A Little Planning for this National Gallery London wedding…

We shot one of the more interesting weddings recently in London, England for Randy & Ashley. I had met Ashley at the wedding of Mark & Coleen in Paris France (see here) and recently learned she was now living & working in London England. Ashley & Randy have come to call London their home (for now) and though they are originally from the states, this seemed like the perfect place to invite family & friends to join them for the wedding.

Having their family and mobile friends come celebrate with them in the city was the plan. They had collected friends from all over the globe and this was a chance to pull them together for a great celebration. Ashley picked the National Gallery London at Trafalgar Square when she learned that they were willing to host her wedding. Though couples had, in the past, been able to go inside The National Gallery for photos, I understand this was the first ever actual wedding ceremony held inside the Gallery. I was pretty excited about this and we all began to formulate a plan for the wedding day.

Gearing up…

Mid-week, we met for a walk through of The National Gallery with Szandra German who heads up special events. They were so accommodating and glad to have Ashley & Randall as guests and to host their wedding. With all the priceless artwork in the National Gallery, one of the main concerns was having a flash that produces UV light striking the artwork. Understandably so. I was so pleased and honored to have a chance to shoot in such a gorgeous and historic space. I would of course make the appropriate provisions and abide by the wishes of the gallery.

The Wedding & Reception…

On the wedding day, we met at The National Gallery London for getting ready photos. Ashley wanted us to give a shout our to her dress maker Lucy Martin Bridal in London who she said were fantastic! When everyone was ready we then moved out onto the balcony overlooking Trafalgar Square for their first look. There were so many interesting angles to work with. Ashley was breathtaking when she walked into the room.

They walked up the grand stairs to the delight of all her guests. The wedding came off without a hitch under the great dome. I loved shooting in this space. After the service and family photos, cocktails were served on the portico overlooking Trafalgar Square while guests mingled and enjoyed the sights looking out over the city.

Later in the night…

Guests were then escorted downstairs to the main floor to the Ochre Restaurant at The National Gallery (formerly the National Cafe) was transformed into a magical space for the evenings events. The wine was poured and fantastic dinner was served to the delight of guests. For the entertainment, Ashley & Randal had seen in their travels the band “Cold Years” out of Aberdeen Scotland and had fallen in love with them. The band agreed to come down and play for the wedding. They put on an amazing high energy show! The night rolled on to great music, dance and wonderful conversations.

I had a splendid time photographing this wedding and wish Ashley & Randal a wonderful time and life together living and working in Europe! I hope to be back soon.

In your journey to see more great wedding photography from another wedding in Europe, check out Mark & Coleen’s wedding here.

We can’t wait for our next destination wedding!