Neda and Reza’s Persian wedding at Home House
Neda and Reza had a Persian wedding at Home House on Portman Square — getting ready in the house, ceremony, photos on the staircase, then dinner and speeches. Everything under one roof, which for a London wedding is worth a lot.
The morning
Neda got ready at Home House with her bridesmaids. Georgian rooms, big windows, and enough soft light coming in that I didn’t have to add any.
Persian bridal dress and jewellery is worth photographing properly and worth photographing early, before it’s been worn for eight hours. I shoot the detail first and then leave people alone.
The ceremony
I don’t direct anything during a ceremony. I find two or three positions beforehand and work between them, and if I’ve got it right nobody notices I’m there.
Persian ceremonies are busier than most — people talk, people laugh, there’s a lot going on around the couple. That’s the wedding, not an interruption to it, and it’s where the best pictures are.
The staircase
Home House has a curved staircase that runs up through the middle of the building, and it’s the shot everyone comes here for. Fairly, in this case.
It works because of the shape rather than the decoration — the curve pulls your eye up through the frame, and there’s daylight coming in from above. It’s one of the few places I do actually put people where I want them.
Family photos
Family matters more at a Persian wedding than at most, so the group shots are worth doing properly rather than rushing.
My rule is to get them done quickly and keep people talking while I do it. Nobody enjoys standing in a line, and it shows on their faces if you drag it out. We did some inside and some in the garden.
Dinner and speeches
Dinner in the house, tables done simply, and speeches that ran through the traditional gift-giving.
During speeches I mostly photograph the room rather than the person talking. The reaction is nearly always the better picture.
Congratulations to Neda and Reza.
Getting married at Home House
Home House is a Georgian townhouse at 20 Portman Square in Marylebone, five minutes from Oxford Street and completely different once the door shuts. A few things worth knowing:
- It’s a whole-day venue. Getting ready, ceremony, photos and dinner all happen in the same building. No cars, no moving guests around, no lost half hours.
- The staircase is the picture. Leave ten minutes for it. It’s worth doing without a crowd watching.
- Natural light through most of the rooms. That means quieter coverage — I’m not setting up lights in the corner of your wedding.
- There’s a garden and a terrace for the drinks hour and for family groups, which is rare this central.
Venue details are on the Home House website. 20 Portman Square, Marylebone, London W1H 6LW.
I photograph a lot of Persian weddings in London — usually through couples recommending me to friends, which is the part of this job I’m proudest of. If you’re planning one, have a look at my prices and send me your date.
