St Paul's Cathedral Wedding Photographer
Twenty years photographing couples around Wren's dome: the west front steps, Paternoster Square, and the view straight down the Millennium Bridge. No permit needed for any of it.
St Paul's is the most photographed building in London, which is exactly the problem with it.
Everyone has the same picture of the dome. What makes the difference here is knowing where to stand so the background is clean, which side the light is on at the hour you are actually there, and how to work around several thousand other people. I have been photographing couples around this cathedral for over twenty years, on wedding days at nearby venues and on pre-wedding sessions, and none of it needs a permit.
Where I photograph around St Paul's
The west front steps
The columns, the steps and the full symmetry of the front. It is the formal shot, and it is best before the crowds arrive.
Paternoster Square
Open, modern and much quieter than the cathedral side. Good for full-length portraits, and useful when the wind is up on the steps.
The Millennium Bridge
The view everyone knows: the dome framed dead centre at the end of the bridge. Shoot it from the south end looking north, late in the day.
One New Change rooftop
Free to walk up, and it puts the dome at eye level with the City behind it. The one elevated view here that costs nothing.
Come at sunrise
It is the single thing that changes these pictures. Around six in summer, later in winter. The light comes from the east straight onto the dome, the stone goes warm, and the streets are empty enough that you can stand where you actually want to stand. Nobody enjoys the alarm. Everybody likes the photographs.
Golden hour is the other one, particularly from the south end of the Millennium Bridge, where the sun sits behind the cathedral and puts the dome in silhouette. Between ten and five it is crowded and the light is flat overhead, which flattens faces and blows out a white dress.
I plan St Paul's as part of a wider route rather than a destination on its own. Bankside and the Tate Modern are on the other side of the bridge, and Tower Bridge and Shad Thames are under ten minutes in a cab.
What you are allowed to do
- Inside the cathedralThe cathedral controls photography inside its own walls, and it is not something you can just turn up and do. Arrange it with them directly if you need it.
- The steps and the piazzaPublic. No permit, no fee, no need to tell anyone you are coming.
- Paternoster Square and One New ChangeBoth privately managed. Nobody has ever stopped me photographing a couple there, but they can, so stay unobtrusive and do not set up lights.
- The bridgePublic, and busy at both ends. A tripod in the middle of it will get you moved on at the wrong hour, so I work handheld.
If you are getting married nearby, the City of London page covers the venues, and Tower Bridge is the other landmark couples usually want in the same day.
The groups, done quickly
The colonnade along the side of the cathedral is where I do family groups here. It is in shade whatever the sun is doing, the stone behind everyone is clean, and there is no traffic to wait for. The chequerboard floor does the composing for you.
Send me the list of combinations beforehand and we will get through them in ten minutes rather than forty. Small children last, before they have run out of patience, and then everyone goes back to the drinks.
What a St Paul's shoot costs
These are my London pre-wedding sessions. St Paul's is included in both, alongside whatever else we fit into the route.
A focused session at the big landmarks.
- For shorter trips and tighter itineraries
- St Paul's and the Millennium Bridge
- 80 edited high-resolution images
- Itinerary built around your trip
- Gallery within 24 hours, no watermarks
Room to move across the city properly.
- The full London pre-wedding day
- St Paul's, the bridge, and several more landmarks
- 150 edited high-resolution images
- Outfit change included
- Golden-hour coverage, gallery within 24 hours
More on how these sessions run is on my London pre-wedding page, and my London wedding photographer page shows how I cover a full wedding day. If you want St Paul's portraits as part of a wedding day rather than a separate session, that sits inside the wedding collections on my London wedding photography prices page, which start at £1,350.
St Paul's photography questions
Do we need a permit to photograph at St Paul's?
Not for the outside. The steps, the churchyard and every public street and bridge around the cathedral are free to photograph in, with no permit and no fee. Inside the cathedral is different: photography there is controlled by St Paul's and has to be arranged with them.
Can we actually get married at St Paul's?
Only if you qualify. The cathedral marries a small number of couples a year, usually in the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire in the crypt, and eligibility runs through the Orders of chivalry, the British Empire Medal and the cathedral community, or being the child of someone who holds one. Every wedding needs the Archbishop of Canterbury's approval and the waiting list runs to a couple of years. Almost all of my St Paul's photographs are portraits, either on a wedding day at a venue nearby or on a pre-wedding session.
What is the best time of day?
Sunrise, by a distance. Around six in summer and later in winter, when the light hits the dome from the east and the streets are empty. Golden hour from the south end of the Millennium Bridge is the other good window. Between ten and five it is crowded and the light is flat overhead.
What else can we fit into the same session?
The Millennium Bridge and Bankside are a three-minute walk, the One New Change rooftop is two minutes, and Tower Bridge and Shad Thames are under ten minutes by cab. A five-hour session covers St Paul's and several other landmarks without rushing.
What should we wear?
Deep, solid colours hold up against Portland stone: red, navy, ivory, black. Plenty of couples wear full wedding outfits, and it never looks out of place here. Wear shoes you can walk in, because there is more ground between locations than people expect.
How much does it cost?
A London pre-wedding session is £850 for three hours or £1,250 for five, with every image edited and the gallery delivered within 24 hours. St Paul's portraits on a wedding day are covered by the wedding collections, which start at £1,350.
Want the dome in your photographs?
Send me your dates. I read every enquiry myself and I'll come back to you with a route and an honest answer about the light.
Rather use the longer form? Head to the contact page