Wedding Photography at Cardiff City Hall – The Historic Register Office in Wales’ Capital City
**Cardiff City Hall is now closed for the forseeable future. It has been temporarily replaced by Insole Court, and I photograph weddings there, too. Do look through my site and contact me to discuss your day!**
The confetti sequence is one of my favourite parts of the day. At Cardiff City Hall, they allow bubbles. More of this sequence is at the bottom of the page.
City Hall: A Beautiful Venue for Your Wedding
Cardiff City Hall is a beautiful venue with lots of significance for marriages, having been a permanent fixture of the city since 1806.
It is popular with couples and wedding photographers alike, with various marriage spaces to suit the smallest and more elaborate wedding gatherings.
Rae and Martin pause for a kiss as newlyweds in the beautiful entrance hall.
A Cardiff City Hall wedding is a lovely engagement for a wedding photographer.
Its beautiful interior lends itself to your ceremony and leads to beautiful memories of your big day captured forever. In addition, the lush exterior is an excellent location for attractive wedding photography portraits.
With the City Hall façade in the background, you will have fantastic photo images of your big day.
Bride Dania looks pretty as a picture as her father walks her down the aisle for her marriage in St David’s Room at Cardiff City Hall.
Helen and Clare booked me for an hour for their gay wedding at City Hall. So I photographed their portraits on the grass outside with the beautiful exterior in the background.
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The wedding party walking away from the venue after the marriage ceremony is a nice shot to capture.
The ornate entrance is beautiful and does justice to the bride entering her wedding ceremony.
Coming in from the outside: the bride’s father proudly walks her through Cardiff City Hall’s entrance.
Room 103: The Guests’ Waiting Room Pre-Ceremony
An usher shows the wedding guests into the waiting room (labelled 103), which adjoins St David’s Room upon arrival.
The couple is either kept separate or can arrive together depending on preference and have their interviews with the registrar as their guests wait.
It gives your photographer time with the guests to photograph a few natural moments that the couple wouldn’t otherwise get to see.
Everyone is shown into St David’s Room or St. Dwynwen’s Room at the appropriate time for the wedding ceremony. (See ‘Cardiff Register Office Wedding Rooms’ below for further details of which would be suitable for you).
Two guests waiting in the basic but attractive ‘Room 103’ waiting room: The room has chairs running around the walls, but the only period feature is the ornate Victorian fireplace with floral arrangements.
In the corridor outside Room 103, the bride’s sister gives her a last-minute good luck kiss before the ceremony commences.
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One guest hammed it up a bit when I pointed out how nice the fireplace looked. But, of course, I’m always happy to document the daft moments and the serious.
A short while later, the wedding guests are seated in the St David’s Room, awaiting the couple’s arrival and the ceremony’s beginning.
A Venue Conveniently Located in the Centre of Cardiff
Cardiff City Hall provides various rooms to suit your wedding style and accommodate the number of guests you have invited. It is ideal for couples wishing for intimate wedding ceremonies. The building has beautiful hallways that the wedding photographer can capture you and your party walking down before and after your wedding.
Another photo from Helen and Clare’s LGTBQ wedding: They were taken with the Prince of Wales’s portrait in the grand entrance hall and wanted a picture with him before their ceremony.
LGBTQ/Same-Sex Wedding Photography at Cardiff City Hall
If you have a gay or LGBT+ wedding, then the venue is ideal and caters to all non-religious civil ceremony style same-sex marriages. I have photographed several gay weddings at Cardiff Register Office, and the experience for the couple is the same.
The entrance doorway to the main hall. Another wonderful photography moment.
First in a set of three taken in St. Dwynwen’s Room: Looks and smiles between the couple are essential to capture and give more meaning to your collection of photographs.
In some venues, the ceremony takes place against bright light from the windows: This can result in loss of contrast, which I quickly rectify in the editing.
If only a photograph could speak: I often take photos of the couple laughing but rarely remember why. Usually, it’s a mix up of words or the ring not going on as smoothly as it should.
Cardiff Register Office Wedding Rooms
The Register Office: Here, you can only have your two witnesses only, including just the wedding vows and exchange of rings. The ceremony is swift and probably unsuitable for hiring a wedding photographer. Although if you want it documented, they might accommodate, so ask if you can bring a photographer.
St. Dwynwen’s Room: Can hold 10 guests and include your music choice to be included in your wedding ceremony. They do not allow you to write your vows for ceremonies in this room.
St. David’s Room: With a capacity of 65 people and elegant decorations, the room is City Hall’s largest and suitable for medium-sized weddings. You can include your choice of vows, music and readings. (Pictured Below).
A shot from the back of the St David’s Room: In Cardiff City Hall’s most popular ceremony room, the Bride and Groom are about to take their vows.
The much smaller St. Dwynwen’s Room seats only ten guests and is ideal for couples on a budget or wanting a more low-key ceremony.
Cardiff City Hall Wedding Spaces
Council Chamber: The smallest room of the rest accommodates 94 guests seated ‘arena’ style in a circle (50 more guests may be sitting in the gallery). It lies directly below City Hall’s majestic dome and includes wood panelling and marble pillars, making for a deceptively elaborate wedding ceremony. It offers an intimate and memorable setting for your wedding.
The Marble Hall: Possibly the most beautifully ornate of Cardiff City Hall’s rooms licensed for weddings, The Marble Hall can comfortably fit 150-200 hundred guests. As its name suggests, it has marble pillars and stained windows for decoration, enhancing your wedding event’s atmosphere. Items from City Hall’s art collection finish the room nicely.
The Assembly Room: If you have many guests, the Assembly Room will be the best venue you can have. With a 500 people capacity and beautiful Victorian architecture, this room provides the aura and space for a day to remember. It is richly decorated and includes a stage and bespoke lighting. The room accommodates sets to enhance your wedding and your guests’ experience.
