Wedding Photography at Woolwich Town Hall/Greenwich Register Office
**I’m taking bookings for weddings at this venue for 2024-25 now!**
The ornate Victoria Hall is just one of many reasons to book your wedding at the Greenwich Register Office in the gorgeous Woolwich Town Hall.
Woolwich Town Hall is a Grade II listed Edwardian Baroque building opened in 1906. It is ornate, large and beautiful and perfect for small to medium-sized wedding ceremonies. The venue also incorporates Greenwich Register Office, sometimes mistakenly called ‘registry’.
The main entrance to Woolwich Town Hall is on Wellington Street. Here the bride arrives with her mother just before her wedding ceremony.
The Edwardian Baroque exterior of Woolwich Town Hall is perfect for couples to pose (and kiss) outside after their wedding ceremony.
Ready to Book Your Wedding Photographer for Woolwich Town Hall/Greenwich Register Office?Special Price for 1 Hour**£420** One hour + beautifully edited photos in a mixture of colour and black and white. Price includes some arrivals shots, the ceremony, congratulations/confetti and posed shots on the stairs & outside. For full details and extended coverage, please visit my Wedding Photography Prices page. |
There’s time before your ceremony for last-minute setting up such as the bride’s iPad to record the ceremony.
The groom has his buttonhole fixed by his mum in Greenwich Register Office’s Edwardian room.
I try to photograph everything that goes on – in this case, the couple’s guests talking to relatives via Zoom.
Located in the heart of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, South-East London, the town hall is a short walk from Woolwich Arsenal Station and has useful transport links for guests arriving by public transport.
The wedding venue lies on Wellington Street (B210) and Market Street and has entrances on both. The town hall is generally accessed by the Wellington street entrance for weddings, though.
Before the wedding ceremony starts, there is plenty of time for shots of guests.
The groom’s sister was going to play the flute as the bride entered the Edwardian Room. So I made sure I captured her in this family portrait.
Woolwich Town Hall as a Wedding Venue
Greenwich Register Office is one venue that will blow you away when you walk in through the front doors and enter the Victoria Hall. The interior is as opulent and ornate as the outside, and the building has six domes making up the roof and helping illuminate the inside.
If you have a Woolwich Town Hall wedding, you will be very well looked after by the registrars and staff. They will guide you through every step of the process to ensure that you have a wedding day to remember.
The brides tentatively enter the Edwardian Room together as the ceremony begins.
Amanda and her very colourful mum weren’t so cautious as they entered the room for the wedding ceremony.
From behind them, I capture the guests watching on.
I like to take a sequence of the bride’s entrance and walk down the aisle. The aisle of the Edwardian Room is short, but I make the most of it.
Reunited at the ‘altar’: This shot shows off the front of the room with a period fireplace and attractive mirror.
There is the option for a reception or post-wedding ceremony meal at Woolwich Town Hall in Victoria Hall. However, there are also plenty of other venues nearby in the Royal Borough of Greenwich that caters to wedding reception parties that will no doubt suit you down to the ground as well.
The Woolwich registrars are happy to let the photographer move around during the ceremony, enabling me to get shots from different angles.
Black and white gives a very different feel to the photographs. Couples that book me as their wedding photographer generally like a mixture.
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As well as the couple, I take photographs of the guests watching the ceremony: This was a small wedding, but the room holds 40 guests.
Fun Shots like this are what my photography is all about: The little boy was the ring bearer, but he refused to give the bride her ring… The couple married eventually!
There’s a podium at the front for guests to give non-religious readings. The venue allows time for this by arrangement.
The decisive moment as the groom carefully places the ring on his bride’s finger.
A similar moment, but shot in the landscape orientation to give a broader aspect.
Woolwich Town Hall Wedding Rooms
Greenwich Register Office Room: This is the most basic ceremony venue with only your two witnesses present. Even the photographer isn’t allowed in (although it may be worth asking if photography is important to you). The ceremony includes just the wedding vows and the exchange of rings.
The Edwardian Room: The recently refurbished Edwardian Room is the middle-sized venue room and holds 36 guests. It has tasteful decor with a feature fireplace, and you are allowed readings and your choice of music.
Victoria Hall: The amazing Victoria room is exquisite and grand and holds up to 130 guests. Ceremonies are held just in front of the grand sweeping staircase. Available only on Saturdays and Sundays.
Additional charges will apply, so visit the Royal Greenwich Website for more information.
Another wider shot: Philip’s father looking on, gives the photograph more context.
The first kiss is a special moment to capture but can be fleeting. Take your time here so that the photographer has time to capture this moment well.
Richard and Ruby didn’t kiss but had their first hug! I think this photo means a lot more than many first kisses!
Signing the Register – Greenwich Registrar Rules
In 2021 everything changed regarding the register when it went online. Now, couples and their witnesses sign a wedding ‘schedule’. Whereas before, the Greenwich registrars were a little guarded about photography of the wedding register signing, they now allow photography of this part of the ceremony.
Changes to how the register is signed also mean the loss of another wedding tradition. The marriage certificate is no longer presented on the day but posted to the couple a few days later. So, your photographer may have gained the ability to shoot the signing, but the tradeoff is the loss of a wedding certificate presentation portrait.
Now that the schedule replaces the register, photographers’ are allowed to shoot the signing at Woolwich…
…however, some of the registrars prefer that the photographer shoots from more of a distance. I always check their preference beforehand.
