As the temperature dips and we enter into the festive season, thoughts turn to 2020 and the promise of a whole new year of wonderful weddings, guaranteed to keep our member venues busy from January to December.
Landmark, cultural and heritage venues remain enduringly popular throughout the year, particularly during the winter months. Betrothed couples are advised to book well in advance to secure their dream space and avoid disappointment.
This week we present a quintet of fabulous member venues to fire the imagination. From fairy tale ceremonies to contemporary occasions they are all perfectly equipped to deliver a spectacular winter wedding.
Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
The intimate grandeur of Lincoln’s Inn’s impeccably preserved 15th century Old Hall provides a fitting backdrop for winter wedding celebrations of up to 120 guests. With a sense of striking Tudor opulence and intricate wooden panelling, the neutral colour scheme allows for personalised touches to make a wedding reception here unique.
Upon entry to the Old Hall, the surrounding buildings on Lincoln’s Inn’s estate offer outdoor uplighting to ensure atmospheric surroundings, regardless of the shorter dark days. The elegant ambiance with subtle nods to its legal history and soothing candlelight glistening in the stained-glass windows make the Old Hall a stunning location for winter weddings. The candle-style chandeliers symmetrically shaping the Hall offer an artificial alternative to authentic-looking lighting, while table centrepieces can be designed by the venue’s supplier partners to mirror this.
Two Temple Place is perfect for a cosy winter wedding. Come in from the cold and warm up by the firesides, treating your guests to opulent yet comfortable surroundings for a romantic ceremony by twinkling candlelight. The stunning Great Hall with its fabulous hammerbeam roof can seat up to 120 guests, where you can celebrate in style whilst enjoying a delicious wedding breakfast, prepared by one of our fabulous accredited caterers. Guests can gather in the staircase under a beautiful stained-glass ceiling for a truly memorable cake cutting moment, and after toasting your special day, you can dance the night away downstairs! You can even create a cosy whiskey den with soft seating and flickering candles in Lord Astor’s Library, perfect for those quieter moments during the evening’s merriment!
Banqueting House was built 400 years ago for the purpose of entertaining and is the perfect place to celebrate with your friends and family. The space is able to accommodate up to 300 guests for a dinner and dance so no one has to miss the big day!
As an added bonus, the venue also allows the happy couple to capture the perfect wedding photo from the balcony in the Main Hall, ensuring the very best shots with Peter Paul Ruben’s priceless ceiling! As well as taking photos within Banqueting House, there is also the option to use St. James Park as a backdrop for outside photos. St. James Park is one of the oldest royal parks in London and only a short walk from Banqueting House.
Want to get up close and personal with history? With an extensive collection of galleries for hire, the Natural History Museum is the perfect location for truly memorable weddings. As of autumn 2019, the museum is able to host wedding ceremonies, alongside large and intimate receptions for any occasion.
Various wedding set-ups and suppliers can create stand out moments, with the museum able to accommodate from 10 in Dinosaur Gallery to a reception for 650 in the grand Hintze Hall, where couples will be watched over by Hope the Whale. Further gallery spaces, from Fossil Way (which contains some of the most complete fossils of prehistoric sea animals in the world) to Images of Nature (a gallery exploring how artists and scientists view the natural world), are all packed with items to feature within your experience and theming.
The combination of careful external restoration and innovative interior design within LSO St Luke’s has created a distinctive central space to accommodate exquisite wedding receptions. Entering through the building’s elegant façade, guests will find Jerwood Hall’s contemporary interiors with fascinating hints of original 18th-century architecture. The Grade I-listed venue has played host to Sting, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Bruce Springsteen and James Brown, so not bad company.
Located on Old Street, in the heart of the City, LSO St Luke’s is arguably one of the most striking spaces in London for beautiful receptions and wedding breakfasts. With its blend of 18th-century architecture and contemporary features, the Hawksmoor church offers the convenience of a City location with the wow-factor of a unique heritage space.
For further information on Unique Venues of London and its 88 member venues click here.