Vinopolis

Set close to the banks of the river Thames and beneath the arches of a Victorian viaduct, Vinopolis has to be one of the most unique venues in London. Outside is reminiscent of a Dickensian film set whereas inside the rooms range from the Great Halls with its exposed brickwork and vaulted arches to the more contemporary space of the Mezzanine.

 Above image is © of Barrie Downie Photography www.barriedownie.com

How magical is this photo?!

All three of its rooms, the Mezzanine, Great Halls and Academia, are licensed for civil ceremonies and Vinopolis can accommodate up to 400 people for a ceremony and 500 for a sit-down meal.

    Above images are © of Tom Nicholls Photography www.tomnichollsphotography.com

Vinopolis offers all-inclusive wedding packages starting at £82 per person. For more information see their Wedding Brochure.

Stationers' Hall

I love discovering lesser known wedding venues in London and my latest find, Stationers' Hall, is very special indeed. This Grade 1 listed building is situated in the heart of the city and has a choice of different rooms available for a ceremony, reception, wedding breakfast and dancing.

This spectacular venue is steeped in over 300 years of history and provides a stunning backdrop to an elegant city wedding.

The Court Room and the Hall are licensed for civil ceremonies. 

The Hall and Garden can be hired exclusively by you for your reception drinks and meal. The courtyard garden is a beautiful green oasis and ideal for drinks on warm spring and summer days.

The Hall will awe your guests as they dine at 340 year old wooden tables under huge stained-glass windows.

The Stationers' Hall are currently offering 10% off venue hire for certain months in 2012 so get in touch if you think this could be the venue for you.

All images are © The Stationers

Ice Queen

Ditch the sunflowers and summer sandals and take your winter wonderland theme one step further by having your wedding at the Ice Bar in London. The Ice Bar is the UK's only bar made of crystal clear ice and is licensed to hold civil ceremonies. The Ice Bar is kept at minus 5 degrees but you and your guests will be given capes to wear if you wish.

The Ice Bar currently have a special all-inclusive package, details are here. You can even hire hostesses with huskies to greet your guests as they arrive! 

         All images are © IceBar London 2011

 

But don't worry, you and your guests won't be left shivering in the Ice Bar all day. After the ceremony you can move to the slightly warmer surroundings of the Below Zero Restaurant and Lounge.

         All images are © IceBar London 2011

What do you think? Is a ceremony in a bar made of ice your idea of wedding heaven or hell?

The Actor's Church

I thought I was dead set on Marylebone Registry Office as the venue for our ceremony until I stumbled across St Paul's, aka The Actors Church, in Covent Garden this week. I've passed by this church a million and one times over the last few years but its amazing how you start to look at venues and buildings differently once you're planning a wedding.


The Actors Church is in the heart of the Covent Garden piazza and I love the fact that it's courtyard stands as a quiet little oasis surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the West End.

Photographs from The Actors Church

 Photographs © David Long Photography via Rock My Wedding

We want to make our wedding as much about London and our life here as we can and I can't think of a better way then by marrying in such a iconic location as Covent Garden. I also should mention that this is the church where Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale were wed!

I've not broached this with G yet...I'm going to wait to catch him in a good mood over the weekend!

What do you think? Would you like to get married in central London? Or is thought or being surrounded by tourists a complete nightmare to you?!

Hello! You must Bridezilla!

I knew it wouldn't take long for my inner bridezilla to appear! She's not quite reared her ugly head just yet, she's merely taking a peek out, testing the air and generally letting me (and G!) know that she's there. And the reason for her dubut appearance? A possible change in venue.

As a bit of a recap, myself and G had already found the venue as close to perfect as we can get for our budget. After hours and hours of research we discounted dozens of venue around London that, although stunning wedding locations, were just too expensive for us. We found somewhere with a more realistic hire fee and who wouldn't charge us corkage. This option is still going to cost us a big whack of dosh as feeding 100 people is never going to come cheap. But I now realise that the venue, the food and drink are important to me and we are prepared to spend the vast majority of our budget getting these things right and compromising in other areas.

But G has now thrown a spanner into the works with another venue suggestion. The venue in question is actually owned and run by a family friend. Its a restaurant with a courtyard area where they put a marquee up. To be honest its not my cup of tea and I wouldn't be considering it only for the fact that there might be a cost saving. My inner bridezilla is telling me to put my foot down now and just be honest that I'm not overly keen and that I don't want to waste anybody's time by letting people think that we're interested. The more sensible part of me is saying go see it, at least hear the guy out and see what he can offer us. What do you think? Am I being a princess by not wanting to consider it? Or should I stick with my gut feeling and admit I'm not willing to compromise with this venue?

Maybe I'm picking holes now but I'm also concerned about the fact that this place is owned and run by someone close to G's family, mixing business with pleasure and all that. I'm under no allusion that planning this wedding is at times going to be stressful and at some stages along the way people are going to make mistakes, not do something I ask or just generally peev me off. I have two ways of dealing with this kind of frustration. One is to let loose at the person causing my frustration until they rectify the problem. The other is to not say anything but seethe inside and have a whinge to those around me. Either reaction is not going to do me any good in forging a better relationship with my in-laws if the source of my frustration is their friend!

So what should I do? Am I being an utter bridezilla by not wanting to consider this other option? Is the sensible thing to at least go talk to the guy? Advice appreciated!