Ideas for small weddings and elopements in London

Elopement and wedding photographer London

Micro-weddings and elopements have become a bit of a buzzword over the last couple of years. Even though the days of lockdowns seem to be well and truly behind us, small weddings seem to be here to stay - and for good reason. I photograph many elopements around London every year, and love the intimacy and relaxed vibe of them. I thought I’d share some tips and ideas that might help you plan your own small London wedding.

An intimate wedding is always worth considering. A smaller guest list almost always means less stress and worry, and I often find that the fewer people attend the ceremony, the more special, intimate and emotional the exchange of vows. And you can always have a big informal party another time later on and celebrate with everyone, without having to do the whole traditional wedding thing.

So if you are thinking of just going for it and get married without the fuss, I have put this blog post together with some tips for eloping in London, and also some of my favourite elopements from the last year or so below.

I also offer hourly rate packages for photography, which you can find out about here:

Elopement photography packages

WHERE TO START?

First of all it’s probably a good idea to have a think about the kind of day you imagine yourself having. Are you thinking just the two of you heading down to the registry office with maybe a nice photo shoot afterwards and a romantic dinner at a restaurant or back home? Or do you want to include your immediate family, or perhaps a couple of friends. There are a few practical things you’ll need to consider, and the following points might help you answer some of these questions.

TOWN HALL ELOPEMENTS

If you are getting married at a registry office or your local town hall you’ll need to bare a few legal requirements in mind. First of all, you’ll need to go to the town hall and and “give notice” of your intent to marry, which needs to be done at least 29 days before your wedding date. You’ll then have to marry within 12 months of giving notice, otherwise you’ll have to register again. You don’t need to get married in the same borough where you live, but you do need to give notice in your own borough’s registry office. Have a chat with your registry office and ask them about the process of marrying in a different borough.

Important - you’ll also need two witnesses to sign the register with you on the day of your wedding. This is important and something you’ll need to consider if you’re planning on not having any guests at all. You don’t need to be related to or even know your witnesses, and I have acted as a witness a couple of times along with the couple’s driver, so there is usually always a way! You can find out more about Marriage rules in England here.

Wandsworth Town Hall wedding confetti photo

There are some beautiful old Town Halls in London, so you won’t have to get married in some bleak office space. My favourite town halls in London are:

Old Marylebone Town Hall
Chelsea Old Town Hall
Hackney Town Hall
Islington Town Hall
Merton Register Office

Scroll down to see wedding photos from these venues in the blog at the bottom of the page.

OTHER ELOPEMENT VENUES IN LONDON

Each London borough also has a list of venues that are licensed to host legal marriages. You’ll still need to give notice etc at your registry office as above, and can then book a registrar to come to one of those venues to marry you. Each London borough should have a list of licensed venues, so their websites are a good place to start your research. Here are some of my favourite venues:

Bethnal Green Town Hall Hotel
Dartmouth House in Mayfair
Asylum Chapel in Bermondsey
Core Clapton in Hackney
Shoreditch Studios
The Balcony Room at the Swan (Shakespeare Globe)
OXO2 at the Southbank

INDEPENDENT CELEBRANTS

Another option for your elopement - and especially if you are coming from abroad and are struggling to get the right paper work to marry in the UK - is to book an independent celebrant to hold a personalised ceremony for you. You won’t be legally married, but it’s a wonderful way to shape your ceremony the way you want it, write your own vows, and you can literally do this anywhere. Pick your favourite park, or book a room in a pub, a cute Air BnB, make a romantic weekend of it, whatever you fancy. Most couples I have worked with who have gone this route, signed the legal papers at the registry office with a couple of friends and then exchanged their own vows with a celebrant (and me!) at a later date. Honestly, they were some of the most romantic and beautiful occasions I have photographed. A good place to start with finding a celebrant is Humanism UK, who have list of wedding celebrants.

There’s an ongoing court case at the moment, that’s aiming to make humanist weddings legal, which would give couples so much more choice for their weddings, so watch this space.

You can also find celebrants who are not affiliated with any organisation, and some wonderful people I’ve worked with in the past are: Holly Smith and Yvonne Beck.

BEST PHOTO LOCATIONS

This is why I love London so much - the huge diversity of locations and backdrops is vast! From edgy street photography, industrial vibes to iconic historic buildings and beautiful parks, it has just about everything you might want. And it doesn’t matter which part of town you are getting married in, there’s always a cool spot to be found somewhere. Location scouting is hugely important to me as a photographer, and I’ve discovered some beautiful spots over the last few years, far too many to list them all here. Feel free to drop me an email with your elopement plans and we can brainstorm some location ideas. You might also want to check out this blog with my favourite London locations - this one is mostly about engagement shoots, but these would all be great for elopements too.