are the one part I direct, fifteen or twenty minutes at a time that suits you.
Portraits
Where to Take Portraits Nearby
South Kensington is one of the best parts of London for wedding portraits, and I've photographed a lot of weddings and pre-wedding shoots here. Within a short walk of the museum:
- The museum's own front. Waterhouse's terracotta façade on Cromwell Road, with its carved animals and arches.
- The Royal Albert Hall. Up Exhibition Road, with its wide steps and the Albert Memorial across the road in Kensington Gardens.
- Kensington Gardens. Trees and open lawns, if you want something green.
- Exhibition Road and the South Kensington streets. Stucco terraces and mews, quieter than you'd expect.
The Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial and Chelsea Old Town Hall, all close to the museum. None of these were taken inside the museum.
Pricing
What It Costs
The museum doesn't publish wedding prices. As a dry-hire venue, the total depends on the space, the date and your suppliers, so ask the events team for a quote early.
My own prices are the same as for every London wedding. Every image is edited, and your gallery arrives within a week.
Essential · 5 Hours
£1,350
Ceremony, drinks and portraits.
Classic · 8 Hours
£1,800
Preparations through to the first dance.
Premium · 11 Hours
£2,200
The whole day, well into the evening.
With an evening start at the museum, the longer collections make sense if you want a register office ceremony and portraits earlier in the day. A second photographer is £1,250, and for a wedding of several hundred in Hintze Hall it's worth considering. The full breakdown is on my prices page.
Venue details are on the Natural History Museum weddings page. For other unusual London venues I have photographed, see my guide to unique wedding venues in London.
Good to Know
Natural History Museum Wedding Questions
Can you get married at the Natural History Museum?+
Yes. The museum has twelve spaces licensed for weddings and civil partnerships, including Hintze Hall under Hope the blue whale.
How many guests can the Natural History Museum hold for a wedding?+
Hintze Hall and Fossil Way take up to 450 for a ceremony and up to 650 for dinner. Earth Hall takes 200 for a dinner and dance, the Darwin Centre Atrium 150, and the smaller galleries between 20 and 80.
How much does a Natural History Museum wedding cost?+
The museum doesn't publish wedding prices. It's a dry-hire venue, so the cost depends on the space, the date and the approved suppliers you choose. Ask the museum's events team for a quote.
What time do weddings at the Natural History Museum start?+
Weddings are held after the museum closes to the public. Guests arrive from 7pm, and standard hire runs to midnight, with later finishes available.
Where can we take wedding photos near the Natural History Museum?+
The terracotta front of the museum on Cromwell Road, the Royal Albert Hall and Albert Memorial up Exhibition Road, Kensington Gardens, and the streets of South Kensington.
Have you photographed a wedding at the Natural History Museum?+
Not inside the museum yet. I've photographed many weddings and pre-wedding shoots in South Kensington and at the other grand London venues nearby.
Let's Talk
Getting Married at the Natural History Museum?
Send me your date. I read every enquiry myself and I'll let you know straight away whether I'm free.
Get in Touch