Old Marylebone Town Hall Wedding Before Italy | Patricia & Thomas

Patricia and Thomas were married at Old Marylebone Town Hall yesterday afternoon — the last ceremony of the day, half four in the Knightsbridge Room, immediate family only. This was the legal bit. The big one is in Italy, with everyone, and they fly out today.

It was a warm, bright evening for late September, which meant confetti on the steps in sunshine and an hour afterwards in the best light of the year.

Married in London, celebrating in Italy

Patricia is from New York, Thomas is from Italy, and they live in London. So the paperwork happens here and the party happens abroad — which is how a good number of the weddings I photograph at Marylebone work these days.

It’s a sensible way to do it. Getting legally married in another country can mean a stack of documents and a lot of waiting, so couples marry at their local register office first and keep the celebration for wherever the family is. It also makes for a lovely day in its own right. A small group, no schedule to speak of, and a couple of hours afterwards with nowhere to be.

Her mum’s dress, from 1985

Patricia wore her mother’s wedding dress — lace, long sleeves, made in 1985, and carried over from New York for the occasion. It fitted like it was hers.

Dresses like that photograph differently to new ones. The lace has softened, the colour has gone slightly warm, and it catches late sun in a way a bright white gown doesn’t.

The Knightsbridge Room at half four

The Knightsbridge Room is one of the smaller ceremony rooms — grey-green panelling, a fireplace, a modern ring of light overhead, and a window that at that time of day throws a soft strip of light across the front of the room.

Being the last wedding of the day has its advantages. The building empties out, nobody is waiting in the corridor, and the staff have time for you. The registrars at Marylebone are consistently among the best I work with — warm, funny, and good at putting a nervous room at ease. It’s one of the reasons I keep recommending the place.

Confetti on the steps

Then out onto the steps, where a small group makes more noise than you’d think.

Confetti is over in a few seconds, so I shoot a lot of it and keep going afterwards. The frame you want is usually the one just after, when everyone’s laughing at how it went.

London Business School and the streets nearby

Patricia studied at London Business School, which sits in the building right next door — so while the family walked round to The Landmark for drinks, we spent a few minutes there first. Not every couple gets a photo outside the place they studied on their wedding day.

A warm evening in Marylebone

After that it was just a walk. A cobbled mews a couple of streets away, low sun down the length of it, a table outside a cafe, and no need to hurry anywhere.

This is my favourite time of year here. Late September gives you warm, low light from about five o’clock, and none of the harshness you get at midday in the summer. All I do is point them at something and let them get on with it.

Patricia and Thomas

Congratulations to you both, and thank you for a really lovely afternoon. Have a wonderful time in Italy — enjoy every bit of it, and safe travels today.

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Getting married at Old Marylebone Town Hall?

If you’re planning a ceremony there, I’ve written a full guide to the venue — the seven ceremony rooms, how the day runs, the best spots nearby for photos, and my hourly prices. There’s a live date checker on the page too, so you can see if your date is free before you get in touch.

Old Marylebone Town Hall wedding photography — prices and availability

Marrying legally in London before a celebration abroad? That’s what my micro wedding photography and elopement photography pages are for. And if you’d like the same pair of hands at the celebration itself, I travel — have a look at destination wedding photography.