Kew Gardens WeddingsA wedding photographer's guide

Ferry Lane, Richmond, TW9 3AF

London’s Botanical Gem of a Wedding Venue

Groom jumps over his groomsmen as they lay in a line on the floor during Israeli dancing at a Jewish wedding in London's Kew Gardens. Documentary wedding photograph captured in the Orangery

VENUE SUMMARY

LOCATION:

London, UK

ADDRESS:

Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, Ferry Lane, Richmond, TW9 3AF

STYLE:

World Famous Botanic Gardens‎

CAPACITY:

80 – 400

WHAT WE LOVE:

A huge variety of gorgeous light, airy wedding settings surrounded by nature in one of the world’s most beautiful botanic gardens.

A perfect match for any style of wedding from the most relaxed non-traditional informality to the most high-class soirée with so many different buildings to choose from as well as the stunning gardens themselves to explore.

Ceremony at Kew Gardens. The bride's entrance and the groom seeing his bride for the first time.

Kew Gardens jewish dancing. Groom lifted high into air.

KEW GARDENS – RELAXED VIBES, ACRES OF SPACE AND A VARIETY OF STUNNING BACKDROPS – A DOCUMENTARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY (AND VIDEOGRAPHY) DREAM VENUE!

Documentary wedding photography is undoubtedly at its most effective and powerful when those in front of the camera are relaxed and ready to show a little of who they are, a little of their personality. It’s one of the reasons we love venues (like Kew Gardens) that offer opportunities for both the ceremony and reception in the same place. Guests always take a little bit of time to relax into their surroundings and a change of venue midway through often interrupts that – suddenly everyone is waiting for the next thing to happen, wondering about transport and getting ready to move rather than purely enjoying themselves. That goes for the bride and groom too – this is the best day of your lives, you don’t want to be having to worry about timings and admin during it! So for us as photographers, venues allowing everything to take place on one site are often amongst our favourites.

There’s a flip side to that argument though, and that is that variety of background can also enhance both the backdrop to the images but also the guest’s enjoyment of the day. Whilst for us and our unposed documentary style of photography and videography it’s always about the people rather than the setting, it’s always nice to have a little more variation within the photographs and to see how people react in different environments.

This is where venues like Kew Gardens really shine for documentary wedding photography. It’s an environment that guests naturally want to explore and one that offers so many completely different environments for them to do so.

You can hold your ceremony and reception in completely different spaces with an entirely different feel and backdrop and yet to achieve it you only have to walk a short distance across the park, or even from one end of a conservatory to another! Indeed even if the weather forces drinks inside you can still be fully immersed in relaxing nature by moving inside to the Princess of Wales Conservatory with 10 different climate zones supporting all kinds of varied plant life.

With such a rich tapestry of backgrounds available, there are oh so many photographic opportunities without the need to worry about getting to the next place and guests not being able to have a drink so they can find their next parking spot. It’s the perfect scenario for a relaxing day and great documentary wedding photography and videography to match.

Kew Gardens wedding reception. Guests playing in the garden.

Kew Gardens jewish dancing with bride. Bride's dress in the air.

Looking for videographers or photographers for your wedding at Kew Gardens?

If you're celebrating your wedding in one of Kew Gardens London's spectacular settings and are looking for natural wedding photography or videography to capture the relaxed feel of this incredible location then we'd love to talk.

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STREET VIEW

ABOUT THE VENUE – KEW GARDENS LONDON

World heritage site Kew Gardens is not only one of London’s international tourist attractions and a beautiful spot to visit and experience nature at its finest, it’s also home to several incredible wedding venues all on one site.

Whilst there are a multitude of different options available for Humanist celebrations, licensed ceremonies generally take place in either Cambridge Cottage or the Nash Conservatory.

Cambridge Cottage is actually an all-in-one venue in itself over in a quiet corner of the park. Whilst the venue is described as perfect for “intimate weddings” it actually seats 80 for ceremonies and dinners and can have up to 120 with evening guests so is more than ample for most weddings. With both the gallery and drawing room available for your exclusive use and outdoor ceremonies also facilitated on the lawn outside, Cambridge Cottage (so named because it’s a former royal residence of the Duke of Cambridge) is a highly flexible space and a great way to enjoy a little more privacy in the beautiful gardens of Kew.

