10 Wedding Venues in Bath

10 Wedding Venues in Bath

wedding venues in bath

10 Best Bath Wedding Venues

 

Bath is a historic city located in the South-West of England and a popular destination to get married in. With over 2000 years of history, the river Avon running through its centre and the prestigious title ‘World Heritage Site’, you will find it hard to find a better place for your upcoming nuptials.

 

 

There are many wedding venues in Somerset, but this blog posts focuses on wedding venue located in (rather than around) Bath. It also focuses on unusual venues that you would not normally perceive as wedding venues. For this reason I have left hotels out of the list.

 

1. The Guildhall and Banqueting Rooms

The Guildhall is located right in the middle of the town centre and is the main seat of Bath’s Registration Service. It offers a variety of rooms for small, medium and large wedding ceremonies. With its Georgian interiors and grand staircases, it provides a stunning backdrop. The Banqueting Room on the first floor provides a grand space for your wedding celebrations which is a great alternative to the no longer available Assembly Rooms.

 

2. Roman Baths & Pump Rooms

The Roman Baths are undeniably one of the most spectacular setting to say your vows and celebrate your wedding. Due to visitor opening hours you have your wedding ceremony either early in the morning (sunrise ceremony) or in the evening (sunset ceremony). In either case the Pump Rooms provide excellent space to celebrate afterwards. Evening wedding ceremonies have the option to use the balcony overlooking the baths and ticket hall for the wedding meal and celebrations.

 

3. Holburne Museum

The Holburne Museum is positioned between one of Bath’s grandest roads, Great Pulteney Street, and beautiful Sydney Gardens, just east and in walking distance to the town centre. The Holburne Museum offers spectacular backdrops for your photographs. ALso it is worth noting that a lot of Bridgerton Season 2 was filmed here!

 

4. Victoria Art Gallery

Victoria Art Gallery is positioned adjacent to the Guildhall in the centre of Bath and is an unusual and quiry space for small wedding ceremonies and drinks receptions. Similar to the Holburne Museum the arty backdrop makes for rich photographs.

 

5. Parade Gardens & the Riverside Colonnades

Located just behind The Guildhall and Victoria Art Gallery is Parade Gardens. It is nestled between the Bath Abbey and the river Avon, and with the bandstand and riverside colonnades offer an often underrated outdoor wedding experience.

 

6. Temple of Minerva & Botanical Gardens

The Temple of Minerva is located by the north entrance of the Botanical Gardens in Bath. It is nestled into the beautiful gardens and provides a small indoor space for wedding ceremonies and celebrations. This space can be extended via a marquee on the adjacent lawn.

 

7. The Little Theatre

The Little Theatre is a cinema you ca get married in! I used to go there with my small baby for mum & baby friendly film screenings. The space is very dark, but super atmospheric and unique!

 

8. Bath Pavillion

The Bath Pavillion provides a very central and large space for your wedding ceremony and celebrations. It has less unique features, but therefore more options to be customized!

 

9. Prior Park College

Prior Park College sits just above Prior Park National Trust garden with the famous Palladian Bridge. It offers very hand end spaces and services for your wedding ceremony and celebrations.

 

10. Field Good Bar

Historic venues are not your thing? Prefer marquees and outdoor space? Then check out these guys who are located literally on the door step of Bath. They provide you with everything you need for a festival wedding.

 

 

If you have any recommendations for other venues in Central Bath please message me and I can add them to this list!

 

Are you planning your wedding at any of these venues?

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Leigh Court Wedding Photographer

Leigh Court Wedding Photographer

bride and groom posing in the great hall at Leigh Court in Bristol

Leigh Court Wedding

Bristol Wedding Venue

 

After getting ready at the Bristol Hotel and then getting married in the chapel at Clifton College, Lauren and George headed to Leigh Court for their wedding celebrations. On their way to Clifton College we stopped at Bristol’s most famous landmark for portraits: the Clifton Suspension bridge. What a stunning sight to stop for portraits, particularly in the beautiful simmer sunshine!

leigh court summer wedding bride and groom portrait

Clifton Suspension Bridge Wedding Photography

While all 160 wedding guests as well as my second shooter made their way to Leigh Court for the wedding celebrations, Lauren, George and I stopped at Bristol Suspension Bridge for some portraits. The suspension bridge is one of Bristol’s greatest landmarks and make one hell of a great backdrop for romantic couple portraits!

Leigh Court – the arrival of the bride and groom

Having spent time to do portraits at Clifton Suspension bridge meant that all 160 wedding guests had a chance to get to Leigh Court before us. This had two advantages. Firstly, we could take some portraits of Lauren and George at the front of Leigh Court without guests walking through the shot. Secondly, the guests greeted the couple with a huge cheer which was a wonderful way of starting the second drinks reception.

 The Drinks Reception

This was the second drinks reception of the day and all the guests seemed very happy t have arrived at the final destination. Leigh Court offers a lot of space to a wedding party. There is the great hall, two side rooms as well as a patio area with extended seating.

Leigh Court Marquee

At the back of the venue was a huge marquee to house the guests for the wedding breakfast, speeches and evening celebrations. At this wedding we had around 160 guests, but the marquee could have easily taken more guests than that. From a photography point of view a plain white marquee is wonderful, because it acts like a huge softbox, it gives really even and clean lighting.

Leigh Court Bridal Party Portraits

If you are planning to have your wedding at Leigh Court, please be aware that you cannot have large group shots on the famous stairs as they are cantilevered and can only carry a limited amount of weight. For this reason we did two separate group pictures, one of the girls and one of the boys. Afterwards we did one large bridal party group shot on the outside stairs which was a lot of fun and made for a very dramatic and fun group picture!

The Wedding Speeches

The speeches took place once everyone was seated inside the marquee and they didn’t disappoint! Mixing two different, but also similar cultures (the Brits and the Americans) created substance for many good jokes.

The Evening Celebrations

This wedding incorporated many American traditions and so the dancing started with a daughter-father and son-mother dance, before entering the traditional first dance for the bride and groom. They had a band which is always great for atmosphere and all their guests loved the dance floor as well as the photo booth.

Check out Lauren and George’s Wedding Ceremony at the Clifton College Chapel here:

What Lauren & George said…

We had the most wonderful experience with Betty as our wedding photographer. She was with us every step of the planning process (which, due to Covid, was over 3 years) and understood our vision. She is extremely organized and prompt, and she worked collaboratively with us to make sure we had the most beautiful photos to remember our special day. Her professional knowledge is exceptional. She did site visits at all of our venues and had numerous phone calls with us. On our wedding day, she catered to us, making sure we were well hydrated and comfortable during 30+ degree heat. She was such a huge part of making our wedding day worth the wait. We are forever grateful for her taking this very long journey with us!”

 

Suppliers Information

Wedding Ceremony Venue – Clifton College

Wedding Celebration Venue – Leigh Court

Videography – Third Reel Films

Hair & Makeup – South West Bridal Hair & Makeup

Flowers – Emily & Me

Dress – Calla Blanche

Bridesmaid dresses – Lulus

Last but not least, this is me together with the awesome videographers Sol and Howard who are Third Reel Films.

You can see Lauren and George’s amazing wedding video here courtesy of Third Reel films.

betty bhandari and wedding photographers

Are you getting married?

If you are getting married at Clifton College or Leigh Court, I would love to hear from you!

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Clifton College Wedding Photographer

clifton college chapel bride and groom confetti shot

Clifton College Wedding

A Bristol Wedding Venue

 

This wedding involved four different locations, two photographers and two videographers as well as a lot of sunscreen, some driving chaos and five main meals for three people!

clifton college summer wedding portrait photography

Bristol Wedding Photography

 

Lauren and George first contacted me in early 2019 to enquire for their summer 2020 Bristol weddings. Little did we know then what was coming our way – the joys of a global pandemic! Three and a half years and two postponements later, we finally made it and it was a glorious day that didn’t disappoint!

Preparations – the Girls

Lauren, her six bridesmaid and two flower girls got ready at the Bristol Hotel in Central Bath. They had taken over one of the conference rooms and setup various hair and makeup stations. When you have a large bridal party, it makes such a difference if you have a team of hair and make up artists working together. Everything was going like clockwork, while everyone was still feeling relaxed and joyful! Wedding preparations only get stressful, when they are poorly organised or your team of MUAs is not big enough.

Preparations – the Boys

The boys got ready in the same hotel, but on the other side and out of the girl’s sight. Due to the size of the wedding (160 guests) and the bridal parties, I had a second shooter with me for most of the day. Lovely Celie covered the boy’s preparations which was immensely helpful! The groom George was in very good hands with five groomsmen and two dads around to help him get ready.

The Ceremony

George and the groomsmen left the Bristol Hotel before the girls, in order to get to Clifton College Chapel with enough time to greet all the British (George’s side) an American (Lauren’s side) guests. Both George and some of his groomsmen used to be students in Clifton College a few years prior, George was even head boy at some point.

The wedding ceremony took place in the Chapel which first opened in 1867. While I was in place to cover the bridal party’s entrance, my second shooter Celie covered the bride’s arrival.

The Confetti Shot

Everybody loves a good confetti shot! And with this many guests and a bride who was very organised (i.e. loads of confetti) it was bound to be a great one! When the bride and groom walk down the aisle and lead the guests outside, it is crucial for them not to exit the building but hide away somewhere inside. In the meantime all guests will go outside, take a handful of confetti and get in place. I’m not shy to ensure everyone is in place and briefed: “Throw the confetti over the couple, not at them!” Nobody wants the bride to spit out confetti.

  The Drinks Reception

The day was beautifully sunny, but also immensely hot! For this reason the drinks reception was setup in the courtyard which allowed the guests to enjoy cold drinks and a huge buffet of canapes, while being to hand for our extended list of formal group shots with we took on the stone steps next to the courtyard. You can see a few of those pictures in the post below.

Check out Lauren and George’s Portrait Session at Clifton Suspension Bridge and Leigh Court Reception here:

What Lauren & George said…

We had the most wonderful experience with Betty as our wedding photographer. She was with us every step of the planning process (which, due to Covid, was over 3 years) and understood our vision. She is extremely organized and prompt, and she worked collaboratively with us to make sure we had the most beautiful photos to remember our special day. Her professional knowledge is exceptional. She did site visits at all of our venues and had numerous phone calls with us. On our wedding day, she catered to us, making sure we were well hydrated and comfortable during 30+ degree heat. She was such a huge part of making our wedding day worth the wait. We are forever grateful for her taking this very long journey with us!”

 

Suppliers Information

Wedding Ceremony Venue – Clifton College

Wedding Celebration Venue – Leigh Court

Videography – Third Reel Films

Hair & Makeup – South West Bridal Hair & Makeup

Flowers – Emily & Me

Dress – Calla Blanche

Bridesmaid dresses – Lulus

If you are getting married at Clifton College or Leigh Court, I would love to hear from you!

 

bristol hotel wedding preparations                                                     

Are you getting married?

Are you looking for a friendly and passionate documentary wedding photographer to capture your day?

I am almost fully booked for 2023 and my 2024 diary is open so click the button below to get in touch.

More weddings you’ll love:

10 Wedding Venues in Bath

10 Wedding Venues in Bath

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My best 2022 wedding photographs

My best 2022 wedding photographs

Bride Groom Confetti shot outside the Guildhall in Bath

100 of my favourite wedding photographs for you.

Twenty twenty two – a wedding photographer’s summary

 

It’s the time of the year again where I want to showcase the best wedding photos I have taken last year. After a strange and somewhat displaced 2021, I was looking forward to a year of more normality – it did deliver and at the same time did not!

While we regained our freedom with regards to the size and style of weddings we could do, I noticed a significant change in the wedding industry – the pandemic has give people the permission to do the small weddings they truly wanted, and while I have photographed more weddings this year than any year before, half of them were relatively small, either in length, size or complexity.

But don’t be mislead, a smaller wedding does not mean a less good wedding. In fact I think couples who choose smaller weddings often tend to customize those more and make them truly ‘theirs’. This is reflected in the choice of guests, in the choice of decorations as well as the choice of venue. Small, but mighty!

This leads to my best 2022 wedding photos

Having said that, this year I was back at my favourite wedding venues: the Assembly Rooms (now closed for weddings sadly), Aldwick Estate, Leigh Court, the Roman Baths, Priston Mill and the Royal Crescent Hotel to name a few.

We had the most wonderful experience with Betty as our wedding photographer. She was with us every step of the planning process (which, due to Covid, was over 3 years) and understood our vision. She is extremely organized and prompt, and she worked collaboratively with us to make sure we had the most beautiful photos to remember our special day. Her professional knowledge is exceptional. She did site visits at all of our venues and had numerous phone calls with us. On our wedding day, she catered to us, making sure we were well hydrated and comfortable during 30+ degree heat. She was such a huge part of making our wedding day worth the wait. We are forever grateful for her taking this very long journey with us!”

Lauren & George, wedding at Clifton College and Leigh Court July 2022

Are you getting married?

Are you looking for a friendly and passionate documentary wedding photographer to capture your day?

I am almost fully booked for 2023 and my 2024 diary is open so click the button below to get in touch.

Bride and groom walking hand in hand away from the manor by the lake main house

Bride and groom standing on the staircase in the Gainsborough hotel in Bath

 

Are you getting married?

Are you looking for a friendly and passionate documentary wedding photographer to capture your day?

