Shine Pics/ Areas we cover/ The Merchant Hotel

Venue · Cathedral Quarter, BelfastThe Merchant Hotel weddings.

Belfast's grandest five-star setting, in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter — the Great Room's domed ceiling for the big frames, ornate Victorian interiors throughout, and the cobbled lanes outside for relaxed portraits. Calm, natural coverage from the first look to the final dance.

Check our availability → What we shoot here
TypeFive-star Victorian hotel
LocationCathedral Quarter, Belfast
BackdropThe Great Room & cobbled lanes
We recommendAll-day or 3 hr
ReceptionOn-site dining

A Cathedral Quarter wedding

Victorian grandeur, with the whole day under one roof.

Planning a Merchant Hotel wedding and looking for a photographer who already knows the Great Room, the staircase and the cobbled lanes that make this corner of Belfast so photogenic?

The Merchant began life as the Ulster Bank head office, and it still wears that Victorian confidence — most of all in the Great Room, where the old banking hall's domed, gilded ceiling sits above the dinner tables. It is the kind of room that does half the work for you: turn the camera up and the day already looks like an occasion.

What makes it easy to photograph is that the day rarely has to move. Prep, ceremony, drinks, dinner and dancing can all happen inside, with the grand staircase and warm interiors covering portraits and details whenever Belfast weather turns. Step out the door and you are straight into Commercial Court and the Duke of York lanes for relaxed couple portraits, with St Anne's Cathedral a short walk away. A full Merchant wedding suits all-day coverage; a ceremony-plus-reception arc sits comfortably in three hours.

What we shoot at The Merchant →

01

Wedding Photography

One hour through to all-day — bridal preps to first dances, the way the day actually happened.

Photography first →

02

Wedding Videography

Adds the bits you missed. Includes unedited speeches and ceremony from a static second camera.

Add video →

03

Ceremony Music

With our daughter Miabella — a Grade 8 classical pianist and rock guitarist — live for ceremony or cocktails.

Live ceremony music →

04

Pre-dinner Entertainment

Guitar or piano sets while you mingle and have photos taken. Available as solo or duo. Set lists yours.

Guest entertainment →

The Merchant · Photo & Video Packages

Transparent pricing, no surprises.

Packages to suit all budgets — from a one-hour ceremony-only package through to all-day photo and video coverage. The Cathedral Quarter is right on our patch; everything else is laid out below.

★ Photography

Photo only

£150 · from
  • 1 hr £150
  • 2 hr £250
  • 3 hr £350
  • All day £550
Photo + Video

Combined

£400 · from
  • 1 hr £400
  • 2 hr £500
  • 3 hr £550
  • All day £950
Live Music

Entertainment

£300 · from
  • Solo £300
  • Duo £450
  • Ceremony
  • Cocktail hour
Extras

Engagement & albums

£55 · from
  • Bridal preps £75
  • Engagement shoot £75
  • Album 80–100pg £150
  • 16×12 canvas £55

Travel agreed upfront before you book · Interest-free direct debit available · Full breakdown on the packages page.

See full packages →

A Merchant day

What we'll actually shoot at The Merchant.

Not a rigid shot list — but the moments and corners a Merchant day tends to deliver, from the Great Room out to the Cathedral Quarter lanes.

01

The Great RoomVows and dinner beneath the domed, gilded ceiling — the hotel's signature frame.

02

The grand staircase & interiorsPortraits and details against ornate Victorian woodwork, marble and mirrors.

03

The cobbled lanesRelaxed couple portraits in Commercial Court and the Duke of York, with the quarter's bunting and street art.

04

St Anne's & the quarterThe cathedral and the wider Cathedral Quarter a short walk from the door.

05

The bar & rooftopCocktail-hour candids and details in the hotel's design-led spaces.

06

Speeches & first danceThe toasts, the cake and the dancefloor as the evening gets going.

Storybook · The Merchant

Grand rooms, told gently.

A room this ornate can tempt a photographer to shoot the building. We shoot the wedding — and let the building hold it.

We work quietly in the background, reading the day as it unfolds: the hush before the vows under the dome, a quiet moment together down a Cathedral Quarter lane, the noise on the dancefloor as the night settles in. No rigid posing, no pulling you away from your own day — just honest pictures that happen to have a remarkable room around them.

If your budget allows, adding videography suits The Merchant especially well — the ceremony, the speeches and the first dance, set against one of Belfast's most striking interiors.

See recent galleries →
The Merchant Hotel wedding photography — a couple in Belfast city centre The Merchant · Cathedral Quarter

Check your Merchant date

See if we're free for your
Merchant Hotel wedding.

Photography is our starting point — we'll help you decide on video or music once we know your plans. We come back within one working day.

  • Honest, transparent pricing
  • Interest-free payment plans
  • Digital delivery, free of charge

By submitting, you agree to be contacted about your enquiry. We never share your details.

Every package

What's included as standard.

01

Bridal preps addon — up to one hour at the bride's house prior to leaving for the ceremony (time-dependent, one address).

02

2 & 3 consecutive hour photo packages — e.g. church & venue, to simulate cake cutting.

03

All Day Photography includes bridal preps through to around 15–20 minutes after the first dance.

04

All photos provided digitally, free of charge, via a private online gallery.

05

Photographer available between end of meal and evening set-up for any guest portraits.

06

Video packages run two cameras (one static). Typical all-day video runs 15–20 minutes edited.

07

Video packages include unedited speeches and ceremony from the static camera, in full, free of charge.

08

Interest-free direct debit payment plans available on every package.

More venues & areas

Browse other wedding venues we cover — or jump back to the full areas list.

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