PLANNING YOUR WEDDING: ICONIC WEDDING VENUES IN LONDON

LONDON WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

As a London wedding photographer, I get to run the gamut of amazing venues. Sometimes we get out into the countryside to historic manors and rolling hills, but taking wedding photos against the historic backdrop of our capital city is a unique and special thing – and leaves so much room to express your individual taste and style. 

If you’re at the beginning of your wedding planning journey and are browsing the many luxury London wedding venues on offer, I hope this blog post can serve as some inspiration! Whether you’re drawn to avant-garde modernity or historic grandeur, timeless sophistication or on-trend aesthetics, there are iconic London hotels and wedding venues – ceremony and reception venues alike – that will fit the bill.

I have created this blog about London’s best wedding venues according to a London wedding photographer to help you narrow down your venues list, and hopefully provide a little bit of insider knowledge to give you inspiration to get your wedding planning journey up and running!

London’s best wedding venues according to a London wedding photographer

I always think being a London wedding photographer requires a little something extra. As well as timeless editorial stills of my beautiful couples, there is that subconscious backdrop I have to acknowledge – their wedding takes place in a global city, humming with life and innovation, where centuries of culture jostle together, shoulder to shoulder. 

Whether cityscapes make up part of my clients’ galleries or not is sometimes irrelevant – even if all of the shots are captured inside, my approach is characterised by a sense of almost filmic timelessness with a modern and contemporary edge.

My list of the top 16 luxury London wedding venues

The right space will very much shape and inform the day you have. Whether you want to hop in a black cab and travel across the city (a great option for 30 mins of downtime with your new souse!) or choose a single venue for the ceremony and reception where you can hunker down to celebrate all day long, the rhythm of your day is vastly shaped by your locale.

There are plenty of London venues I still haven’t shot, and some I have shot too – but this is my list of the capital’s most undeniably fab wedding venues, from the point of view of a London wedding photographer.

Kimpton Fitzroy

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

This ornate building on Russell Square offers the perfect combination of sumptuous historical details like wood panelling alongside expanses of glass for light-bathed rooms. The beautiful Grade II-listed ballroom is likely the hub for your day. A full wall of windows makes natural light a breeze, whilst the ornate ceiling and mezzanine gallery offer unique photo opportunities. This space has a private entrance, and is so versatile – the Kimpton can work for an intimate wedding of only a handful of chosen loved ones or can accommodate up to 200 seated guests for something of a grander scale. There is so much scope for photography here – the next door space, called Palm Court, offers a romantic extra space with a champagne bar, access to an outdoor terrace, and even an indoor winter garden!

Kew Gardens

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

Kew is renowned internationally for its botany, but it’s also an exquisite space for your wedding. Where else will you find a London venue set in 324 acres of gardens, for a start? As a London wedding photographer, I love the juxtaposition of such verdancy and rolling gardens. You could get married in the 

world’s largest Victorian glasshouse – positively bathed in natural light, in whatever weather – or choose from one of several other options at the venue including the elegant orangery, a cosy cottage, and even the gardens themselves.

Marylebone Town Hall

CEREMONY ONLY

Marylebone Town Hall is an iconic, and historic wedding venue which has been marrying lucky couples for over a hundred years! There are various spaces with different offerings – some more intimate and some larger, some dark rich wood and some lighter. I love the exterior shots that Marylebone Town Hall offers – magnificently urban and cultured – and I also love the option of going for an intimate taxi ride with your newlywed to your reception venue!

Home House

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

This luxury private members club in Marylebone is a perfect spot for an intimate and personal wedding. They’re licensed for ceremonies, and you’ll have the options of several different spaces, from their Front Parlour to the Octagon Room, to choose from. Eccentric, decadent, Neoclassical detailing makes for a grand and sumptuous space for a wedding and reception. They are also Butterfly Mark certified – illustrating that they uphold the highest standards in sustainability.

The Lanesborough

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

This luxury Knightsbridge hotel sits on Hyde Park Corner and is a celebration of Classic period elegance. Choose from the seven private rooms and host an intimate celebration for ten or a spectacular sit-down reception for up to 90. The Lanesborough cannot be matched for location and Classical elegance. Added to that, their expertise and culinary flair all add up to create a beautiful, trustworthy venue you can be sure will host a spectacular celebration of elegance and refinement.

The 22 Private Club

RECEPTION

Opulent and distinguished, this Grosvenor Square locale is super-stylish. Perfect for an intimate dinner reception, it can seat up to 24. Attentive service will make the space feel dedicated to you. Stay over to make the most of this special little bolthole in central London.

The Ritz

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

This legendary space is perfect for a wedding. Renowned for its opulence, when Ritz himself spared no expense to ensure the hotel was the finest in the land, The Ritz offers weddings in William Kent House, the Grade II-listed mansion which adjoins The Ritz itself. Choose from one of their five private dining rooms with exclusive hire for your celebrations. With The Ritz, you know that service will be second to none, and it offers the perfect combination of timeless with a slight edge of nostalgic kitsch which I love to lean into in my photography.