The bride throws her wedding bouquet on the grass outside City Hall. However, I’m not sure that all involved were eligible single females.
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Before the ceremony, there are many chances to photograph family moments like this impromptu portrait: A grandfather sits with his grandson in St David’s Room before presenting the rings (below).
The happy couple’s son presented their rings, giving the vows more meaning.
Great Reasons to Have Your Wedding at Cardiff City Hall
The beautiful wedding spaces make it possible for some memorable Cardiff City Hall wedding photography. The intimate and elegantly decorated interiors and exquisite exterior will create the perfect background for your wedding photos. Whether going all out for your big day or a simple wedding event, wedding photography at Cardiff City Hall will provide lasting memories of your wedding day.
Exchange of the wedding rings: I photograph this from many different angles. At Cardiff City Hall, the registrar ensures they hold this pose for a while as they say their vows. It helps the photographer a lot.
The Signing of the Schedule
Now that the register has moved online, the Cardiff registrars allow photography of the signing. One or two registrars may still hang on to the old rules, so I’m still sure to ask at the time. The registrar then sets up a ‘dummy’ blank book for the couple to have some posed shots with. Many couples see the funny side of this, which goes against my documentary photography style. However, we all go along with the pantomime, and some lovely portraits are possible.
A good portrait of the newly-weds staged signing: The pen holding is secondary, and most even forget they’re holding it.
It’s customary for the witnesses to join the couple for a signing portrait which can make fun shots.
The couple leaving the venue is a significant moment, as it’s the first time the newlyweds will make a public appearance as a married couple.
An unexpected handshake and another lovely portrait for the album: Your photographer should be looking for shots like this.
The Perfect Venue for Your Perfect Wedding
If you’re looking for venues for the perfect wedding ceremony and the most striking wedding photography in Wales’s capital, then look no further than the registry office and Cardiff City Hall.
A tender moment between a mature couple after their wedding vows.
This venue has unsightly signs near many of the doors. Unfortunately, I had to remove a few on the right of the St David’s Room entrance – in the photographic edit, of course!
The newlyweds leave via the main entrance, accompanied by their son: Unfortunately, a passer-by decided to leave simultaneously, but it’s still a lovely portrait.
The entrance hall is a fantastic location for the whole wedding party’s group shot on a quiet day. However, the venue has quite a high turnover of weddings on a Saturday, so this may not always be possible.
An easier shot to take is a portrait of the bride on her own. The doorway and architecture made the perfect backdrop for some striking wedding photography.
Cardiff’s Most Photogenic Exterior
In addition to the beautiful and ornate wedding rooms on offer, Cardiff City Hall’s exterior offers many and varied wedding photography options. Your wedding photography will be very memorable with its well-maintained grounds and attractive exterior. The wedding photos that you will have to treasure will be beautiful. Being a well-known historic location, City Hall provides an exclusive atmosphere for your wedding photography.
The portico at the front of Cardiff City Hall offers some great directional light for congratulations and hugs as the party exit the building.
Cardiff City Hall FAQs
Q. WHY GET MARRIED AT CARDIFF CITY HALL?
A. The City Hall is an early example of Edwardian Baroque architecture and is Cardiff’s most splendid building. It has several wedding venue rooms of varying sizes and the registrars are friendly and helpful. The venue caters for small and large civil weddings and will serve as a memorable backdrop to your day.
Q. HOW LONG BEFORE OUR WEDDING CEREMONY CAN WE GAIN ACCESS TO THE ROOM FOR PHOTOGRAPHY?
A. On arrival, guests are shown into the waiting room until the couple’s interviews are over. An usher leads them into the ceremony room shortly before the ceremony starts (5-10 minutes, depending on how busy the day is). The photographer is free to take any photos of the goings-on in both rooms.
Q. IS PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED OF OUR MARRIAGE CEREMONY AND VOWS?
A. Yes – there is no restriction on photography of the ceremony and the photographer is free to move around as they please. The only part of the ceremony which the photographer is not allowed to shoot is signing the register, but a ‘dummy’ register is set up afterwards for posed photos. The registrars are very helpful and photography friendly throughout.
Q. IS CONFETTI ALLOWED AFTERWARDS FOR A PHOTOGRAPHIC SEQUENCE AS THE COUPLE LEAVE THE BUILDING?
A. Confetti is not allowed on any part of the grounds. However, blowing bubbles is permitted outside, and is an effective element to include for some striking photographs.
Q. WHAT IS THE LIGHT LIKE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE CARDIFF CITY HALL?
A. The lighting is varied depending on the area or room. In the entrance hall and corridors, there is no natural light, The St David’s Room is bright at the front but dimmer further back and the same with the smaller St. Dwynwen’s Room.
There is also a good opportunity for some fantastic portrait shots of just the couple. Again, the contrast of sun and shadow works well here.
Start of a 23 shot confetti photography sequence (not all shown here). I ask the couple to start a long way back and then shoot as they approach the camera in a shower of confetti (or bubbles as here).
I love the look on the Groom’s father’s face as the couple make their way through the guests’ confetti and approach the camera.
A group family shot in the park behind City Hall. Due to its proximity, the Alexandra Gardens are an ideal spot for family photographs after the ceremony… You can see the City Hall in the background.
The Alexandra Gardens have the Welsh National War Memorial at their Centre. A wide-angle lens provides the opportunity for some superb couples portraits.
If hiring a photographer for just an hour, visiting Alexandra Gardens may not be possible. However, there’s lovely greenery outside the city hall to use as a backdrop for some beautiful posed shots.
Register Office,
Cardiff City Hall,
Cathays Park,
Cardiff.
CF10 3ND.
