An Autumnal Affair, a Stationers’ Hall Wedding
Vivien and Rupert were thrilled when they were granted permission to have their wedding ceremony at the OBE Chapel in St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was important to them that they find a reception venue within walking distance of the cathedral which offered the right mix of tradition, warmth, and humour.
They chose Stationers’ Hall from a shortlist of over 15 venues, Vivien says “I felt that it was a genuine hidden gem – a lovely building steeped in history, and each room and area had a quirky character of its own.”
The couple chose an autumnal theme for their October wedding, incorporating elements of Rupert’s upbringing in the New Forest. To include the Chinese element from Vivien’s side, they made their own wedding favours from specially fermented Pu Erh tea leaves, moulded into a tea coin with a traditional Chinese marriage blessing.”The staff at Stationers’ Hall and Chester Boyd were receptive to all of our ideas from the beginning, and they gave great advice and very personal support. I really felt like they made the journey with us!”
The couple treated their guests to a sumptuous three course Chester Boyd meal in the Livery Hall. A starter of London smoked salmon with goats’ cheese, Cambridgeshire beets and wood sorrel or English beetroots (ruby, candy, and rainbow), goats cheese, pine nuts, and oats was served, followed by a main course of Gressingham duck with blackberries, baby spinach, horseradish, and apples or roasted Piedmont pepper stuffed with ratatouille, basil and polenta. Dessert was a Braeburn apple and salted caramel tarte Tatin with ice cream or, for a coeliac guest, a fresh fruit salad. Guests also enjoyed a selection of canapés: seasonal melon wrapped in Parma ham, mini lamb lorazepam prescription koftas with tzatziki, tiger prawn wontons with sweet chilli dipping sauce, soft boiled quails’ eggs with homemade celery salt, and Mediterranean vegetable tarts with red onion jam. There was even a mini buffet in the evening with thin & crispy Margherita, goat’s cheese, and rocket pizzas and mini beef or vegetarian burgers on offer.
When we asked Vivien her favourite part of the day, she struggled to pin down just one moment from a day that she had loved so much! “The little quirks to the day also ended up being our highlights: our walk into the garden with confetti, my sister singing “At Last” by Etta James for our first dance, my gorgeous bridesmaids playing ukuleles to a favourite pop song of mine, my father’s speech, and our guests’ conga line on the dancefloor. As one guest commented to me afterwards, “Everytime we thought it just couldn’t get any better, it then got better!”
It was a wonderful day, and Vivien is still brimming with the excitement of it all! “Despite being a nervous bride (naturally!) in the lead up to the wedding, the day itself turned out fantastically well, thanks to Seamus and Ron. The timing, preparation, coordination, food (oh the food!), and service were second to none. We received many compliments on all aspects of the food (canapes, main meal, and evening buffet).
A special mention to Susana, Ron, Katie, Seamus, and Nicola, plus all the superb staff at Stationers’ Hall, who went to great lengths to make the bridal party, guests, and ourselves feel so at home. It was a fabulous day.”
A special thanks to the couple and to ellymacphotos.com for letting us use the photographs!
