By Alex Beckett Photography
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wedding photography old royal naval college greenwich
Old Royal Naval College is one of the most epic locations there is in the UK: quite simply stunning. If you can’t get a good photo here then you don’t deserve to be a photographer! Seriously – hang up your camera. This is the location where I won one of my most prestigious awards, so it's kind of doubled-down as one of my favourite wedding venues. Which isn't to say it's without its challenges - but maybe a venue's challenges are what push any wedding photographer creatively. If you’d like to know more about packages and starting prices, click here and we’ll get back to you asap! There are no extra overnight stay costs for London weddings.
The Old Royal Naval College is open to the public until late afternoon, which means any wedding ceremony and celebration is going to be taking place later in the day. For a wedding with a lot of guests, it's really helpful when a couple involves me in the planning and timings as the details come together, wherever the venue. I can usually give helpful advice, simply because I've been to so many weddings at that venue, and similar venues, before, and so I know what has worked best for other couples and can put forward suggestions. With wedding photography at The Old Royal Naval College, there are some fun ways to work round the time constraints.
No guest will ever forget attending a wedding in the Painted Hall and you will never forget watching the speeches in front of this beautiful mural. I was the first photographer to shoot a wedding here after the room's mammoth two-year restoration. I ‘saw’ this shot right at the beginning of the day. I knew I wanted to capture the best moment from the speeches in front of that painting - the moment that gets the big reaction from the guests. However, I couldn’t wait for the shot because I’d be missing other documentary shots. I won't bore you with the technical bit but I had the gear to set up one camera on a tripod, wander the room with a second camera - and when the moment came and the room exploded in laughter, I set off the first. As always, I wanted to show the human story at the heart of all the grandeur.
With a late wedding ceremony necessary at The Old Royal Naval College, you're looking at doing group photos and couple portraits even later. Luckily, most modern couples aren't superstitious and are happy to get ready a little earlier and meet me for photos. It means I can capture a first-look moment making use of the stunning architecture in this World Heritage site, take group shots with the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and it means that after the ceremony a couple can really relax with their friends without the formalities interrupting. And in summer, there's a chance for everyone to enjoy a few moments between the ceremony and the dinner enjoying the full beauty of the extensive Royal Naval College grounds, while the children tear around and left off steam.
GETTING MARRIED AT the old royal naval college?
Do get in touch to chat informally about your wedding plans and your ideas about photography and how Alex may help you achieve those. There are no extra overnight stay costs for wedding photography at The Old Royal Naval College.
Postscript from an Old Royal Naval College Wedding Photographer
Famous venue
“The Avengers”, “Les Miserables”, “The Mummy Returns”, and way too many other films to name have all been filmed at The Old Royal Naval College – and there’s a good reason – it’s epic!
Past weddings
The current buildings on the site are replacements for the older Greenwich Palace. This was Henry VIII's favourite palace and where he married the first two of his six wives, Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn.
A wedding present
The Old Royal Naval College gifts each bride and groom a free annual pass to the Painted Hall, which lasts until the first wedding anniversary, offering a chance to go back and relive one of the happiest days of your life.