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 Photographer in Windsor Great Park
German Shepherd Photography
I’ve never photographed a german shepherd before so I was very excited about this dog photography session!
Outdoor Dog Photo Shoot
My client received a dog photography gift certificate from her brother and sister. After brief email correspondence, we agreed to meet in Windsor Great Park for an outdoor photoshoot. I photographed a couple and their two dogs at the same location a couple of months ago and really enjoyed the experice so I was eagar to go back.
Photographing Dogs and their Owners
Tui was a lovely gentle dog who was a bit shy and nervous of the camera at first. I gave him a bit of time to get used to me and once he started to relax I was able to photograph around him freely. The more I photograph dogs the more I want explore the relationship they have with their owners. I love taking a nice portrait of a dog or an exciting action shot, but for me it is really the connection dogs have with their owners that draws my attention and makes for an interesting and hopefully timeless photograph. So more and more in my dog photography I am trying to include the owners. My hope is that when they look back on the photos in the future, the image will provoke not only the memory of the dog, but also their relationship.
If you would like to find out about my dog photography sessions, please have a look on my website.
Dog Photography Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers are a great gift for any occasion - birthday, anniversary, wedding or christmas. If you are thinking of purchasing a dog photography gift voucher for your friend or a family member, please visit my store or get in touch. I would love to capture some memories for you.
Family Dogs / Surrey Family and Pet Photographer
Family Dogs
I love taking family photographs and I also love photographing dogs. That is why I recently started a personal project called Family Dogs, with an aim to document the relationship families have with their pet dogs. To kick start the series, I photographed a gorgeous cocker spaniel Lexi with her human family. We arranged our dog and family photo shoot near Leith Hill as the family lived close by and one of their favourite things to do in spare time was to go on long country walks.
Family portraits with pets
It was a warm summer day in late summer, with sunshine coming through the clouds but with rain looming in the distance. We started our walk at the bottom of the hill, walking up the gentle slopes, sun coming through the trees. This first part of the session provided some great opportunities for group shots, the colours of the dead leaves on the ground matching Lexi’s coat. It was lovely to work with the earhy colour palette. A part of the route up towards Leith Hill has some impressive tree roots which form an amazing pattern on the ground. I knew I wanted to include these in the photographs, so I positioned Lexi for a few dog portraits. I particurlarly like black and white versions of these photographs, the textures and patterns really come through. Once we were on top of the hill, I looked around for nice spots for some more family shots. The heather was in bloom and I wanted to include it in the photos. Often when photographing families with dogs, there is quite a bit of arranging going on. Either the dog doesn’t want to sit still, the kids want to run around or both things happen making it nearly impossible to take a group shot! On this occasion, by some miracle, the family set down and just as they did so (while also looking at the camera), Lexi came from behind and poked her head through a little hole in the middle. This is one of the rare unposed, unplanned photos which just happened and turned out amazing! It is one of my favouirtes from this family and pet photo session, probably because it was so spontaneous!
Dog Portraits
Finally, a dog photo session with an energetic dog like Lexi wouldn’t be complete without a few action shots. I got Lexi to run along the paths amongst the heather and she did so with such speed that my auto focus struggled to keep up. I love taking a variety of different shots which capture memories of our pets in different situations - while frantically running around, chasing a ball, playing with another dog or a family member, or having a quiet moment. Different moments take us back and awaken memories we thought we lost.
Family Photography with Dogs
If you live in Surrey and are interested in participating in my Family Dogs photography project, please get in touch - I would love to hear from you and photograph your family and your dog(s)!
Dog Photography Gift Vouchers
If you are looking for a different kind of gift for someone’s birthday, anniversary or Christmas present, then a photography gift voucher may be the answer. I offer 1h and 2h dog photography gift vouchers. You can add extra credit to the gift certificate, which can go towards digital files or prints, or leave it up to the receipient to choose what they’d like at the end of the photoshoot. Get in touch if you have any questions!
Dog photographer in Surrey
My lovely neighbours wanted a few photos of their dogs Nelly and Annie, so a few weeks ago we went on a local Surrey walk to photograph the two ladies. I wanted to capture them enjoying their every day walk - running around the cricket pitch and walking through the tall grasses. These two ladies are elderly which I find can sometimes be a challenge during dog photo shoots in terms of producing a variety of images for my clients. However, these two were such stars - they were up for posing for portraits (individual and group!), they loved having a run around and interacted so eagerly with their owners. I really couldn’t have asked for more.
I love photographing dogs and their families, so if you are interested in having a dog photo session with me, please contact me to discuss your idea. Or perhaps you would like to surprise someone with a dog photoshoot experience? Gift certificates are a great way to treat your loved ones to an experience with their canine friend. If you would like to enquire about pet photography gift vouchers, please get in touch to discuss your requirements. You can also head over to my shop to purchase a 1h or 2h dog photography gift voucher,
