Ngozi and her husband married at Nottingham Council House, then stepped into the city centre for their wedding portraits. I photographed their civil wedding for CameraBoss, with the Council House staircase and Old Market Square giving the pictures two very different settings.
Ngozi wore a short white dress with a long veil and pointed white heels. Her husband wore a white suit with a dark bow tie. Together, the matching outfits kept the portraits clean and gave the architecture room to show.
A civil wedding at Nottingham Council House
The Council House is a striking part of Nottingham’s city centre. In this wedding collection, its blue-carpeted staircase, pale stone balustrades and domed interior sit alongside photographs of the couple outside. Those changes of scale make the gallery: a close portrait, a walk down the stairs, then the building rising behind them.
Some of my favourite photographs from this set are the seated staircase portraits. The couple sit close together, with the blue carpet filling much of the frame. The white outfits stand out immediately. There is very little competing for attention.
Other frames use the curves of the staircase and the space around the couple. You can see the setting without losing the people in it. That balance matters when a wedding venue has such a recognisable interior.
Wedding portraits around Nottingham city centre
Outside, the collection changes pace. Ngozi walks across the square with her veil behind her; elsewhere, the couple stand together with the Council House in view. The red-brick buildings around the city centre bring a different colour palette to the same wedding story.
The movement photographs work particularly well with Ngozi’s dress. Its shorter hemline keeps her shoes in the picture, while the veil adds movement around her shoulders. The bouquet, with white flowers and soft pink details, gives the closer photographs something delicate to focus on.
I also kept the wider frames in the selection. A portrait with the whole building behind the couple tells you where they were. A closer image tells you how they looked together. Both belong in a wedding collection.
Planning your own Council House wedding photographs
If you are considering a civil wedding here, speak to the venue about which spaces will be available for photographs on your date. The rooms and staircase in another couple’s collection should be treated as inspiration; access needs to be confirmed for your own booking.
Build a little space into your plans for portraits after the ceremony, and discuss a wet-weather alternative with your photographer. Moving between indoor portraits and the square gives you variety, but the plan should work around the ceremony and the people attending.
For current venue information, start with Nottingham City Council’s Council House website and its ceremony FAQs. Confirm your arrangements directly with the team rather than relying on another wedding’s timetable.
The wedding team
Bride: Ngozi, @coco.ajah
Event planner: @Kiinieventsuk
Photography: CameraBoss and CameraBoss Weddings.
Congratulations to Ngozi and her husband, and thank you for letting CameraBoss share these photographs.
Planning a Nottingham civil wedding?
Send your date, venue and the parts of the day you would like photographed through the CameraBoss enquiry page. You can also explore the current starting prices. Your plans will help us discuss the coverage that fits.
For more of my work beyond weddings, visit John Lekan’s photography and visual art.
