The Ritz wedding photographer London

The Ritz London wedding photography

The Ritz, 150 Piccadilly, London W1J 9BR phone 0207 300 2507

The Ritz in London, world famous and synonymous with luxury, glamour and high society provides a truly unique London wedding venue in the exquisite William Kent House.

William Kent House at The Ritz London - A Brief History

The Ritz London, which has Grade ll listed status was originally opened in 1906 by the Swiss Hotelier Cesar Ritz who, at the same time tried unsuccessfully to buy Wimborne House off the owner Lord Wimborne, the building that is now known as William Kent House.

Designed in the 1740s by the renowned architect William Kent, who had a hand in many of the country's historic masterpieces and was also famous for his landscape architecture and furniture designs, it is also a Grade ll listed building.

Situated at number 22 Arlington Street you could easily miss it as it is almost at the back of The Ritz, however it has a distinguished pedigree having been built for the Prime Minister Henry Pelham (1695-1754) and also having been home to Winston Churchill in 1915.

In 2005, a century after the first attempted purchase it was finally bought and extensively restored and refurbished under the close eye of English Heritage. It was opened in 2006 as William Kent House and comes resplendently complete with six beautifully presented private dining rooms all paying homage to its original Italian Renaissance heritage.

The Ritz London wedding photographer opportunities at William Kent House

The original entrance to William Kent House is at 22 Arlington Street but you enter as you would expect through the main entrance of The Ritz itself and from there it's a short but enthralling walk along the famously grand and bustling Long Gallery where you eventually turn left through a mirrored door into William Kent House.

Needless to say there are fantastic wedding photography opportunities as soon as you walk through the main entrance in every direction, however, photography is restricted in the main building. You are briefed from the beginning, and when following the Bride from her Bridal suite in The Ritz to William Kent House along the Long Galley you have to be accompanied and photography mustn't include pictures of guests. When inside William Kent House you have free reign.

The Grand Hall at William Kent House

This beautiful white hall is the centre of William Kent House as it leads to the six wonderful private dining rooms and it is truly 'Grand'. The lower floor is dominated by two massive onyx marble pillars and from there you immediately view the striking Victorian staircase with its fine gilded wrought iron balustrade leading up to the next floor. On the gleaming Portland stone floor there is a grand piano whilst up on the wall above the staircase is a glimpse of a colourful mural.

Walking up the stairs then takes you into the breathtaking central atrium revealing the dramatic mural depicting colourful scenes of London life in the 18th century. Painted by the celebrated Chinese artist Mao Wen Biao the mural covers three walls each with a different scene with the man in the blue suit in the centre of the main picture being Mr William Kent. The Grand Hall is perfect for receptions and can comfortably accommodate up to 40 guests.

The upper floor leads onto The Marie Antoinette Suite, The Burlington Room, The Wimborne Room and The Music Room whilst on the lower floor you are lead to The Queen Elizabeth Room and The William Kent Room.

The Queen Elizabeth and William Kent Rooms

The Queen Elizabeth Room is a stately drawing room receiving plenty of natural light from the floor to ceiling windows at one end that looks out onto Green Park. It is in this well lit area that an intimate wedding service can be held providing the right balance of light for some intimate wedding photographs during the ceremony. It has capacity for up to 35 reception guests.

The William Kent Room, originally known as The Great Room is truly breath taking to behold for any wedding photographer who walks through its doors for the very first time. Accessed via mahogany doors on the left hand side of The Queen Elizabeth Room it is appointed in an Italian Renaissance style and is the epitome of lavish grandeur with a rich shade of reds throughout from the silk walls and curtains to the velvet chairs and carpet. This is then topped with a truly spectacularly ornate ceiling in gold. It can seat up to 24 guests at its beautiful mahogany table for the wedding breakfast and up to 50 for a standing reception.

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