The City of London on a Saturday is a different place from the one people know. The offices are shut, the pavements are empty, and streets that are shoulder to shoulder on a Tuesday lunchtime are yours for an hour. For wedding photographs that’s the whole appeal. You get the architecture of the Square Mile without the Square Mile’s crowds.
These are the City venues I’ve photographed weddings at, where I’d take you for portraits, and what it costs.
Stationers’ Hall
Stationers’ Hall is on Ave Maria Lane, just off Ludgate Hill, and most people walk past the entrance without knowing it’s there. It’s one of the few old livery halls left in the City, Grade I listed, with oak panelling that goes back to the 1600s and stained glass along one side. It’s licensed for ceremonies, takes up to about 200 guests, and has a walled garden with a big old plane tree that’s good for drinks in summer.
It’s a good room to photograph and a slightly demanding one. Dark panelling swallows light, and the colour from the windows moves through the afternoon, so you plan around both. What you get for it is a room nobody has seen a hundred versions of already. Derri and Erica’s wedding is the one to look at, and there’s more on the building on my Stationers’ Hall page.
The best thing about it might be the location. St Paul’s is five minutes’ walk from the door.
Searcys at the Gherkin
The opposite of Stationers’ Hall in almost every way. The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe, uses the top two floors for weddings: the ceremony and dinner on one, and the glass dome at the very top for drinks and dancing. It’s licensed for ceremonies and takes around 130 for dinner.
I photographed Kelly and Dean’s wedding there. They both worked nearby and liked the building, which is a good reason to choose it. The view does most of the work up there, St Paul’s one way and Tower Bridge the other, and it’s best in the last hour before dark. The thing to plan around is glass. There’s a lot of it, and reflections are part of every picture you take inside. There’s more on the venue on my Gherkin page.
For portraits at ground level, Leadenhall Market is a few minutes’ walk away, and on a weekend it’s close to empty.
Where the portraits are
Wherever you get married in the City, these are the places I’d take you. All of them are better at the weekend.
- St Paul’s Cathedral. The west steps, and the view back up from Peter’s Hill. More on the St Paul’s page.
- The Millennium Bridge. St Paul’s behind you, the river underneath. Busy with tourists, so it’s a quick stop.
- Leadenhall Market. Painted Victorian roof, cobbles and shopfronts. Covered, which matters in October.
- The side streets and alleys. The City is full of them. Old stone, narrow passages, and almost nobody around on a Saturday.
- Tower Bridge. A short taxi ride east. There’s a Tower Bridge page for that too.
How I photograph a City wedding
Quietly, for most of the day. I cover it as it happens and stay out of the way of it. Then, at a time that suits you, I take you out for fifteen or twenty minutes for the portraits. They’re the editorial, slightly dramatic pictures couples tend to book me for, and in the City they usually mean stone, long shadows and an empty street. You’re back with your guests before anyone has noticed you’d gone.
A lot of City weddings start somewhere else. A church in the East End and a reception at a livery hall, or a register office in the morning and dinner at the Gherkin. I’m happy to help with the timings between the two, and I’ll tell you honestly how long the drive across town takes on a Saturday.
Pre-wedding shoots in the City
The City is a very good place for a pre-wedding shoot, for the same reason. Early on a Sunday it’s as close to an empty film set as London gets. St Paul’s, the Millennium Bridge and Leadenhall Market all fit into an hour on foot.
What it costs
The same as anywhere else in London.
- £1,350 for five hours
- £1,800 for eight hours, which covers getting ready through to the first dance
- £2,200 for eleven hours
- Register office ceremonies by the hour, from £350
Every photograph is edited, the gallery is ready within 24 hours for a smaller wedding or within a week for a full day, and a second photographer (£1,250) or an album can be added if you want them. The full breakdown is on the London wedding photography prices page.
Nearby
If your day spreads west, I also have pages for Westminster, St James’s, Mayfair and Marylebone.
Questions couples ask
Is the City of London busy for photos on a wedding day?
Not at the weekend. The City empties on Saturdays and Sundays, which is the main reason it works so well for portraits. The exceptions are the obvious tourist spots, like the Millennium Bridge and the steps of St Paul’s.
Which City of London venues have you photographed?
Stationers’ Hall and Searcys at the Gherkin, as well as portraits and pre-wedding shoots around St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge.
How long do the portraits take?
Fifteen or twenty minutes, at a time that suits you. You’re not away from your guests for an hour.
How much does a City of London wedding photographer cost?
My prices are the same across London: £1,350 for five hours, £1,800 for eight and £2,200 for eleven, with register office ceremonies from £350.
Tell me your date and your venue and I’ll let you know straight away whether I’m free. Get in touch here.
Barrie
