A Celebration of Tradition
The first wedding of the year for the Royal College of Surgeons was a late winter ceremony and reception for Mr. and Mrs. Meyer.
For this Jewish couple, it was important not just that the catering be Kosher, but also that the ceremony observed and incorporated many special traditions, making this wedding a little different from others the venue has seen.
The first was the groom’s “tish” (which is Yiddish for “table”). The groom presents a lecture on a portion from the week’s Torah, or at least attempts to – tradition insists his male friends and family heckle and interrupt him!
The college’s Library hosted the “bedecken” – the moment the bride and groom first see each other. The groom was led in by the men to lower the veil over the face of his bride (surrounded by both mothers and the rest of the bridal party).
320 guests convened in the Edward Lumley Hall for the wedding ceremony itself. Less than two hours later the room was host to the seated wedding breakfast, but the team were able to seamlessly transform the space to create a perfect setting for a beautiful sit down meal.
Before the seated breakfast, the bride and groom retreated to the Nuffield meeting room for the “Yichud”, a break of 18 minutes allowing the bride and groom to have some personal time alone before they are required for the continuing celebrations.
All weddings have their traditions, and in this case the Royal College of Surgeons worked perfectly to accommodate them, thanks to a wide selection of different rooms. Lighting was used throughout the ceremony and dinner to add that extra touch of wonder and magic.