The Landmark

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

Offering six exclusive wedding spaces, the Landmark Hotel is central, luxurious, and grand. This 5-star hotel on Marylebone Road has impressive capacity – the largest of their rooms is the striking Grand Ballroom, which can host up to 512 guests for your ceremony! For up to 380, there’s the Marble Ballroom, a space of unique green marble, columns, and a welcoming fireplace. Smaller ceremonies are perfect in the Drawing Room (with a capacity of up to 180) and the Empire Room (with a capacity of up to 200). They are both spaces replete with original features and historic charm. This is the place for large-scale drama!

Claridges

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

This renowned Mayfair hotel is full of British charm. This iconic British venue has a history of hosting state banquets and royal receptions, so you can rest assured that your celebrations will feel majestic. Ten opulent event spaces exude their timeless style, and you can choose to host up to 400 people (or keep it much more intimate). Art Deco features and beautiful detailing nod to a golden age of glamour, so will make you feel so special.

The Ivy

RECEPTION

The Ivy is a famous restaurant and historic haunt of actors and celebrities alike, just off the West End. Private Hire of The Loft, on the original Ivy’s top floor, provides sumptuous reception space for up to 50 seated, or 100 standing. Light streams through their iconic chequerboard windows in the daytime, whilst the cosy, rich interiors are the perfect backdrop as darkness falls. The Private Room downstairs, meanwhile, seats up to 60 for a wedding breakfast. The twinkling bespoke bar and original artwork make for an inviting and decadent space for your wedding. As a London wedding photographer, this is the sort of space I adore – the intimacy and exuberance of a venue that feels super special.

The Maine Mayfair

RECEPTION

This New England-inspired London townhouse is decadent, swinging with champagne, jazz, and sparkle. Choose to privately hire The Drawing Room – which was the original drawing room of the Duke of Montrose – for a mid-century, laid-back space. Built in 1720, the firm has managed to nevertheless incorporate a subtle nod to the East Coast with a giant capiz shell chandelier, mirrored cocktail bar and sumptuously soft banquettes.  It perfectly captures that timeless drama and the contemporary nod to the kitsch that I love to capture as a London wedding photographer.

34 Mayfair

RECEPTION

Lavish and captivating, 34 Mayfair is a conjunction of fine art and fine dining. Private hire of The Emin allows access to a beautiful and well-lit room with a wall of windows, a rich wooden floor, Art Deco-style private bar and rich red accents. It accommodates 60 seated guests – or go for the magnificent oval table, which allows dining for 34 all seated around one feasting table. It’s another star in the Caprice Holdings crown (J Sheekey and Daphne’s are two of my other favourites that fall under the umbrella – as did the old Ivy), so you know you’re in for excellent service and fab food. For bigger celebrations, consider exclusive hire of the whole of 34 Mayfair.

The Ned

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

The Ned is a fab option if you need trusted hands to take over the organisation of your event. Exclusive hire of the sixth floor offers rooms catering for everything from 4 to 200 people, all with The Ned’s signature style.  Named after founder and famed architect Edwin Lutyens (hence ‘Ned’), weddings at The Ned allow access to six rooms and two outdoor terraces with panoramic urban views across the City. Choose to hire the spaces independently, or hire the whole sixth floor for the perfect flow from day to night – there’s a space for every mood and every moment.

Daphne’s

RECEPTION

Italian restaurant Daphne’s is a neighbourhood favourite for the well-heeled of Chelsea and South Kensington. The conservatory space is luxurious, elegant and romantic, giving the perfect welcome to a warmly intimate wedding reception. For bigger celebrations, exclusive hire of the whole space is another option. The conservatory can seat 24 guests around one table, 32 around four round tables, or 50 for a canape restaurant.

Beaumont Mayfair

CEREMONY & RECEPTION

The Beaumont combines the charm of an Art Deco, Modernist hotel with a smaller scale, boutique feel somewhat at odds with its central London location. Take your vows here, and then move through to the dark interiors of the dining space – a London wedding photographer’s dream, as I can get that fashion look with flash, giving your celebrations the feel of an exclusive and bougie London member’s club in their heyday. Three versatile spaces accommodate everything from ten guests to up to 60 standing.

Sumosan Twiga

RECEPTION

Sumosan Twiga is a unique entry on this list. Launched in 2016, it’s a visionary collaboration, bringing together Japanese cuisine from Sumosan and the brand Twiga. Here, the elegant cuisine and exquisite beauty of Japan melds with timeless Italian tradition artfully. The Club space House of Beluga is perfect for those Silver Screen Hollywood shots, where the dining space is clean and classic, and offers perfect service.

I hope this list of top 16 venues, according to me, a London wedding photorapher, will help you narrow down your search for a London wedding venue! Whichever you choose, I hope your day is the perfect combination of joy, indulgence, and beauty.

Do you need a London wedding photographer? Get in touch today.