London Wedding Photo Permits: City of London Rules and Costs
If your wedding or engagement photographs will be taken in the City of London, whether you need a permit depends on where you stand, not on how many people are in the shot. An organised shoot in a City Corporation garden needs a licence. A small portable shoot on the street needs a Notice of No Objection. Anything on private land needs the landlord’s consent. Casual snaps of your own visit need nothing at all.
Below we set out each route, what the City currently charges, what to put in an application and how to plan the day so a permit never costs you time. We photograph weddings and engagement shoots for couples across the UK, and this is the checklist we work through when a couple asks about the Square Mile.
TL;DR
An organised wedding or engagement shoot in a City of London Corporation garden, park or churchyard needs a licence or permit. Casual visitor photos do not.
A City Gardens wedding and lifestyle licence is £294 for up to two hours, within an 8am to 6pm window.
Small, portable street shoots go through the Film team, which issues a Notice of No Objection. Private land, including City churches, needs the landlord’s consent first.
Apply early, name the exact location and times, and have public liability insurance details to hand.
Check the City’s official pages for the current fee before you budget, as prices are reviewed.
Table of Contents
Do you need a permit for wedding photos in the City of London?
Usually yes, if the photography is organised. The City of London Corporation says that an organised wedding photoshoot in one of its gardens, parks or churchyards requires a licence or permit. Its guidance names wedding, engagement, civil partnership and other celebration photography, along with portrait and still photography, in the same wedding and lifestyle category.
The same page is clear that ordinary visitors may take photographs and videos of their own visit without asking. So the dividing line is organisation, not equipment. A couple wandering through a garden and asking a friend to take a phone photo is a visit. A booked photographer, a planned timetable and a wedding dress are a shoot.
That distinction matters for two reasons:
Enforcement is practical, not theoretical. A photographer with a professional camera and a bride in a gown draws attention in a small garden, and staff can reasonably ask whether you hold a licence.
The permit is also your protection. It confirms you may be there, for how long and under which conditions, so the photographs are not interrupted halfway through.
Which City locations need permission?
The Square Mile is a patchwork of ownership. The most useful habit is to identify who owns the spot before you fall in love with it. The City’s film and photography page sorts locations into routes, and the table below follows it.
Location type | Examples | Route |
City Corporation gardens and parks | Most City gardens and churchyards it manages | Licence or permit from the City Gardens team |
City Corporation bridges | Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge | Contact the Film team |
Public highway | Streets and pavements | Notice of No Objection for small, portable shoots |
Privately owned land | City churches, Broadgate Estate, New Street Square, Aviva Square, building forecourts and squares, Inner and Middle Temple, Network Rail and London Underground stations, the Museum of London | Consent from the relevant landlord first |
Two points catch couples out. First, a square that feels like a public street often is not: many forecourts and squares are private. Second, a bridge is not a street. If you have pictured the Thames behind you, ask the Film team before you plan the timing.
City gardens: the licence, the cost and the hours
For gardens, the City asks you to complete its online application form and email the City Gardens team at citygardens@cityoflondon.gov.uk, as set out on its City Gardens photography page.
The published wedding and lifestyle licence costs £294 for up to two hours, and the permitted window is 8am to 6pm. Two hours is generous for a couple’s portraits and tight for a full group of family. If you are planning a wider timeline, our advice is to treat the licensed time as your portrait slot only, and do larger group photographs at the venue.
A few practical notes from our side:
Choose the hour, not just the day. Mid-morning on a weekday is usually calmer than lunchtime, when City workers fill every garden bench. Check the garden’s own page for any days it excludes.
Bring only what you need. A photographer, a second shooter at most, and a small bag. Large lighting kits and reflectors on stands are the kind of thing that complicate permission.
Keep the licence on you. A copy on your phone is sensible, and your photographer should carry one too.
Streets and pavements: Notice of No Objection
If your shoot is on the public highway, small and portable is the key. The City issues a Notice of No Objection for small street shoots. It is not a reservation: you do not get exclusive use of the pavement, and pedestrians, cyclists and traffic carry on regardless. Equipment that cannot be moved quickly, such as stands or bulky kit, needs advance permission for hoarding.
The City’s filming fees page, updated in June 2026, explains that an application is only charged after it has been reviewed and judged suitable. Payment is made online before the shoot, and VAT is added to charges. Its 2026 public-highway schedule is built around crew size:
Crew size | Fee (2026 schedule) |
Small handheld crew, up to 5 people | £95 |
Camera and tripod, up to 10 | £210 |
11 to 20 people | £275 |
21 to 50 people | £375 |
51 to 100 people | £500 |
100 or more | £750 |
The same schedule notes that charity, student and community-project applications may be charged £40 at the City’s discretion. The schedule is written for filming, so ask the Film team which category your stills shoot falls into. For a couple and one photographer, the smallest band is the one to ask about. Remember too that a street shoot with your wedding party can quickly exceed five people if you include family.
Private land and City churches
Many of the most photogenic corners of the City are private, and the City’s guidance is that landlord consent comes first. That includes City churches, the Museum of London site, Broadgate Estate, Network Rail and London Underground stations, New Street Square, Aviva Square, building forecourts, and Inner and Middle Temple.
In practice:
Find the estate or building manager, not the City. Their website or reception will tell you who handles photography requests.
Ask in writing and keep the reply. Verbal “that’s fine” from a security guard is not consent from the landlord.
Expect conditions, such as time of day, group size or no tripods.
For churches, the rules often come from the parish as well as the building. Our UK church wedding photo rules checklist lists what to ask the vicar or church office before the day, including flash and where your photographer may stand during the service.
What about Hampstead Heath?
Hampstead Heath is run by the City of London Corporation, so many couples searching for London permits end up here. The City says it will respond within 14 working days, though missing information can delay it. Successful applicants receive a photography or filming licence.
For Hill Garden and Pergola, small handheld photography can be booked online as a two-hour licence costing £234. It is available Monday to Friday only, excluding weekends and bank holidays. So a Saturday engagement shoot there is not an option on that licence.
The Heath is also a reminder that permission is not purely paperwork. The City treats protecting the environment and the quiet of other visitors as real criteria, and high-impact or disruptive requests may be declined. A couple, a photographer and a light touch is the kind of request that fits.
The application asks you for:
the specific location and dates
start and end times
the size of the crew or party
a summary of the activity
an equipment list
public liability insurance details, of at least £5 million
any extra requirements, such as parking, plus contact details
How to apply, step by step
Decide your shortlist of two or three spots. Having a second option protects you if the first is refused or unavailable.
Identify who owns each one. Garden, bridge, street or private estate decides which route you follow.
Choose a date and a window. Weekday mornings are easiest. Allow time to travel between locations, because a two-hour licence does not pause while you queue for the Tube.
Gather your details. Names, equipment list, party size and insurance certificate. Public liability insurance is a standard requirement, so ask your photographer for the certificate early.
Submit the application. For gardens, use the online form and email the City Gardens team. For streets and bridges, contact the Film team, whose details are on the City’s film and photography page.
Wait for the fee request. On the film side, you are charged only after the application is reviewed and judged suitable, and you pay online before the shoot.
Carry the paperwork on the day. Share it with everyone in the wedding party who might be asked.
On timing, the City gives one concrete figure for Hampstead Heath, 14 working days. For gardens and streets it does not publish a lead time that we can point to, so our rule is to apply as soon as your date and photographer are confirmed, and certainly several weeks ahead. If your wedding is in peak season, earlier is better.
Costs at a glance
Situation | What the City publishes |
City Gardens wedding or lifestyle photography | £294, up to two hours, 8am to 6pm |
Hill Garden and Pergola, Hampstead Heath, small handheld | £234, two hours, Monday to Friday |
Public highway, small handheld crew up to 5 | £95 (2026 schedule, VAT added) |
Public highway, camera and tripod up to 10 | £210 (2026 schedule, VAT added) |
Private land | Set by the landlord |
Treat these as the 2026 position and confirm on the City’s own pages before you budget, because fees are reviewed.
Our view: plan the permit around the pictures, not the other way round
We are a husband-and-wife team, and we shoot documentary-style: candid, unobtrusive, led by what actually happens between the two of you. That style helps with permits more than people expect. A light kit, no staged crowd and no fuss is exactly what a small-shoot permit is designed for.
Our honest advice is this. Do not build a whole day around one permitted spot. Use the licensed two hours for the images you most want in a landmark setting, and let the rest of the day be natural at your venue. Couples who try to squeeze family groups, portraits and a bridge into a single slot end up rushing, and rushed couples look rushed.
We would also rather you chose a quiet garden at a calm hour than a famous spot at noon. The photographs you keep are the ones where you look at each other, not at the crowd. Our guide to choosing wedding photo locations for documentary shots explains how we weigh light, footfall and walking time. If you are planning something smaller, the City of London elopement photo routes show how short walks and permits fit together.
— Dawn & Carl
Booking us for a London shoot
We are based in Staffordshire and photograph weddings across the UK, including London. If you want a photographer who already knows which questions to ask before an application goes in, you can see how we work on our wedding photography page. Our wedding videography is available if you would like a cinematic film as well, and our wedding content creation starts from £600 one-off if you would like quick-turnaround clips for sharing with guests. Travelling outside our home area is covered in our note on photographer travel fees.
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Send us your date and the places you have in mind, and we will tell you plainly which ones are likely to need permission and which will not.
Frequently asked questions
Can we take our own wedding photos in a London park without a permit?
If you are simply visiting and photographing your own day out, the City says visitors to its open spaces may take photos and videos without permission. Once the shoot is organised, for example with a hired photographer, a plan and a wedding party, the City expects a licence or permit for its gardens, parks and churchyards. If you are unsure, email the relevant team before you go.
How much does a wedding photo permit cost in the City of London?
The City Gardens wedding and lifestyle licence is £294 for up to two hours. Small handheld shoots in Hampstead Heath’s Hill Garden and Pergola are £234 for two hours. Street shoots follow the City’s 2026 filming schedule, starting at £95 for a small handheld crew of up to five, with VAT added. Check the City’s pages for current figures.
Do I need insurance to get a permit?
For Hampstead Heath, applicants must give public liability insurance details of at least £5 million. Your photographer should hold a policy and can supply the certificate. For other City locations, ask the relevant team what level of cover it expects when you apply.
Can we have photos on a City bridge or in a City church?
Bridges such as Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge are handled by the City’s Film team, so contact them first. City churches are privately owned for this purpose, so you need consent from the landlord, usually through the parish or church office, before you plan photographs there.
What if our chosen spot is refused?
The City says applications are only charged after review and approval, so a refusal should not leave you with a fee. Keep a second and third location on your shortlist, ideally in the same area, so your timeline holds. A quieter garden at a weekday hour is often easier to approve than a busy landmark.
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