Julian & Josh | The Ned Wedding Photography
The Ned · City of London
A Documentary Wedding Story
Julian and Josh got married at The Ned in the City of London, from a ceremony in the Tapestry Room to dinner, speeches and dancing until one in the morning, with matching deep green velvet suits setting the tone for the whole day.
Getting Ready at The Ned
The day started from half past twelve, with Julian, Josh and their two groups of groomsmen getting ready in rooms just along the corridor from each other inside The Ned. Ties were straightened, buttonholes pinned, a shoe was polished on a velvet ottoman, and those deep green velvet suits looked even better in person than I imagine they did in the fitting room. There is always a lovely energy to two grooms getting ready under the same roof, plenty of nipping between rooms to check on each other and steal a look before the day properly begins.
The Ceremony
Guests arrived from half past two, greeted with handshakes and hugs as they found their seats, and one small guest in particular, the littlest member of the wedding party, stole plenty of hearts on her way down the aisle. Then at three o’clock it was into the Tapestry Room itself, with a string trio from Blue Topaz playing them both in. Vows exchanged, that first married kiss, and the whole room on its feet as Julian and Josh walked back out as husbands.
Cocktail Reception on the Terrace
Straight from the ceremony out onto The Ned’s terrace and into the Tapestry Room foyer for drinks, with the Blue Topaz string trio carrying on through the whole reception. This is always one of my favourite parts of the day to photograph, that easy, unhurried hour where everyone has a glass in hand and nobody is thinking about the camera.
Entrance and Speeches
At half past five everyone moved back into the Tapestry Room for Julian and Josh’s entrance, followed straight away by speeches. This is the point in the day where I always end up putting the camera down for a second, just to laugh along with everyone else, before picking it back up to catch the next reaction along the table.
Dinner
Dinner followed from quarter past six in the Tapestry Room, candlelit and relaxed, with the sort of easy conversation and top ups of wine that make a room properly loosen up before the dancing starts.
Dancing in the Saloon
By eight o’clock the party had moved through to The Ned’s Saloon, where SpinSisters, a female only cohort of DJs and saxophonists, took over for the night. DJ Laura Harvey kept the floor full, with a run of surprise saxophone performances from Heather Hoyle that had the whole room properly buzzing. A croquembouche tower arrived at quarter past nine to a huge round of applause, and the dancing carried on until midnight, with the last carriages called for one in the morning. Julian warned me his dancefloor energy was ‘wild’ before the day even started, and he was not exaggerating.
Portraits
Before the night wound down we slipped away for twenty minutes to get some portraits of Julian and Josh together, including one of my favourites of the whole day by the engraved ‘THE NED’ sign out front. Twenty minutes is never very long, but paired with those green velvet suits against the stone it was all we needed.
“We just wanted to send you a quick thanks for the great photos, they look excellent. You captured so many fantastic moments. I’m obsessed with the portraits you took of my friends, you captured something really deep about who they are. And your dancefloor shots are incredible, you nailed the wild energy I bring to the dancefloor.”Julian
Getting married at The Ned yourself? It is one of my favourite London venues to photograph, from the Tapestry Room to the terrace and the Saloon dance floor, and I would love to talk you through how I approach a day there.
The Ned wedding guide London wedding photographyIf you are planning a City of London wedding with a big evening party, my London wedding photography page has more days like this one, and my portfolio has plenty of dance floors just as lively as the Saloon was that night.
Ceremony & reception venue: The Ned, London EC2
Music, ceremony & cocktail reception: Blue Topaz (string trio)
Music, party: SpinSisters — DJ Laura Harvey, saxophone by Heather Hoyle
Photography: Oliver Holder
Planning a wedding at The Ned, or somewhere else in London? I would love to hear about it.
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