Lizzie & James | Marylebone Town Hall & Brunswick House
Old Marylebone Town Hall · Brunswick House · London
London Wedding · Marylebone & Vauxhall
A London wedding with two of the city's finest backdrops. A Westminster Room ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, confetti on the steps, then the whole party loaded onto a bus to Brunswick House in Vauxhall for a long, joyful night in the cellar.
The Morning
James started the day at The Landmark Hotel, one of London's grand old railway hotels just along the road from Marylebone. Suits pressed, cufflinks in, a calm coffee with the groomsmen before the nerves properly kicked in. The light through those tall Landmark windows is a gift for a documentary photographer: soft, generous and made for quiet moments.
Lizzie got ready nearby, surrounded by her favourite people. Her dress came from The Loop, a London boutique founded by Grace Richmond and Abi Gadsby that specialises in preloved and second hand designer wedding dresses, tailored and personalised so each one ends up properly the bride's own. A beautiful, sustainable way to find a dress, and she looked absolutely stunning in hers.
The Westminster Room
The ceremony was in the Westminster Room at Old Marylebone Town Hall, and there is a reason it is one of the most photographed civil ceremony rooms in London. Tall windows down one side, dark panelling, and light that does most of the work for you. James waited at the front trying to hold it together, and gave up entirely the moment Lizzie walked in. Vows, laughter, a few happy tears.
If you are planning your own ceremony there, I have written a full guide to being a Marylebone Town Hall wedding photographer, covering the ceremony rooms, how the timings really work and where to go afterwards.
Out Onto the Steps
Then out through the building. The corridors at Marylebone are quietly the best part of it for photographs, all painted walls and ornate ceilings and old wood, and the two of them had a few minutes in there on the way through.
And then the steps, which did exactly what the steps at Marylebone always do. Columns, stone, a tight crowd and a wall of confetti.
Old Marylebone Town Hall and Brunswick House are two of the London venues I know best. Both have their own guide: the ceremony rooms, the timings and the steps at Marylebone, and the rooms, the chandeliers and the cellar bar at Brunswick House.
Marylebone venue guide Brunswick House guideAcross the River to Vauxhall
Then the best kind of wedding logistics: everyone piled onto a bus and rolled south across the river to Brunswick House in Vauxhall. There is something brilliant about a whole wedding travelling together, the buzz of the ceremony still in the air and the party starting well before anybody arrived.
Brunswick House
Brunswick House, run by Lassco, is one of my favourite wedding venues in London. A Grade II star listed Georgian mansion packed wall to wall with reclaimed antiques, chandeliers, mirrors and candlelight, sitting slightly surreally in the shadow of the Vauxhall towers.
Because the furniture and art are actually for sale, the rooms change between weddings, so no two sets of photographs from that building ever look the same. Dinner, speeches that landed properly, and a cake cut under the chandeliers.
The Dance Floor
And then downstairs. Music was clearly a big deal for Lizzie and James, and they brought in Speaker Box to run the night. Marcus is the real thing, a proper vinyl DJ with decades behind the decks and a crate dug library spanning hip hop, funk, soul and party classics. No memory stick, no autopilot, just a brilliant read of the room that kept the Brunswick House cellar packed into the late hours.
Lizzie and James, thank you for a wedding that had it all: the grandeur of Marylebone, the madness of Brunswick House, and a dance floor that did not stop.
Marylebone and Brunswick House are two of the venues I photograph most often. There is more on how I cover weddings across the city on my London wedding photography page.
Oli surpassed all expectations for what I had for a wedding photographer and took all the stress out of the process. It was truly enjoyable to work together. Oli has a vibrant and easy going energy that brings the best atmosphere to your special day and his documentary style perfectly captures genuine moments without the worry of posing. Also, his commitment to the dancefloor was superb. A photographer who goes above and beyond to create lasting memories, highly recommend!— Lizzie, Google review
Ceremony: Old Marylebone Town Hall, London
Reception: Brunswick House Lassco, Vauxhall
Dress: The Loop
DJ: Speaker Box
Photography: Oliver Holder
Planning your own Marylebone Town Hall or Brunswick House wedding? I would love to hear about it.
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