A guide to planning a Walthamstow Wetlands wedding

July 17, 2024

Choosing a wedding at Walthamstow Wetlands

I’ve been a recommended photographer with Walthamstow Wetlands for a couple of years now. You probably saw my photo in person on their wedding banner from this wedding with the epic gold sequin dress and drag queens! I live a mere 30 minutes away and it has become one of my favourite London venues with a natural, outdoor backdrop. It’s like having a spot of the countryside with the accessibility for guests as a city wedding! As a result I can share my experiences of photographing weddings there, having worked with the amazing team multiple times.

Walthamstow Wetlands venue hire rates and schedule

At the time of writing you can expect the venue hire to be about £5000-£5500 + VAT (depending on requesting earlier closure). The earliest ceremony start time is around 15:00 in winter. You can host your wedding there up until midnight. The turbine room is available for £1000 for ceremony only and on Thursdays, Fridays and Sunday. If you hire it for the ceremony only you’d be able to use the wetlands for some natural group and couple photos. You would need to find a different ceremony venue. Across the road there is the Ferry Boat Inn, which could serve for informal drinks and nibbles.

If you hire the whole venue, guests are welcome to explore the wetlands before and after the ceremony. However, the reserve closes off for the guests soon after the drinks reception starts. You should expect that when you and your guests are arriving, that you will see some members of the public wandering around outside, so it becomes an exclusive hire venue but not totally private off the bat!

The Turbine room- the wedding ceremony room at Walthamstow Wetlands

The ceremony room takes 70 seated guests and is wheelchair accessible via the gift shop. The entrance to the ceremony where the wedding party and couple enter is up a couple of steps. The room has some neutral floral decor suspended from the ceiling, and the walls are a vintage glossy tile with some authentic boiler room details to the space. You may choose to decorate the space with a floral hoop or flowers across the wooden wall shelf, the Walthamstow Wetlands has a great list of recommended suppliers. Every florist I’ve encountered there has been fab! The aisle walk is quite short and when at capacity it’s worth bearing in mind there isn’t an excessive amount of space for prams or any big surplus equipment during the ceremony.

Drinks reception on the Mezzanine at Walthamstow Wetlands

After the ceremony you’ll all go upstairs to the mezzanine for drinks and canapés. They require you to do this to be able to turn the rooms around for the evening reception. There is a lift up to the mezzanine, so don’t worry if you have disabled guests with mobility requirements. The mezzanine is a cool space overlooking the Triple Engine Room, with a long narrow balcony looking out to the wetlands. It has some museum displays which can entertain any children for a bit!

Photo locations at Walthamstow Wetlands

Confetti photos at Walthamstow Wetlands

When you exit the ceremony you can easily nip back into the gift shop area to hide. Your guests filter out the double doors. Commonly, guests line up along the industrial/steel aesthetic access ramp. This is because it’s the longest stretch out of the way of the public. Also the Wetlands also ask you to keep confetti to that side of the building so the confetti does not blow into the wildlife reserve itself. The backdrop you’d get with that ramp is quite industrial. On that side of the Walthamstow Wetlands building so it’s hard to get a natural backdrop.

Group photos

Normally I like to let the couple say hello to their guests for at least 10-15 minutes before I start on their group photo request list. However, the Walthamstow Wetlands is one of the only venues where I advise otherwise, and that’s because the drinks reception happens in the Mezzanine room which is up a few flights of stairs.

Therefore, if you let all the guests get a drink before the group photos, it’s very time inefficient and disruptive to the guests experience to go upstairs and back down for the group photos. I have taken small group photos in the mezzanine area pre ceremony when it was empty, but once the guests are up there, there certainly isn’t space. Sometimes people like the idea of the balcony for photos overlooking the wetlands but to be honest, it can only really take couple or three people max. due to the narrow width of the balcony.

Therefore, in my extensive experience the best time to take the group photos is immediately after the confetti. Ask the guests who are on your request list to stay back and allow the rest of the guests to go upstairs and start canapés and drinks. Then, you have the option of either taking the group photos with the brick arches right beside the confetti ramp, or if your groups are willing to take on a bit of grass you can use the greenery with the whole engine room building in the background. The brick arch area has a tighter space to work with than the grass area, so that might also determine which location we choose.

Couple photos

Taking beautiful couple photos at Walthamstow Wetlands wedding venue is super easy. The wetlands themselves are gorgeous and it’s all about how much time you want to take to wander into them. You can use the industrial spaces in and around the Engine Room venue. There’s a sweet patch with some literal rusting engine parts, or you can go back inside the turbine room.

Alternatively you can pick numerous natural green backdrops a minute outside the door. If you’re willing to walk for just a few extra minutes, the fishing lakes have little piers. These are the most popular group photos spots. It’s worth knowing two things about taking wedding photos at Walthamstow Wetlands. Firstly, there are sometimes anglers on the piers and they take priority. You’re not allowed to move them, so if you see one in the spot you hoped for, odds are you’ll have to try the next pier along! Secondly, there’s lakes on both sides, so you can take couple photos with different lighting depending on the weather and sun position.

Where to hold your speeches

As with the couple photos, there’s several options for when and where you can hold your speeches. I have seen speeches delivered three places. Firstly, in the mezzanine room during the drinks reception. Secondly, the boiler room (the main gift shop area) between courses, from the U shaped balcony. Or finally, in the Triple Engine Room(TEM) which is the cafe during the day.

Different couples made different choices for when and where to have their wedding speeches based on several factors. You should think about how comfortable you feel talking from a pedestal area. Do you have any elderly family with mobility issues who need to stay seated to listen to speeches. Lastly, it’s worth checking if the catering company request the speeches between courses to create a pause in service. In summary, you can choose to use whichever space works best for your vibe and timeline of the day. The Walthamstow Wetlands wedding venue gives you plenty of options.

Which room to use for the dinner

In a similar manner to the speeches locations, you have multiple options for dinner. I have photographed weddings that have just used the boiler room, some that have used all the indoor space, and others have used the TEM and outdoor terrace. Your decision will mostly be affected by the season you’re getting married in and your guest number. Here’s a breakdown of the dinner capacity at Walthamstow Wetlands by room:

Just TEM: 70 guests
TEM (cafe) and terrace (outdoor decking area): 130 guests
Boiler room: 100 guests

Evening party at Walthamstow Wetlands

For the dancing, you can either use the Boiler Room or the Triple Engine room. I’ve seen DJ and full band set ups in both, and they’ve worked fine. It will likely be determined by which space you chose for dinner, as any musicians will need time to set up. If you’re having your wedding dinner in the Boiler Room, you might want to use the Triple Engine Room for the dance floor. This does also allow for guests who don’t want to dance to have somewhere quiet to go.