Most of London’s best-known photo locations need a permit for a shoot with a professional photographer: every Royal Park, including Greenwich and Richmond, plus Hampstead Heath, the City’s gardens, Kew, Trafalgar Square, the Southbank Centre and Tower Bridge. Photos from a public street need no permit. Below: who issues each permit, notice, fees, drone rules and the best time of day.
The short answer: Royal Parks wedding permits are listed at £100 plus VAT per photographer (checked October 2026), need 10 days’ notice and cover one hour for up to ten people. Most other landmarks run their own schemes. Public streets need no permit.
This is one chapter of our local guide to weddings in London, Kent and Surrey. For quick portrait stops near a register office, see London city weddings, from register office to reception; for a relaxed session before the day, see engagement shoots in London.
Do you need a permit for wedding photos in London?
It depends on who owns the ground, not on how famous the view is. Photographing from a public street or pavement needs no permit: Tower Bridge’s own guidance says photographing the bridge from public space doesn’t need the owner’s permission. Parks, squares and landmarks draw a different line: phone snaps for personal use are free, but a paid photographer, or images used to promote a business, counts as commercial and needs a permit. The Royal Parks’ 2026 policy says a professional portfolio counts as commercial use.
Some riverside plazas are private estates. More London, by Tower Bridge, publishes no photography policy, so ask the estate first.
London wedding photo locations at a glance
Fees checked October 2026. They change, often in April, so check before you book.
| Location | Permit needed? | Apply to | Notice | Fee | Drones | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, The Green Park | Yes | The Royal Parks | 10 days | £100 + VAT per photographer | Written permission only | Early morning |
| The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill | Yes | The Royal Parks, separate online booking | 10 days | Shown when booking | Written permission only | Early morning |
| Greenwich, Richmond and Bushy Parks | Yes | The Royal Parks | 10 days | £100 + VAT per photographer | Written permission only | Late afternoon |
| Old Royal Naval College grounds | Yes | The college | Book ahead | £363 + VAT an hour (2026/27) | Authorisation only | Late afternoon |
| Hampstead Heath: Hill Garden and Pergola | Yes | City of London | Reply within 14 working days | £234 for 2 hours, weekdays only | No recreational flying | Weekday morning |
| St Dunstan in the East and City gardens | Yes, if organised | City Gardens | Apply ahead | £294 for up to 2 hours | Not stated | Weekend morning |
| Leadenhall Market | Yes | City Film team, via FilmApp | Ask | Not published | Not stated | Weekend morning |
| Sky Garden | Yes | Sky Garden | Ask early | Not published | Not stated | Ask |
| Trafalgar Square | Yes, for a shoot | Greater London Authority | 14 working days | £1,000 + VAT an hour | Not stated | Early morning |
| Southbank Centre | Yes | FilmApp | 5 days | From £690 + VAT (2026/27) | Not allowed | Dusk |
| Tower Bridge | Yes on the bridge; no from public space | FilmApp | 5 working days | Location fee, not published | Public use banned | Dusk |
| Potters Fields Park | Yes | Film Fixer | Ask | Not published | Not over the park | Early morning |
| Kew Gardens, outdoor gardens | Yes | Kew, by email | 24 hours | £75 + VAT, plus admission | Not allowed | Morning |
| Public streets | No | None | None | None | CAA rules apply | Any |
Can you take wedding photos in the Royal Parks?
Yes, with a wedding and lifestyle photography permit. The Royal Parks manage eight parks (Bushy, Greenwich, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Richmond, St James’s, The Green Park, and The Regent’s Park with Primrose Hill) plus Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens, and the permit applies in all of them. In plain English:
- One hour, up to ten people. Right for the two of you and a few close family or friends, not a 40-person group photo. Ask whether the count includes your photographer and filmmaker.
- Selected areas only. They aren’t named publicly; the park sets them when it approves your application.
- Two groups at a time, and no confetti.
- At least 10 days’ notice and £5 million public liability insurance.
- £100 plus VAT (£120) for one photographer, from the permit terms; confirm the fee on the booking form. Booking a photographer and a filmmaker? Ask whether each needs a permit. No refunds once issued.
- No filming near playgrounds. Memorials and monuments get extra review.
So a Royal Park suits a short couple portrait session or an engagement shoot, not family groups on the day.
