Balfour St Barts Wedding Photography | A Stylish Smithfield Wedding Reception
If you’re looking for a London wedding reception venue that feels stylish and contemporary but still has plenty of character, Balfour St Barts in Smithfield is definitely one to have on your list.
Sitting opposite the historic Smithfield Market in the heart of the City of London, Balfour St Barts works particularly well for couples who want a relaxed London wedding without the formality of a traditional hotel or country-house reception.
And from a wedding photography point of view, Smithfield is a brilliant location. You have the buzz and architecture of the City right outside the door, while inside Balfour St Barts there’s a completely different atmosphere – warm, intimate and made for a proper party.
Getting Married at Balfour St Barts
Balfour St Barts is at 66 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9DY, just a few minutes' walk from Farringdon station.
The venue can accommodate up to 130 guests for a seated wedding breakfast and up to 150 for a standing reception, so it works for everything from a relatively intimate London wedding to a much bigger celebration. Exclusive hire is available, meaning you can have the whole venue to yourselves.
One of the things I particularly like about it is that it doesn't really feel like a conventional "wedding venue". There's a main bar and restaurant space, a mezzanine overlooking the room and plenty of interesting little corners, giving the whole place a relaxed London bar feel rather than a formal function room.
That suits my style of wedding photography perfectly – people chatting, drinking, laughing, moving around and generally forgetting that I'm there.
Wedding Photography Around Smithfield
The location is a huge part of the appeal.
Smithfield has a completely different feel from many of London's more traditional wedding areas. The streets around the market give you a fantastic mixture of historic architecture, old shopfronts, arches and proper London street scenes.
That means you don't need to disappear for an hour for your couple photographs.
We can simply sneak outside Balfour St Barts for 15 or 20 minutes, wander around Smithfield and create some relaxed wedding portraits before heading straight back to your guests.
For couples who tell me they don't particularly enjoy having their photograph taken, this is exactly how I like to work. Nothing too staged and no endless posing – just the two of you taking a little wander around London while I photograph you together.
Inside Balfour St Barts
Once everyone is inside, the venue has plenty going on visually too.
The open-plan layout works beautifully for documentary wedding photography because I can move around the room and photograph conversations and reactions without them realising!
The mezzanine overlooking the main space is particularly useful. The venue itself suggests using it for speeches and even the bouquet throw, and from a photography perspective the different levels create some great opportunities for wider photographs showing the atmosphere of the whole reception.
Later in the evening, the space changes again as everyone moves towards the bar and dance floor – exactly the point where I tend to find some of my favourite photographs of the day. Especially if you’ve booked a band!
Looking for a Balfour St Barts Wedding Photographer?
If you're planning your wedding reception at Balfour St Barts in 2027, I'd love to hear what you've got planned!
My approach to Balfour St Barts wedding photography is relaxed, candid and documentary-led. I'll photograph the people, reactions and slightly chaotic little moments that make the day yours, alongside some beautiful photographs of the two of you around Smithfield – without turning your wedding into an all-day photoshoot.
