Wedding Photography at Arnos Vale, Bristol
The Spielman Centre’s pillars and descending steps provide a splendid setting for a sequence of confetti photographs as the couple exits their Arnos Vale wedding ceremony. A gorgeous façade such as this is a boon for any wedding photographer.
A Beautifully Photogenic Bristol Wedding Venue Location
Arnos Vale is the perfect location for your Bristol wedding – just a 15-minute walk from Temple Meads Station and 1.5 miles from the City Centre.
The cemetery is set in 45 acres of heritage woodland and is a real hidden gem. There are 3 wedding spaces to choose from, or you may add an additional venue for an extra cost. If you’re feeling very extravagant, you may even hire the third venue for your evening entertainment!
The bride arrives with her father outside the Spielman Centre at the start of her rainy wedding. Happily, the weather cleared up by the time the newlyweds exited.
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Bride Natasha enters the West Lodge building for her interview with the Bristol registrar.
Photography At the Beginning of the Wedding Day
It’s a good idea to book your wedding photographer to start a while before proceedings are due to begin. They can then liaise comfortably with Arnos Vale’s wedding coordinator (a lovely lady called Buffy) and assess how they will approach the day. If your photographer covers your wedding preparations beforehand, they should aim to arrive roughly 30 minutes before the bride.
Weddings at Arnos Vale start at 2 p.m. at the West Lodge. Traditionally, the groom arrives first for his pre-wedding interview with the registrar. He then goes up to the chosen ceremony venue, where the guests arrive.
The bride arrives (sometimes fashionably late!) for her interview and is driven up the venue’s driveway. I spend time photographing the bridal party outside before they make their entrance.
After his wedding interview, the groom greets guests outside. I loved the colours in his umbrella and tried to feature them in as many photos as possible.
Arnos Vale Wedding Photography Venues
The three wedding spaces are all highly photogenic in different ways. Each offers a fully bespoke experience, with various upgrade options and a wide selection of meal choices, from a formal sit-down wedding breakfast to a picnic in the woods! How many other wedding venues offer that?!?
The exterior of the Anglican Chapel: It is the perfect venue for some portraits and your ceremony + wedding breakfast.
The Underwood Centre
- For a more rustic wedding celebration, the Underwood is, as the name suggests, outdoors! This venue is a wooden roof and woodland clearing, but it is unusual and appeals to outdoor and spiritual types.
- It is suitable for up to 60 seated guests and 20 standing during the ceremony. All 80 can be catered for during the meal.
- You can order picnic tables to facilitate eating. Catering is informal, with diverse options, including picnics and hog roasts.
- Pets are welcome in the Underwood.
- You are granted access 3 hours before your ceremony to add personal touches and decorations.
- Extremely photography-friendly. Being in the woods, you can easily slip away for some wedding portraits after your ceremony.
- You must vacate the venue by sunset or 9 pm – whichever happens first, but you can relocate indoors if you have added a second venue.
- This venue is unsuitable in poor weather. If the weather looks inclement, your wedding will be transferred indoors to one of the other venues.
The Spielman Centre
- Glorious Victorian architecture and a neutral interior present a splendid backdrop for your wedding ceremony and evening celebrations. The pillars outside mean a beautiful directional light for your wedding photography of the arrivals, drinks reception, and confetti sequence.
- 70 guests may be seated for your ceremony, with a further 20 standing. A seated meal in the Spielman can cater to 70 guests. However, you can invite 140 guests to the evening celebrations.
- Includes long trestle tables, but you may upgrade to round tables as an extra.
- Drinks and canapés are served outside after your ceremony.
- You can utilise the adjoining Atrium Cafe as an extra space for your evening celebrations.
The Anglican Chapel
- The self-proclaimed ‘centrepiece’ of the Arnos Vale venues. The interior and exterior (with a stunning bell tower) are impressive and the perfect venue for an entire wedding day, from the ceremony to the evening entertainment. Or mix and match with the other two spaces.
- Holds up to 100 guests throughout the day and 120 in the evening.
- Various seasonal menu options, from buffets to a full sit-down meal, are available.
