Why Pembroke Lodge is one of my favourite wedding venues in London
There are venues you photograph once and forget. And then there are venues that stay with you — where the light does something unexpected, where the grounds hold a kind of quiet that makes couples exhale, where everything around you already feels beautiful before a single camera is raised.
Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park is firmly in the second category. I've now photographed two weddings there, and both times I've left with a full heart and a gallery I'm deeply proud of. If you're considering it as your venue, I hope this gives you a real sense of what it's actually like to be there on the day.
A venue that holds you
Pembroke Lodge is a Grade II listed Georgian mansion sitting at the highest point of Richmond Park — the largest Royal Park in London. That already tells you something. There's a sense of being held by the landscape here. The grounds are expansive, the views over the Thames Valley are genuinely breathtaking, and the wisteria that cascades over the entrance portico is the kind of thing that stops people mid-sentence.
But what I notice most, as a photographer, is how naturally the light falls here. In the late morning and early afternoon, the south-facing gardens glow. By golden hour, the park itself becomes the backdrop. There's nowhere to hide a bad photograph at Pembroke Lodge — and thankfully, I've never needed to.
What the space actually feels like
The venue offers two suites: The Belvedere on the ground floor, which can host up to 140 guests for a ceremony and reception, and The Russell Suite upstairs in the original Georgian wing — a more intimate space with period features and views out to the west. Both have dedicated outdoor ceremony areas, which means you have real options if you want to exchange vows under open sky.
What I love from a human perspective — not just a photographic one — is how the team there make couples feel. In my experience, the staff are experienced, calm, and quietly on top of everything. That matters enormously. When the people running your venue are unflustered, it filters through to you. And when you're not managing logistics, you're actually present. That's when the real moments happen. That's when I get the photographs that matter.
Two weddings, two completely different days
One of the things I find fascinating about Pembroke Lodge is how different two weddings there can feel. The first I photographed was Mo and Alice — a day with its own beautiful, distinctive energy. Movement, personality, that gorgeous controlled chaos that a big family celebration brings. And yet the venue held it all effortlessly. The portico with its wisteria framed group portraits that felt natural rather than posed. The gardens gave everyone room to breathe. And despite everything swirling around them, Mo and Alice had quiet moments together that I'll remember for a long time.
The second wedding I photographed there was Jess and Emily — a same-sex wedding full of warmth, quiet tenderness, and laughter that never seemed to stop. It was a documentary day: I stayed back, let things unfold, and the venue gave us everything we needed without trying. You can see their full gallery here.
That's the mark of a great venue: it doesn't impose a mood. It makes space for yours.
What I'd tell you if you're considering it
If you're a couple who wants to feel held rather than managed, who values beauty that doesn't need to try too hard, and who wants photographs that look like your actual day rather than a carefully staged version of it — Pembroke Lodge is an exceptional choice.
The grounds alone give you more photographic opportunity than most venues offer in their entirety. And the combination of an experienced team, stunning architecture, and 11 acres of Richmond Park on your doorstep means you're free to be present — which is all I ever want for my couples.
I'd love to photograph your wedding here. If you're planning a day at Pembroke Lodge and you're looking for a photographer who will keep you calm, capture what's real, and make the whole experience feel as good as the images look — let's talk.
Lusy Klintsova is a London-based wedding photographer specialising in honest, people-centred documentary photography. She has photographed weddings at Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, and across London and beyond."
