Kelham Island Museum Wedding Photos

Urban city wedding venue, Kelham Island Museum, is an amazing quirky space, bursting with original Victorian features, and the most powerful working steam engine in Europe.

If you’re having a Kelham Island museum wedding, your guests will have the most unique experience as they explore the exhibitions and galleries and your wedding photographs will be completely unique too.

Bride and groom walking across the footbridge at Kelham Island Museum

About Kelham Island

You’ll find Kelham Island Museum (not surprisingly) on Kelham Island in Sheffield city centre.

Kelham Island Museum signage on the building

If you’re a fan of good food, craft beer, and cobbled streets then you can’t go wrong on Kelham Island. This place was once the beating heart of Sheffield’s industrial revolution, and Kelham Island Museum is a striking Victorian landmark that stands proud on this 900-year-old man-made island.

Wedding guests on the cobbled street outside Kelham Island Museum

Ceremony Options

The museum is licensed for civil ceremonies in the Upper Gallery (for larger weddings) or the Crucible Shop, which is a more intimate ceremony space. You can hire Kelham Island Museum for the full day, or you can have your ceremony offsite and arrive here for your wedding reception, like this couple who chose to have their wedding at 99 Mary Street.

Sheffield Town Hall is another great choice for couples who want a no-fuss ceremony and the flexibility to start their wedding celebrations later on in the day.

Outside at Kelham Island Museum

Couple sat on benches in beer garden on Kelham Island

On-site at the museum is The Millowners Arms where you can grab a drink and sit in the beer garden whilst you wait for your turn to explore the museum. I loved being able to capture the couple and their guests relaxing and having a drink in the afternoon.

Couple entrance under the Bessemer Convertor at Kelham Island Museum

Kelham Island Museum closes to the public at 4pm which is when you’ll be able to make your way under the footbridge and have a big entrance under the Bessemer Converter and through into Little Mesters Street.

Little Mesters Street wedding entrance at Kelham Island Museum

This is also the perfect opportunity for a few portrait photos on the cobbled street as guests filter inside to get their drinks.

Kelham Island Museum Wedding Reception

I love photographing weddings in unique spaces. I enjoy being creative and telling the story of the wedding day as guests wander around the museum with a glass of prosecco and engross themselves in Sheffield’s rich steel city history.

This is also a great way to keep littler wedding guests entertained as there are plenty of exciting interactive options for children at this venue.

The Upper Gallery

Kelham Island Museum upper gallery wedding reception

The Upper Gallery really does have the wow factor. It has high ceilings, large windows and original Victorian tiles which make the perfect backdrop for wedding photos during the speeches. The industrial character here really helps to bring a cosy vibe to the photos, even in such a large space.

Kelham Island Museum wedding speeches with tiled brick backdrop

Your evening wedding reception in the upper gallery at Kelham Island Museum is the perfect place for a party. The high ceilings mean great acoustics for live music and there’s plenty of dancefloor space for everybody.

Kelham Island Wedding Portraits

There are so many spots on Kelham Island that are great for photos. I love urban city backdrops for photos, as they are unique and help give a sense of place to the photos.

At this wedding, we took photos in front of some street art by Jo Peel on Alma Street. As a colourful wedding photographer, I love using street art to bring colour and energy to the photos.