Jeroen & David’s gay London wedding

Jeroen and David’s wedding album shows how one place can offer a range of venues. From Islington Town Hall to family-run Frederick’s, there were kisses all the way.

Islington is a brilliant bit of London, and shone as the backdrop for David and Jeroen’s lovely, sunny wedding day.

The grooms kept things close to home for their special July day, while welcoming Jeroen’s family and friends from Belgium. The day valued important relationships, and reminded me again why I love London! Jeroen and David’s gay London wedding is a great example of the many same-sex weddings I have photographed – celebrating love, diversity and equality.

Planned approach to photos

I met the couple in Islington too – at a wedding show in the Assembly Hall where my albums caught their eye.
Jeroen and David liked my work, and so we met to discuss their wedding day, what sort of photos they hoped for and my approach to getting them.

Council Chamber offers space and intimacy

Islington Town Hall’s glorious Council Chamber was the venue for the ceremony. At the top of an impressive marble staircase, this room has a vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows. Though there was room for plenty of guests, I felt the chamber’s horseshoe shape gave it an intimate feel.

The handsome pair both walked in with their mums, and their siblings, dads and the best man waited for them at the front – David’s sister was best woman and ring bearer.

‘Kiss, kiss, kiss’ is the Belgian rule!

Forget handshakes and hugs, lots of Belgians means lots of cheek kissing! Three cheek kisses is the common greeting between relatives and friends in Belgium.

A Routemaster bus took guests on a little tour of London, designed to welcome the Belgian visitors with some local sights.

Planned portrait shoot at St Mary’s

As they took to the road, I walked with the newlyweds along Upper Street to the striking beauty of St Mary’s Church. I’d suggested the columns and green gardens would make effective backdrops for portrait shots.

I captured the splendid detail of the grooms’ tailored suits and shirts; shirt cuffs embroidered with their initials and name tags in the suits – classy! (It helped that David works for Ralph Lauren)

Collecting memories in Camden Passage

Next stop was Camden Passage. As Islington locals, David and Jeroen have sourced many items for their home from this treasure trove of collectibles, particularly glassware.

I caught them taking the chance of another cheeky kiss!

Fantastic fun in family-run Frederick’s restaurant

And the passage was the home of their reception venue; family-run Frederick’s restaurant. The sun kept shining in this light and airy venue, which offers a good range of welcoming spaces and services, as well as excellent food and service.

Seamless switch from drinks reception to party

First, a drinks reception with a string quartet filled the patio and garden area.

Then it was into the garden and dining rooms, made one to cater for speeches and the meal. Laughter and joy abounded – along with loving words.

Emotion got the better of David when he began thanking his parents, leaving his dad a little overwhelmed too. Luckily, Jeroen was close at hand to help his new husband finish the speech.

Another touch of togetherness caught my eye on the menus; the skylines of London and Brussels combined in a key design.

Those who needed to ‘chill out’ could head to the club room, including Jeroen’s baby nephew and one little girl who needed a power nap on the sofa!

I found the terrace a great space for a group shot of David and Jeroen’s many London pals.

Islington by night

A cleared dining space saw the cake cutting – check out the grooms portrayed as cute peg doll cake toppers – the first dance and the party.

We snuck out to get another view of Islington with some night shots – which I love to take – a long exposure of the traffic zooming past, giving us a blur of whites and candy colours.

I loved this wedding; everyone was sincerely happy for this real London couple. They embraced different nationalities, celebrated their identities and made their love so clear to see, and for me to photograph.

To me, it said let’s keep kissing, kissing, kissing.

Where do we get that?

Wedding suits: Ralph Lauren

Wedding shoes: Paul Smith

Wedding cake: Hummingbird

Custom wedding cake toppers: Rainbow Peg Dolls

Wedding Flowers: Angel Flowers

Venue: Islington Town Hall

Reception venue: Frederick’s

Photo backdrops:
Camden Passage
St Mary’s Islington

 

If you are planning a straight or gay London wedding, get in touch for a quote!