London engagement photography
Engagement photos London
Best locations for engagement photos in London
Pre-wedding pictures, engagement photos, couple shoots … whatever you like to call them, I’ve done a lot with my couples over the years. And London has so much when it comes to finding cool places for an engagement shoot.
Some of the top locations for London engagement pictures include Portobello Road in Notting Hill, the Barbican Conservatory, Hampstead Heath, Richmond Hill, Richmond Park, South Bank, Kew Gardens, Colombia Road flower market, Oxford Street … and many more. I review some of my favourite spots to do pre-wedding shots in London below.
London is full of stunning venues to get married in - including ornate churches, historical registry offices, old pubs, modern skyscrapers, modern city clubs like Shoreditch House, and totally unique venues like the Barbican Conservatory, a tropical oasis in a Brutalist concrete structure. You can mix and match locations to do your ceremony and reception to create a stunning and unique London wedding.
If you are looking for advice or guidance on places in London to do an engagement shoot or London wedding venues, please say hello, I would be delighted to help you plan. Many of my wedding couples over the years have been based in London or are planning a London wedding.
London engagement photographer
I am a London wedding photographer, based in Richmond, London, and photograph weddings and engagements in London, across the UK, and destinations beyond.
As a top London wedding photographer, I have photographed weddings and pre-wedding couple shoots since 2013. Some of my London weddings have been featured in leading industry wedding blogs and magazines, including Rock My Wedding, Love My Dress, and Rock N Roll Bride.
My wedding couples choose me to work with them for:
my creative, candid documentary style of photography
how I work effectively with my wedding couples: I am easy to work with, put my couples at ease, and am discreet and unobtrusive when shooting weddings
There are many good reasons to consider doing an engagement shoot before your wedding. These include: getting to know your photographer, practicing couple shots ahead of your wedding day (enabling more relaxed photos on the day, and discovering you preferred shots), and scouting out your wedding venue ahead of time. I review these and more benefits from doing pre-wedding engagement pictures below
Best places in London for engagement photos
-
![Shoreditch engagement photos]()
1. Shoreditch engagement photos
There are so many amazing, creative spots for pre-wedding photography in and around Shoreditch, including Brick Lane, Colombia Road Flower Market, and the Barbican Conservatory.
You could wander through the Shoreditch markets, make your way through the crowds, and take advantage of some of the local street art and graffiti which make for very creative backdrops for couple shots.
The Barbican Conservatory is a brilliant spot for pre-wedding couple photos, with its brutalist architecture, lush vegetation, cactus and succulents
-
![Notting Hill engagement photos]()
2. Notting Hill engagement photos
Portobello Road is famous for its Saturday market, and was for me a favourite place to do street photography.
The local artisanal stalls; the pastel coloured houses; and the jam-packed streets create a perfect spot for pre-wedding engagement photography
-
![Richmond engagement photos]()
3. Richmond engagement photos
Richmond Hill is perfect on a sunny day for some summer pre-wedding photos. At the top of the hill is a white stony tree-lined path with benches and stunning views down to the river, just by the Roebuck pub.
And Richmond Hill is a stones throw away from Richmond Park, with its deers, lush woodland, and views of the city in the distance
-
![South Bank engagement photos]()
4. South Bank engagement photos
London South Bank is iconic, with its famous London Bridges over the Thames, passing tourists, and lots of spots to take cool pictures.
The National Theatre is striking for its distinctive brutalist concrete architecture, many nooks, platforms and stairways, where we can take advantage of the light and shadows to make some great pictures.
And London Bridge with Borough Market is full of bustle, delicious foods, and some striking spots for some engagement photos
-
![Kew Gardens engagement photos]()
5. Kew Gardens engagement photos
Stunning botanical gardens, Victorian glasshouses, and vast green landscapes are a brilliant backdrop for pre-wedding photographs.
Kew Gardens is a lovely mix of natural beauty, architectural elegance and some isolated spots for couples that want pre-wedding pictures without lots of people around
-
![Hampstead Heath engagement photos]()
6. Hampstead Heath engagement photos
Hampstead Heath, with its isolated woodland spots, small ponds (also famous for its wild swimming spots), and stunning views over the city of London, makes for stunning engagement shoot backdrops.
This location would work well for couples wishing for a bit more privacy to practice their couple poses
Reasons to consider pre-wedding engagement photos
1.
Connecting with your wedding photographer
Your wedding day will come with a lot of excitement, and potentially a stress or two … and so it might feel a lot better to have met your photographer in advance, so you are more relaxed with them when they turn up, and so you are not having to meet them for the first time on your wedding day
2.
Practice couple shots ahead of your wedding day
An engagement shoot can be used to practice poses and determine favourite styles … which means you can plan in advance which shots to recreate on the day. It will also likely mean you feel more at ease in front of the camera on your wedding day, leading to more natural and relaxed photos
3.
Scout out your wedding venue
You could use your pre-wedding couple shoot to scout your wedding venue for particular locations or backdrops for places to do couple pictures on the day. This will save you some time and probably make the process more relaxed. I will typically find two or three backdrops to do couple shots on a wedding day
4.
Get some great couple pictures
It is great to just get some pictures of you as a couple for the mantlepiece at home, or maybe even for your family. You could even use some pictures from the pre-wedding shoot as part of your wedding invitation
5.
Take the pressure off the couple pictures on your wedding day
You might have a tight timeline planned for your wedding day, or not want to spend lots of time on the day away doing couple pictures. An engagement shoot helps this by making some pictures of the two of you ahead of the day
6.
Test run your hair or make up for your wedding day
You might want to use a pre-wedding shoot to test your wedding hair or make-up ahead of the actual day. Some of my couples have done this and ended up changing their planned styles for the day