On Thursday 2nd October 2014 we delivered one of our annual corporate client receptions at Kensington Palace for 300 guests.
For centuries Kensington Palace has been a backdrop for spectacular occasions. Holding an event within a Historic Royal Palace such as Kensington Palace is such a privilege that we wanted to use as many of their stunning spaces as possible.
On arrival to the Palace we served guests a welcome glass of champagne within the Main Entrance Hall before inviting them up the Kings Staircase to enjoy a private viewing of the magnificent King’s State Apartments.
The stunning walls of the King’s Staircase were painted by William Kent as a vivid recreation of George I’s court. The King’s Drawing Room is the climax of the whole suite of rooms where courtiers would have come in search of power and patronage.
Following the private viewing we directed guests through the beautiful Palace gardens to the stunning Orangery for the main reception. Built in 1704, Queen Anne originally intended to winter her orange trees here; instead it became a popular venue for balls and celebrations. With the help of the wonderful team at Wise Productions we up lit the Orangery bushes in gold to provide a fabulous entrance and exit for the event.
Wise Productions also up lit the columns at the entrance to the Orangery which highlighted the building dramatically. Due to the positive response rate to the invitation for this event we had to make more room for our guests by extending the Orangery event space and erecting 3 Witches Hat tents on the Orangery terrace.
Our flowers were provided by Lavender Green. In keeping with the traditional setting we selected large stone urns filled with an all-round arrangement of seasonal white and green flowers to include white avalanche roses, cream freesia and white hydrangea with an autumnal tinge. We also placed large storm lanterns with church candles along the walkway and Orangery terrace.
Guests enjoyed a selection of canapés to include Lemon scented scallops, fillet of lamb with a parmesan and herb crust, stilton cheesecake and Chilli tiger tail prawns whilst listening to the sound of our beautiful harpist.
To protect the Portland stone terrace and original flooring in the Orangery we were not allowed to serve our guests red wine. Instead we selected a rather rare Malbec Rose which was very interesting and popular with our guests.
After the welcome speech we circulated a selection of hot bowl food dishes to include Roasted Sea Bass on a warm nicoise salad, Thai chicken coconut curry and Pumpkin risotto, followed by trays of delicious mini desserts.
To tie in with the traditional theming we subtly incorporated the clients’ brand colours with navy tudor runners, navy cushions and blue spotlighting to the four statues.
We loved having the opportunity to work with Kensington Palace on this event. Huge thanks as always to our wonderful extended team of suppliers to include Jackson Gilmour, Wise Productions, Lavender Green, Sternberg Clarke & Helen Abraham Photography.
We were delighted with the feedback from our client on the event:
“Thank you so much for all your work on last night’s event. It was seamless and everyone was delighted! I think we are creating something a bit special here. Many clients and friends commented on the professionalism of both the invitation process and the execution of the event. As per my words of welcome, it's sometimes invidious to single out members of the team but especially huge thanks are due to Natalia from Golborne Events. We will start the planning very soon for next year.”
With our expertise, attention to detail and partnerships with the very best suppliers and venues in the industry, you can rely on Golborne Events to deliver a memorable occasion on your behalf. Planning an event? We’d love to hear from you, please get in touch on info@golborne-events.co.uk