The pillars outside the Spielman Centre provide a great arrival experience for the bride as the day begins.
At the rustic Underwood Centre, guests congregate in preparation for the bride’s arrival.
The bridesmaids enter through the grand doors at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. I always photograph a nice sequence of the bridal procession up the aisle.
The walk from where the car drops the bridal party to the Underwood Centre is about 4 minutes. I take time to photograph the bridal procession.
From the back of the Spielman Centre, the groom sees his bride for the first time. Although I still use a little fill-flash to brighten the shadows, those large leaded windows provide excellent light for your wedding photography.
The light isn’t so good at the Underwood Centre, but I get the most out of it with a few tweaks to my camera settings. The colourful pompoms really add to this scene.
Helpful to Know About Arnos Vale Weddings
- The wedding day celebrations start at 2 pm and continue until 11.30 pm. Late-night extensions of up to 1.30 am are available for an extra cost.
- Dedicated wedding coordinator Buffy and her team will see you through every step of the way.
- The venue is very photography-friendly, and the wedding team are keen to keep your photographer informed and able to take the very best shots throughout the day.
- There are no restrictions on where you can go on-site, either for a walk with guests or for your wedding photography.
- The venue provides its caterers, the Cleverchefs – https://www.cleverchefs.co.uk/
- You must book your wedding through the registrars at the Bristol Register Office. Do check that they are available on your date first.
The Bristol registrars are accommodating, allowing your photographer to move around the room to achieve intimate shots such as this.
The Bristol Registrars & Your Ceremony Photography
I always make a point of introducing myself to the wedding or civil partnership officials. The Bristol registrars are very relaxed about wedding photography and are lovely to deal with. They actively encourage photography at their licensed Bristol venues with no restrictions. Providing the photographer does not get in the way, they allow them to move around the room to take the best shots. Standing behind and to the side of the registrar’s table, I can see everything going on. I also take some photos from the back and behind the couple, particularly during the exchange of rings.
Shooting from different angles and positions throughout the ceremony means moving slowly and discreetly to avoid distraction. I’m successful in this, as many couples say they forgot I was there. I also have the experience to predict what will happen and where to be when it does.
For further information about the legal ceremony and your options, visit the Bristol.gov website.
I love moments like this when their laughter shows their love. Having the freedom to move closer allows me to capture this.
Their first kiss: I often tell couples to linger awhile for this – they don’t usually object!
Signing the Wedding Schedule
The register went digital in 2021, so couples now sign a schedule—a sheet of paper with all data later transferred online.
Whereas before, I was not allowed to photograph the register signing at all, now Bristol Register Office have no restrictions around this. So I can capture this critical moment, including the witness signings.
Photographers’ can now capture the signing without the registrars batting an eyelid!
When the witnesses sign, the couple often relaxes a bit. I take advantage of this to catch a few natural shots.
Friends and family applaud the couple as they make their way back down the aisle. Beautiful light spills in through the large doorway, pleasingly enhancing the photos.
Outside the Spielman, floral arrangements are in keeping with the occasion.
The Newlyweds’ Exit & Confetti Photo Sequence
After leaving the building, the wedding coordinator whisks them through the café and keeps them there until the guests assemble outside. I waste no time arranging them into two lines for the couple to pass through.
As the couple leave the building again, I take a lovely sequence of photographs of the confetti being thrown over them.
Not their original exit from the building: By the time the couple leave for the second time, I’ve arranged their guests into an aisle for them to walk through.
This happens a lot after the confetti, and it’s a fun shot to capture. A perfect memory of a perfect day!
Congratulations & How Photography Fits in with Them
A part of the day that happens quite naturally and without orchestration is the congratulations…
As soon as the confetti settles, friends and family want to say their best wishes to the couple. This is one of my favourite times of the day, particularly at Arnos Vale. It’s a lovely time when your photographer should strive to capture precious moments and the essence of relationships between those present.
The groom’s knowing look at my camera makes this a cheeky congratulatory wedding photo.
As guests greet and congratulate the couple, my eyes need to be everywhere in order to capture precious wedding moments like this.
