An Indian Wedding at Middle Temple, London | Chetna & Rakesh
A spectacular London Indian wedding at a truly historic venue
What an amazing day with Chetna and Rakesh at one of the most beautiful and historic venues in the capital — Middle Temple in London. Their day was everything a great Indian wedding should be: colourful, joyful, deeply emotional, and bursting with personality from the outdoor ceremony in the gardens to the last dance of the night.
As an Indian wedding photographer in London, days like this are always a real privilege to photograph. The combination of the Middle Temple’s centuries-old setting with the colour, warmth and music of a traditional Indian celebration made for a genuinely unforgettable day.
Middle Temple: one of London’s most iconic wedding venues
Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court in London, with roots going back over 400 years. Tucked away between the Thames and Fleet Street, the estate has a magical, almost hidden feel — soaring Elizabethan architecture, beautiful gardens, and the breathtaking Middle Temple Hall, famous for its magnificent hammerbeam ceiling and for hosting the first recorded performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
For weddings, it’s incredible. A few things that make Middle Temple so special:
- Historic gardens perfect for outdoor ceremonies, drinks receptions and portraits
- Middle Temple Hall — one of the finest surviving Elizabethan interiors in England
- Exceptional acoustics and atmosphere for speeches, ceremonies and live music
- A central London location with the Thames, the Temple Church and Fleet Street on the doorstep
- A blank canvas for cultural weddings that suits Indian, Asian, fusion and Western celebrations beautifully
An emotional outdoor ceremony in the Middle Temple Gardens
Chetna and Rakesh chose to hold their ceremony outside in the Middle Temple Gardens, and it was absolutely the right call. Sunshine, greenery, guests gathered in their most beautiful wedding finery, and an atmosphere that was warm and genuinely emotional from the opening moment.
The ceremony was one of those occasions where you can feel the weight of what’s being promised — heartfelt, tearful in places, laughter-filled in others, and completely full of love. The colours of the wedding attire against the lush green of the gardens and the soft old stone of Middle Temple gave us an extraordinary set of images. It’s a backdrop that works beautifully for Indian wedding photography, where colour and texture are such a central part of the visual story.
An Indian feast fit for a king in Middle Temple Hall
From the gardens, everyone moved inside to the jaw-dropping Middle Temple Hall for a colourful and absolutely fantastic-smelling Indian feast. Few things announce that you’ve arrived at a truly special wedding quite like walking into a room that looks like this, with the scent of beautiful Indian cuisine filling the air.
The food was spectacular — fragrant, rich, and full of colour — and having it served in a setting as grand as Middle Temple Hall added another level entirely. The combination of Elizabethan oak panelling, glittering chandeliers, and vibrantly coloured sarees, lehengas, sherwanis and suits made for some of the most striking wedding images of the year for us.
An outfit change and evening portraits
In between the wedding breakfast and the evening celebrations, Chetna and Rakesh headed back to their hotel for a classic outfit change — Rakesh into a very smart suit, Chetna into a beautiful evening dress. We took the opportunity for a few extra couple portraits in their new looks before heading back to Middle Temple.
Outfit changes are a lovely tradition at many Indian weddings — they give you two (or more) completely different looks across a single day, and from a photography point of view, you end up with a beautifully varied album. Traditional ceremony attire in the morning, Western-style elegance for the evening party — one wedding, two completely different aesthetic feels, and twice as much to enjoy looking back on.
Dancing into the night at Middle Temple
Back at Middle Temple, the evening kicked off in the best possible way — with dancing. Lots of it. Indian weddings throw some of the best parties going, and Chetna and Rakesh’s was no exception. The dance floor was packed from the first beat to the last, with guests of every generation throwing shapes under the chandeliers of the Hall.
These are always some of our favourite photographs of the day: unguarded, joyful, full of movement and colour. No posing, no direction — just people dancing because they’re genuinely, properly happy.
Featured details
- Venue: Middle Temple, London
- Ceremony: Outdoor in the Middle Temple Gardens
- Reception & dinner: Middle Temple Hall
- Cuisine: Traditional Indian feast
- Outfits: Traditional Indian attire for ceremony, Western eveningwear for reception
- Photography: Barrie Downie
Why Middle Temple is a fantastic venue for an Indian wedding in London
A growing number of couples are choosing Middle Temple for London Indian weddings, and it’s easy to see why:
- Stunning indoor and outdoor spaces for different parts of the day
- Historic architecture that photographs beautifully against the colour of Indian wedding attire
- Flexibility for couples combining Hindu, Sikh, Muslim or other traditions with Western elements
- Space for bigger guest numbers — Middle Temple Hall comfortably hosts a significant wedding
- Exceptional service and catering options from approved vendor lists
- A location that guests will never forget
Planning an Indian or Asian wedding in London?
If you’re planning an Indian, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, South Asian or fusion wedding in London — at Middle Temple or anywhere else — I’d love to hear from you. I’ve photographed Indian and Asian weddings at some of London’s most beautiful venues and love the energy, colour and cultural richness that make them so special.
Popular London venues for Indian and Asian weddings include:
- Middle Temple & The Inns of Court
- The Landmark London
- The Dorchester
- The Savoy & Claridge’s
- Natural History Museum
- The Langham
- Syon Park & Grosvenor House
I also travel for destination Indian weddings, both within the UK and internationally, and am always happy to discuss multi-day celebrations, mehndi nights, sangeets, civil ceremonies and everything in between.
Get in touch to check my availability for your wedding date and I’ll send over my wedding photography price list and full information pack. I’d be delighted to meet up, hear all about your plans, and talk through how I can work with you as your wedding photographer on your special day.
Photography: Barrie Downie | Indian, Asian and fusion wedding photography at Middle Temple and across London.
Huge congratulations to Chetna & Rakesh — what a beautiful day.
Asian weddings are always so much fun, a riot of colour and spilling over with emotion at key points throughout the wedding ceremony and during the day.
