By Alex Beckett Photography
AS FEATURED IN:
wedding photography claridges hotel
LONDON
There is no location more stylish for wedding photography than Claridges Hotel. The art deco sumptuousness of Claridges’s interiors make for fabulous wedding images, perfect for couples who are confident in their own style. It really is a starry location, with lots of different rooms to choose from, but cutting the cake or a first dance in the splendour of the grand ballroom will form an unforgettable memory. If you’d like to know more about packages and starting prices, click here and we’ll get back to you asap!
Claridges has a policy of no photography in the public areas to protect the privacy of the other guests, so it's helpful to choose a photographer with experience of the venue who has worked with the staff before. Liaising with them in advance means, for example, that we were able to arrange arc lights in one location for a really cool, epic shot of all the guests at one of the most incredible celebrations I've ever shot. After all, if you've gone to the trouble of hiring Claridges for your wedding, you want a record of everyone who was there, raising a glass of champagne or dancing the night away.
There are lots of hidden corners in Claridges, one of the factors that makes this an amazing wedding venue for photography. The hidden lift with a vintage scissor gate, art-deco tiles, mirrors and upholstered seat is one of my personal favourites. It's said to be the oldest working lift in London. I once ended the night with an impromptu wedding-guest photo there and all I can say is that only Heidi Klum, Tuuli, Tom Kaulitzz and Rankin could look so cool after so much partying.
The whole history of Claridges and the quality of service and food makes for an unforgettable wedding ambience; the grand ballroom and some of the other connected rooms, which are similarly grand, call out for black tie (or white!) and gowns. As a wedding photographer, Claridges gives me many corners, from grand stairs to picture-bedecked corridors, to capture you, your family and friends, really having the time of your life. People who usually hate posing just find themselves in the mood!
GETTING MARRIED AT claridges hotel?
Alex is experienced at photographing large weddings which demand meticulous lighting, huge group shots that won't bore your guests by lasting interminably, as well as stylish reportage. Do get in touch to talk about your photography vision.
Postscript from a Claridges Wedding Photographer
Famous guests
From Audrey Hepburn to Brad Pitt, Hollywood royalty have been photographed entering Claridges for decades. Stylish Katharine Hepburn was a regular. Because the dress code of the day forbid women wearing trousers, the staff helped her overcome the problem by letting her use their entrance.
Wedding party
The late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, held their Ruby Wedding Anniversary party at Claridges. She also hosted a gala party there after the wedding of the then Prince Charles to Lady Diana, for all her royal relatives. That history tells you everything about the quality of service.
Royal Wedding watching
The guests at the gala watched the day's photographic highlights on a screen erected in the anteroom. One astonished guest noted, 'There were all the major wedding guests watching themselves on the film spliced together in the few hours since the ceremony.'