Manchester Town Hall Wedding Photography

Manchester Town Hall is by far the most stunning venue in Manchester, and having shot many weddings there since moving to this city in 2007, I thought I’d put together a guide to getting the most out of your Manchester Town Hall wedding photography.

bride and groom portrait at Manchester Town Hall

Manchester Town Hall Wedding Photography Tips

  • If you’re having your wedding ceremony at Manchester Town Hall followed by a reception at another location, your ceremony time will likely be 12 noon. The next ceremony (if there is one) will usually be 2pm, so this means you’ll typically have access to the town hall for photos until 1:15pm.

  • If you’re having your ceremony & reception at Manchester Town Hall, it’s likely your ceremony time will be 2pm. It’s worth splitting your portraits up so that you have some outside in daylight, a few inside when the town hall is closed to the public, then use the courtyard at dusk.

  • It’s worth having a venue visit with your wedding photographer before the wedding day as there are so many amazing locations within this venue, that planning in advance will mean you can get the most out of it with the available time.

  • Check other events the week before! With such a large & popular venue, the town hall is used for many different events and functions, so it’s handy to know in advance if access to banqueting rooms, the great hall or other floors will be restricted on the day.

  • Don’t worry if it rains! There are so many portrait locations within this venue that you’ll be spoiled for choice before you even go outside! However, when you do venture outside, both the Albert Square & Lloyd street entrances are fairly protected from Manchester’s trademark weather & the stone arch walkway adjacent to the new town hall extension is a beautiful location for portraits in wet weather.

bride and groom castlefield rooms cherry blossom

Fancy some colour in your photos?

St Johns gardens is only a few minute drive from Albert square. Use postcode M3 4DN. Alternatively take a detour via Castlefield. There’s plenty of room for a limo to park next to The Wharf pub (postcode M15 4ST). This portrait of Sura & Saif was taken on the bridge over the canal next to Castlefield Rooms.

Wondering Where to Park?

There’s no longer any parking at Manchester Town Hall for guests or suppliers, although Lloyd street can be used for unloading (by prior arrangement).

The closest car park is QPark Piazza on St James Street, M1 4LX. (Turn right down the tiny side street before Yang Sing restaurant). Parking can be booked in advance which is really handy. The space in this car park is quite tight & there’s lots of pillars, so it’s better for smaller cars or those that can park like a ninja. If you drive something larger, parking at Manchester Central would be a better idea.

Alternative parking can be found in Manchester Central convention complex, M2 3GX.

I’ve added the locations above to the adjacent map.