Welcome to the Hill Gardens and Pergola wedding page! Hi, my name is Liam and I love shooting weddings. Photographs have the power to trigger and enforce memories; it is important that they repeat what you remember.
Hill gardens and pergola, can you believe that this place is real? Have you ever been? If not, you’re seriously missing out. In a little corner of north west London (NW3 is the postcode if you fancy checking it out) hides a garden which is open to the public and largely unknown. This is a true gem of a location and a pleasure to take a stroll through on a sunny day or in our case, set up some wedding photographs! Hill gardens and pergola are in fact licensed to hold wedding ceremonies, which is ace, it means you will be married under the domed pergola as the laws in the UK state you have to be married under a roofed, permanent structure.
This can give you problems if the weather is looking a bit hit and miss, as there’s nowhere to dash to to seek refuge from a shower. If you are getting married at hill gardens, definitely put on your invites for everyone to bring ‘just in case’ umbrellas.
Ok that’s enough practicalities, let’s talk fabulousness.
There is wisteria which weaves it’s way through the trellis around the garden, is that a hint of clematis I see joining the party? These will be at their best in early May and August. BUT! And a big but, it is massively weather dependent. I’ve got mad into gardening in recent years and I’ve seen how changes in weather can dramatically effect the performance of otherwise reliable plants. If there’s been a mixture of poor weather, no sunshine etc. in the early months of the year, then flowering may occur much earlier. Typically the wisteria will then drop it’s petals in late May and then flower again in late summer, giving you a gorgeous backdrop of abundant purple flowers.
What if we aren’t getting married there?
It’s an amazing wedding venue in London, but there is a fee to pay if you only want to take your photos there. This will have to be arranged before visiting as each time I’ve been to the gardens there have been wardens on patrol, I guarantee they will come and find you and ask to see your documents. Whether or not you can pay on the day I’m not sure, but you definitely will have to seek permission before hand and let them know we are coming. I think this is because there is another licensed venue on site (there’s a big manor house next door, I’ve forgotten it’s name) and I believe that has first dibs on the garden, I guess it’s only fair that if they have to pay, then so do we to shoot there. No biggy, it’s worth it, the gardens are not only amazing, they are versatile too.
Other considerations
It is immensely popular amongst photographers. Yes I did say that it was an unknown gem, by that I should have caveat-ed with ‘hidden from the public’. However photographers and film makers alike seem to know of it’s presence which means we may not be the only couples there on the day. If you feel that you would be bothered by seeing other brides, grooms and newlyweds in their finery, then maybe avoid it for a photo-shoot. The upside though is that there are plenty of spots to shoot in as the gardens are deceptively big. Rather than standing like lemons in a queue waiting for the good spot to become free, there is a really cool pillared walkway underneath the gardens which let’s in some really interesting light. This means that there’s always something to shoot so it never feels like we are wasting time (I hate wasting time).
Whilst in the region, we’ve also got Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House right on our doorstep, the opportunity for formal pictures just expanded by another couple of acres!
Since I am married myself, I have been on both sides: the lucky groom as well as the photographer capturing beautiful moments for the lucky bride and groom. I understand what it means to put someone else in charge of your memories.
My wedding photography has been featured on the biggest wedding blogs in the UK and you can see why below. I document real moments, whether happy or sad, between friends and family. I photograph what makes your day real, nothing staged or contrived:
