Wedding photography at Luton Hoo is delightful – the Mansion House, Warren Weir, and the grounds are so inspiring. I am proud to be one of Luton Hoo’s preferred suppliers, and wedding photography at Luton Hoo is always a pleasure. My documentary wedding photography is well suited to ceremonies at the house or Warren Weir, and The Mansion House is a fabulous backdrop for my contemporary wedding portraiture.
Here is a brief history of the house.
Since the house originates from at least 1601, it is no surprise that Luton Hoo has a colourful and occasionally chequered past – and is directly associated with at least three British monarchs and indirectly linked to three more. Luton Hoo was one of the largest houses for which Robert Adam was wholly responsible, as the architect of the original Mansion House in 1767. While Adam was working on the mansion, the landscape gardener Capability Brown was redesigning the park, enlarging it to 1,200 acres. Brown dammed the River Lea to form two lakes, one of which is 60 acres in size. Luton Hoo is known to have been the second most expensive scheme of Brown’s career. In the early 20th century, part of the park overlooked by the south-west facade mansion was transformed into formal gardens.
The spectacular oval staircase hall features a very striking sculpture, originally by Bergonzoli, and art throughout the Pillared Hall and Italianate Drawing Room reflect portraiture by Beechey, Joshua Reynolds and John Singer Sargent. In 1903 the house was bought by Sir Julius Wernher, who had made his fortune from the diamond mines of South Africa. Wernher had the interior remodelled in the early 20th century by the architects of the Ritz Hotel, Charles Mewes and Arthur Davis.
You can play tennis on the restored Victorian grass court, with a pavilion which revolves to follow the day’s sun, and two ‘all weather’ courts in the heart of Flower Garden Wood…the tradition of shooting continues on the estate of both live bird and clay pigeon. Keen anglers will be interested in fishing in the 50-acre lake where carp, pike and perch can be found. Boating on the lake, following mapped walks across the estate, riding, jogging, archery and birdwatching are all available. For golfers, the par 73, 7107 yard course is one of the longest 18-hole courses in the UK.
Luton Hoo has appeared in many films including A Shot in the Dark, Never Say Never Again, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Eyes Wide Shut, The Secret Garden, Princess Caraboo, Wilde, The World Is Not Enough, Quills, Enigma and Bright Young Things.
You can see more of Sasha and Miles’ wedding here, and their pre-wedding shoot is here.
Please contact me if you’d like to discuss your wedding photography at Luton Hoo.