Old Marylebone Town Hall Wedding Photographer

Old Marylebone Town Hall Wedding Photography 2020 – Weddings at Westminster Council House

Shots such as this just capture the moment in time perfectly. It totally says what the couple and their fun wedding day were all about.

I am privileged enough to regularly photograph weddings and civil partnerships at Old Marylebone Town Hall.  I have documented weddings in 5 out of the 7 ceremony rooms.  The recent refurbishment has really enhanced the original features.  The venue is a delight to work in with the registrars and staff very accommodating and helpful towards photographers and in ensuring the day goes smoothly for the couple.  The venue is very busy on Saturdays, particularly during the summer.  On a visit there, it’s not difficult to see why.

Beaming bride Melissa arriving in the beautiful entrance hall prior to her legal meeting with the registrars.

Westminster Register Office History

Anyone watching ITV documentary ‘Births, Deaths and Marriages‘ cannot fail to have taken note of the historic importance of Old Marylebone Town Hall.  I feel very fortunate to have photographed weddings and civil partnerships at this splendid Westminster wedding venue.

I took this shot before the ceremony as the guests were greeting each other. It was in the entrance to the Westminster Room, Marylebone’s largest wedding venue.

Westminster Register Office (often mistakenly called registry) has been the scene of many iconic weddings.  Most famously that of Paul and Linda McCartney in 1969.  Other rock ‘n’ roll weddings have included fellow Beatle Ringo Starr, Pretender Chrissie Hynde and Liam Gallagher.  Both he and McCartney married here twice.

This shot during this Soho Room ceremony really shows the Bride being in the moment as she is about to be married.

The Old Marylebone Town Hall’s Refurbishment and Reopening

The marriage venue was built between 1914 and 1920 by Sir Edwin Cooper in W1.  Understandably the years took their toll on the building and in 2013 it closed down for a four year refurbishment.  Happily it has now reopened: during the sabbatical, I photographed Westminster weddings at Asia House, Mayfair Library and the intimate but rather splendid Fitzrovia Chapel.

Westminster registrar Andrew presents the joyful newly-weds with their marriage certificate. At Marylebone, they make more of a presentation of this than at most register offices.

Having provided wedding photography at Old Marylebone Town Hall since the reopening, I’m happy to report that the refurbishment is very tasteful and in keeping with the historic grandeur of the building.  I wonder if they took the photography into consideration when designing much of the refurbishment.  The building looks fresh and clean both inside and out.  Happily, they have avoided putting messy looking signage too close to feature doorways and arches.  This means the photographer can take wider shots of the couple without worrying about extra time spent in Photoshop removing items.  I look forward to being wedding photographer for many more happy couples at the Westminster venue in the future.

The splendid facade of Westminster Council House makes a perfect backdrop for group and posed photography.

Old Marylebone Town Hall as a Wedding Venue

The first time I visited in my capacity of wedding photographer was for a civil partnership.  Struck by the resplendent façade and splendour of the Wren-esque pillars, I immediately fell in love with the venue.  Stone lions guard the entrance outside which at some weddings, the children have a great time playing on.

Weddings have all sorts of variations and changes to the way couples see their day playing out. Family members are often used to good effect, such as this bridesmaid and page boy entering the ceremony room just before the bride.

The bride and groom may arrive together or separately as is traditional.  They are kept separate if they require this.  In the entrance hall a member of staff organises a meeting with the registrar to go over the legalities and check that they are both eligible to marry.

The guests wait patiently for the entrance of the grooms during a gay wedding in the Pimlico Room.

We’re Absolutely Delighted with the Photos…

[We] were thrilled when we came across Guys’ portfolio – perfect for our 3.15pm wedding at The Old Marylebone Town Hall. …Guy was most definitely able to steer us in the right direction. He was professional, courteous and thoughtful in his approach to our big day, in both the build up and on the day itself.

We had a couple of conflicting requirements; “we don’t want too fake, we don’t want too posed” and “please pose people so that we all look nice in the shot”.  Thankfully Guy knew exactly what I was talking about and on the day he managed to hit both requirements and took some truly wonderful shots of our wedding. He was completely unobtrusive, even in what was a very small venue for both the ceremony and reception.

Our photos were ready for us when we returned off honeymoon which was great, and we’re absolutely delighted with them. Even after the final invoice has been paid Guy continues to be responsive to extra requests and questions. From the bottom of 2 awkward photo subjects hearts, thank you for providing us with the most beautiful visual cues to our memories of our great day – we will treasure them always.

– Sarah & Chris

Bride Lindsay nervously waits with her father prior to the start of her ceremony. The doors to all 7 of the ceremony rooms are off this long, first-floor corridor.

