Small Wedding Venues in East London: A Photographer's Guide

3 days ago

4 min read

By AP

A small wedding is not a scaled-down big one. It is its own kind of day: fewer people, more time with each of them, and room to actually enjoy it. East London is a lovely place for it, with listed town halls, Georgian almshouses and art deco interiors all within a few miles of each other.

Here are five licensed ceremony spaces worth a look if you are planning something intimate, with a few notes from behind the camera on light, space and where the photos tend to work. The venue details come from each venue's own website or the local council's, so please confirm everything with them directly before you book.

Bride slipping a wedding ring onto the groom's finger above white roses during a civil wedding ceremony

Hackney Town Hall: the Lanchester Suite (Hackney)

Hackney Town Hall on Mare Street is a Grade II listed art deco building, opened in 1937. The Lanchester Suite is Hackney Council's intimate option: a smart but relaxed room with green walls and wood panelling, for up to 30 people.

One detail matters for your photos. Those 30 places include your two witnesses, any children and your photographer or videographer, so count us in when you write the guest list. The room layout cannot be changed, and if you arrive late the council may have to reschedule because another ceremony follows yours, so it is worth planning your portraits for outside. Confetti is not allowed on the Town Hall steps, but biodegradable confetti is fine at the bottom of them, which is a good place for that photo anyway: room to move, with the building behind you.

Shoreditch Town Hall: the Large Committee Room (Shoreditch)

Shoreditch Town Hall is a Grade II listed building on Old Street. For ceremonies, the venue offers the Large Committee Room, which it describes as the largest and brightest of its Committee Rooms, with a high buttressed ceiling, large windows along its full length and an original Edwardian fireplace. It is set up for intimate ceremonies of up to 70 guests.

From a photographer's point of view, a long wall of windows is good news. Daylight from the side is soft and flattering, and it means less need for flash during your vows. Your registrar is booked separately through the Hackney Register Office.

Silver wedding ring balanced between a pair of white canvas wedding shoes on a glossy reflective surface

Town Hall Hotel: the Council Chamber (Bethnal Green)

On Patriot Square in Bethnal Green, the Town Hall Hotel says all of its event spaces are licensed for marriage. Its Council Chamber is a Grade II listed interior with restored art deco furnishings in polished oak, teak and leather, and it hosts ceremonies of up to 100 guests.

This one suits couples who would like the ceremony, the meal and the evening under one roof. Warm wood and leather make a rich backdrop, and it helps to keep a few minutes free between rooms for portraits rather than going straight from the vows to the drinks.

Bethnal Green Library (Bethnal Green)

Bethnal Green Library is a Grade II listed building set within Bethnal Green Gardens, close to Bethnal Green Underground station. Tower Hamlets Council lists two ceremony rooms here, with original features, polished wooden floors and chandelier lighting, including a Quiet Room for up to 60 guests.

The gardens around the library are public open space, so you have somewhere green for group photos right outside the door.

Museum of the Home (Hoxton)

The Museum of the Home occupies 300-year-old Georgian almshouses on Kingsland Road, opposite Hoxton station, and says all of the spaces it describes are licensed for civil ceremonies. Two suit a small wedding especially well. The Georgian Suite is an elegant panelled room for a seated ceremony of up to 40, with doors opening straight onto the museum's lawns. The original almshouse Chapel is a high-ceilinged space with wooden pews, seating up to 30.

The museum itself suggests taking group photos on the lawns, and it is easy to see why: open grass in front of a Grade I listed building makes a calm, uncluttered backdrop in the middle of the city.

Round bridal bouquet of pink, grey and white roses held up in front of a softly blurred bride and groom kissing

What a small venue means for your photos

Light comes first. Ask each venue which way the windows face and when the room gets the most daylight, then choose your ceremony time with that in mind if you can.
Leave room for the camera. In a small room your photographer and videographer should work quietly from the sides and the back, so your guests see you, not us. A quick chat with the venue about where we can stand saves any awkwardness on the day.
Plan the outside moment. Steps, gardens, lawns and confetti rules differ from venue to venue. Ten minutes on your own together straight after the ceremony often gives the most natural portraits of the day.
Check who counts as a guest. Where the capacity includes your photographer or videographer, as it does in the Lanchester Suite, make sure the numbers still work.

Bride's hand with a gold wedding band resting on the groom's navy sleeve, a dried flower bouquet beside her

Planning your day

Whichever room you choose, the best small weddings feel unhurried. If you would like a hand thinking through timings, light and where the photos will happen, have a look through our wedding photography and wedding videography galleries, then get in touch to book. I would love to hear what you are planning.