An intimate wedding at Winchester Registry Office followed by a stroll with the couple through town to the Green Man pub for a celebration.
The beautiful city of Winchester is a wonderful place to get married, and for couples interested in a civil rather than religious ceremony Winchester Registry Office makes for a very appealing option. Relocated a couple of years ago to the beautiful Castle area at the top of the high street – not only the administrative centre but also home to the iconic Great Hall which proudly displays King Arthur’s famed Round Table – it has as its flagship the stunning Basing Room. I’ve photographed in a lot of Register Offices over the years, and they certainly don’t all look like this!
And it was to be the focal point for day one – the legal part – of Kathryn & Pete’s stunning weekender of a wedding. The following day we headed out of town and south along the Itchen to the nearby villages of Shawford and Twyford for a religious blessing and the larger of the celebrations. Today was much more a family affair.
Bridal prep took place on both days the the very charming little self-contained annex which Kathryn and family had hired for the weekend – mother and sister on hand to help with the first of the two sets of preparations. A beautiful, early Summer’s day – very fitting for the dress chosen for this particular occasion, and perfect summer detailing to match, not least in the peony-stuffed bouquet.
On then to Winchester Registry Office to catch up with our groom and family. The Basing Room is definitely an interesting and attractive one. It was refurbished to a very high standard as part of the registration service’s relcation to the new building, and has a very grand feel to it with rich colours to the wallpaper and a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The building itself is also one of my favourites locally, and photographs extremely well inside and out. I’m fortunate to cover many weddings here each year, and it’s always a pleasure to work there.
Kathryn arrived just as Peter headed in for his pre-marriage final interview (timing is everything!) but many of the guests were still on hand to great her as she approached the building (no spoilers really to worry about today as it was a less formal occasion). Still, all were seated and the doors closed when she did make her grand entrance at the start of the ceremony.
We then got to do one of my favourite things following a wedding at Winchester Registry Office, which is a little photo-stroll down through town and in particular in and around the back streets near the Cathedral and College areas. I’ve got a whole stack of routes up my sleeves depending on what the couple fancies and where they want to end up. This time round we were taking the scenic route towards the Green Man pub near the cinema, and managed to squeeze in a visit to the Cathedral cloisters, Dean Garnier Garden and Kingsgate en route, to name a few. It really was just a quick stroll this time tough, as day two was still to come and would bring with it a whole host of other photo opportunities…
…and if you’d like to see many more beautiful photos from this wonderful weekend, you can check out day two right here…
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If you are currently planning your Winchester wedding or civil partnership and would like to know more about my wedding photography services, packages and prices, please do get in touch to check availability and ask me any questions you might have. I’m only too happy to help however I can.
Thanks as ever for reading, and come back again soon for many more photos from many more beautiful weddings!
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