Why choose an Islington Town Hall wedding ceremony?
I’m a London wedding photographer with over a decade of experience. I photograph both short and full day weddings all over London, and a lot of the civil ceremonies take place in one of the most popular London registry offices, Islington Town Hall. I’ve been an Islington Town Hall wedding photographer multiple times annually for over a decade. Furthermore, I had my own wedding ceremony here recently so it genuinely is my best recommendation for a London registry office wedding! Even though I live in East London, having a Central London wedding is more convenient for friends and family to travel into. Islington Town Hall is the perfect placement between the Northern, Victorian and several Overground tube lines. This London wedding registry office is particularly popular for several reasons:

Islington Town Hall has a great range of room sizes
Council Chamber
Firstly, it’s one of the largest capacity registry offices in London. Its main council chamber can hold 85 wedding guests. You can use the quirky layout of the large council chamber and also the wedding gallery up above. It’s located directly up the main staircase, which also gives you the perfect chance to get couple photos coming down the central staircase. One of the weddings I’ve photographed here for a musical wedding, the couple made great use of the balcony for their choir, (which the bride was a part of). The aesthetic of the room is iconic and unique, and has great light for photos all year round, even when the winter light is darker.
Islington Town Hall also has multiple smaller rooms, catering for wedding sizes between 4 to 60. Most crucially each of the rooms are beautiful in their own way. When I was researching registry offices for my own civil partnership ceremony, I often found the rooms in smaller registry offices were not as pretty as the main room. Islington Town Hall is photogenic throughout the whole space.
The Richmond Suite holds 60 guests and has a dark wood panelled vibe. The Room 99 holds 20 guests and has a more modern neutral grey walled and parquet floor look.






Mayor’s Parlour, Canonbury Suite and Angel Suite
If you’re low key like me and you’re having a super intimate wedding ceremony, there’s three options: The Mayor’s Parlour, The Canonbury Suite and the Angel Suite. It’s important to note the difference is The Mayor’s Parlour holds four guests, but this does NOT include the photographer and you, the couple. So you can have yourself, your photographer, and four guests. The Mayor’s Parlour is located upstairs and to the corridor on the right.
On the other hand, the Canonbury and Angel Suites both only hold 2+2 ceremonies. The four allowed in these rooms DO include you and a photographer in the numbers. This means one of your witnesses has to be the photographer as well. There are no children or dogs allowed in the smaller rooms, only in the council chamber! Its worth noting that the Angel suite is also the Ante Room- which they commonly use for prep if couples book it for their pre ceremony period.



Dog friendly wedding ceremony venue in London
The second fab reason to get married at Islington Town Hall is that it’s one of the few dog friendly wedding venues. It’s quite rare to find a central London dog friendly wedding venue, but they’re so great and relaxed there, no one in the family has to miss out!


Central location for all the best wedding pubs and restaurants
Lastly, it’s really well placed in the middle of East London with plenty of tube lines running to it. It’s pretty much mid way between Angel tube station and Highbury and Islington station so guests can easily travel in from both sides. It’s located bang in the middle of upper street which is a foodie haven! The whole street has plenty of independent and chain restaurants and pubs. Often my couples take a London bus but there’s plenty of pubs and restaurants that hold wedding receptions within walking distance.
How to start planning your London wedding at Islington Town Hall
Another good reason to choose Islington Town Hall for your wedding is that the team are super organised and professional. It has one of the easiest to navigate websites, with virtual tours of all the space and a super convenient booking process. I found with some of the smaller registry offices nearer me the websites were not as clear and I had to call up, or I would email and never get a response. Islington Town Hall team is HOT on it! You check which room you want and reserve the day with a deposit.
You then need to organise your giving of notice- you don’t have to do this at Islington itself, we gave notice at our local registry office. On the form you would just fill in your date and put Islington Town Hall wedding as the wedding location. Once that appointment is done, the local registrars will forward the details to the Islington team on your behalf.

What happens on my London wedding day?
The other question I hear as an Islington Town Hall wedding photographer, is what couples can expect to happen on the wedding day. In terms of the wedding admin- it’s worth knowing that you don’t need to bring a form of ID to the ceremony if you are British citizens. You may need to if one or both of you are citizens of another country. Aside that, if you are seeing each other before the ceremony, getting ready and travelling in together, you would have your pre interview about 15 minutes before the ceremony. It’s not necessary to go any earlier and as the Islington Town Hall is so busy they actively recommend you don’t arrive any earlier than 30 minutes.
If you are not seeing each other until the ceremony, they recommend that one of you arrive 30 minutes before, and the second partner arrive 15 minutes before. You and your guests will not be allowed inside any earlier. Therefore, a popular place to gather guests and wait is the Vineyard bar which is directly opposite the Town Hall. This is especially useful if you’re getting married on a rainy wedding day and they need shelter. The Vineyard is spacious and very used to people in suits and dresses coming for one drink!




