Geri and Simon held their wedding at a mix of very old, and fairly new venues, starting at St Bartholomew the Great church and finishing at Searcys at The Gherkin. The bride and her crew made their preparations at the couple’s home. There was a decent helping of fizz, and the largest breakfast offering I’ve seen in a while. Mum and dad waited patiently as the bridal party buzzed around them. Soon it was time to jump in a beautiful baby blue vintage Jaguar for the journey to the ceremony in Clerkenwell.
St Bartholomew the Great Wedding Ceremony
St Bartholomew the Great is a fantastic medieval church in the heart of Clerkenwell. It survived the Great Fire of London, and the Blitz, and is now regularly used as a film location. And a wedding venue obvs. The front entrance is accessed through a small, unassuming archway but the church is anything but small and unassuming. As a photographer it’s great to work in big churches as the normal restrictions on movement often don’t apply. St Bartholomew’s has space to get different angles on the ceremony without disturbing proceedings, or distracting the guests.
London wedding photographer at The Gherkin
After the ceremony, the couple ran the usual confetti gauntlet, before jumping back in the vintage Jag. The rest of the guests and I jumped on to a couple of Routemaster buses for the trip deeper into the city. The Gherkin, or 30 St Mary Axe to give it its official name, is an iconic building to have as a wedding venue. After very thorough security checks, a high speed lift whisks everyone to the Searcys restaurant on the top two floors. Once up in the sky, there are amazing views to enjoy. The guests soaked these up whilst enjoying fizz and canapés.
St Bartholomew the Great Wedding Photography in London
As darkness fell, the time came for speeches. Everybody gathered around on the top floor, with the windows now filled with a mix of city lights and reflections. The bride spoke first, followed by the best man, and finally the groom. With all the relevant people thanked and ridiculed, proceedings moved downstairs for the wedding breakfast.
After dinner the guests and the wedding party returned to the top floor for the first dance. After that, the dance floor officially opened for everyone to swing their partners. And time for me to return to earth!
London Wedding Photographer
If you’re getting married at St Bartholomew the Great Church, or need a London wedding photographer for any venue, please click here to get in touch.
