I’ve photographed a lot of weddings at Marylebone Town Hall. It is elegant, central, easy to get in and out of, and almost impossible to photograph without including at least one very good staircase.
It also works for everything from two witnesses and a drink afterwards to a room full of family, confetti and logistical optimism.
This is my guide to the building, the rooms and the useful practical things I’ve learned by repeatedly turning up there with cameras.
The building and the rooms
The Old Marylebone Town Hall is on Marylebone Road, Westminster. There are seven ceremony rooms, so choosing the right one is a matter of numbers as well as taste.
The Westminster Room is the largest, with walnut-panelled walls and space for 100 guests. Mayfair and Knightsbridge each accommodate 30; Pimlico 20; Soho 13; Marylebone 12; and Paddington 8.
Those are the capacities currently published by Westminster. Check the council’s room information and booking details for your date, including who counts towards the room’s capacity.
The stairs, the ceremony, the confetti
The staircase is an obvious place for a photograph. It is also a place where people move, talk, pause and occasionally realise they’ve just got married. I’m interested in those things as much as the architecture.
There is time for photographs inside after the ceremony, but it needs to fit the town hall’s schedule. Westminster currently says ceremonies normally last around 15–20 minutes, with the remaining allocated time used for interior photographs while guests are guided downstairs for confetti.
Plan the group photographs and anything further afield around that, rather than assuming we can keep the room for another hour. The council’s ceremony FAQs explain the current arrangements.
A short list of the family groups you’d like is useful. It means we can get those photographs without turning the steps into an administrative exercise.
Check the town hall’s confetti guidance before buying it, and let the ushers lead the way on the day.
The photographs here are from real weddings at the town hall. Different rooms, different people, different light. The building is recognisable; the day should still look like yours.
After the town hall
The ceremony can be the whole event, or the beginning of a day that moves across London. A walk, a taxi, a pub, lunch, dinner and dancing: the journey between places is often part of the story.
There’s no obligation to disappear for a long portrait session. We can work out what fits around the day you actually want to have.
For another ceremony option, see my Islington Town Hall photographs. My London venue guide covers hotels, warehouses, music halls and restaurants I’ve worked in.
Wear what you want to wear. The rooms have plenty of character, but the photographs are about the people in them.
If you’re getting married here, tell me about your plans. You can find coverage and delivery details in my wedding photography FAQs.
More Marylebone wedding photographs
See the full Marylebone Town Hall and Bourne & Hollingsworth wedding.
See also my guide to London wedding venues.