How many hours of wedding photography do I need?
When it comes to your wedding photography, if I am starting coverage from the prep stage I will travel in with you. However, a lot of relaxed couples choose to have ceremony only wedding photography coverage. If this is the case I recommend I am booked from 30 minutes before the ceremony time, so I can meet you just before your interview, and locate key guests who I start to photograph whilst you chat to the registars.
The only other reason you might turn up earlier for your Islington Town Hall wedding photographer is if you decide to have a couple photoshoot beforehand. This is a nice way to get the photos done and out of the way so by the time your guests come, you can concentrate fully on them. As I work to an hourly rate for ceremony only weddings, you can choose to shift your hours to before instead of after the ceremony time without extra cost.



Just before your Islington Town Hall wedding ceremony
About 15-30 minutes before the ceremony, you’ll have an interview just to double check your identity details and the spellings on the document. The registrars will then ask you to wait just outside near the top of the central marble staircase. They go inside and give a short introductory speech and arrange who is playing the entrance music. During the ceremony, depending on the room and what you’ve preselected, you’re allowed to choose your songs and readings, as long as there’s no religious wording.

After the readings you will say your vows. You can either choose the standard vows or personalise it. The registrar will then call forward whoever has the rings and you will take turns to exchange rings.

You can choose to personalise the ring exchange. For example this one couple exchanged bottles of alcohol that were meaningful to them!

The wedding admin!
Following that you can have a first kiss and you and your witnesses will sign a certificate. It used to take place in a special book with all the couples and using a special ink and pen. The UK government recently converted to an online system in the UK so you sign a symbolic piece of paper. At Islington Town Hall the registrars are very relaxed and allow you to have documentary wedding photos of the signing.
After the admin is done, the registrars announce you to your guests in your chosen way. You will have filled your preferences out on a prior questionnaire. Whether that be the traditional husband and wife, the new XXXXX (married name), or both of your first names (ideal if you’re not changing your surname). Islington Town Hall is fully embracing of all LGBTQIA+ couples. They will always present you to your guests however you choose.

Where to have couple photos inside the Islington Town Hall
After the ceremony, you get directed into the side corridor. During this time your guests filter down the steps to wait outside with confetti. It’s up to you if you’d like some couple photos in the corridor. It’s an iconic spot and has beautiful natural light all year round! You can use the middle of the corridor relatively undisturbed. There’s also a chance for photos as you descend the internal staircase, and on the top floor balcony. Usually it’s rare that you would be allowed back into your ceremony room for photos. This is due to the fast turnaround between wedding ceremonies, so don’t bank on that on a rainy wedding day!







Wedding confetti at the Islington Town Hall
Islington Town Hall allows confetti, just make sure it’s biodegradable! The outside steps are the ideal spot for you to get celebrated as you exit!






Wedding group photos at Islington Town Hall
The perfect time to take group photos is immediately after the confetti throw. This is because all the guests are already in position. The steps are wide enough to stand all of your guests. It’s one of the few registry offices where it’s easy to take a photo of the whole wedding party.

Wedding couple photos after your Islington Town Hall wedding
There are several quirky and unique photo locations that are within walking distance of Islington Town Hall. I estimate allowing about 25 minutes if you’d like a few locations. Most of that time accounts for the actual walking time between stopping and starting. You can use the more rustic Camden Passage, the little vintage hidden doorways on the streets shooting off Upper Street. There’s also the Islington Fire Station with its bold blue and red backdrop. I would suggest you tailor the photo locations to match your own wedding colours and theme.







Where to go for your wedding reception after the Islington Town Hall wedding ceremony
Most of my couples who get married at Islington Town Hall jump on a London bus. If you take a bus ride for up to 20 minutes ride you can access a wider range of venues. Some of the most popular wedding dinner reception venues have been the following:
Coin Laundry wedding photography
Pedro’s Wine Bar wedding photography
However, I have prepared a post showcasing the best wedding venues within walking distance of an Islington Town Hall wedding. This can be great in case you wanted to keep travel simple for the whole wedding party. This post provides details on Fredericks, The Bellanger, Hoxley & Porter, Laki Kane and the Pig and Butcher.
I really hope this helps you plan your Islington Town Hall wedding. If you’re looking for a London Islington Town Hall wedding photographer then get in touch. I have photographed London weddings for 13 years, so you can book this fun London wedding photographer with confidence!