Before the signing changes of 2021: This photo could have been taken at the actual signing but was the registrar just setting up the dummy register.
The couple poses with their witnesses for the dummy register signing. Most register offices now allow photography of the actual signing.
The whole (small) wedding party were invited forward for this shot after the signing.
Sometimes the congratulations happen organically after the ceremony. I’m always ready to capture memorable moments such as this.
As the bride chats with the groom’s brother, he hugs her sister. Wedding magic and special memories!
The newlyweds leave the Edwardian Room as husband and wife. It’s a great moment to take another sequence of wedding shots.
Wedding Bookings at Greenwich Register Office
Useful to Know When Booking Your Wedding:
- You can book your wedding up to 13 months in advance.
- You can contact the registrars on 020 8921 5015 or registrar@royalgreenwich.gov.uk to discuss.
- The venue can be expensive to hire but is cheaper mid-week
- You need to book your venue before requesting a registrar if getting married at a registered venue other than the Greenwich Register office.
- There is no guarantee that a registrar will be available on your date, so do book as soon as you know your date and venue.
- Thirty minutes is allowed for the ceremony, and you are also allowed time afterwards for photographs elsewhere in the building.
It was just before Christmas when I photographed Mary and Philip’s wedding. The trees in the Victoria Hall added a different dynamic to the posed portrait shots.
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A less festive shot showing how the Victoria Hall stairs usually look.
Congratulations, Confetti and Group Shots
Couples are allowed time after their ceremony within the building to utilise the ornate architecture as a backdrop for their group and couples portrait shots. Woolwich Town Hall and the Royal Borough of Greenwich registrars understand the importance that couples place on having a great set of images taken at their wedding. They work with the couple and photographer to help them achieve this.
Happily, confetti is allowed as the couple exit onto Wellington Street as long as it is biodegradable, which will likely be the last sequence of photos taken before the wedding party depart for the reception.
At their LGBT wedding, Jackie and Becky show off their rings on the stairs of the Victoria Hall.
This portrait was the entire wedding party. With more people, the photographer may use the stairs to organise the numbers. Since COVID, time is limited for shots on the staircase, with just couples photos of the newlyweds allowed.
I took this loving portrait upstairs amongst the archways.
Use of confetti has been restricted dince Covid, but a round of applause and laughter can work equally well.
When time is short inside, use the steps outside for good group shots before travelling to your reception venue.
Woolwich Town Hall Wedding FAQ’s
Q. WHY GET MARRIED AT WOOLWICH TOWN HALL?
A. The Town Hall is Grade II listed and designed in the Edwardian Baroque style. The Victorian Hall is ornate and very large with a sweeping staircase – a perfect backdrop to your small wedding day. There is a choice of rooms according to your preferences, budget and size of the wedding party.
Q. HOW LONG BEFORE OUR WEDDING CEREMONY CAN WE ACCESS THE ROOM FOR PHOTOGRAPHY?
A. Your guests will be shown to your room whilst you are being interviewed. This will give your photographer time to take plenty of greetings and scene-setting shots before the entrance of the bride.
Q. IS PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED OF OUR WOOLWICH MARRIAGE CEREMONY AND VOWS?
A. Photography of your marriage ceremony is allowed in all rooms except for a basic Register Office booking. The Greenwich registrars are relaxed about this and don’t mind your photographer moving to get the right angles and viewpoints.
Q. IS CONFETTI ALLOWED AFTERWARDS FOR A NICE PHOTOGRAPHIC SEQUENCE?
A. Yes!! When you exit from the main entrance on Wellington street, biodegradable confetti is allowed to be thrown by your guests. Your photographer should set this up for you and take a nice sequence of fun wedding confetti photos.
Q. WHAT IS THE LIGHT LIKE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE WOOLWICH TOWN HALL?
A. The light in the Victorian Hall is fairly good on a bright day with high dome daylight which will help produce some lovely images. The Edwardian room is not quite so bright but can be lit beautifully with a little bounce flash.
How many newlyweds must have left under the front portico following their nuptials at Woolwich Town Hall!
Wedding Portraits Around Woolwich
Woolwich is a fantastic area for some pre or post-wedding portraits. Whichever way you do things is entirely up to you, and there are benefits to both…
Having the shoot around Woolwich before your ceremony gives us a chance to get to know each other and for you to get used to my camera. You’ll also be able to go straight on to your reception meal.
After you’re married you will probably feel more relaxed which will show in your photos.
If you’re having a short wedding day, you’ll need around 1.5 – 2 hours of coverage in order to give time for the extra portraits. Bear in mind that your time at the venue from arrival to departure is around 1 hour.
Below are some examples from a pre and post-wedding portrait shoot at Woolwich Riverside.
There are numerous attractive buildings around No1 Street. This was the couple posing outside the Woolwich Works. I was very drawn to the shabby texture of the brickwork. The couple booked me for an extra 30 minutes after their ceremony.
My wide-angle lens enables me to capture some lovely environmental images, which look great as prints.
The same building (and lens) but from further back. This LGBTQ couple were great fun and met me an hour before their Woolwich wedding for a short shoot.
There are reminders of Woolwich’s military past all over the place, to be used as portrait props.
And finally… Have fun with it! If you don’t take things too seriously, you’ll come away with memories as well as nice portraits.
Greenwich Register Office,
Woolwich Town Hall,
Wellington Street,
London SE18 6PW.
