Planning a small London wedding during coronavirus

Planning a small socially distanced London wedding ceremony

It’s now late June and the UK government has just released some clearer and more detailed guidelines regarding social gatherings. At the time of writing this post, they are talking about reopening public places from the 4th July and weddings of up to 30 guests will be allowed from the 4th July onwards, but it’s looking unlikely that there will be the reception party afterwards- so it’d be about considering private back garden reception if needed! Although I know it might not be the original plan for a lot of you, I want to reassure you that if your priority is simply to get married either elopement style or with a few family members, and perhaps have your reception party later on in the year, you can do this if you feel comfortable and that there are wedding suppliers out there ready to help you and adapt to your needs. Even before this government lockdown I have already long been shooting small and intimate weddings for couples, usually we call them elopements even if you don’t travel that far or hide it from anyone! The smallest wedding I’ve shot was one with only 4 of us, and I was one of the witnesses.

I’m a recommended supplier at Islington Town Hall, which is likely to be an ideal place to have your legal wedding as it has one of the largest ceremony rooms of the London registry offices, but I will be available to cover wedding ceremony at Stoke Newington Town Hall as well, and in fact any London registry office that has been approved to have the ability to hold socially distanced wedding ceremonies. As it stands to FYI Islington Town Hall will not be open in July, so only potentially holding ceremonies from August and you should watch out for official information published on their instagram from that time onwards. I believe currently they are not accepting new bookings until Jan 2021 to be able to cater for their existing clients.

At this difficult time, it could be a wonderful thing to look forward to and bring a bit of joy to your loved ones if you decide to have a small wedding ceremony of up to 30 guests, and I want to make sure even if you have to compromise on the scale of the wedding you had planned, that you don’t compromise on the quality of your wedding photography. During the lockdown I’ll be offering my photography skills in affordable one hour blocks, which is enough to cover your wedding ceremony and some essential photos on the registry office steps. I’ve shot in wedding registry offices all over London and I’ve been an essential key worker throughout the start of this national crisis, so I’m very well practised and respectful of the social distancing practices. I’ll be cycling to your wedding and wear my PPE to shoot and I will deliver your photos via digital gallery. If the government opts to change their guidelines I will be flexible and adapt to those as required, so you can get married feeling comfortable and safe in the knowledge that you’ll still get excellent photos with a professional and respectful attitude.

If you’re having to have your small wedding ceremony ASAP because of terminal health concerns (either your own or a parent), please get in touch as I will photograph for you for free.