Josie and Oliver got married at Camden Town Hall at lunchtime, put everyone on a Routemaster and took them across London to the Coin Laundry in Clerkenwell.
There was a pub quiz hosted by the groom, a walk around Exmouth Market, pink sequinned cowboy boots and, eventually, a basement full of people dancing. It was stylish without being remotely well behaved, which is generally the useful combination.
I photographed what happened rather than trying to turn it into somebody else’s idea of a wedding. Mostly, what happened was funny, loose and very London.
Camden Town Hall — A Registry Office with Real Character
Camden Town Hall is on Judd Street in Bloomsbury. It has high ceilings, good light and enough character that nobody needs to spend the morning trying to improve it with decorations.
The ceremony was at lunchtime and pleasantly free of theatre. Josie and Oliver got married, everyone cheered, and then we went outside.
The midday light was crisp and directional. Useful, because that is what light is for.
Confetti, Sunshine and a Vintage Routemaster
Outside, London did the usual thing of changing its mind about the weather every few minutes.
There was confetti, followed by a matron of honour in a multicoloured sequinned bus conductor’s hat. The tone for the afternoon was therefore established fairly quickly.
Everyone then piled onto a Routemaster to Clerkenwell. Keeping the whole wedding on one bus is both more sociable and considerably more useful photographically than watching a procession of minicabs disappear into London traffic.
The Coin Laundry, Exmouth Market — Two Floors of Perfectly Judged Atmosphere
The Coin Laundry sits on Exmouth Market and feels more like somewhere you would already choose to spend an afternoon than somewhere temporarily pretending to be a wedding venue. This is a compliment.
Upstairs was lunch. Downstairs would eventually become the party. Josie arrived, saw the tables and looked genuinely delighted, which is more useful than me describing the table settings for three paragraphs.
The wedding breakfast upstairs unfolded in the unhurried, sociable way that the best wedding receptions do — guests moving between tables, children falling asleep in corners or tearing around with the particular freedom that children at weddings discover, speeches that moved between funny and genuinely tender. And then, partway through the afternoon, Oliver stood up — ostensibly to give a speech — and revealed that he had prepared a surprise pub quiz for his guests. It was brilliantly executed, entirely in keeping with who he is, and had the room in absolute fits.
Exmouth Market — Magic Hour Portraits
Later, Josie and Oliver and I went for a short walk around Exmouth Market while the light was good. No grand portrait expedition. Just enough time to make a few photographs before going back to the people they had actually invited.
Exmouth Market itself is a gift for a photographer. The cobblestones, the independent shop fronts, the hanging plants and cafe tables — it has texture and character that works naturally as a backdrop without demanding attention. Josie and Oliver were relaxed, present and entirely themselves — which is all I ever ask of a couple during portraits.
Josie was wearing pink sequinned cowboy boots. Obviously I photographed them.
The Basement Party
Eventually everyone moved downstairs, where it was dark, crowded and increasingly loud. In other words, a party.
I used flash downstairs when it made sense and left the room looking like the room rather than attempting to turn a basement into midday.
Thinking of Getting Married at Camden Town Hall or the Coin Laundry?
Camden Town Hall is one of London’s most accessible and genuinely characterful registry offices, well suited to couples who want a ceremony that feels real without the weight of a large formal venue. The Coin Laundry is an ideal reception partner — particularly for couples whose guest list sits comfortably within the venue’s capacity and who want an evening that feels like a great night out as much as a wedding.
If you’re planning a wedding at either venue and looking for a London wedding photographer who shoots with a documentary eye and an editorial sensibility.
See another Camden Town Hall wedding at The Standard Hotel →
