Gemma & Dan’s plans were originally to get married overseas, but COVID rather scuppered that. Eventually they concluded that enough was enough and decided to get married at relatively short notice in the UK instead. And what a venue they chose! Here’s the story of their St Clement Danes / The Central Church of the Royal Air Force wedding in Central London.

St Clement Danes – The Central Church of the Royal Air Force – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

As a serving member of the Royal Air Force, Dan was entitled to get married at St Clement Danes Church, the Central Church of the Royal Air Force, on the Strand in Central London.

Ordinarily, I would have planned to have met up with Gemma & Dan at the venue ahead of the day itself, but the short-notice nature of the booking meant that was simply impossible. We had a good chat on the phone beforehand, though. Gemma wasn’t overly-bothered about bridal prep pictures, so we agreed that I’d just meet up with Dan at the church ahead of the ceremony, at which point I’d receive the guided tour.

Wedding Day – The Central Church of the Royal Air Force – Central London

I drove down on the morning of the wedding, in what was a completely stress-free journey. As planned, we met up at St Clement Danes, and it was at this point that one of Dan’s best men pulled me to one side and informed me that there would be a surprise guest – someone who Dan thought was stuck overseas. It was important that I captured the reactions.

I was given the guided tour, and then Dan and the boys set about getting into their uniforms.

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

The site on which St Clement Danes resides is said to have been home to a church since as far back as the 9^th century, with the original building founded by the Danes, though the precise origin remains subject to much conjecture. The current layout of the building was completed in 1682 by none other than Sir Christopher Wren, though it was later gutted during the Blitz. The restoration to its current glory did not take place until 1958, and it was at that point that it became the Central Church of the Royal Air Force.

The interior is stunning, and there are military hallmarks everywhere you look, including squadron badges inlaid into the marble floor. Anybody who knows me, knows that I have a longstanding interest with aviation, so I found this fascinating.

St Clement Danes also has an upper balcony, which afforded lots of unusual, additional views to those available at many wedding venues. I had sought permission to be allowed to move around during the service, and it had happily been granted.

Unfortunately, the area on the Strand outside St Clement Danes was looking worse for wear. Roadworks were being carried out, and there was horrible metal fencing in almost every direction you looked. It was also raining on and off.

With Dan wedding ready, word came through that the special guest had arrived, and so we dragged the boys outside under the auspices of getting a few pictures of them in front of the building. It took quite a while for the penny to drop with Dan, but when it did, his reaction was priceless! He looked so happy!

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

The penny slowly drops – St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

The roadworks outside were causing issues for Gemma to get to us. Having never met her before at this point, when another bridal party started making their way towards us on foot, both the vicar and I assumed it was Gemma, only to later discover that they were actually on their way to the (very similar looking – so similar that they’d confused the two) Royal Navy Church, just up the road.

Eventually Gemma’s wedding car pulled up outside St Clement Danes.

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

Gemma looked stunning. I dived into the car to grab a quick shot and said hello!

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

And then it was finally time for Gemma and Dan to get married!

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

St Clement Danes Wedding Ceremony

Gemma & Dan’s St Clement Danes wedding ceremony was beautiful.

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

I filled my boots with angles, and was even invited to a couple of positions during hymns that I’d assumed would be off limits. It really does make a massive difference to a church wedding when the person conducting the ceremony is on-side with the photographer.

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

Elevated view of the bride and groom – St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

From the balcony of St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church during the wedding ceremony

Elevated view from the balcony at the rear of St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church during the wedding ceremony

View from the front of St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church during the wedding ceremony

The Church of the Royal Air Force boasts an incredibly shiny-topped piano, and we made full use of that.

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

Central Church of the Royal Air Force St Clement Danes Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

Central Church of the Royal Air Force St Clement Danes – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

A wedding day kiss – St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

It was still rather damp and horrid outside, as well as being space and angle-limited by the roadworks and associated metalwork, so we elected to do the wedding day group shots inside St Clement Danes itself.

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

Large wedding day group shot from the rear balcony of St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

Bridal reflections – St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

Bride and groom reflections – St Clement Danes Royal Air Force Church Wedding – by Central London wedding photographer Karl Drage

Once we were done, Dan and the boys jumped back out of uniform and into civvies, and we all headed to 28-50 Covent Garden for the remainder of the day.

Wishing Gemma and Dan all the very best for long, happy and healthy lives together.

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