Sarah & Amy’s Same-Sex Wedding At Hackney Town Hall
There is no rule that says a wedding ceremony needs a room full of guests to feel significant.
Sarah and Amy kept theirs beautifully intimate.
They got ready at The Stratford before travelling together in a black cab to Hackney Town Hall, where they were joined by just two witnesses for their ceremony. Afterwards, the day changed pace completely as they headed to The Pembury Tavern, where their family and friends were waiting to celebrate with them.
It was intimate without feeling small.
For me, that is one of the loveliest things about photographing weddings. You can take the traditions that mean something to you, leave out the ones that do not, and create a day that feels completely your own.
For Sarah and Amy, that meant a stylish East London start, a quiet ceremony and then a relaxed reception surrounded by the people they loved.
Getting Ready Together At The Stratford
Sarah and Amy started their wedding day at The Stratford, Autograph Collection in East London.
The hotel sits overlooking Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and has a contemporary design that combines Scandinavian influences with richer, more traditional details. Its interiors include whitewashed walls, wooden elements and hanging plants.
Travelling Through East London In A Black Cab
From The Stratford, Sarah and Amy hired a black cab to take them to Hackney Town Hall.
It is a small detail, but details like this give a wedding gallery personality.
An Intimate Ceremony At Hackney Town Hall
Sarah and Amy chose to have just two witnesses with them at Hackney Town Hall.
There is something really lovely about making the legal ceremony this intimate.
Hackney Town Hall offers civil marriages and civil partnerships, with different ceremony options depending on the size and type of celebration couples are planning.
But a wedding does not have to be large simply because you have lots of people you want to celebrate with.
Sarah and Amy separated the two parts.
The ceremony was small.
The celebration afterwards was not.
That meant the legal part of the day could feel private and focused, before they joined everyone else for the reception.
It is a format that can work beautifully for couples who like the idea of an intimate town hall wedding but still want a proper party afterwards.
Same-Sex Weddings Do Not Need A Different Photography Formula
I do not think same-sex weddings need to be photographed according to a separate set of rules.
And they certainly do not need to be pushed back into traditional wedding roles that do not fit.
There does not have to be a predetermined idea of who waits, who arrives, who leads, who proposes a photograph or who takes on a particular role during the day.
What matters to me is understanding your plans.
Who are the important people?
Which parts of the day matter most to you?
Are there traditions you love?
Are there traditions you would rather completely ignore?
Do you want getting-ready photographs together or separately?
Would you like portraits that feel romantic, editorial, playful or barely posed at all?
The photography should respond to the relationship and the people in front of the camera rather than trying to fit every couple into the same wedding template.
Hackney Town Hall Works Particularly Well For Intimate Weddings
One of the reasons Hackney Town Hall works for a day like Sarah and Amy’s is the flexibility around it.
Hackney Town Hall can accommodate very different celebrations.
But the location is just as useful as the building.
You are already in Hackney, surrounded by places where you can continue the wedding without needing to make the reception feel like a completely
separate event.
Sarah and Amy did exactly that.
After the ceremony, they headed to The Pembury Tavern.
From A Two-Witness Ceremony To A Pub Full Of Family And Friends
This is probably my favourite thing about the structure of Sarah and Amy’s wedding.
The guest list did not dictate the size of the ceremony.
They had the intimate ceremony they wanted and then went to meet everybody afterwards.
The Pembury Tavern is on Amhurst Road in Hackney, a neighbourhood pub centred around pizza and beer. It also accepts special-event bookings and larger groups by arrangement.
It gave the second part of the wedding a completely different energy.
The quietness of the ceremony was replaced by family, friends, conversations, drinks and everyone finally being together.
Photographically, I love that contrast.
A wedding gallery does not need one consistent level of energy from beginning to end.
Some moments can be quiet.
Some can be emotional.
Some can simply be the two of you.
And then suddenly you can walk into a pub full of people who have been waiting to celebrate with you.
That change is part of the story.
A Pub Reception Can Keep The Wedding Feeling Relaxed
Not every wedding needs to move from a town hall into a traditional wedding venue.
