What I love about shooting a Town Hall Wedding
There are many things to love about a town hall wedding. Having shot a few ceremonies in these marvellous spaces, I thought I would share my favourite things about them. They are buildings which, at their heart, are functional spaces and as a result they may appear quite harsh and imposing. That’s actually one of the things I love: the juxtaposition of people dressed in their best alongside these commanding buildings, it looks pretty cool. This trendy vibe is not the only thing I like about these weddings though. I also love that these spaces offer intimacy for you, your family and friends. The theatrical design, ability to work in all weathers, and the amazing confetti shots that you get as you make your exit as newly-weds adds to their quality. Making them an excellent choice of ceremony location in my eyes.
To show you what I mean, here are some of the amazing weddings that I’ve had the pleasure to shoot.
Pretty dresses and grey buildings
I mentioned the juxtaposition of pretty and functional as one of my favourite things about these weddings. Just look at these lovely brides and guests, dressed to impress at their chosen town hall. I love how the soft lace and satin fabrics that my brides have chosen for their wedding dresses look against the grey stone of the town hall walls.
An intimate space
Town halls also offer the opportunity to have a more intimate ceremony with your closest family and friends. Some of them even allow you to decorate the room as you’d like. The Hertford Council Chambers saw the family of the bride and groom decorate the room with beautiful white flowers. They even had some helpful wedding signs, just in case you got lost. The ceremony rooms also seem to make the space more intimate by surrounding the couple. Often they have a circular seating arrangement or a gallery for guests. This makes sure that everyone can get a good view of the two of you tying the knot and like-wise, you both have the warmth of feeling from your family and friends watching on. This seating also leads me onto my third reason to love a town hall wedding…
Theatrical Architecture
I’ve said that these buildings are functional and imposing but I also think that these venues offer a lot of theatrics. As a photographer, I love a bit of drama in your wedding images. The red carpets, stained glass windows and domed ceilings that you find in Islington Town Hall are pretty good examples of this theatrical design. The arches of Hertford’s Council Chambers and the statues of the stags either side of the entrance steps come to mind too. Then there’s the orange curtains and dark wooden panels of Stoke Newington’s ceremony room plus a huge window which allows the light to cascade in rather dramatically.
Confetti
One of my absolute favourite moments is the confetti shot. I love to see how enthusiastically guests throw petals at the newly wed couples. As a result, it’s great to capture and I think that it’s even better at a town hall. There are often steps leading to the entrance and this makes an excellent runway for couples to skip down. The differing heights of their guests lining the steps ensures that confetti keeps on coming. Something you can see brilliantly at Islington Town Hall as my lovely bride and groom are covered in confetti from the very top, till the very bottom, of the steps. They are also great for still confetti shots with everyone surrounding you, shown here at Hertford’s Council Chambers. It makes for a great natural group shot of the whole wedding party.
Get In Touch
So there you have it. In short, these are my thoughts on why a town hall wedding is a great way to celebrate your nuptials. They offer intimate ceremonies, cool and dramatic imagery and amazing confetti shots. If you feel that a town hall wedding is exactly what you want for your ceremony then it would be lovely to hear from you. Hop on over to my contact page here to get in touch and to chat about your plans.
You can see more of my work by taking a look at my portfolio here.