Taken from behind the bride, this hug perfectly shows off her hair and the back of the dress. Other guests milling around also give a good sense of occasion.
Post-Ceremony Posed Group Photos
The Spielman Centre and Anglican Chapel are perfect for posed group shots after the ceremony. I try to photograph a group shot of everyone first. It makes it easier to break it down into smaller groups and announce what will happen while everyone listens.
When you book my photography service, I provide a questionnaire with a section to list any group photos that are important to you. This helps streamline the procedure, giving me a reference point and speeding things up, allowing you to relax and enjoy the rest of your day.
The entire wedding party was standing on the steps outside Arnos Vale’s Spielman Centre.
An interesting composition gives the photo a different perspective and shows off the centre’s magnificent columns.
There’s a lovely clearing by the Underwood Centre with beautiful directional light, perfect for an family wedding portraits you require.
The Couple’s Posed Photos & a Chance to Explore
The drinks reception is the perfect point to steal you away for ten minutes for some posed shots of you together. The vast grounds of Arnos Vale Cemetery are the ideal place to do it…
I say ‘ten minutes’ because I realise the importance of enjoying your day with your loved ones, but I’m happy to take photos of you together for as long as you’re happy to have them. Half an hour or more can fly by with the scope of different locations around the cemetery grounds!
I’m drawn to dereliction, and many of the graves and tombs scattered throughout the grounds are overgrown, contrasting the freshness of your wedding day.
Being a cemetery, Arnos Vale is rife with tombs and gravestones. Whether or not you have these in your photos is optional.
A standard wedding portrait that I took in the sunshine outside the Anglican Chapel.
Diane and Geoff made the most of the various locations and backdrops at Arnos Vale. I added a vignette to increase the atmosphere in this photo with the Anglican Chapel behind them.
An underused area for portraits is the Great War Memorial near the West Lodge.
Arnos Vale Wedding FAQ’s
Q. WHY GET MARRIED AT ARNOS VALE CEMETERY?
A. The venue speaks for itself. With 45 acres of heritage woodland to explore and the best in Bristol’s Victorian architecture, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful and diverse wedding venue. Arnos Vale has 3 venues; you can mix and match them if you need more than one. There is a wide choice of food options, from a traditional sit-down meal to buffets, picnics and even a hog roast!
Q. HOW LONG BEFORE OUR WEDDING CEREMONY CAN WE GAIN ACCESS TO THE VENUE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY?
A. The Underwood is accessible up to 3 hours before your wedding starts. Discuss your requirements with the wedding coordinator for the other venues.
This photo was taken from the Spielman Centre’s steps. The West Lodge is in the distance on the left side of the image, and the Anglican Chapel is on the right.
Q. IS PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED OF OUR WEDDING VOWS?
A. Yes, the Bristol registrars are very accommodating, with no restrictions as long as your photographer is not a distraction.
Q. IS CONFETTI ALLOWED AFTERWARDS FOR A NICE PHOTOGRAPHIC SEQUENCE?
A. Confetti is allowed, and your wedding coordinator is vital in ensuring the couple and their photographer have a smooth experience.
Q. WHAT IS THE LIGHT LIKE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AT ARNOS VALE?
A. The venue is very much geared towards the outdoors, so photography is primarily dictated by the weather and time of day. Your photographer will probably need a little fill-flash to counter shadows and dark areas inside the wedding spaces, depending on their style and the light outside.
The interior of the Anglican Chapel, as the guests are seated for the couple’s entrance and the wedding breakfast.
This is how a table might be set out for receptions in the Underwood Centre.
The bride walks between the tables as she enters the chapel. The groom is just in front of her.
At the meal’s start, I capture some shots of guests seated. This is a fun one, as this pair spots me about to photograph their wine pouring.
The top table is beneath the large leaded windows at the front of the room – a spectacular spot for some great photography of the speeches later.
Diane and Geoff made the most of two of the three Arnos Vale venues. They had their ceremony and meal in the Underwood Centre, but the evening entertainment in the Spielman.