For couples who want the reception to feel social and informal, a pub can make complete sense.
People can settle in.
Order a drink.
Talk properly.
Move around.
Catch up with people they have not seen for months.
There is naturally more happening, which creates exactly the kind of candid photographs I love.
Instead of constantly taking people away from the reception for photographs, I can document the interactions already happening around me.
Hugs.
Laughing across the table.
Drinks being raised.
Friends catching up.
Family reactions.
The little things happening at the edges of the celebration.
These photographs often become just as important as the more obvious wedding-day moments because they show what it actually felt like to have everyone together.
Your Wedding Does Not Have To Follow A Traditional Timeline
Sarah and Amy’s day is also a good example of how flexible a London wedding can be.
Get ready somewhere you love.
Travel to the ceremony together.
Keep the ceremony tiny.
Take some photographs around Hackney.
Meet everyone at the pub.
That is a wedding.
You do not need to add traditions simply because they appear on somebody else's wedding timeline.
For LGBTQ+ couples in particular, I think there can be something freeing about deciding which traditions actually belong in your day rather than automatically inheriting roles and expectations designed around a bride-and-groom format.
Keep what feels meaningful.
Change what does not.
And make room for the parts that actually feel like the two of you.
Candid Photography Works Beautifully For Small Ceremonies
With only a handful of people in a ceremony, photography needs a little sensitivity.
There is nowhere to disappear into a crowd.
That makes my usual calm, documentary approach especially useful.
I want you to be aware of each other rather than wondering what I am doing.
Outside the ceremony, I can give some gentle direction when it is useful, particularly for portraits, but I do not want a small wedding to suddenly feel like a large production because a photographer has arrived.
The intimacy is part of what makes it special.
I want to preserve that.
For camera-shy couples, this kind of wedding can also be a lovely fit. Portraits do not need to become an hour-long photoshoot. We can take a walk, use the streets around us and create something that feels relaxed and recognisably you.
Photographing Two Brides Without Making Everything Match
Two brides also does not mean everything needs to be visually symmetrical.
Your outfits do not need to match.
Your flowers do not need to match.
Your preparation does not need to happen in identical ways.
And your photographs do not need to force you into mirrored versions of each other.
What I am looking for is connection.
The way you naturally stand together.
A glance during the ceremony.
A hand being held.
The reaction when one of you makes the other laugh.
The way you interact when nobody is telling you where to look.
Those things are much more interesting to me than trying to create a generic idea of what two brides are supposed to look like in wedding photographs.
Choosing Photography Coverage For A Small Hackney Wedding
An intimate ceremony does not automatically mean you only need a couple of hours of photography.
It depends on the story you want documented.
If you only want the ceremony, a few photographs afterwards and some portraits, micro wedding photography can make sense.
If you want getting ready, travel, the ceremony and the beginning of the reception, half-day wedding photography gives the day more room.
And if your small ceremony leads into a much bigger celebration and you want the whole story documented, full-day wedding photography may still be the right choice.
Think about moments rather than guest numbers.
A wedding with two witnesses can still have an entire day of memories around it.
You can compare the options on my wedding photography packages page.
Planning an LGBTQ+ Hackney Town Hall Wedding That Feels Like You
Sarah and Amy’s wedding shows just how personal a town hall wedding can be.
Getting ready together at The Stratford.
A black cab through East London.
A ceremony with two witnesses.
Then off to a Hackney pub where everyone they loved was waiting.
It did not need to follow a traditional wedding format to feel complete.
That is what I want the photography to reflect too.
Not a checklist of photographs that could belong to anybody, but the small details, people, places and decisions that make the day recognisably yours.
If you are planning a same-sex wedding, civil partnership or intimate ceremony at Hackney Town Hall and want relaxed, natural photography without being pushed into poses or traditions that do not feel like you, get in touch and tell me what you are planning.
You can also explore my micro wedding photography, half-day wedding photography and full-day wedding photography options, or learn more about how I work on my About page.