Wedding Photography at The Paintworks, Bristol
**I’m taking bookings for weddings at this venue for 2025-26 now**
The Paintworks in Bristol is an excellent venue for your wedding, and your photographer should be able to capture every special moment.
Paintworks Weddings
The Paintworks describes itself as a ‘black canvas wedding venue’, and it’s easy to see why. The wedding experience at Paintworks is entirely bespoke. You hire the venue and can choose from various seat plans and table arrangements. But I will discuss your photography and how I might fit in with your day to capture all those special moments…
The area around the Paintworks has plenty of diverse backdrops for those all-important couple portraits after the ceremony.
There are only a few seconds between this photo and the one above. It demonstrates how I move around to take a series of stunning wedding images.
A Large Wedding Space for Your Precious Memories
The Paintworks is enormous, but the wedding space is smaller. It consists of two courtyards and a considerable ceremony/reception area, which can be divided by a curtain into individual areas. This has been the case at weddings I’ve photographed at the Paintworks.
The Courtyard is perfect for group photos after the ceremony, and in fine weather, it is ideal for your celebratory drinks, too. Luckily, the venue allows couples to roam with their photographer for shots around other quirky and rustic areas that the Paintworks offers.
Read on for my tips and advice about approaching your day and what to expect with photography in mind.
As bride Martha arrives, I’m there to greet her with my camera ready to photograph this crucial wedding moment.
Are You Planning Your Wedding at The Paintworks Event Space in Bristol?I photograph discreetly and capture the best moments of your day without you even noticing I was photographing. With me as your wedding photographer, your memories will be in safe hands, so please get in touch any time to discuss… |
A bridesmaid holds the back of the bride’s train as they enter the Airstream. I try to take images that tell the complete story of the day.
A little later, I caught the bride’s eye and took this lovely portrait of her while the registrars interviewed her.
It’s good to book your wedding photographer to start 30 minutes or more before your ceremony. This gives them plenty of time to capture shots of the guests’ arrivals and hugging moments.
A thoughtful bride leaves the Airstream with her bridesmaids. I work quickly to ensure I capture all the moments happening inside and outside the Event Space.
The ceremony takes place at the Theatre End of the Event Space. When the guests take their seats, I have more time to take photos—posed and fun, natural ones like this.
The bride enters for her ceremony. I took a sequence of this as she made her way down the aisle.
The Ceremony & Registrars
Your ceremony is held on the left side of the event space and may be behind a curtain to keep it private, with the bride hidden until she enters.
You must contact the Bristol Register Office to book your registrars for the legal ceremony. My advice is first to ensure they’re free on the day. However, you can hold the Paintworks Event Space for two weeks free of charge while you liaise with the register office.
The Bristol registrars are lovely and keen to ensure you have the best experience. Most importantly, they are photographer-friendly, allowing me to move around and photograph from all angles to get the best shots.
The couple are reunited at the front of the Ecent Space. It makes sense for me to take a few back shots of them before moving around to shoot from other angles.
Build Your Own>> Bespoke Bristol Wedding Photography Package
The registrar seats the couple for some of their ceremony. This photo shows them listening with the signing table in the background.
The registrar in the photo provides added context to the photos. This ceremony portrait also shows some of the mezzanine in the background. The photographer can shoot from there to add another aspect to the images.
I love this photo: As the bride dabs her eyes, the groom adjusts his glasses simultaneously.
Every wedding ceremony has many unexpected moments. Here, the bride notices an emotional guest and turns to console her. I try to photograph all the best moments, which otherwise may be forgotten.
A key moment is the presentation of the rings, and the space at the Paintworks gives the photographer plenty of room to capture this.
The groom places the ring on the bride’s finger. Please don’t rush this moment; it’s good for your photographer to take many shots.
She pronounces them husband and wife!
Again, take your time. Your first kiss is a moment to be cherished, and the photos will look amazing.
The Schedule Signing in Bristol
The registrars have no issue with me photographing your wedding schedule signing. They allow time for this and step aside so I can get some great shots. They also allow me to photograph your witnesses and give me time to set up a posed portrait with the four of you.
The Bristol registrars are happy to allow the photographer to capture photos of the signing. I’m discreet throughout, as it’s a necessary legal process of the ceremony.
This is a special photo, as the bride’s father provides the entertainment during the signing.
I often have time around the signings to take more photos of the guests, such as the smiling bridesmaids.
Time for another photographic sequence, as the smiling newlyweds walk back up the aisle.
Wedding Confetti in The Paintworks Courtyard
Happily, biodegradable confetti is permitted in the Courtyard. This is usually right after your ceremony, or it may be set up later, whenever you’re ready.
As you pass through, I arrange your guests into an aisle and direct them to throw their handfuls of confetti high in the air. This will give a beautiful sequence of photos at this vibrant part of the day.
Top Wedding Confetti Tip:
Use large, coloured paper confetti. It’s light and falls slowly over you, giving a much more vibrant and colourful scene.
Small, dried petals are popular but very small and heavy. They fall very quickly and don’t show up well in your photos.
I encourage couples to meet and greet their guests between the ceremony and group photos. This gives lots more opportunities for great photography.
I try to take photos of both the bride and groom hugging, but it can be challenging as it’s a fast-moving part of the day.
Posed Wedding Photos in the Paintworks Courtyard
You decide how long you have for drinks and canapes before your sit-down meal. Discuss this with your venue contact, but as far as photography is concerned, the longer, the better.
I will try to take your required group photos as soon as you exit your ceremony. Then, you can relax and enjoy the company of your family and friends. If you prefer to relax with a drink first, that’s fine, too. However you want to run things, it is up to you, and I will guide you through the photography.
As shown in the following photos, a quirky place for your group shots is in front of the silver Airstream. You can also use various other backdrops or walls.
The area in front of the Airstream is ideal for your group shots. I stood on a table to take this elevated portrait.
In my photo editing, I like to exaggerate the colours a bit. This worked particularly well with this colorful group.
The newlyweds pose with their nephew. The light in the Courtyard is amazing for photography, and it is just one of many reasons to book the venue.
I love symmetry, and having the same number of bridesmaids as groomsmen helped make this a pleasing image.
Not all grooms are up for being lifted, but Shaddai didn’t mind at all, and it adds another memory to your photos.
I love vibrant colours, and this shot is enhanced by the vibrant green of the dresses and beautiful floral bouquets.
This photo shows an overview of guests socialising in the Courtyard. I’m always looking for different angles from which to take shots.
Although this page doesn’t have much black-and-white photography, about 30% of my photos are monochrome.
Bride’s dresses have so much detail that can be shown well in a photo from behind. The sun gives a good halo effect here.
The Wedding Breakfast & the Evening
The Event Space can be divided to separate the ceremony area from the bar and tables. You decide how long after the ceremony you have your meal.
Regarding photography, I can stay on into the evening or finish after the group shots. My photography packages are bespoke, but if you book a full day, this usually ends about half an hour after the first dance.
I don’t photograph much during the meal, but I have my break, returning for the speeches and the rest of the evening.
The wedding breakfast is an ideal time for some natural guest photos. I took this just before the couple was announced.
I love the green of the bridesmaid’s dresses here, and photographed them a lot to show off this splash of wedding colour.
Presenting Mr & Mrs… The couple is announced into their wedding breakfast. My photography day finished here, but some couples require photographers all evening for the entertainment, first dance, and dancing.
Verve Events,
The Airstream,
Main Courtyard,
Paintworks,
Bath Road,
Bristol.
BS4 3EH.
