Cambridge Register Office wedding photography

A Timeless Union: Saying “I Do” at the Cambridge Register Office

Your wedding day signifies the start of a journey. Situated on the outskirts of Cambridge’s city centre, the Cambridge Register Office stands as a mandatory step to exchanging your wedding vows. In this blog post, we will explore the location and possibilities of using this venue for your wedding ceremony, where to have your photos taken, and how you can use my services as a photographer before, during, and after your ceremony at the Cambridge Register Office on your wedding day.

A mandatory step

For couples without a particular wedding venue, getting married at the Ascham Road, Cambridge Register Office, will mean a quick ceremony (35 minutes) followed, if they want to, by a meal or a wedding reception in one of Cambridge’s numerous restaurants or pubs, or further afield. The smaller size of the venue encourages a sense of togetherness, allowing everyone present to genuinely share in your occasion.

Location, location, location

Situated in the city of Cambridge, the Ascham Road Register Office, off Milton Road and Gilbert Road (both local and out-of-town guests can easily access it), is centrally located but not as central as the previous register office location of Shire Hall. It usually has enough parking spaces, unless the wedding ceremony before yours had a lot of guests, and they all came by car. The building itself is fairly modern, and the ceremony room is well-lit with neutral wallpaper and a couple of fake shrubs in the middle. On a rainy day, if you are not going to another venue, the group photographs’ location will be restricted to the waiting room, unless there is no ceremony after yours, and you can then remain in the ceremony room for your photographs.

Photo locations at the Register office

Due to the nature of the Cambridge Register Office, and the fact that it is a modern building, the immediate surroundings of the building leave little to the imagination. The staff seems to have arranged a fenced-up area with a wooden pergola, fake creepers climbing up the wooden posts, and fake wisteria dangling off the pergola, along with a bench to sit on, for photographs. I have used that area for confetti or rice throwing before, but this is mainly because it is the only area around. Between Spring and Autumn, we can also use a green area to the right of the building, which has a green hedge, as a natural backdrop for group photos. I have used it a few times for candids and posed photographs, as well as for an improvised first dance between a newly married couple.

Getting Ready Photographs

For couples looking to capture their wedding day as thoroughly as possible, I can capture the moments before the ceremony at the Cambridge Register Office, at the location where the bride is getting ready, be it at home, at her parents’ house, or in your hotel room. I can start capturing this stage of your wedding day as early as you want, or just 45 minutes before the bride is due to depart to get to the register office.

Pre-ceremony shoot

I have also, although rarely, been asked to capture pre-ceremony images in Cambridge city centre, or, more recently, in Jesus Green (which is quite close to the new Register office). I am more than open to this kind of idea, but time needs to be managed more efficiently to keep in mind the time of the ceremony, as you cannot be late for your own ceremony, and they often have one ceremony after another at the Register office. Jesus Green has many various locations in itself: by the river, the tree-lined path, the grass area of the park, as well as sitting on benches or leaning on tree trunks.

Capturing the ceremony itself

Capturing the wedding ceremony at the Cambridge Register Office is fairly straightforward. I am usually standing to the left of the registrar officiating for the ceremony, and from that point of view, I will be able to capture anything, from the entrance of the bride to the exchange of the vows, the rings, the kiss, the laughs, the tears, and everything in between. Note that I am not allowed to capture the actual signing of the registry, and that step is recreated after the actual signing, by the registrars themselves. Your witnesses can also join us after the “fake” signing between the two of you has taken place.

After the ceremony

After capturing their ceremony at the Cambridge Register Office, some couples are eager for me to capture more photographs of them as a couple and/or of their family and friends. Some couples decide to hire me for longer to photograph them around Cambridge’s best-known landmarks; some couples want me to follow them to the venue of their wedding reception; and some couples even go on to a grander venue and hire me for the remainder of their day. While the Register Office and the area around it are fairly modern and neutral for photographs, Cambridge is a visually amazing city that offers superb backdrops, especially on a sunny day, and I would love to take you around the historic centre of the city if you wish.

In Conclusion

While a wedding ceremony at the Cambridge Register Office is a mandatory event for some couples, it is my job as a seasoned wedding photographer to capture any location and make it look good. However, allowing me to photograph you for longer on your wedding day would give me the opportunity to capture truly unique images of you as a couple and of your family and friends. Your wedding day represents the celebration of your love story, and the wedding venue you select serves as the canvas upon which your memories are painted. An extended package in the city or at a venue elsewhere would allow me to create extended memories for you to look back on for years to come.

For any wedding enquiries, please contact me for more information. You can also check my pricelist.