And there’s no better venue for an elopement than Chelsea Register Office. The “Register Office” room also knows as the Harrington room, is tiny, just enough to hold bride, groom, the witnesses, the registrars and yours truly. No extra bodies permitted! But on the plus side, this means that the ceremony is truly intimate, and you’re not knocking about in a huge ceremony room like peas in a giant pod.
And if you’ve kept your ceremony completely secret from EVERYONE, like Phillippa and John, who had eloped to London from Lincoln, then the local Chelsea Pensioners are delighted to be on hand to be your witnesses. It’s great having Chelsea Pensioners at your ceremony. They add a real splash of colour, some local history, and a sense of humour. Today’s likely lads were John and Walter, a team I’ve had the pleasure to meet on several previous occasions.
After the ceremony, Phillippa and John’s elopement continued, with a trip to Paris. So after a few shots in and around Chelsea, we took private car up towards St. Pancras and used the local architecture as the backdrop for our wedding portraits. Then the couple disappeared towards the Eurotunnel – but not without Phillippa giving me her lovely bouquet to take home with me. Maybe I’ll be next???
