By Alex Beckett Photography
AS FEATURED IN:
pre-wedding photography London, England.
WHY CHOOSE LONDON FOR A PRE-WEDDING SHOOT? In short, it's the grandest city in the world. If you’re weighing up where in Europe to visit for pre-wedding photography and a slide show that will wow the guests at your wedding banquet, then London is a failsafe city. London's historic locations mean there are so many iconic backdrops for your couple shoot where you’ll find a mix of grandeur and the romance of England. Many of the buildings have a timelessness that looks amazing in a photo display and they are famous and recognisable throughout the world. Plus, London is a creative hub. It's where the world's best theatre happens every night. It also boasts some of the best shopping in the world. If you’re here to shop, consider scheduling in a pre- or post-wedding shoot, or vice versa. Couples also come to London because they have a connection to the city. If you’ve studied in London or met in London, you’ll have lots of special memories you want to share with friends back home. You can capture that spirit of London to show everyone at your wedding banquet.
"Photographer Alex Beckett is a big deal...Crossing continents for a shoot with Alex is worth every penny...He's the expert!" -British TV Channel 5's 'My Crazy Rich Asian Wedding'. To discover why Alex is the acknowledged best, and learn more about prices and packages, do get in touch.
Location: Central London
Tower Bridge
If time allows, a quick taxi will take us to Tower Bridge. This is another of London most iconic structures, which everyone recognises the world over, and it comes alive at night. If you're lucky, you might even see it open as a ship passes through. After shooting, it's a good place to relax and enjoy the city's excellent food scene in one of the many restaurants nearby.
Big Ben
Everyone wants to shoot around Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. There’s been scaffolding on the clock tower for years while it was being renovated, but that is now coming down! This iconic view has been out of bounds for three years, so it isn't one that's been shown in wedding feast slide shows for quite a while, and it would be great to be among the first to feature that famous view. Every couple seems to want that shot! But the best place to get that may be to go to Southbank...
St Paul's Cathedral
You can then walk your way – and it’s quite a walk – to the Millennium Bridge. That was the footbridge at the beginning of the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. You take that bridge to cross to St Paul’s Cathedral.
You can do quite a lot of this route if you have a full-day shoot. For a half-day shoot, we’d cut it right down and concentrate on one side of the river.
Southbank
If we go to the South side of the River Thames, we can get that iconic image shooting over the water to the Houses of Parliament. I’ve even done a fashion shoot here for an international glossy magazine. When I was shadowed by Channel Four for a national television documentary, this is where they filmed me shooting! We can walk from here into the area known as Southbank, which is more modern and edgy, where we can do something quite different so you get a great contrast in your images. One or two modern images in a slide show at a wedding banquet is a great way of surprising everyone, keeping their attention. We’d head past the London Eye (Europe's tallest observation wheel, that's often specially lit at night) to the Oxo Tower, which has lots of interesting photographic angles. Every time I go there, I shoot something different. It’s unique for every couple. There are nice views of St Paul’s in the background, too.
The Parks
Hyde Park, St James's Park, Regent's Park, Hampstead Heath Pergola: in London, you’re never far away from a green space, so if you want to combine the iconic backgrounds with some quiet, pretty shots – which also seems very English – it’s easy to do.
Hyde Park and Regent’s Park are both quite central and offer boating facilities on the lakes, ideal for a full-day shoot. Alternatively, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a great secondary destination. A legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games, it offers stunning architecture mixed with leafy tranquillity and is close to a city farm we can also visit.
For football fans
If you’ve lived here, you’ll want to capture the London that was important to you at the time: it might be your corner pub or the university where you met. But London is also home to some of the most popular football teams in the world, thanks to the Premier League, and I’ve done shoots outside the Chelsea stadium, for example. We’ve also successfully liaised with the staff at the world-famous Wembley Stadium to organise a special photography event for clients who were really into their football. Basically, if you’re a fan of a particular team we can advise what is or isn’t possible.
The City
The city area is great if you’d like some edgy, skyscraper shots. We have a mini-Manhattan in the east of London that, again, provides a contrast to the classic pre-wedding locations. Alternatively, in certain, more central areas you can find ‘little London’, those narrower streets – quaint, Diagon Alley London – where we can shoot against a bank of red phone booths, for example. I’ve done that for foreign glossy magazines, as well. It’s all about route- and time-planning, so again, you need to chat through your wish list and we are always happy to advise.
Cool London
A charming combination of canal and market, Camden Lock is cool London. The area is most famous for its world-renowned flea market, where you can buy arts and craft items, antiques and music memorabilia. This is where Prince once opened a shop and Amy Winehouse worked on a stall so it is famous as part of London’s counter-culture. Nearby Shoreditch – equally known as a young, hipster centre – is the site of some of the most creative and colourful graffiti images and wall art in London, which offer an energetic, vibrant background with a twist of humour.
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