BRISTOL REGISTER OFFICE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
Small weddings deserve epic photos too. As a Bristol-based documentary wedding photographer, I have designed some bespoke micro wedding and elopement photography packages exclusively for smaller, intimate weddings and couples getting married at Bristol Register Office at The Old Council House.
My approach is unobtrusive, reportage and documentary style, ensuring that you get memories of the most important moments of your wedding without any cheesy posing. I focus on the real, honest and authentic moments of your day, telling the story of your wedding in a natural and relaxed way.
All of my packages come with an online password-protected digital gallery, fully edited high-resolution digital files, an online consultation with me and the option to buy prints and albums. Tap here to jump to packages and pricing.
CEREMONIES AT BRISTOL REGISTER OFFICE
There are 5 different rooms at Bristol Register Office at The Old Council House that you can get married in: The Statutory Room, with space for 4 people plus you two, The Bristol Room with space for 10 plus the couple, the Mayoral Room, with capacity for 50 people plus the couple, the Lantern Room, with capacity for 60 people plus the couple, and the Grand Council Chamber, which has space for 150 guests and the couple. However big or small your ceremony plans are, there’s a room there for you to get married in. As an experienced Bristol wedding photographer, I have photographed ceremonies in many of these rooms.
My general strategy with photographing ceremonies at Bristol Register Office is to stand a little out of the way to capture some unobtrusive and natural photos - I photograph with a variety of lens focal lengths so I can capture a variety of photos without too much distracting movement.
CONFETTI AT BRISTOL REGISTER OFFICE
Getting a confetti photo on the steps of the Old Council House is truly an iconic Bristol wedding photo. Even though there’s 5 rooms at the register office, the staff there are really good at coordinating when weddings come out to make sure that every couple gets their moment on the steps.
You can actually buy cones of dried flower confetti from the staff at the register office - but for a truly epic confetti moment, I recommend biodegradable paper confetti. It hangs in the air for longer because it’s lighter than petals, giving you more time to enjoy the moment.
I’m usually an unobtrusive, documentary style photographer, but the confetti moment is one time I’ll break from that role and tell your guests what to do - throwing the confetti up into the air is the important bit, as tempting as it might be for your guests to just throw it at your face! I’ll also make sure everyone has a good solid handful for throwing. Then I’ll give you the thumbs-up when everyone is ready. I then stand at the bottom of the steps and capture all the fun and chaos.
GROUP PHOTOS AT BRISTOL REGISTER OFFICE
While the staff are pretty good at making sure every couple gets their moment on the Old Council House steps, you’d generally get about 15-20 minutes. My advice is generally to get a photo of everyone straight away after the confetti - everyone’s all already there and it’s a lot easier to coordinate. I would then advise to have no more than 5-10 group photos, as each will take a minute or two to organise. If you wanted more group photos than this, it’s definitely possible, but they might need to be done elsewhere, like in Castle Park or at your reception venue.
COUPLE PHOTOS AT BRISTOL REGISTER OFFICE
Time to get a few nice ones of the two of you! But where? The great thing about Bristol Register Office being on Corn Street is that there are tons of lovely spots for photos just around the corner.
When people book in with me, I like to have a call and chat about what sort of vibe you’d like for couple photos, and then plan a route accordingly. If you’d like more nature, there’s Castle Park. For fun urban graffiti backgrounds, we can walk along Union Street. There’s also St Nick’s Market, The Christmas Steps, a little walk down to M Shed… the possibilities are endless! If you’ve booked a reception somewhere else in town, I’m also happy to walk there with you and stop for some nice photos en route.
My style of photography when it comes to couple photos is to take fun, natural and candid photos - I know how awkward it can feel to be in front of the camera and my aim is to make you feel as comfortable as possible. I’m much more of a fan of photographing real and relaxed moments - you won’t hear any cheesy poses coming from me!
BRISTOL WEDDING RECEPTION IDEAS
So you got married at Bristol Register Office… where to next?! Well, the world’s your oyster! Whether your dream is to throw a big party or to have a Macdonalds and a glass of champagne at home, Bristol has something out there for you.
A lot of my couples go onwards to The Riverstation, which has a few great options for private dining, and is also a nice walk through town. But did you know that you can get there by boat? The Bristol Packet do private pick-ups and will help you arrive to your reception in style and is, in my opinion, Bristol’s version of the classic red London wedding bus. But if you’re getting into the idea of getting to your reception by boat, why not have a reception at The Grain Barge or Beeses? And if boating doesn’t really sound like your thing, or walking too far, Bristol Harbour Hotel just a few steps down from the register office offers a few different private dining options. If you’re having a few more guests, The Radnor Rooms or The Forge are great options for a reception as well. Oh and Clevedon Pier’s only down the road as well, just saying…
There are so many options - if you haven’t decided where to go just yet, I am happy to chat to you and offer some suggestions.
I designed these wedding photography packages with smaller Bristol Register Office weddings in mind. Coverage time starts 15 minutes before your ceremony - that’s when you’ll get called in for a meeting with the registrars, so I arrive to say hello to you before you go in. I will then get candid documentary-style coverage of your guests/witnesses, and cover the ceremony, confetti, group photos and some nice photos of the two of you afterwards. If you want some getting ready photos as well, or some pictures of the reception, or both, it’s possible to change the start and end time accordingly. If you’re planning a larger do and want all-day coverage, click here to see my all-day wedding photography packages.
Ceremony only - 1.5 hours
£350
This package covers your wedding ceremony, confetti, group photos and some couple photos.
You also get:
A consultation call and customised photo timeline
A sneak peek of 10-15 edited photos delivered within the week of the wedding
A fully edited gallery of 100+ high resolution images delivered 6-8 weeks after the ceremony
A password-protected online gallery of high resolution images to download, and to share with family and friends
A gallery print store giving you the option to buy prints or albums
Ceremony and more - 3 hours
£700
This package covers your wedding ceremony, confetti, group photos, some couple photos and documentary coverage of the start of your reception or getting ready.
You also get:
A consultation call and customised photo timeline
A sneak peek of 10-15 edited photos delivered within the week of the wedding
A fully edited gallery of 200+ high resolution images delivered 6-8 weeks after the ceremony
A password-protected online gallery of high resolution images to download, and to share with family and friends
A gallery print store giving you the option to buy prints or albums
LOOKING FOR A BRISTOL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER? GET IN TOUCH!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Get in touch on my contact form and we can arrange to have a zoom chat (or meet up in person if you like!).
There’s a 25% booking fee to hold the date, and the rest of the balance is payable in the month preceding the wedding.
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I’m happy to take advance bookings and I’m happy to take last-minute ones too!
What I will say though is that some dates are more popular than others, so I would recommend enquiring as soon as you can. -
Absolutely! In fact, having me photograph your legal ceremony first is a great way to get a bit more comfortable in front of the camera before the day. Get in touch if you’d like to chat about me documenting both.
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Most of us, yes. So that means that if your register office room allows 10 people + couple and you’ve invited 10 guests, I won’t be allowed in the room to document your ceremony.
This does actually happen quite a lot more than you’d think - particularly if you weren’t initially planning on getting a photographer. Sometimes if we ask really nicely one of the registrars can step out for a moment so that I can step in and take a few photos. Failing that, I can wait outside the ceremony room for you and we can tag that time onto the end of your coverage instead. I really don’t mind, so if you think this applies to you, get in touch and we can find a way to still get you some great wedding photos.