PEMBROKE LODGE
RICHMOND PARK, LONDON
Pembroke lodge is one of my favourite wedding venues in central London and is located high on the western edge of the old royal hunting ground of Richmond Park, surrounded by beautiful gardens and commanding stunning views of West London and beyond.
The lodge is split to provide two fully fitted banqueting suites (The Belvedere & The Russell Suite) which can hold 2 weddings simultaneously and during the peak wedding season this will definitely be the case, but the venue manages to do a great job in keeping both events well separated. Though as a photographer shooting there, you will be limited as to where you can shoot, as some of the prime shooting locations within the grounds are allocated to each of the 2 different rooms, which can be frustrating.
I found the event staff at Pembroke Lodge to be highly professional, efficient and exceptionally helpful, both for the photographer and the wedding party and they will move heaven and earth to make sure the day goes as smooth as possible and they are excellent at making sure everybody is happy.
Inside, the natural lighting is very good, with lots of large windows to give you enough light to work with and plenty of white surfaces to bounce and soften the light, though the Belvedere is west facing so be careful of the direct sunlight on sunny days, which can be strong and difficult to deal with.
Outside, the grounds are beautiful and well maintained with plethora photo opportunities for both bride & groom portraits and formal group shots, with plenty of shade from trees, when you need to hide from that pesky direct sun. I fully recommend using the golden light period if you can, as the sunsets on summer evenings can be spectacular.
Here are few of my favourite images from a summer wedding 2017 with the bridal prep being shot at the Richmond Hill Hotel, which is a lovely hotel, situated just on the edge of the park and only a 5 min drive from Pembroke Lodge.
Tips On Choosing The Best Wedding Photographer For You
- DECIDE ON YOUR STYLE
First and most importantly, choose a photographer whose portfolio captures the way you would like your wedding to be remembered.
While the common advice is that you should pick a photographer based on their style (photojournalism, naturalism, modern traditionalism), but you can really skip those buzzwords and just ask yourself if you like the photographer’s portfolio.
