The Best Pre Wedding Photoshoot Locations in London
Seventeen places I come back to after twenty years of pre wedding shoots in London, with the time of day each one works, which ones need a permit, and what to do when it rains. Written for couples flying in with one or two days to spend.
London has hundreds of good backdrops. These are the seventeen I use, because they work at a known time of day and sit close enough together to shoot three or four in one morning.
Every location below has the timing I would give you on a planning call, a note on crowds and permits, and a photograph from a real shoot there. The locations are the raw material. The itinerary, the permits, hair and makeup and the prices are on my pre wedding photography London page.
A photographer who has shot every one of them
I am Barrie. I have photographed weddings and pre wedding shoots in London for over twenty years, and BBC News ran a feature on the pre wedding work.
Most of my couples fly in from Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan with a short list of days and a long list of landmarks. This guide is the list I send them before the planning call. It is not a list of pretty places. It is a list of places I know at half past six in the morning and at nine at night, with the spots that work and the ones that only look good on Instagram.
If you would rather skip the reading, send me your dates and I will build the day for you.
BarrieThe best London locations for your pre wedding photoshoot
Numbered roughly east to west is not how I shoot them. The order below is the order couples ask for them. Most shoots take in three or four, chosen by the light on the day and where you are staying, and I plan that with you on the call before you fly.
Big Ben and Westminster Bridge
The single most requested frame in twenty years of London pre weddings: Westminster Bridge looking back at Big Ben across the river. The scaffolding is long gone and the gilt has been restored. The only way to shoot it without a coach party in every frame is to be on the bridge before seven, when the light is low and the city is quiet.
Tower Bridge and the river
London's most recognisable landmark, and one I know very well. There are six or seven spots around the bridge that work properly for portraits, and most visitors only find one: the south bank walkway, the steps down to the Thames at low tide, the cobbled lane below St Katharine Docks. Sunrise if you want it empty, sunset if you don't mind a crowd.
Tower Bridge →
St Paul's Cathedral
The dome, the steps and the colonnade. St Paul's really only works at one time of day, before the office workers come through and the queue starts forming. I use the quieter north side, and the Paternoster Square sculpture thirty seconds away gives a modern counterpoint to the classical front. It pairs easily with the Millennium Bridge in one morning.
St Paul's →
The Millennium Bridge
The bridge runs straight into the dome of St Paul's, and when the light is right it's properly cinematic. It's quietest on a Sunday before nine, and the soft grey light of a normal London morning suits it better than full sun. Tate Modern is behind you on the south side and St Paul's straight ahead on the north.
The Mall and Buckingham Palace
The Palace front, the long tree-lined sweep of the Mall and St James's Park behind it. It's one of the few London spots that works at almost any time of day, but late afternoon is strongest, when the light comes down the length of the Mall. A favourite with international couples, and St James's Park next door gives a softer, greener second half.
The Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall
My favourite location in the city, and the one I push hardest if you haven't made up your mind. Gold leaf, marble and the four continents, with the red brick curve of the Albert Hall about thirty paces away. Best in late afternoon, when the sun comes round to the west and lights up the gilt.
Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
Two parks that run into each other and make the biggest green space in central London. The Italian Gardens at the north end of Kensington Gardens are the standout: formal fountains, stone urns and the Serpentine running off into the trees. Bridal-wear shoots here need a Royal Parks permit, which most couples don't know about. I apply for it as part of your booking.
Kensington Palace and Holland Park
A quieter alternative to the big parks. Kensington Palace, the Sunken Garden and the Round Pond are proper formal portrait territory. A short walk west, the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park gives you something completely different in the same shoot: moss, stone lanterns and a small waterfall.
Kew Gardens and the glasshouses
Worth the admin. Kew is just outside central London, but its Victorian glasshouses are unmatched anywhere in the city, with tropical plants and light coming in from every side. Kew needs its own photography permit, which I apply for with the booking. Plan it as a half-day rather than a quick stop.
Regent Street and Piccadilly
The sweeping curve of Regent Street down to Piccadilly Circus, the London of every film. It's all about timing: first thing in the morning you can stand in the road for thirty seconds between the lights. The best weeks of the year are mid-November to early January, when the Christmas lights are up, and winter couples ask for it every year.
Mayfair: Bond Street to Berkeley Square
If you're staying at The Ritz, Claridge's, the Four Seasons or Brown's, Mayfair is on your doorstep. Burlington Arcade for the Victorian glass, Old Bond Street for the gallery windows, Berkeley Square for the plane trees. I often use it as the second half of a shoot that starts at one of the big landmarks.
Covent Garden and Seven Dials
The Piazza, the Royal Opera House and the narrow streets around Seven Dials. It's chaos in the middle of the day but brilliant early and late, when the cobbles take the rain and the lamps come on. The portico of St Paul's Church, the Actors' Church, stays a clean backdrop even when the Piazza is packed.
The City: Sky Garden and Leadenhall Market
A different London: glass towers, the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie, with the Victorian arcades of Leadenhall Market tucked between them. The Sky Garden is the highest free viewpoint in the city if you book the morning slot, and Leadenhall is a covered rain backup that photographs better than most outdoor spots. The City is empty at weekends, which is exactly when to shoot it.
The London Eye and the South Bank
The most efficient loop in the city. Start at the London Eye, walk five minutes along the river, and you have Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in one continuous backdrop. Six or seven different pictures in twenty minutes. If a couple only has two hours, this is where I'd build the shoot.
