British Museum to Big Ben: a London pre wedding shoot
Three gowns and six locations in one long day, from the Great Court in the morning to Westminster Bridge after dark.
This couple came over from Cambodia for two days of pre wedding photos: London first, then Paris the next day. The styling was glamorous from the start, with a gold gown, a pale pink one and a royal blue gown with a train.
We used every hour of the London day, and finished on the river well after the sun had gone.
Bloomsbury to Westminster in one day
The British Museum Great Court
We started inside the British Museum, in the Great Court. The glass roof gives you soft, even light whatever the weather’s doing outside, and the pale stone and the big curved stairs around the old Reading Room make a clean, graphic backdrop.
The gold gown was a good choice for it. All that cream stone washes out pastels, so strong colour or a bit of sparkle is what you want in there. It’s a busy place, so most of the job is waiting for a gap in the visitors and working quickly when you get one.
The Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall
From Bloomsbury we went across to Kensington Gardens and the Albert Memorial. It doesn’t get used for pre wedding photos as much as it should. We had big clouds rolling over it that day, which suits all that gold.
This is where the sunglasses came out and the groom got pulled along by his tie, which is still one of my favourite photos from the day. Then across the road to the Royal Albert Hall for a few more in the gold gown.
Buckingham Palace in pink
A change into the pale pink gown, then Buckingham Palace. It’s the one photo every family back home asks for. It was busy, as it always is, so we used the width of the road in front and kept the crowds small in the background.
We did the classic shots in front of the gates, some portraits of the groom on his own, a bit of fun with a bicycle by the Victoria Memorial, and finished this part at Canada Gate, the gold gates into Green Park.
Tower Bridge at sunset
Last change of the day, into the royal blue gown, and down to the Thames. We went onto the foreshore below Tower Bridge just as the sun was setting behind it.
You can only get down onto the foreshore when the tide is out, so it needs planning around the tide times. When it works, it’s worth it. The blue against the sunset and the stones on the riverbed gave us something you don’t see in many London pre wedding galleries.
Shad Thames with family
His brother and his fiancée joined us for a few photos in Shad Thames, just along from the bridge. The old warehouses and the walkways overhead make a good setting for a group walking shot, and it was nice to get some of the four of them together.
Westminster Bridge after dark
We finished the day on Westminster Bridge. By then the lights were on in the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and the London Eye was lit up on the other side of the river.
Night photos on a bridge full of traffic take a bit of patience, but a red bus going past with Big Ben behind them was a good way to end the London half of their trip.
Thank you both for a brilliant, very long day. The next morning we were off to Paris.
— Barrie
Part two: their pre wedding shoot in Paris. More London pre wedding stories: a full day across London with Yuefasi and Lian and St Paul’s to Hyde Park with a Singapore couple.
Planning a pre wedding shoot in London?
Send me your dates and the places on your list, and I’ll put together a route that works with the light, the crowds and, if you want the foreshore, the tides. If you’re doing Paris as well, I can plan both days.
- A route across London planned around your outfits and the light
- Royal Parks permits for places like Kensington Gardens, which you need for a shoot in wedding clothes
- Hair and makeup at your hotel, and dress rental if you’d rather not fly a gown in
London shoots from £850. Five hours adds an outfit change and golden hour, and two-city trips with Paris are quoted on enquiry.
