London Weddings: Alanna and Scott at St Etheldreda's, Holborn

I'm very keen on central London weddings. I love both the challenges and architectural opportunties that London weddings offer. I knew that Alanna and Scott's wedding at St Etheldreda's in Holborn would certainly be challenging! A 4pm service in late October, and a reception in the crypt of the church lit by little more than candle light would create a few problems for me.

St Etheldreda's is the oldest Catholic church in England, and surely one of the most beautiful. The Crypt has hosted many historic feasts over the centuries, including one attended by Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon that lasted 3 days and included the consumption of hundreds of Larks and Swans.

I approached the reception in the Crypt with particular consideration to lighting. Most of the images are photographed purely by available light using very fast lenses. Any use of flash was carefully controlled to give a sympathetic and natural look that seamlessly blends with the nautal ambience.

Here is a mail that I received from Alanna and Scott after the wedding.

Dear Simon,

Thank you for the wonderful gallery of photos!

They are exactly what we wanted and capture our event perfectly. We really hope that you are as pleased with the results as we are - especially as we know that the lighting levels in both the church and the crypt were a challenge to photograph.

(I am particularly happy that you managed to achieve some flattering pictures of me - I know that I am not easy to photograph well! so I would like to thank you for those shots in particular.) We are so pleased that we decided that you were the 'right' photographer for us. your work confirms this and we feel that your services are definitely an investment worth making. We will have no problem recommending you highly in the future.

Alanna and Scott