The Langham Wedding Photographer
Weddings at The Langham, London, photographed quietly by someone who has been coming back to the building since 2015.
The Langham sits at the top of Regent Street, facing down the West End. It opened in 1865 and has been taking weddings more or less ever since.
A grand, central, properly run hotel where your guests can walk from the tube and sleep upstairs. Very little in London does that better, and the Courtyard Garden gives it something other hotels at this level don't have.
Back regularly since 2015
I know which rooms have the windows, when the front steps are quiet, and how long it takes to cross Portland Place and back.
I photographed my first wedding here in 2015 and I've been back regularly since. A good proportion of them have been Persian and Iranian weddings, so I know how those days run too.
On the day I work quietly. Two cameras, one wide for the room and one long for the reactions people don't know they're giving. No instructions barked across the ceremony, and no forty-minute group list.
BarrieWhere weddings happen at The Langham
The Ballroom is the headline, but the entrance and the street outside do just as much for your photographs.
Chandeliers and pillars
Grade II listed, six-metre ceilings, pillars down the sides and Murano glass chandeliers above. Up to 250 for dinner. It's a lit room rather than a daylit one, and shot warm and low it looks like the evening it was.
The front steps
The portico, the glass doors and the chandelier in the hall behind. A couple on those steps says exactly where you are, and the picture takes about ninety seconds to make.
Portland Place at night
Broadcasting House lights up directly opposite, thirty seconds from the door. In winter it's one of the best night frames in central London, and you're back inside before your drink is warm.
The Courtyard Garden and the Portland Foyer. The Courtyard is a private walled garden off the Ballroom, and for a summer drinks reception it's the best thing the building has. The Portland Foyer next door has chandeliers and daylight, and it's where half the pictures of your guests arriving get taken.
The small things, photographed properly
Rings, shoes, the dress on its hanger. Bridal prep happens upstairs, and the corner rooms have the better windows, so if you get a choice, ask for one.
The shoes are from a wedding at The Langham. The other details are from weddings I've photographed elsewhere.
A lot of my Langham weddings have been Persian
That's not an accident. The building takes a sofreh aghd well, the Ballroom holds the numbers these weddings usually run to, and the staff have done enough of them that I'm not explaining the running order to anyone on the morning.
If that's your day, there's more on my Persian weddings in London page.
Where to take portraits at The Langham
Fifteen or twenty minutes, then back to your guests. Three very different-looking frames without leaving the hotel, and one just across the road.
- The front stepsBest straight after the ceremony, or after dark when the portico lights come on. Mid-afternoon the sun is off the building and the pavement is at its busiest.
- The staircaseGood in colour and better in black and white.
- The Portland FoyerThe daylight room of the building, with chandeliers, right next to the Ballroom.
- Regent's ParkTen minutes' walk up Portland Place or a five-minute cab. Build it into the timings or leave it out. Squeezing it in unplanned is what makes a timeline slip.
How a Langham wedding usually runs
Every wedding is different, but most days here follow a similar shape. This is roughly how it goes from where I'm standing.
Morning, upstairs
Getting ready in a room at the hotel. Available light wherever possible, which here it usually is.
The ceremony
In the Ballroom or one of the smaller licensed rooms. I work quietly from the back and the sides.
Drinks in the Foyer or Courtyard
Both have light the Ballroom doesn't, and both keep the Ballroom fresh for the reveal. Portraits happen around now too.
Dinner and the evening
Speeches on a longer lens, then the first dance. If you fancy Portland Place at night, it's ten minutes and I'll find the moment.
What Langham wedding photography costs
London collections, priced by the hours you actually need. Most Langham weddings run from getting ready upstairs to the dance floor, so couples usually choose Classic or Premium.
Ceremony through to the speeches.
- For smaller weddings and daytime receptions
- Ceremony in a licensed room
- Drinks in the Foyer or Courtyard
- Portraits and family groups
- No evening party coverage
Preparations through to the first dance.
- The standard full Langham wedding day
- Getting ready upstairs
- Ceremony and drinks reception
- Portraits on the steps and around the hotel
- Speeches, cake and first dance
Preparations through to the last dance.
- For big Ballroom weddings where nothing gets missed
- Everything in Classic
- The evening party and dance floor
- Portland Place at night
- An unhurried pace across the whole day
A second photographer is £1,250 and worth thinking about with a big guest list. Albums are quoted separately. Full details are on my wedding photography prices and packages page, and there's more on how I work on my luxury wedding photography page.
What couples say
A few words from couples I've photographed, in London and further afield.
Barrie was fab! He knew Old Marylebone Town Hall really well (even the registrars knew him). He made us feel comfortable and took us to really cute places to get some special shots. Would highly recom…
Barrie was the photographer for our civil wedding ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall and he was great! Professional, friendly and creative throughout the day. The photos are amazing, stylish and ple…
Barrie is incredible! He is a total pro and the best in the business! We love our photos so much. We got married at trading boundaries and he was the perfect photographer. So special. Thank you Barrie
Barrie was such a great photographer for our wedding from start to finish. He was so friendly and make us feel so calm and relaxed on our big day. The photos he took were amazing and we loved all of t…
Simply the best wedding photographer we have ever come across. Barrie was not only incredibly professional, he also slotted right in to the day and all our guests commented on how relaxed, fun and tal…
Langham wedding questions
Can you get married at The Langham?
Yes. The hotel is licensed for civil ceremonies, in the Grand Ballroom and in the smaller private rooms, so the ceremony and the reception happen under the same roof. Confirm which room your licence covers when you book.
How many guests can The Langham take?
The Grand Ballroom seats up to 250 for dinner and takes 375 standing. The private dining rooms suit weddings up to around fifty. Ask for a layout at your numbers, because a dance floor and a top table reduce the seated figure.
Is there outdoor space?
Yes, the Courtyard Garden, a private walled garden off the Grand Ballroom that hires alongside it. It's the only outdoor space at the hotel.
Where are the best places for photos at The Langham?
The front steps under the entrance chandelier, the staircase, the Portland Foyer for daylight, the Courtyard Garden in summer, and Portland Place after dark with Broadcasting House lit opposite.
Is The Langham a good winter wedding venue?
A very good one. The interiors carry the whole day, so a January wedding photographs much like a June one, and Portland Place at night is better in winter. The only thing you give up is the Courtyard Garden.
How much does a Langham wedding photographer cost?
My collections are £1,350 for five hours, £1,800 for eight and £2,200 for eleven, with every image edited. Galleries come back within 24 hours for smaller weddings and within a week for a full day. A second photographer is an optional £1,250.
When will we get our photos?
Within 24 hours for a smaller wedding and within a week for a full day, in a private online gallery with high-resolution downloads and no watermarks.
As featured in
Getting married at The Langham?
Send me your date. I read every enquiry myself and I'll let you know straight away whether I'm free.
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We had Barrie come by and photograph our civil ceremony / wedding registration at Old Marylebone Town Hall. We wanted it shot in an elopement style as it was just one of the many pre- weddings events …