Ok, it’s been quite a while since we wrote our last installment about our favourite venues, best London pub venues. So we’re now back with another awesome list of my favourite places to host your wedding day. These venues vary a little from the traditional pub, barn and country house options. But they still offer everything you need to host an amazing wedding in London!

As we are on lockdown right now, I know you can’t actually visit any venues. So we’re hoping that maybe this post could serve as a substitute whilst we’re stuck inside and hopefully give you a few ideas for when we’re released back into the wild.

THE ZETTER TOWNHOUSE

thezettertownhouse.com
The Zetter Townhouse
Clerkenwell
London
EC1V 4JJ

The cobbles of St John Square outside gives you an old London feel before you even get through the door. Inside feels like a boutique bar and living room. It also had a science/academia/magic vibe going on, like a Hogwarts speakeasy… but maybe that’s just me.

I spent a long while just taking photos of the amazing selection of art, ornaments and taxidermy before I moved on to anything else. There’s more than enough for two weddings guests who’d never met, to get a conversation started.

At the far end, is the cocktail bar, serving a range of bespoke drinks catering to all tastes. It all feels well thought out and authentic rather than a venue trying to be something it’s not. Downstairs is the dining room and party area. It’s not huge but everytime I’ve been here the dancefloor has been in full swing. Need another drink? No need to worry, there’s a bar down here too. There’s also enough room to lay your evening food out.

The Zetter Townhouse has rooms upstairs for the couple and some of their guests, but if you do run out of space there’s always the Zetter Hotel across the road.

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CLAPTON COUNTRY CLUB

claptoncountryclub.co.uk
38-40 Upper Clapton Road,
London
E5 8BQ

Any old part of London that can be kept and repurposed as something we can keep using and appreciating, I’m totally up for! Clapton Country Club used to be a Tramshed and it has thankfully kept that industrial work space atmosphere.

The brick buildings and reclaimed materials give the venue an intimate, rough round the edges feel, like a working artist studio. The main dining area is more urban but with an added rustic touch. It makes you feel comfortable and at home.

It’s a short drive away from Hackney town hall. So, you can get ready there in the morning, meet your guests at the town hall, say your vows and be back at the country club within the hour. Perfect!

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THE OLYMPIC CINEMA

www.olympiccinema.co.uk
Olympic Studios 117-123
Church Road Barnes,
London
SW13 9HL

After discovering this wasn’t the official cinema for London’s 2012 Olympic Games, I realised it was in fact an awesome cinema, restaurant, café, cocktail bar and fancy members club. Whether you’re enjoying a film, sipping on a martini or enjoying the homemade food, the quality is consistent throughout. Each area works nicely on its own for any visitor, but as a whole when hiring the venue for a wedding, it’s really quite fantastic. You can take the cinema theme and run with it, pinning up retro themed posters and adding a red carpet outside for selfies and groups shots, as one of our couples did. The ground floor is the lovely bar and restaurant. The cinema is on the second floor and the third floor is the über trendy member’s bar. If you’re still around for the dancing in the evening, the top floor is where the disco is at!

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THE ROOST

www.theroost.co.uk
142 Sandringham Rd,
Clapton,
London
E8 2HJ

The roost is hired as a studio space for artists and commercial shoots, meaning anywhere you turn your head there’s a beautiful backdrop, trendy graphic print or some retro, boutique prop. It makes every photo full of colour and character. There’s a total of three floors and a basement, so as well giving your photographer an exhausting workout as they run up down throughout the day, you can also choose a different floor for each part of your wedding. The top floor has two bedrooms opposite each other for the couple to get ready in, so as long as you’ve surrounded yourself with logistically, savvy ushers and bridesmaids who can coordinate the opening and closing of the two facing doors, you’ll get to the ceremony without without a hitch. There’s a small garden out the back for any smokers, and a basement for late night beats if you want to push the party into the early hours. The Roost is also associated with two other venues, Dalston Heights and Friendly Place so if it’s already booked there are two other great options worth checking out!

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WILTON’S MUSIC HALL

www.wiltons.org.uk
Wilton’s Music Hall,
1 Graces Alley (pedestrian access only)
London,
E1 8JB

I first visited Wilton’s Music Hall a few years back when a couple of close friends got married there. At that point, I’d never even heard of it, but I became immediately keen to shoot there!

If history is your thing, or London is your thing, or theatre is you thing… or just really cool things are your thing, then Wilton’s should be a big contender for your venue. It’s completely magical, filled with history and atmosphere.

The buildings have lived many lives – homes and an ale house in the 1600s, concert hall and saloon throughout the 1800s, a methodist mission saw it through the two world wars until the 1950s, and then it was almost all over when as a derelict rag warehouse in the 1960’s it was listed for demolition. No Londoner was going to stand for that. Especially John Betjeman, who fought with many others to save it.

Through many periods of restoration, it is now an arts venue. Though indeed restored, it’s very much frozen in time as a music hall – from the moment you walk in, it’s like finding yourself in Victorian London. You can almost see the popular entertainment acts play and hear the audience merrily willing them on.

You can hire the whole venue, which includes the bars, the Victorian staircase, and the Hall with its famous barley-twist columns – there are countless photo opportunities and backdrops, everywhere you look is steeped in faded Victorian charm. This venue is so special and completely unique and a fantastic place for a proper east-end knees up.