Marylebone Registry Office and the Registrars

The interior at Old Marylebone Town Hall is equally as splendid with many more pillars and plush wooden panelling.  The corridor leading down to the ceremony rooms is vast see photo above).  As the couple walk through to meet the registrar, I like to photograph them using the natural light from the promenade of windows.

Some registrars are very strict about photographing the signing. At Westminster they welcome photography of any part of the ceremony. the Westminster Room offered enough space for this unusual angle of the bride's signing at their LGBT wedding.

The Westminster registrars really are very friendly and helpful.  Best of all, they work well with the photographer and have no restrictions - including photography of the signing (see photo above).  This helps ensure the happy couple have some great shots and a complete record of their wedding day.

LGBT/Gay weddings are very popular at the register office so if you are having one, the venue is well worth considering.

Having a Gay Wedding?>> Read My Gay Wedding Photography FAQ's Here

Contact Westminster Council on 02076 417500 to discuss your bespoke requirements.

A straight shot taken at the ceremony. The Sarah & Chris didn't seem to notice my presence at all.

Westminster Register Office Wedding Photography Rooms

There are 7 rooms to choose from for your Old Marylebone Town Hall wedding photography.  Here is a list of them including my highlights of what makes them special:

Newly-weds Lindsay & Greg leave the Mayfair Room following their ceremony. Greg was actually happier than he looks here!

The Soho Room:

The Soho Room is small, but large enough for your photographer to move around with ease. I like to capture different angles such as this wide shot of the couple having their vows.

Seats 14 guests with 6 standing. Again, light and airy with a carved feature fireplace and stunning chandelier. The room is painted in a muted pale green.

The Knightsbridge Room:

This exceptional light and airy room seats up to 30 guests comfortably.  I love the blue/grey velvet seating and large windows in this room.

The Marylebone Room:

10 seated and 5 standing guests.  With its deep and glossy wood panelling, this room is darker than some of the others but no less striking.  The sculpted plaster ceiling and modern chandelier finish the room nicely.

The Paddington Room:

This portrait of the couple just before their ceremony shows off the disproportionate fireplace in the narrow Paddington Room

Holds 7 seated guests (5 of those on pouffes) and 8 standing guests.  Similar to The Marylebone Room with dark panelling, a magnificent matching carved wooden fireplace and modern chandelier.

The Pimlico Room:

In the Pimlico Room, guests can watch the ceremony from two sides.

Light, bright and fantastic for photography, the Pimlico Room seats 20 guests - decorated in pale green with an amazing feature fireplace.

The Westminster Room:

I love overview photography that captures everything that goes on and gives good context to the photographs. This shows off the grandeur of the Westminster Room well.

The largest of the rooms at Old Marylebone Town Hall seats up to 96 guests and is suitable for a larger wedding party.  'Westminster' has dark wood panelling.  With 3 large windows facing the couple and guests, this is the lightest panelled room.

The Mayfair Room:

The Westminster registrar hands bride Melissa the wedding certificate at the front of the Mayfair Room.

The Mayfair Room will cater for 30 seated guests.  With its tasteful modern lighting and mocha and grey painted walls, this room would make a fantastic venue for your wedding day.

I love vibrant, colourful wedding photography with this group photo enhanced by the fresh floral displays on the mantelpiece of the Soho Room. I took this before the ceremony began.

In the ceremony rooms, there is plenty of room to move around to photographs different angles of the couple nicely. This one shows off the detail on the back of the bride's dress.

The Marylebone Register Office registrars are very relaxed about photographing the signing of the register. Many boroughs aren't...

The main staircase is very ornate and wonderful for helping tell the story of the wedding day.

The light outside Old Marylebone Town hall is stunning and great to capture both staged and natural wedding portraits such as this.

I love the greeting and congratulatory photos after the ceremony. This is one of the key times for capturing the atmosphere.

Posed Couple and Group Shots

Outside, the area between the front door and the two central pillars offers some stunning direction light.  This makes a great location for some wedding portraits, especially of the bride and groom.

Depending on the day, couples are allowed time for their photographer to arrange and take some group shots on the steps outside.  The turnover of weddings on a Saturday is high so less time is given then before being asked to move on.  I always liaise closely with the ushers to ensure that we make the most of our time here.  Ideally there will be time for all the required family photos, a large group shot of everyone present and some of the couple on their own.

This spot is part of the same building, but a few metres walk down the road. When time is short, I often take the remainder of the small group shots here.

Bride Lindsay can hardly contain her excitement during the posed shots at the top of the entrance steps.

...and finally... 'nuff said!

The Old Marylebone Town Hall,
Westminster Council House,
97-113 Marylebone Road,
London NW1 5PT.

https://www.westminster.gov.uk/

Old Marylebone Town Hall Wedding Photographer - Guy Milnes Photography.