For a celebration to rival the royal weddings, where better place to get married than the incredible palace wedding venues from Historic Royal Palaces? We were lucky enough to visit the annual Wedding Showcase at Kensington Palace to find out more about how couples can enjoy these incredible wedding venues for themselves...
Along with 120 other wedding professionals, planners, bloggers and journalists, we were able to visit the new wedding spaces at Kensington Palace where couples can host their very own royal celebration. There was a Champagne reception in the King's Drawing Room, which is part of the State Apartments and has recently been licensed to host civil ceremonies for the very first time.
Image credit: ByLumiere
This stunning panelled room would once have been packed with courtiers searching for power and patronage at royal parties hosted by the king, but this evening it was filled with incredible floral arrangements by Hayford & Rhodes, and guests enjoying delicious drinks and canapés provided by Blue Strawberry. Our favourites were the prosciutto cannelloni with crispy ham, mushroom, truffle and pea mousse and roasted pumpkin and mandarin ice-cream lollipop - delicious!
After a welcome speech, we moved into the Kensington Palace Pavilion, a brand new purpose-built events space that can host a whopping 800 guests for a standing drinks reception or 300 guests for a sit-down wedding breakfast. The space overlooks Kensington Palace’s famous Sunken Garden, and there's even a covered terrace that's ideal for weddings in spring or summer.
Image credit: ByLumiere
We were lucky enough to meet many of Historic Royal Palaces' event partners, who all work with the company to create incredible weddings and events at the royal palaces. There was a calligraphy station by Ananya Cards, who create beautiful wedding stationery (both bespoke and pre-designed) with prices starting at £5 per invitation. There was an elegant array of furniture and set pieces provided by Great Hire, and entertainment provided by Sternberg Clarke, including performances from Jack Pack and Wandering Hands. There was even a dance performance by The Frobacks that blew everyone away!
One of our favourite experiences were the chef's tables by Blue Strawberry. You could sit and enjoy gorgeous freshly-made dishes (and their associated wine pairings!) including confit of Scottish salmon, Goosnargh duck breast and Scallop ceviche with soy and parmesan veloute.
Later in the evening, the stunning gold catwalk with fragrant floral arrangements by Hayford & Rhodes was the setting for a bridal fashion show showcasing dresses from The Wedding Gallery by luxury bridal designers including Suzanne Neville and Reem Acra. The styles were feminine, ethereal and full of sparkle - we expect to see lots of light-as-air fabrics and iridescent sequins in the newest bridal collections come March!
Image credit: ByLumiere
“We were thrilled with this year’s wedding showcase; it was a wonderful way to demonstrate the capabilities of not only Kensington Palace’s versatile new Pavilion and newly licensed State Apartments but all six of the incredible palaces in our portfolio," said Alex Donnelly Palmer, Events and Operations Manager at Kensington Palace. "Our event partners pulled out all the stops and delivered a fantastic experience for our guests – we couldn’t have hoped for a better evening.”
If you'd like to find out more about weddings at each of the six palace wedding venues, read our lowdown here!