Central London Traditional Church Wedding
St.Bartholomews Church in Smithfield is about as old school as you get when it comes to a traditional London Church Wedding. The iconic St. Bartholomews Church dates back to the eleven hundreds. This means that St.Bartholomews is London’s oldest Catholic Church and also one of my very favourite London churches for wedding photography. I have had the great privilege to photograph some wonderful weddings in St. Bartholomews Church in Smithfield. Michelle and Lukes wedding in is a smashing example of mixing the best of London’s wedding and wedding reception venues. I met Michelle at The Hilton Hotel on Upper Street in Islington. The bride and her bridal gang were all in the final stages of hair and make up.
Getting married in St.Bartholomews Church Smithfield Market
I jumped in a taxi that whisked (truth: drove slowly through horrific London traffic as per usual. Pay heed wedding planners who have venues a long way away from each other, thankfully Islington to Smithfield is only 15 minutes). Luke and the fellas were in The Fox and Anchor Pub in Smithfield. This is a fantastic pub, great food and stylish interior. If you had to describe a pub to an alien The Fox and Anchor would be a decent reference point. We all walked over to St.Batholomews Church through Smithfield Market and across the square.
Finsbury Town Hall Wedding Reception Photographer
The ancient St. Bartholomews Church is dark and romantic. The high stain glass windows do not allow much natural light to filter in and even in high summer candles burn brightly. The stunning and ancient London Catholic Church has a gorgeous balcony from which the choir sing. This balcony enables me to grab wonderful shots of the bridal party entering the church. The raised view from the balcony is perfect for wedding photography. I like to be low key and discrete when taking documentary wedding photographs, I like to natural unposed scenes. Being up above the wedding enables me to capture the scene without getting the way, perfect.
Stylish Wedding Reception Venues close to The City
The ancient sunken path leading to and from St.Bartholomew’s is perfect for confetti. All in all, St.Bartholomew Church in Smithfield has it all. Pre wedding pubs for thirsty Ushers, The Fox and Anchor and fab foodie reception venues, Smiths of Smithfield. The party now moved on to The Finsbury Old Town Hall in Clerkenwell. I love The Finsbury Old Town Hall and have photographed a number of weddings here over the years. The main Ball Room is truly magnificent with a large stage and high vaulted ceiling. Picture a Victorian Music Hall 10 minutes from Islington Town Hall, a real London hidden gem of a wedding reception venue.
Booking a Finsbury Town Hall Wedding Photographer
If you are planning your own St.Bartholomew’s church wedding then drop me a line, I would love to hear your plans. I am based in Hackney and have been photographing London weddings for over a decade. I prefer natural and unposed wedding photography. I’ve picked up a few awards over the year for my London Documentary Wedding Photography, you can check out more of my weddings on my Portfolio Page. If you fancy learning a little more about me and mine then my About Page is worth a read. I have relationships with Islington Town Hall and Old Marylebone Town Hall. The amazing team at Hackney Venues, who run Hackney Town Hall and Stoke Newington Town Hall have me as their preferred wedding photography supplier.
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John Sanders is a London-based wedding photographer with over 10 years of experience. He specialises in non-intrusive documentary photography that captures raw emotions, stories, and stunning locations across London and the South East.
