Oshwal Centre, Northaw: Wedding Halls and Photography
Two wedding halls of 450 each and a Jain Derasar in its own gardens, set in more than 70 acres of Hertfordshire countryside.
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The Oshwal Centre on Coopers Lane Road in Northaw is run by the Oshwal Association of the UK, which describes itself as the largest Jain organisation in the country. Its own page for the Centre is short: two large wedding halls of 450 each, the smaller Oshwal House, a Derasar (Jain temple) in landscaped gardens and grounds of more than 70 acres. Much of what circulates online about the venue, including bigger capacities and car park counts, comes from third-party sites rather than from the Association, so this guide keeps to what the Centre itself publishes.
Our studio is at 21 Joel St, Northwood HA6, and Kaushik has photographed weddings since 2001. We are glad to photograph at the Oshwal Centre, and coverage starts from £750.
Oshwal Centre: halls, grounds and contact
| Address | Coopers Lane Road, Northaw, Hertfordshire EN6 4DG |
|---|---|
| Run by | The Oshwal Association of the UK |
| Wedding halls | Two large halls, each stated at 450 capacity |
| Smaller events | Oshwal House: 120 standing, 100 theatre style, 75 seated with tables |
| Grounds | In excess of 70 acres, with a children's playground |
| Temple | Derasar in its own landscaped gardens, open 9am to 4pm, 7 days a week |
| Office hours | 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week. Tel 01707 643838, admin@oshwal.org |
| Hire prices | Not published. Bookings and enquiries direct with the Centre |
| Food and alcohol rules | Not published on the Centre's own pages. Ask before you brief a caterer |
| Civil ceremonies | Not stated on the Centre's own pages |
| Parking | On site (the car park was reconfigured in 2008 to 2010). No space count or charge published |
| Nearest stations | Potters Bar (rail) and Cockfosters (Piccadilly line), each a short taxi journey |
| From our studio | About 12.9 miles in a straight line from the studio at 21 Joel St, Northwood HA6 1NU (road distance is longer) |
Figures are as published by the venue or its licensing authority. Where a venue's own pages disagree, both are shown. Confirm anything you are planning around.
Sources
Oshwal, Kadwa Patidar and Sattavis compared
These three Gujarati community centres sit within a few miles of one another, and what each one publishes differs a great deal. Kadwa Patidar sets out its food, drink and hire rules in an FAQ; Sattavis publishes parking and dry hire in its own blog posts; the Oshwal Centre's own page gives capacities and little else. Where a venue does not state something on its own pages, this table says so rather than filling the gap.
| Oshwal Centre | Kadwa Patidar Centre | Sattavis Patidar Centre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Not published on the Centre's own pages | Non-vegetarian allowed | Not published |
| Alcohol | Not published on the Centre's own pages | Allowed, but not for sale | Not published |
| Hire model | Not published. Hall bookings direct with the Centre | Dry hire only: your own caterer and decorator | Dry hire available with your own caterer; in-house catering also promoted |
| Largest space | Two wedding halls of 450 each | 450 banqueting in the main hall, 200 in the dining hall | 500 dining in the Mostyn Suite |
| Parking | On site. No space count published | About 130 to 135 in two car parks; extra school parking at a charge | 220 free spaces, no time limit |
| Civil ceremonies | Not stated on the Centre's own pages | No civil licence published; religious weddings can be registered on site the same day | Hosted; registrar booked through Brent register office |
| Finish time | Not published | Vacate by midnight | Not published |
As published by each venue or its licensing authority. Where a venue does not publish a policy it is shown as not published rather than inferred. Confirm anything you are planning around.
Hire cost and capacity: what the Oshwal Centre publishes
The Oshwal Centre publishes no hire prices or packages. Its contact page directs hall bookings and enquiries to the Centre by phone or email, so a quote has to come from the Centre itself.
On capacity, the Centre's own page states two large wedding halls of 450 people each. Higher figures, such as 500 per hall, appear only on third-party sites, so plan around 450 until the Centre confirms otherwise in writing. For smaller celebrations the refurbished Oshwal House takes 120 standing, 100 in theatre style and 75 seated at tables. The halls opened in August 1990 and were refurbished in spring 2014, according to the Association's history page.
Food, drink and ceremony rules: ask the Centre in writing
The Centre's own pages say nothing about wedding rules: no food or alcohol policy for hall hire, no civil ceremony licence, no curfew and no terms of hire are published online. Rules of that kind may well exist in the hire agreement, so treat every one of them as a question to settle in writing before you book.
- Food and drink. Ask whether vegetarian-only, egg-free or alcohol-free rules apply to hall hire, and whether they cover guests and suppliers bringing things in.
- Caterers. Ask whether outside caterers are allowed, whether there is a preferred list and whether any fee applies.
- Civil ceremony. Ask whether the legal ceremony can be held on site, or whether you need a register office first.
