I’ve had the pleasure of shooting in Town Halls and Registry Offices throughout the UK. There’s a huge range of these buildings, and many of them are really stunning historic venues with beautiful architecture that frames your wedding and makes you feel special. Some of them, however, just feel like your average office.
When I lived in London, I got to know the various registry offices very well. There’s a huge benefit in photographing weddings in a range of different spaces; you really get to see what works best from a logistics standpoint, what photographs well, and what happens when things don’t go exactly to plan.
When I moved to Sheffield two years ago, I knew I would be seeing a lot of the Town Hall, so I made it my mission to get to know it well. I wanted to write an unbiased guide to what I’ve found Sheffield Town Hall to be like. My hope is to keep updating this guide over time to make it more and more useful for couples considering having their wedding ceremony there.
About Sheffield Town Hall
Sheffield Town Hall was built between 1890-1897 and opened by Queen Victoria. At this point, Sheffield was a booming industrial city, and the grand town hall’s construction reflected the hopefulness of the town.
The building is designed in a Renaissance Revival style, a truly fantastic architectural style that incorporates whimsy and inspiration from various architectural periods. What I love is that these buildings usually look a little older than they actually are, while having what would be considered, at the time, a bit more functionality and light.
When enter the building from the building from Pinstone Street, you’ll find a really lovely large entry corridor and then you’ll be brought into grand staircase hall. The staircase hall is really stunning, and includes a marble statue of the Lord Mayor of Sheffield.
To the right as you enter you’ll find the downstairs rooms available for the registration of marriage with a small lobby between them.
The four rooms downstairs that are available for marriages:
- The Arundel, Norfolk, and Hallam Rooms. These hold between 45 and 56 guests.
- The Loxley Room: Holds 16 guests.
These downstairs rooms all have a similar look and feel.
Upstairs, you’ll find the Mirror Mandela Room, which is the largest and prettiest of these spaces in the Town Hall. This room has a separate booking system and fees from the rest of the registry office rooms.
The up-to-date list of fees for getting married at Sheffield Town Hall can be found on their website. It may feel expensive; however, church weddings usually cost the same amount.
“Pros” to Having your Wedding at Sheffield Town Hall:
Access to the Winter Gardens for Photos Afterwards
What frequently happens at all registry offices (not just Sheffield Town Hall) is the wedding couple and guests are “funnelled” out of the building for confetti and photos, so the room can be made available for the next wedding. If it’s a busy summer weekend, it’s likely the Town Hall has the registry office rooms booked back to back, so in order to keep the day running on time, it’s important to politely move a wedding along.
Family pictures taking place in the Winter Gardens.
So if the weather is less than ideal, you may still find yourself and your guests outside for family pictures. I’ve shot at other registry offices that have no indoor or covered outdoor space available for weddings to use after the ceremony, and it can make it harder to plan these important photos immediately after.
The Winter Gardens is a godsend for wedding photographers using Sheffield Town Hall. It’s just a short walk away, completely covered, and still bright no matter what the weather outside is doing. It offers plenty of space for some group photos and extra room for your guests to relax.
Wedding guests waiting for the formal pictures with family and friends to take place after a wedding.
The Beautiful Grand Staircase and Stunning Exterior
I’m absolutely obsessed with the grand staircase of the Town Hall. It looks and feels like a castle. It’s worth arriving at the Town Hall a little early to take advantage of this stunning space for a few quick photos.
The registrar will ask you to arrive a little bit in advance of your wedding to go over the important documents and verify your details. Arriving a little ahead of this time also gives us the chance to do photos in the grand staircase when you first come into the Town Hall. It may be that you need to see your partner in advance of the wedding to take advantage of being able to do photos here, as we might not be able to come back into the building after the wedding.
City Centre Location
After your ceremony, you’re within easy walking distance of loads of amazing restaurants and venues to continue your wedding celebration. Since you’ve now legally tied the knot in a licensed location, you can pick any venue of your choosing. You don’t need to worry about picking a location that is licensed to hold wedding celebrations, which can save you a lot of money.
I personally really love using a restaurant for the rest of the day, as you’re guaranteed to have some good food. Your guests will also have a wide selection of hotels to choose from and plenty of access to trains and taxis, which can make everyone’s experience better.
Wedding guests walking along Cheney Row, around the side of Sheffield Town Hall to move on to the Winter Garden for photos.
“Cons” of Having Your Wedding Ceremony at Sheffield Town Hall:
The décor of the lower registry rooms
All of the registry rooms (aside from the Mirror Room upstairs) don’t live up to the glory of the rest of the building and could use an update. They feel very “office-y,” and some of these rooms have a significant amount of signage.
Each of the lower ceremony rooms feels equally office-like, so I’d suggest picking the available one that fits the size of your wedding.
It takes a bit of photoshop work to “de-office” these rooms, so they look just a little bit cleaner. Here’s an example :
This is a before and after example of the photoshop work done of a ceremony in the Hallam Room of Sheffield Town Hall. There’s a lot of signs on the back wall, the exit sign above the door and office lighting above.
However, your ceremony is a short amount of time, so if having your ceremony at the Town Hall is the most convenient option, don’t let this put you off from booking. There’s still plenty of lovely photo opportunities in the entry and exterior of the building that will make for beautiful wedding photos.
Events in the Peace Gardens and the City Centre
There may be events in the Peace Gardens, which could mean loud music or noise that can be heard in the lower ceremony rooms. It’s worth checking the event schedule to get an idea of any events that might overlap with your wedding.
Not able to fully utilise the staircase
You’re unable to go all the way up the beautiful staircase unless you have the upstairs Mirror Mandela Room booked. You can, however, walk up the first few steps to get a picture.
The venue staff only allow couples to use the lower half of the grand staircase for photos if your wedding ceremony is in the downstairs registry office rooms.
In Summary:
I would positively rate Sheffield Town Hall as a ceremony location. It does have a lot going for it to make up for the office-like registry rooms on the lower floor. You may find that having your civil ceremony at the Town Hall is an ideal and convenient option.
