Sofitel St James London
Donna & Scott

Here’s Donna and Scott’s December wedding at The Sofitel St James and Marylebone Town Hall last December.

A lot of couples getting married in the winter months worry about the available light (because after 4pm there isn’t any) but generally so long as there’s an exposed area to shoot in it’s fine and once it’s dark you can rely on flash – it’s just important to make sure it’s correctly used. Also, sometimes the winter months can be a gift as there’s no slow transition between day and night like in September / October. The photography ends up more consistent as a result.

I started at the Sofitel St James where I was able to cover both sides of prep which is always nice and then we travelled to Marylebone Town Hall for a 3pm ceremony.

Because it was 3.30pm by the time we were back outside all the group photos were taken on the steps and the pictures of Donna and Scott were taken at the top of them by the facade.

Marylebone Town Hall is spectacularly good to use as a backdrop for photos. Much more so than you’d think it would be at a glance but the stonework has multiple shades and textures to it with great directional lighting in all weathers. It’s truly a gift for a photographer with little time to work in. The image above for example was taken near twilight, in December. It shows how important the quality of the light is over how much is available.

We then headed to The Sofitel St James which is right next to Trafalgar Square which lead to their reception, dinner and dancing of whih there was lots! The dining room at the Sofitel St James was gorgeous to look at and shoot in. All the colours worked harmoniously together.

Here’s some more images from their day: