5 Top UK Wedding Venues 2022
I am lucky with my job as a wedding videographer to travel all over the world filming beautiful weddings in some stunning locations, but some of my favourite wedding venues are here in the UK, so I thought I would showcase 5 of my favourites, in no particular order, here.
Euridge Manor and Orangery
In spring 2021 Saba and Carl Ikeme (ex goalie for the Wolverhampton Wanderers) were married at the beautiful Euridge Manor near Castle Combe in the Cotswolds. It was my first time at the venue and I was blown away by what a stunning spot it was. From the idyllic Lost Orangery, with its crystal chandeliers and the sort of natural light and foliage you expect to find in Cyprus or Italy, to the beautiful boat house and pergola, Euridge Manor really has it all.
I love the crumbling castle walls, the history-rich buildings and immaculate attention to detail- it is possibly the closest you can get to a Mediterranean venue in the UK, especially when the weather is as good as it was last June.
As a wedding videographer I’m always thinking about the best angles and spots that look great on film and also suit my classic and timeless style of wedding videography but I didn’t have to look far at Euridge Manor as the whole place is dripping with history.
The Painted Hall, Royal Naval College Wedding Venue
The Painted Hall, housed in the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, is one of the most breathtaking venues in London and I’m not just saying that because it’s a stones throw from where I live- it really is rather special.
The Baroque interior, known as ‘Britain’s Sistine Chapel’ is a stunning 40,000 square foot painting covering the entire ceiling which is a wedding videographer’s dream, especially one with the sort of classic and elegant style I strive for. I love historical venues, as I feel they lend a grandeur to your day, a splendid backdrop to your story, and it doesn’t get much more historical than the Painted Hall, a venue built on the site of Greenwich Palace where Henry VIII was born.
Getting married, and having your wedding breakfast under, the epic painting is hard to beat in London, so I always love working at the venues and was lucky enough to do so twice in 2021.
As well as the Painted Hall the venue also includes the beautiful Chapel, the vaulted Undercroft and the Victorian skittle alley, so really is the complete package for a wedding day.
Wilderness Reserve Wedding Venue, Suffolk
Wilderness Reserve is a beautiful 8000 acre country estate deep in the Suffolk countryside.
It’s hard to believe this is all one venue when you drive in- with multiple cottages, a boating lake, swimming pools and farm animals amongst the trees- it feels more like a small village.
Among the beautiful cottages and walled gardens is Sibton Park, a 14 bedroom country house with an attached orangery. The whole house is immaculately-designed and stylish, from the Chinese wallpaper in the drawing room to the grand dining room and bedrooms. Out of the windows you can see guests rowing on the boating lake, cycling around on the bikes provided- it really is a perfect slice of English countryside, so I was very grateful to work here twice last year.
Both of my weddings at Wilderness Reserve took place in the main country house, so I was lucky enough to get full access to the jewel in the venues crown on two occasions. One of my weddings took place in the orangery and the other outside the house, with the stunning country views behind.
It’s hard to do the venue justice in words, so please watch the video above to see more!
Kew Gardens Wedding Venue, London
Kew Gardens is a stunning venue in West London, set amongst 320 acres of botanic gardens. Couples have the choice of Cambridge House, the Nash Conservatory, an Orangery and, possibly the most iconic location, the Temperate House- the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse, filled with thousands of plants and containing some grand period spiral staircases.
I have been lucky enough to film in all of the locations on offer at Kew but it is the Temperate House, once dressed with long tables among the plants, that really takes your breath away, particularly when viewed from the balcony hanging above.
Another great feature of Kew Gardens is no matter which of the venues you have your wedding and reception in, couples get to take a drive in one of the buggies to have photos in some of the nicest spots around the grounds, including the Davies Alpine House, the Palm House, the Waterlilly House, Kew Palace and much more.
The video above, which has now been viewed nearly 40 million times on the grooms YouTube channel (see here) was filmed in both the Nash Conservatory and the Temperate House and I also took some time in the morning to take shots of some of the other beautiful spots around the grounds.
The Ned Wedding Venue, City of London
You don’t get much more ‘London’ than a venue set amongst the banks surrounding the Bank of England in the City of London. The Ned is a hotel and private members club, but most importantly it is a piece of beautiful art-deco design. The sixth floor has been transformed into a wedding venue by the esteemed team from Soho House and contains multiple event rooms and a terrace with hard-to-beat views across central London, from the Shard to St Paul’s Cathedral.
After the views from the terrace, which I couldn’t get enough of when I filmed here, the Tapestry Room is my favourite spot- a walnut panelled room with chandelier-adorned high ceilings. When candle lit for the wedding breakfast, it is truly a magical spot and provides the perfect after dinner atmosphere for toasts.
Dancing takes place in one of the other event spaces, with guests having the option to enjoy the cool evening air and hubbub of the City below them from the terrace.
I loved shooting here and can’t wait to do so again!
My Approach
My main aim as a wedding videographer is to produce cinematic, yet authentic, mementos of a wedding day. I want them to be stylish, filled with all the emotions of the day, while being infused with a classic-cinema flair, which I always have in the back of my mind when choosing which lens to use in a certain moment, how to frame a shot, the sounds and music I will use to tell that part of the story and how things will come together in the edit. Filming at locations that suit this style is, therefore, very important- as a nostalgic, elegant and classic sort of style may not suit some types of venues, so it’s always important to keep that in mind when choosing a videographer.
Once I have all the key story telling elements in place for my edit (which include the right choice of music, the key moments from the day to be included and the readings, speeches or eulogies that best help tell the couples story) I then finesse my films to make sure they are as cinematic as possible. By that I mean I use every tool and technique at my disposal, from the filming style on the wedding day, to the editing and colour grading techniques afterwards, to create a piece of work that feels like a mini-movie, like a short piece of classic cinema, with a proper beginning middle and end, establishing people, place and story as elegantly as possible, woven together with music I choose carefully for each project.
Most importantly though, I use equipment and a filming style on the day that allows me to capture these moments without leaving a heavy footprint on the day- I use very minimal equipment, similar to a photographer, and avoid stage managing the day in any way because the most important element of making a great film is authentic moments and emotions and the only way to achieve these is allow them to happen naturally, unhindered by over posing/staging and manufacturing the events.