- Havan or agni. No open-flame rule is published. Ask directly and do not assume it is allowed.
- Baraat. Nothing is published on procession space, dhol or horses.
- Finish time. No vacate-by time is published. Get it into the hire agreement.
Photography rules at the Oshwal Centre and the Derasar
| Photography during the ceremony | Not published |
|---|---|
| Photography in or near the Derasar | Not published. Ask before planning any portraits by the temple |
| Flash | Not published |
| Drones | Not published |
| Confetti | Not published |
| Candles and open flame | Not published, including any havan rule |
| Finish time | Not published |
Where a rule is shown as not published, ask the venue in writing before the day.
Getting ready before an Oshwal Centre wedding
The Centre's current pages name no changing rooms or bridal preparation room. Ask the Centre what is available on your date; if nothing is offered, plan preparation coverage at home or at a hotel and allow travel time to Northaw.
Planning an Oshwal Centre wedding day
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Morning | Getting ready at home or at a hotel, unless the Centre confirms a preparation room for your booking. |
| Ceremony | Hindu or Jain ceremony in one of the two 450-capacity halls. Agree in advance whether any photographs near the Derasar are permitted. |
| Portraits | The grounds run to more than 70 acres. Use the light table below for the month, and allow walking time from the hall. |
| Reception | Lunch or dinner and speeches. No finish time is published, so plan the last hour of coverage back from the time in your hire agreement. |
An outline for planning, not a schedule. Times are shown only where the venue publishes them; everything else is a stage to time with you and confirm with the venue.
Light by month over the Northaw grounds
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour from | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:01 | 16:20 | 15:22 | GMT |
| February | 07:15 | 17:15 | 16:26 | GMT |
| March | 06:15 | 18:05 | 17:20 | GMT |
| April | 06:05 | 19:57 | 19:12 | BST |
| May | 05:08 | 20:46 | 19:56 | BST |
| June | 04:42 | 21:21 | 20:26 | BST |
| July | 05:00 | 21:13 | 20:20 | BST |
| August | 05:45 | 20:24 | 19:37 | BST |
| September | 06:35 | 19:16 | 18:32 | BST |
| October | 07:24 | 18:08 | 17:21 | BST |
| November | 07:19 | 16:11 | 15:17 | GMT |
| December | 08:00 | 15:51 | 14:49 | GMT |
Computed for the 15th of each month of 2027 at the venue's postcode centroid with the NOAA solar equations. Evening golden hour starts when the sun drops to 6 degrees; trees and buildings shorten it. Times are UK clock time.
Two halls under one roof, and a temple in the grounds
- Two halls under one roof mean ceremony and reception can both run on site. Ask how long a changeover between them takes, because that decides whether family groups fit inside it.
- More than 70 acres of grounds and the Derasar's landscaped gardens are possible portrait settings, but the Centre publishes no rule on using them. Agree access before the day.
- No parking count is published, so ask the Centre how many cars the site takes before you set arrival times for a 450-guest hall.
- Office hours run 9am to 5pm daily, which is the window for settling access, timings and rules by phone.
Halls opened in 1990, refurbished in 2014
The Association's history page records the foundation stone being laid in July 1988, the halls opening in August 1990 and a refurbishment of the halls in spring 2014; the car park was reconfigured and renovated between 2008 and 2010. The site sits in countryside at Northaw, with the Derasar standing in manicured landscape gardens and a purpose-built children's playground in the grounds.
Northaw, Potters Bar and Cockfosters
For satnav: Coopers Lane Road, Northaw, Hertfordshire EN6 4DG. The Centre names Cockfosters on the Piccadilly line as the nearest Underground station and Potters Bar as the nearest rail station, each a short taxi journey away. By bus, the 298 from Cockfosters or the 84 to Potters Bar bus station leaves a walk of 22 to 35 minutes, so guests arriving by train should book taxis ahead. We travel to Northaw from our Northwood studio.
Oshwal Centre wedding photography, frequently asked questions
What is the capacity of the Oshwal Centre wedding halls?
How much does it cost to hire the Oshwal Centre?
Is there parking at the Oshwal Centre?
Can you have alcohol or meat at an Oshwal Centre wedding?
Can we take photographs at the Derasar?
Our work
Asian wedding photography
Other wedding venues we cover
- Bhaktivedanta Manor, Aldenham
- Meridian Grand, Edmonton
- Sattavis Patidar Centre, Wembley
- Kadwa Patidar Centre, Kenton
Related pages
Kaushik Bathia, established 2001, FBIPP and FMPA, five European Kodak Gold Awards, photographs every wedding himself and travels to any venue from the Northwood studio.
Civil · Church · Hindu · Sikh · Muslim · Tamil
Planning a wedding at Oshwal Centre?
Tell us the date and the venue and we will come back with availability and a price. Coverage starts from £750.