I am almost fully booked for 2023 and my 2024 diary is open so click the button below to get in touch.

More weddings you’ll love:

10 Wedding Venues in Bath

10 Wedding Venues in Bath

10 Best Bath Wedding Venues   Bath is a historic city located in the South-West of England and a popular destination to get married in. With over 2000 years of history, the river Avon running through its centre and the prestigious title 'World Heritage Site', you...

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Celebrating 10 Years as a Professional Photographer

Celebrating 10 Years as a Professional Photographer

Bride Groom Confetti shot outside the Guildhall in Bath

Ten years as a professional photographer and 10 business lessons I have learnt in that time.

A reflection on a decade as a wedding and portrait photographer.

 

In 2012 I made my passion official and started my business as a professional wedding photographer. In March this year it was ten years – how time has flown!

I think it is fair to say that at the beginning I was only loosely running my business, but as the years have gone on, I have become a bit of a business junkie and spent a lot more time working on the business, rather than in the business.

I have been thinking a lot about what I learned in those ten years and what lessons can be shared, so here we go.

 

  1. Being self-employed is a lot harder than I thought. I also love it a lot more than I ever expected! I have the best boss I have ever had, but all responsibility is on me and sometimes that’s a bit scary.

 

  1. You are your business and your voice is your brand. If you look left and right at what your colleagues are doing, it will only confuse you. Over the years I have learned what is important to me and therefore what my values and morals are as a professional wedding photographer. These have become part of my brand and my unique selling point, my voice is authentic and it helps me find my dream clients quicker.

 

  1. You never stop learning. Actually my thirst for learning and improving my business has only become stronger over the years.

 

  1. I have developed the courage to say no to jobs that I know are not right for me. Not every client, venue or job is a match and it is better to recognise this earlier rather than later, not only for your sake, but also for your client’s sake.

 

  1. I get incredibly excited to shoot at new venues. After ten years and over 160 weddings which mainly took place in the South West of the UK, I am always excited when I have an inquiry for a wedding venue that I have never shot at before. I actually have a bucket list of venues that I am dreaming to shoot a wedding at so wish me luck!

 

  1. A camera is just a tool. So is a laptop and editing software. I’m guilty of buying equipment in the past and thinking that it will improve my photography skills. What actually has improved my skills is training, online learning and socialising with other photographers!

 

  1. Know your goals. How can you steer your business when you don’t know what you are aiming for? I have set a variety of business and personal goals that I can break down and monitor. This helps me decide which areas of my business need attention and what work needs to be completed when.

 

  1. Stop looking left and right. Comparing yourself to your colleagues can sometimes do more harm than good, particularly to your mental health. Try and analyse what your particular likes/dislikes and strengths/weaknesses are. What is your unique selling point? These can be very powerful in finding your voice and developing your brand.

 

  1. Other photographers are an incredible source of knowledge and reassurance. Let’s face it, we all have a technical hiccup from time to time or an emotional wobble. Being part of a group of like-minded professional photographers can be immensely reassuring and help you solve day to day problems that you face when you work for yourself.

 

  1. Onwards and upwards. In May 2020, about eight weeks into the first Lockdown, I suffered from a mental breakdown. The stress and despair got to me and I did not know how to continue. I often compare that moment to feeling like I had fallen flat onto my face on hard concrete. What happened in the weeks following this incident was sudden growth, like new green shoots coming through the cracks of my broken self. This growth sparked a lot of business development, making long overdue tough decisions on quitting some areas of work and instead starting up new areas. I can safely say I have done more business development in the last two years than in the eight years before. The lesson is: feeling hardship can be stimulating and help you grow.

 

I hope you found this article useful! Please leave me a comment with any thoughts or with your own business lessons!

For those of you who are interested, here a link to my Brand and Portrait Photography website.

Do you want to become a professional wedding photographer?

If you are a photographer who would like to learn more about wedding photography please contact me. I offer 1:1 mentoring sessions which can help you organize your business, learn how to prepare and shoot a wedding as well as go through workflows and procedures.

More posts you’ll love:

10 Wedding Venues in Bath

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10 Best Bath Wedding Venues   Bath is a historic city located in the South-West of England and a popular destination to get married in. With over 2000 years of history, the river Avon running through its centre and the prestigious title 'World Heritage Site', you...

Celebrating 10 Years as a Professional Photographer

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Tips for planning a small wedding in Bath

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With light on the horizon in form of several vaccines many people will ask themselves if they will (finally) be able to get married in 2021 and a lot of those couples will choose to plan a small wedding to ensure they can go ahead with it without too much fear to have...