Chelsea Old Town Hall Wedding Photography | Intimate London Micro Wedding
Chelsea Old Town Hall Wedding Photography | An Intimate London Wedding
I was honoured to photograph a micro wedding at Chelsea Old Town Hall earlier this spring. I was first contacted by a very sweet couple last autumn, when they got in touch to enquire about my wedding photography services. I was over the moon when I found out that they recently became proud owners of the cutest little morkie puppy called Sami. FYI - a morkie is a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a Maltese. We arranged to do an engagement photography session, but with a twist of adding the puppy to the shoot. So we called it an autumnal couple and puppy photo shoot, which took place on Wimbledon Common. Engagement sessions are a great way to meet your wedding photographer, and to capture some genuine memories of a special time in your lives as a couple. In this case - the perfect moment to capture the two brides-to-be with little Sami as a three month old bundle of fluff and joy. You can read more about our encounter, and see some photos from the puppy session here. I was so pleased that the couple was happy with the work I produced for them and that they decided to hire me as their Chelsea wedding photographer.
Chelsea Wedding Photography in the midst of RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Fast forward eight months, the season and location have changed. The couple have organised their intimate wedding ceremony at Chelsea Town Hall. The month was May and RHS Chelsea Flower Show was opening just down the road. The streets were filled with all sorts of flower arrangements and art pieces, from beautifully arranged flower displays in shop windows, to sculpted giant handbags decorated with huge flowers and bouquets, to a punk head art piece made out of plant materials and flowers. For someone who’s never been at Chelsea Flower Show and seen the surrounding mayhem, I was truly blown away! Although it was very tempting to photograph the couple on Chelsea High Road, the streets were getting busy so we agreed to stay close to the town hall and use some of the side streets as a back drop for couple portraits.
Couple Portrait Photography off King’s Road
This is the part of a wedding I really enjoy, having a quiet moment with the couple and finding photogenic backgrounds. We were walking around the side streets just off King’s Road, when I spotted a retro-looking cafe on a corner of a street. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photographs inside, but I positioned the couple in front of the cafe window and took a few portraits which ended up being some of my favourites. Little morkie Sami was truly in her element, enjoying plentiful cuddles and nearly stealing the show!
We continued exploring the neighbourhood, passing by a bright yellow wall inviting us for another set of couple portraits. I noticed a tree shadow being cast on the wall which I thought would create an interesting visual look together with the brides and their pooch. It is always a fun challenge incorporating shadows (or reflections) into portraiture, for me it definitely adds visual interest to a photograph.
We were getting tight with time, so after a few individual portraits of each bride, we looped back and headed for the town hall in preparation for the wedding ceremony.
CHELSEA OLD TOWN HALL INTIMATE WEDDING
Chelsea Old Town Hall is one of the most elegant and tasteful London wedding venues. The newly refurbished, Grade II listed Victorian property is the perfect setting for a small wedding. The ceremony rooms have been painted in pleasing pastel shades, decorated with beautiful artwork and exquisite flower arrangements, perfect for wedding photography.
Dog-friendly wedding at Chelsea Old Town Hall
The wedding party got settled into the Rossetti room, waiting for the arrival of the two brides. Sami was looked after by one of the friends, and was waiting patiently. It was such a sweet sight to see a dog at a wedding! It was a lovely, warm and welcoming ceremony, lead by such a kind, professional registar, who made everyone feel welcome. After the ceremony, everyone gathered at the steps for a few group shots, before heading over to Charlotte’s cloud, a friendly local cafe with great staff and amazing food. I stayed to take a few informal shots of everyone enjoying their time together, before leaving the party to relax and enjoy a more private celebration.
Micro Wedding Photography in London
In the last five years or so, small wedding photography, or micro wedding photography as it is known has become an appealing option for couples looking to capture a part of their wedding, rather than a whole day. I love photographing a full wedding day from bridal preparations to the first dance but I also enjoy a shorter wedding coverage. This is why I offer tailored wedding photography packages starting from 2h to full day coverage. For more information, please visit my wedding photography page.
List of wedding suppliers
Wedding dress: Cider
Wedding suit: Top to toe Zara
Dog tux: AliExpress
Wedding shoes: Customised Converse pride
Hair/wrist bands: Etsy
Flowers: Dawson Flower & Landscapes, Lamb’s Conduit Street
Rings: Anna Loucah Fine Jewellery. The rings were customised and handcrafted by Anna for the brides based on their character; minimalist, yet respecting the tradition of diamonds. You can read more about the ring making process on Anna’s blog by following this link.
London wedding photographer
Hi! My name is Mina. I am a professional wedding photographer, working across London, Surrey and the South East. I love meeting couples, hearing about their wedding plans, working in different wedding venues and making sure your day is captured in an authentic, natural and fun way! I live in Surrey with my family, and love spending time in nature whenever I am working or not working! If you like the photos in this blog post, and would like to discuss your upcoming wedding plans, please give me a call on 07793677867 or send me an email at mina@minamilanovic-photography.com. Alternatively, you can fill out the contact form below.
Get in touch
Dog Photo Session in Wandsworth
I so am behind with my blog posts! This one is from earlier in the summer which seems long long ago. The days are getting short and the evenings are drawing in, perfect time for sitting by the fire and reminiscing about summer photo sessions.
This couple and dog photo shoot took place in Wandsworth, South West London. The photoshoot was a Christmas gift and was meant to be a puppy photo session, but because of puppy health issues we had to postpone. By summer time, the bulldog puppy didn’t quite look like a puppy but it definitely had the puppy spirit about him.
We started the dog photo session in the communal gardens where I took a few action shots and portraits of the puppy alone. We then headed out by the river for a walk, which has some beautiful backdrops which I was keen to incorporate in the portraits of the couple together with their dog. I love including the landscape into the photograph, it gives a sense of a place and reminds the clients of the places they visited or where they lived.
Bulldogs are such expressive dogs and it is great fun and a pleasure to photograph them. Their grumpy face makes for a great pet portrait but they are also playful and cheeky, and some of my favourite photos from this pet photo shoot are the action shots.
Christmas is coming once again. If you need a Christmas gift idea, head over to my gift voucher page where you can find a selection of photography gift vouchers available to purchase. Photography gift vouchers are available for one year from the date of purchase and come with a complementary 8x6’’ print. Please contact me if you would like to add credit towards digital files or prints, or if you would like to have a chat about your photography gift idea.
