A Modern Art-Deco Styled Wedding at the Barbican Conservatory, London.

It was a bright day in London on the Day of Anna and Ben’s Barbican Centre Conservatory Wedding. I was so looking forward to shooting this after meeting Anna and Ben at the Barbican a few weeks earlier. The venue is pretty unique, classy and somehow manages to be modern and retro at the same time. Our couple for this story are also unique, classy and modern with a touch of retro thrown in for good measure. The wedding styling matched the scene perfectly and everything came together so well.

Anna and her bridesmaids got ready at The Ned Hotel, near the Bank (of England) in the heart of the City. The building is pretty spectacular and used to be the Midland Bank in the olden days. I remember my father taking me there to deposit my tuppence, or maybe that was someone else. I digress. Back to the wedding!

Meanwhile Ben and the chaps, and a handful of select hardcore wedding guests, were having a pint at the Jugged Hare. There was a good vibe and no one wanted to leave. Ben had to go to meet the registrar and left everyone else to finish their drinks as he swaggered down Silk Street to the Barbican.

How did you meet?

At a bar local to us that we both used to go to when we were 18 but never met or knew each other. Then 12 years on after living in other places we were both in there again one night and got talking to each other.

Why did you choose the Barbican for your wedding?

We’ve both grown up and work in London so were really keen to find a cool London venue that wasn’t a typical wedding venue. We also wanted to find somewhere we could have the ceremony, wedding breakfast and party all in one space so we wouldn’t lose precious time travelling between locations, which meant more time to celebrate with our friends and family! We viewed lots of hotels in London but as soon as we entered into the conservatory at the Barbican we fell in love with the beautiful tropical plants and greenery. It is such a hidden gem in the concrete jungle of the Barbican building and is such a surprise when you walk in. Neither of us had been to a wedding in this kind of setting before so it was perfect!

Here’s my take on the day. More info after the photos…

A Barbican Centre Conservatory Wedding

This was a very special day for Anna and Ben as well as their families and friends who were clearly so happy for them. And the wedding was a beautiful service in the tropical surroundings of the Barbican Conservatory. Drinks were held in the conservatory before the party moved upstairs for speeches from both Dads, the Groom and one of the two best men. Speeches are always one of my favourite parts of the wedding to photograph, and Ben’s reaction to his best man’s speech didn’t disappoint. The evening reception was kicked off with the cake cutting and first dance with confetti cannons!

Here’s a little more about this wedding…

About the Bride’s Fashion and Accessories

My dress was from Dando London which I found at Dress Dreams Bridal in Sevenoaks. This was the only bridal shop I visited and I couldn’t choose between 4 dresses, so I knew there was no need to look elsewhere! I wanted something timeless but with a modern edge to it that would also suit the surroundings of the venue. The back of the dress and the long train were the real wow factors and the fact the train was detactchable meant I was able to dance the night away later in the evening. My shoes were from Nicholas Kirkwood which fit in perfectly with the geometric Art Deco theme we ended up having. Ben had arranged a surprise gift for me the evening before the wedding which was a beautiful pair of diamond earrings that match my halo engagement ring that he got in a jewellers called Beverley Hills in Hatton Garden. The fact that all of these things ended up coming from designers based in London was a fluke but ended up being the perfect choices for a London wedding!

About the Groom’s Attire

Ben’s suit was a complete secret to me. If he couldn’t see my dress then I wasn’t allowed to see his suit! I needn’t have worried as his suit was so different and perfect for our type of wedding. He wore a navy big checked 3 piece suit which he got from Labrl Lab at House of Fraser. He paired this with a great pair of navy and black shoes from Russell and Bromley. His bow tie was a champagne gold which matched the bridesmaids dresses and Ben accessorised this all with gold cuff links and a gold pocket watch which was my wedding gift to him.

The Flowers

We got our flowers from The Wedding Flower Company who are based in North London. As soon as we met Cathy and Gayle at the venue we knew we’d made the right choice as they brought our vision to life. The colour scheme of the wedding was white and gold as we didn’t want to detract from the beautiful greenery in the Barbican. The florists helped me to choose flowers in keeping with the venue that included beautiful succulents, ranunculus and loads of foliage. As I only ended up having my sister and Ben’s sisters as Bridesmaids I wanted to include my best friends somehow in the wedding. So instead of finding ‘something blue’ to wear I decided the girls would be my something blue. So Gayle and Cathy made gorgeous white rose corsages with a touch of blue which all the girls wore.

The Cake

The wedding cake was one of the first things we ended up booking. We found Katie from Malarkey Cakes at a wedding fair in Canary Wharf. She knew we wanted a white and gold cake which featured geometric details. She created a four tier cake which was exactly how we imagined it. The layers were purple haze, raspberry ripple, lemon drizzle and a fabulous rum and coconut cream which was a nod to us having got engaged in Jamaica.

Entertainment

To entertain the guests as they arrived, and for our ceremony music, we had an acoustic duo called Alex and Suzy who we found on Alivenetwork.com. They also entertained the guests at our cocktail and canapé reception. For the wedding breakfast we decided to go for a pianist called Charlie Myers who we also found on Alivenetwork. Then for the evening entertainment we were lucky enough to have a live band called The Fix who we found on Bands for Hire followed by a DJ from Sound Bookings

Stationary

Our stationary was from Cartalia who we used for our invites, wedding breakfast menus, table plan and cake and cocktail menus. On all of these we went for a white card with gold geometric foil

If you’re planning a wedding at the Barbican Centre Conservatory and quite like this ^ please get in touch! Thanks for looking!