Greenwich: the Naval College and Observatory
The Old Royal Naval College gives you Wren's colonnades and paired domes, the Cutty Sark is two minutes away, and the Royal Observatory at the top of the hill has the best long view of the skyline at sunset. It has a village feel no central London location offers. I plan it as an afternoon into evening, finishing at the Observatory as the sun drops behind Canary Wharf.
Marylebone streets and mews
Somewhere quieter with more character. Marylebone High Street, Devonshire Street and the mews behind Wimpole Street: Georgian terraces, small shopfronts, old street lamps and almost no tourists. Best mid-morning before the lunch crowd, and Regent's Park is a five-minute walk north. It's also where I take couples after a ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, so I know these streets at every hour.
London at night
A separate look altogether. After sunset, wet streets reflect every light, black cabs cut through long exposures and red buses stand out against dark glass. It's strongest in winter, when sunset is before four and the night set can follow straight on from the landmarks. Much of the work in the BBC News feature was shot at night, and I bring the lighting for it.
Light, permits and rain
- Sunrise and golden hourThe landmarks are at their best between 6.30 and 8am, and again in the last 90 minutes before sunset. I plan the day around those two windows and use the quieter streets in between.
- Royal Parks permitsHyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James's Park, Regent's Park and Greenwich Park need a photography permit for bridal wear. I sort it as part of your booking.
- If it rainsWet streets reflect the city lights and look great. Where it won't work, I have covered backups planned: Leadenhall Market, the Sky Garden, Burlington Arcade and hotel lobbies.
Four London pre wedding itineraries that work
The locations only make sense once they are in the right order for the light. These are the four routes I build most often. Hair and makeup at your hotel comes first, and the clock starts when we meet.
Two hours: the river loop
London Eye, the South Bank, Westminster Bridge and Big Ben, all on foot, starting at seven. Six or seven different pictures without getting in a car. For couples with one spare morning.
Three hours: the City
St Paul's on the north side at half past six, down to the Millennium Bridge, then a black cab to Tower Bridge and the steps to the foreshore. The three-hour collection, £850.
Five hours: east to west
The City and Tower Bridge early, an outfit change at the hotel, then Mayfair or Kensington Gardens and the Albert Memorial as the sun comes round. The five-hour collection, £1,250.
A full day: eight stops
Three outfits, a cab between landmarks and London at night to finish. See how Yuefasi and Lian's day ran, or ask for a bespoke package.
How these locations look on a real day
Three shoots, written up stop by stop, so you can see how the locations above fit together once the light and the cab rides are factored in.
Yuefasi and Lian, a full day in London
Royal Albert Hall, Regent Street, Westminster Bridge, St Paul's and Tower Bridge at dusk, with a black cab between them.
See the shoot →
A Singapore couple, east to west
St Paul's, Tower Bridge and Shad Thames in a white gown, then the Hyde Park bandstand in red.
See the shoot →
The British Museum to Big Ben
Three gowns in one long day, from the Great Court in the morning to Westminster Bridge after dark, before a second day in Paris.
See the shoot →Two moreStepfanie and Ben, Knightsbridge to Borough Market · Sheela and Brandon, a winter morning
Four seasons of pre wedding photography in London
London photographs very differently across the year. The light, the crowds, the leaves and the sunset times are nothing alike in February and July. Autumn weekends book up first, so plan six to twelve months ahead if you can.
London pre wedding location questions
What are the best locations for a pre wedding shoot in London?
For a first visit, Westminster Bridge and Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the Albert Memorial. They are the four most requested, they all photograph well in the right light, and three of them sit on one river walk. If you have been before, Greenwich, Kew Gardens and the Marylebone mews give you something most couples do not have.
What time of day is best for pre wedding photos in London?
Early. The big landmarks are at their best between 6.30 and 8am, before the crowds and when the light is low. The second window is the last ninety minutes before sunset, which is when I plan the Albert Memorial, the Mall and Tower Bridge. The middle of the day is for the quieter streets, the parks and an outfit change.
Do we need a permit for pre wedding photos in London?
For bridal wear in the Royal Parks, yes: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James's Park, Regent's Park and Greenwich Park. Kew Gardens has its own permit. The bridges, the streets, the South Bank and the areas outside St Paul's and Buckingham Palace do not need one. I apply for the permits as part of your booking.
How many locations can we fit into one shoot?
Two or three in three hours, four or five in five hours, and eight in a full day with cabs between them. More than that and you spend the shoot travelling rather than being photographed. I would rather do four places properly than eight in a rush.
Which London locations work if it rains?
Covent Garden, Leadenhall Market, Burlington Arcade and the Sky Garden are all covered or close to cover, and wet streets at night reflect every light in the city. Some of my best London shoots have been in the rain. If the forecast is hopeless I move the start time or the day where I can.
Can we add a location that is not on this list?
Yes. Couples ask for the street where they got engaged, a university, a hotel they are staying at, Notting Hill, Little Venice or a football ground. If it matters to you it goes in the plan. I will tell you honestly if it will not photograph well, and what to do instead.
As featured in
Tell me which of these you want
Send your travel dates, where you are flying in from and the two or three locations that matter most. I will come back with a route for the day and a price. Prices and packages are on the pre wedding photography London page.
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