Jess and Tom | The Ned Hotel Wedding

19 Jun

Written By Oliver Holder

Jess and Tom on the terrace at The Ned with St Paul’s Cathedral behind them

Jess & Tom

The Ned · City of London

A Documentary Wedding Story

A summer wedding in the City of London. Getting ready upstairs at The Ned, vows in the Saloon, a walk out into an empty Bank junction, and a band that emptied the tables by nine.

The Morning

Everybody in the same building, which is the best argument there is for a hotel wedding. Jess got ready upstairs with her people around her, Tom was somewhere below with his, and the whole thing had the unhurried quality of a morning where nobody has to drive anywhere.

The light in those rooms is soft and directional and needs absolutely nothing added to it.

The Ned is one of the venues I know best in London. There is a full guide to photographing a wedding there, including every room on the events floor and how long to allow for portraits, on my The Ned wedding photographer page.

Jess getting ready in her room at The Ned Hotel before the ceremony - 1

Jess getting ready in her room at The Ned Hotel before the ceremony - 2

Jess getting ready in her room at The Ned Hotel before the ceremony - 3

Jess getting ready in her room at The Ned Hotel before the ceremony - 4

Jess getting ready in her room at The Ned Hotel before the ceremony - 5

The Ceremony

They married in the Saloon. Full room, tall windows, that particular hush that lands about four seconds before somebody starts crying. Tom went first, for the record.

The events floor is entirely yours for the day, so there is no shuffling between spaces and no waiting for another party to clear out. Ceremony, drinks, dinner and dancing all happen within about forty metres of each other.

Jess and Tom’s wedding ceremony in the Saloon at The Ned Hotel, London - 1

Jess and Tom’s wedding ceremony in the Saloon at The Ned Hotel, London - 2

Jess and Tom’s wedding ceremony in the Saloon at The Ned Hotel, London - 3

Jess and Tom’s wedding ceremony in the Saloon at The Ned Hotel, London - 4

Jess and Tom’s wedding ceremony in the Saloon at The Ned Hotel, London - 5

Getting married at The Ned, or anywhere else in London? The venue guide covers the ceremony rooms, the terrace and the timings that actually work. The London page has a wider selection of city weddings.

The Ned venue guide London wedding photography

Drinks and the Terrace

Straight out onto the terrace for drinks in the sun. There are two terraces at The Ned and which one you get can depend on what else the hotel has on that day, so it is worth confirming with your planner the week before rather than assuming.

Guests spread out, drinks appeared, and the afternoon did the thing good wedding afternoons do, which is take considerably longer than anybody planned for.

Drinks reception on the terrace at The Ned Hotel after the ceremony - 1

Drinks reception on the terrace at The Ned Hotel after the ceremony - 2

Drinks reception on the terrace at The Ned Hotel after the ceremony - 3

Drinks reception on the terrace at The Ned Hotel after the ceremony - 4

Drinks reception on the terrace at The Ned Hotel after the ceremony - 5

Drinks reception on the terrace at The Ned Hotel after the ceremony - 6

Portraits and the City

Twenty minutes, most of it spent walking. The Ned sits on the junction at Bank, which means the Royal Exchange, the Mansion House and the Bank of England are all within a minute of the front door, and on a Saturday the streets around them are almost empty.

Then back in through the banking hall, which is worth a frame on the way past every single time.

Jess and Tom photographed outside The Ned in the City of London - 1

Jess and Tom photographed outside The Ned in the City of London - 2

Jess and Tom photographed outside The Ned in the City of London - 3

If you like the way this day looks, there is a lot more of it in the portfolio, and pricing is a single page with no forms to fill in first.

View the portfolio See pricing

Dinner and Speeches

Dinner in the Tapestry Room, candlelit and panelled and about as far from the bright Saloon upstairs as you can get inside one building. That contrast is the reason The Ned photographs so well: two completely different looks, sixty seconds apart.

The speeches were properly good, and as usual the best photographs came from turning around and watching the room instead.

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 1

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 2

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 3

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 4

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 5

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 6

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 7

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 8

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 9

The wedding breakfast and speeches in the Tapestry Room at The Ned - 10

The Party

A live band, a full floor by the second song, and one of those evenings where nobody sits down again. Jess and Tom, thank you for a genuinely brilliant day.

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 1

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 2

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 3

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 4

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 5

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 6

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 7

The band and dancing at Jess and Tom’s wedding at The Ned Hotel - 8

Planning a wedding at The Ned? Start with the venue guide — it covers all four ceremony rooms, the terrace, and what I would do with your timings. For weddings elsewhere in the city, there is more on my London wedding photography page, and a wider selection of days in the portfolio.

Ceremony & reception: The Ned, 27 Poultry, City of London
Venue guide: The Ned wedding photographer
Photography: Oliver Holder

Planning your own wedding at The Ned, or anywhere across London? I would love to hear about it. Send me your date and I will come straight back to you.

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Oliver Holder