We were honoured and delighted to organise the wedding of Alice and Cassian on the 9th June 2018. As bespoke London Wedding planners, specialising in iconic London venues, we were privileged to be recommended by the couples’ chosen venue, the Wallace Collection in W1. The client's brief was to deliver a subtle wedding theme, combining a garden party reception with a stylish city wedding breakfast. We feel the result was an effortlessly elegant wedding that took full advantage of each unique location.
A Wallace Wedding in the heart of Marylebone
Bringing the Best of Both Worlds
The Wallace Collection itself is a bit of a hidden gem in the heart of Marylebone. We used our experience of the venue and its surroundings to deliver an intimate and relaxing celebration that moved seamlessly between its four locations.
First, we arranged for the Bridal party to get ready in an exquisite suite at The Durrants Hotel. From here they were able to walk a few minutes to the stunning St James’ Church where the ceremony was held – despite the close location we did arrange to have a white London taxi on standby. The bride, accompanied by her father, arrived by the iconic white car in order to protect Alice’s dress and to also capture some beautiful images before the ceremony.
We dressed the pew ends of the beautiful St James’ Church with delicate hand tied bunches attached by long ivory satin ribbons, provided by the incredible Wild About Flowers. At the end of every other pew we placed large geometric lanterns with real flames which gave a contemporary twist to the traditional setting. To complete the dressing, two large stone urns on tall matching plinths were filled with stunning textured arrangements of peach avalanche roses, peach lizzie, coral sunset peonies, white astilbe, pale pink hydrangea, feathery white hydrangea, white peonies, blushing bride protea and wax flower.
After the ceremony we directed the bridal party and their guests to the picturesque Manchester Square Gardens, a mere minutes’ walk away. Here, against the romantic pink façade of the Wallace Collection , a traditional garden party reception of Pimms, Croquet and Afternoon Tea was enjoyed by all. The palette of pinks, peaches, creams, whites and greens echoed in the gardens, as well as the brides’ bouquet, the table dressings, and subtle elegant touches here and there.
Our expertise meant we were able to problem solve logistical issues surrounding entry times and provide creative solutions. For this reason, we suggested hiring the unique Manchester Square Gardens for a marquee afternoon tea reception. Perfectly located behind the Wallace Collection and the church, the reception also served to bridge the gap between the ceremony and access to the Wallace Collection. This really helped bring to life the traditional English Garden Party theme, which we refined by honing such details as the flowers, colour scheme, décor and lighting.
We recommended the Raj Tent Club whose stunning cream and gold marquee provided a romantic ambience.
Here Alison Price Catering served their take on the traditional offerings. There were 5 delightful mouthfuls to enjoy, among them Miniature Scotch Quail Eggs and Miniature Strawberry with Vanilla Crème Pâté. All four venues (Durrants hotel, St James’Church, Manchester Square Gardens and the Wallace Collection) were in touching distance of each other. This is very rare for a London Wedding but was intrinsic to the relaxed intimate feel of the whole day.
From Garden to Great Gallery
After the traditional throwing of the bouquet, which the bride performed in the gardens, we chaperoned the wedding party to the grand Great Gallery within the Wallace Collection.
In the Great Gallery the guests enjoyed a champagne reception and a background of classical music performed by a string quartet. This was an excellent opportunity for the couple to take some stunning photographs on the sweeping staircase, before greeting their guests again in the imposing gallery; rich and sumptuous in red and gold.
The Great Gallery is a unique, awe-inspiring venue, the walls adorned with romantic works by Rubens and Canaletto, among others. Here Alison Price served up delicious canapes such as Miniature Tacos of Seared Beef with Enoki Mushrooms, Spring Radish, Watercress and Truffle Soy Ketchup - all served on gilt edge boards that echoed the surroundings. The tables were decorated with small cream, pink and green arrangements that referenced the marquee and the bride’s bouquet.
The Wedding Breakfast took place downstairs in the more contemporary courtyard where the glass ceiling brought a wonderful Al Fresco feel to such a lovely sunny day.
In keeping with the venue, the guests found their seats via a gorgeous bespoke table plan by The Styled Writing Company. The plan was affixed to gold gilded mirror frames and propped up on an easel. The tables were named after featured artists within the gallery and matched the ivory and coral Smythson stationary.
We placed Wallace Collection Guidebooks on each seat as the wedding favour, after guests had a chance to flick through, our team collected and placed them into gift bags with bespoke “AC” stamp in coral, these were handed out as guests went home.
We also sourced personalised Children’s entertainment packs to keep the little ones happy. The place settings themselves were uniquely bespoke biscuits from Biscuiteers, cleverly designed to look like the front of the Wallace Collection itself.
The floral centrepieces were again a combination of summery greens, fresh whites and peachy pinks, but this time with an extra pop of colour from more vivid peonies. These were accompanied by tealights in delicate gold votives, in keeping with the luxurious venue. These small touches created flow and continuity that tied together the three locations chosen for this wedding.
After dinner and speeches followed the cutting of the simple and elegant cake by our go-to cake designer Domino Purchas, adorned with flowers provided by Wild About Flowers. The four-tiered cake combined tradition with a contemporary twist – in keeping with the wedding as a whole – with a fruit cake top, followed by a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting middle layer, finishing with a tier of delicious red velvet.
Next, Wise Productions ramped up the party vibe using intelligent lighting to create a seamless and visually stunning live show. The lighting and production perfectly complimented the DJ Matt Maurice, who was positioned behind a stylish brushed gold booth, and as always, knew exactly what songs would get everyone on the dancefloor right to the very end of the night.
A special mention must be given to the dessert stand whose delicious sweet treats kept the guests energy on point and dancing all night. Pink macarons dangled enticingly from garlands of flowers, vials of miniature desserts were lined along the glass and astro-turf stand. This stunning feature was a hit with the guests, think apothecary meets a midsummer night’s dream.
Our relationships with our clients is intrinsic to our job, and we had a very lovely relationship with this Bride and her Mother. We are genuinely sad not to be working with them on this wedding any longer and are touched to have received this incredible testimonial of our work.
“We could not have asked for a better experience. The Golborne team are professional down to their fingertips, supremely well informed and are, at all times, an absolute delight to deal with. They organized a magnificent yet intimate, wedding celebration that we and our guests will remember forever. Highly, highly recommended.”
We’re looking forward to a ‘Ladies Who Lunch’ catch-up later this Summer to hear all about the Honeymoon.
For more information about hosting your wedding at the Wallace Collection, and how we can help create your perfect bespoke London wedding, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Golborne Team to discuss further on info@golborne-events.co.uk
Venues: The Wallace Collection, Durrants Hotel and Manchester Square Gardens
Photography: TwoByTwo – Noah Goodrich
Floristry: Wild About Flowers
Catering: Alison Price
Production: Wise Productions
DJ: Matt Maurice
Marquee: Raj Tent Club
Calligraphy: The Styled Writing Co.
Stationary: Smythson
Cake: Domino Purchas
Dress: Temperley London
Place Settings: Biscuiteers
