Chelsea Town Hall is such an iconic registry office — a beautiful building surrounded by endless photo opportunities — making it the perfect backdrop for a London elopement. Brittany and Elliot chose to hold their legal wedding here with their immediate family, and I joined them for a couple of hours to capture their ceremony and portraits, before they headed off to celebrate with family over dinner. I would be seeing Brittany and Elliot again just a few days later for their gorgeous garden tea-party wedding with all their friends and family, where a close friend would lead their ceremony, making this the most special way to begin their wedding celebrations.

A bride and groom walk through a confetti tunnel at Chelsea Town Hall, in London.

Arriving Together at Chelsea Town Hall

Brittany and Elliot arrived at Chelsea Town Hall together with their family, immediately setting the tone for a relaxed and meaningful afternoon. Brittany’s family had flown over from America, which made having their immediate families present even more special, so there were plenty of hugs to go round as they awaited their time to head into the ceremony. Family members took the opportunity to snap a photo of the together, before being led into the ceremony room where they’d officaly become Mr and Mrs!

An Intimate Chelsea Registry Office Ceremony with Family

Their ceremony took place in the Rossetti Room, an intimate space that suited their group perfectly. Britt walked herself down the aisle to Elliot — a moment that felt incredibly personal and emotional. These smaller ceremonies are always so magical, and you could truly feel the love in the room. After they were officially pronounced husband and wife, it was time for confetti.

Confetti on the Steps of Chelsea Town Hall

Their confetti walk took place on the iconic steps of Chelsea Town Hall, with the grand entrance as a beautiful backdrop. I helped gather their family ready for the moment, and then it was time to let the confetti fly. Confetti is always one of my favourite moments to capture — it’s joyful, chaotic, and full of energy. Afterwards, we wandered just down the street for a few relaxed family portraits before their family headed off for a celebratory drink, leaving us to explore Chelsea for some couple portraits.

Exploring Chelsea for Relaxed London Elopement Portraits

Our first stop was the fire station, where the deep red tones created such a striking backdrop. From there, we wandered away from the main road and through the quieter streets of Chelsea. There are so many photo opportunities here — from colourful façades to classic Victorian architecture. We kept things relaxed, walking together and allowing Brittany and Elliot to soak up this special moment as newlyweds.

Just before it was time for me to leave, the heavens opened — luckily something we’d planned for. The rain gave us some of my favourite portraits from the day, with Brittany and Elliot crossing the road hand in hand under their umbrellas — so, so good. We then said our goodbyes as I left them to continue their afternoon of celebrations and prepare for their garden party wedding that weekend, where I’d be joining them again for another day of magic.

“Carys shot our small, intimate wedding this summer and she was an absolute delight to work with! My now-husband and I are not very comfortable in front of the camera, but Carys made us feel and look like models. Our photos came out absolutely beautiful! All of the prep calls beforehand were very useful, as we were planning and doing most of our wedding ourselves. We had our wedding events over two days, and it was clear on day one that Carys had done a lot of research on the area beforehand to find beautiful places to shoot great photos. After the wedding, she sent a generous sneak peek of the photos under 24 hours later. The photos are a delight to look through and capture all of the fun, joy and love we felt that day. Overall we are very happy and highly recommend her for your special day!!”