Drones need written permission and at least 10 working days, and the central parks also need NATS approval. Recreational flying is allowed only on Richmond Park’s Flying Field. See our drone wedding filming guide for the CAA rules.
In Richmond and Bushy, the Royal Parks ask everyone to stay at least 50 metres from the deer, especially during the autumn rut.
Wedding photos in Greenwich
Greenwich has three kinds of landowner. Greenwich Park is a Royal Park, so the permit above applies. The Old Royal Naval College next door books its own wedding and engagement shoots: its external spaces cost £192.50 for 30 minutes, £363 for an hour or £605 for two hours, plus VAT (2026/27 rates), with higher rates indoors. It takes no wedding or engagement shoots from 24 July to 21 August 2026. Council parks in the Royal Borough of Greenwich issue permits through FilmFixer.
Greenwich Park is around 6 miles from our Beckenham studio, about 20 minutes’ drive with no traffic. For the wider area, see weddings in Bromley, Beckenham and south east London.
The City, Tower Bridge and the South Bank
The City of London asks anyone planning a shoot on its property, whatever the crew size, to contact its film team first, Leadenhall Market included; its gardens use the licence in the table. At Trafalgar Square, private photography is unrestricted, but a shoot costs £1,000 plus VAT an hour.
South of the river, Potters Fields Park and the Southbank Centre each run their own permits, and Tower Bridge’s permit covers its pavements, road and airspace. Pick one landowner and apply properly, or stay on the public pavement.
Do you need a permit for wedding photos at Kew Gardens?
Yes. Kew’s wedding, engagement or proposal permit costs £75 plus VAT, plus admission. Book by email, Monday to Friday, at least 24 hours ahead. It covers the outdoor gardens only, not the buildings or glasshouses, and is for personal use: images can’t be sold. No lighting or flash, no drones, no hair and make-up on site, and no live flowers, including a bridal bouquet. Permits are only issued on dates with no weddings in the Gardens.
When is the best time of day for London wedding photos?
In London, crowds matter as much as light. In our experience, early mornings are quietest in the central parks and squares, the City is calm at weekends, and the river looks its best at dusk. Permits are short, so time yours to the light: golden hour starts around 20:25 in mid-June and around 14:55 at the start of December (see golden hour, month by month). A park across town costs travel time too: see wedding day travel, ULEZ and the Congestion Charge.
From behind the camera
The first question I ask about any London location isn’t “is it beautiful?” but “whose is it?” A riverside walk that looks like one long pavement can belong to three owners in ten minutes. I would rather apply for one permit at a place that works in the light at your time of day than collect three for places we only pass through.
Film sharpens the question, because a gimbal or tripod reads as a professional shoot straight away. So we choose spots that work for photo and film together, and keep a quiet side street with good light as a backup that needs no paperwork.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a Royal Parks photography permit?
The Royal Parks’ terms list £100 plus VAT, £120 in total, for one photographer (checked October 2026; confirm on the booking form). The permit covers one hour for up to ten people in selected areas. You need at least 10 days’ notice and £5 million public liability insurance, and there are no refunds once it is issued.
Can you take wedding photos in Greenwich Park?
Yes, with a permit. Greenwich Park is a Royal Park, so a shoot with a professional photographer needs the Royal Parks wedding and lifestyle permit: one hour, up to ten people, at least 10 days’ notice and no confetti. The Old Royal Naval College next door is separate land with its own booking and fees.
Can you take wedding photos at Sky Garden?
Visitors can take personal photos, but tripods, flash and other specialist equipment aren’t allowed, and commercial photography needs Sky Garden’s written permission in advance, with fees and time restrictions. Sky Garden hosts wedding receptions but not ceremonies, so if your reception is there, ask the events team what photography is included.
Do you need permission to take photos at St Dunstan in the East?
Not for casual personal photos. For an organised shoot that uses the garden as a setting, the City of London asks for a licence first. Its City gardens wedding and lifestyle licence costs £294 for up to two hours between 8am and 6pm (checked October 2026), booked through an online form or by email.
Keep reading
- London city weddings: photos from register office to reception: permit-free portrait stops near the ceremony.
- Engagement shoots in London: the best use of a one-hour park permit.
- London register offices compared: which town hall, borough by borough.
Planning portraits in a park or by the river? See how we photograph London city weddings and read about our wedding photography, then check your date.