Alternatively, to fully embrace that botanic garden feel or for larger ceremonies, there’s the beautiful Nash conservatory – a stunning 19th-century glasshouse with capacity for 120 seated guests (or up to 200 standing or for a drinks reception if you’re getting married off-site). The conservatory is a big, bright sunlit space with floor to ceiling windows, offering lots of flexibility for seating arrangements (and a particular favourite of ours for beautiful wedding ceremony photography!) This is of course the perfect space to introduce beautiful trees and floral arrangements to tie your theme together and is a space that’s sure to impress your guests.

With the ceremony complete you can host a champagne reception in either of the venues above, move out to the secluded lawn behind the conservatory or move your party into the Princess of Wales Conservatory where they can enjoy all of the incredible tropical plants that the gardens have to offer. For those seeking any wedding portrait photography the venue also provide transport during the drinks reception to visit any of the park’s incredible attractions for some quick, relaxed portrait photography before getting you back to your guests to enjoy some champagne and canapés

When it comes time to sit down and eat your wedding breakfast there are even more spectacular settings available. Once again Cambridge Cottage has its own dining space if you’d like to keep everything contained in one building (particularly for slightly smaller weddings) or, to experience another beautiful space, you can move your guests through to the 200 seated capacity Grade I listed Orangery.

The Orangery is a huge bright and airy space with a high ceiling and more than enough space to fit a full-blown stage for your band to get the party started! (That high ceiling comes in particularly handy when the Israeli dancing of Jewish weddings kicks off, although one groom did nearly go through the glass regardless after being flung into the air from a cloth … I digress.

For an absolute wedding spectacular though it’s hard to beat dinner and dancing beneath the stars in the iconic Temperate House.

Temperate House is the centrepiece of the Kew Gardens experience and a dream for couples and wedding photographers alike! Home to 10,000 species of plant from all over the world you can enjoy your wedding meal literally amongst nature with tables positioned right in amongst the trees, vines and bushes, all beautifully lit to create an unforgettable experience. With room for a dance floor, it really is an incredible setting to party the night away surrounded by stars under that great glass roof! There’s even a balcony level around the edge of the space providing an ideal opportunity to capture some spectacular wedding photography & videography of this jewel in the crown of Kew Gardens London wedding offerings.

This review is long overdue, but the gratitude we feel toward Dom and Liam has only grown since our wedding several months ago. Hiring them as our photographers was the first decision we made following our engagement... Even before we completely decided on the destination for our wedding. But the second we found them we knew having them there to capture it would be a must.

SHELBY & CREAGH

Couple hold hands during first dance in front of their guests in the Orangery at Kew Gardens London. Black and white wedding photography

View a full wedding at London's Kew Gardens

Kew Gardens Wedding Photography // Jackie & Jon

A Jewish/Chinese wedding is full of big moments but sometimes it's the small stuff that tells the real story.

Talk to us about your Kew Gardens Wedding Photography

If you're looking for wedding photography or videography at Kew Gardens London and connected with the photographs in this post we'd love to talk to you about our photo and video services

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How to get there

BY CAR:
BY CAR:
The venue has a private car park at Kew Green which can be hired alongside the venue (enquire with the venue for details). Please note the general Kew Gardens Car Park closes 1hr after the gardens close to the public so is generally unsuitable for weddings.

24hr parking available at NCP Richmond station (38mins walk to Nash Conservatory or alternatively take 3 minute London Overground train from Richmond Station to Kew Gardens station from which it is a 15minute walk to the Nash Conservatory.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT (RECOMMENDED):
Tube: Kew Gardens Station (District Line, London Overground) – 15mins walk to Nash Conservatory.

Mainline rail – Kew Bridge Station (12mins walk to Nash Conservatory)

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL:
Nearest Airport: Nearest Airport: Heathrow (15-20mins drive, 42mins by tube (change at Turnham Green)

Train via Eurostar Terminal at St Pancras International (35mins – 1hr 10min taxi ride,
49mins via Picadilly & District Line Underground [includes 11 minute walk])