Wedding Cakes for Unusual London Wedding Venues - 15 Places You Didn’t Know You Could Get Married in London
@ejlewis
Wedding cakes for unusual london wedding venues
One of the most exciting things about being a wedding cake maker in London has to be the variety - of couples I get to talk about cake with, of design styles, of other wedding vendors to work with, and of wedding venues to visit. I love making wedding cakes for unusual London wedding venues, and I’ve pulled some of my favourites together in this list of 15 places you didn’t know you could get married in London. If you or someone you know is looking for somewhere a bit unexpected to get married in the city, you might want to bookmark this page and spread the word!
What do I mean by ‘unusual London wedding venues’?
There are quite literally hundreds of incredible places to get married in London, and I’ve had the joy of making wedding cakes for lots of them. I’m even a proud recommended supplier at many London venues - you can find out which ones here. When I talk about making wedding cakes for unusual London wedding venues though, what I mean is places you might not even think you could get married!
I’m thinking museums, restaurants, London landmarks, old military buildings and other quirky hidden gems that double up as something else during the day, turning into wedding venues after closing to the public. While I love working in the city’s iconic, grand hotels and the country houses of the home counties, unique venues are always so much fun to design for.
So, let’s get into the list - here are 11 unusual London wedding venues you might not know you can get married in, and the kind of cakes I would make (or have already made!) for them.
London museums you didn’t know you could get married in…
1 - The Natural History Museum
@anajablonskaphotography
That’s right, you can celebrate your marriage amidst the grandeur of what is arguably London’s most famous museum, right there alongside Hope the blue whale. Working with By Chenai, I created a five tier wedding cake for Ocheme and Rimma to complement and stand out in The Natural History Museum’s vast Hintze Hall. It was placed in the centre of the room and so I paid attention to all sides (even the back!), designing a monotone warm white cake with torn-edge tier finishing, bas relief and stencil detail, and both sugar and real florals with the help of Mary Jane Vaughan who flowered the whole event.
See this wedding featured in Country and Town House.
2 - The Honourable Artillery Company
@dominikamiechowska_photography
I have to say that this was easily one of the coolest wedding venues I’ve been to this year! First I should caveat this by saying that you do have to be a member to get married here, but it’s definitely an awesome unusual London wedding venue that’s associated with the Army’s oldest regiment.
Octavia and Ben’s simple 3 tier cake with raw edge finishes included their black lab Cleo, and if you look closely you can see she even had a little nibble on the ganache! Venues like this really don’t need elaborate wedding cake designs competing with their splendour, so I always recommend we keep it elegant and appreciate that less is sometimes more.
Here’s what O&B said about working with me on their wedding cake…
‘When we first met with Abigail to discuss what we wanted in our wedding cake we weren’t too sure where to begin, but Abigail was so patient and kind. She really listened to us and put together a proposal in less than 24 hours. We have never laughed so hard as we did with Abigail during our consultation! She is so so wonderful.
Our final cake was absolutely STUNNING! It was everything and more. All our guests enjoyed a slice (or two!) and they’re still talking about our delicious cake days afterwards!’
Bonus London museums you can get married in…
You’re getting a few bonus ideas in each section! Here are a handful more unusual London wedding venues that are museums during the day and all yours later on:
The Young V&A in Bethnal Green
The Old Naval College in Greenwich
The Wallace Collection in Manchester Square
Find out more about how I design your cake to work with your wedding venue in my Cohesive Wedding Cake Edit.
London restaurants you didn’t know you could get married in…
@poppymaltbyphotography
1 - Ognisko Restaurant
This upscale South Kensington restaurant was Hazel and Nick’s chosen wedding venue earlier this year, and its opulent white dining room required a wedding cake to complement but not compete. I designed a 3 tier white cake with lovely textured finish, and added reflexed white roses, green foliage and a few sunny yellow blooms.
Each tier was a different flavour, and for ALL your cake questions about design and taste you can refer to my Dream Wedding Cake Guide.
2 - Clapton Country Club
Weddings at Clapton Country Club can be described as urban glam, and I loved designing a wedding cake for this unusual London venue. Sybil and Richard’s cake needed to let the quirky venue shine, so I created 3 tiers of differing heights and added a plume of florals on one side. The strong cool aesthetic of this restaurant demands a cake that doesn’t try to do too much - pared-back luxury is the one.
Bonus London restaurants you can get married in…
Hawksmoor, next to the Guildhall
Searcy’s at The Gerkhin
The Royal Exchange
London landmarks and miscellaneous venues you didn’t know you could get married in
1 - Kew Gardens
UNESCO World Heritage Site wedding, anyone? The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is one of London’s most glorious landmark locations and a huge tourist attraction - and you can have it all to yourself for your wedding.
I’ve been lucky enough to create wedding cakes for more than one Kew Gardens wedding, each different and gorgeous in their own way. First up, Rose and Marc’s spring wedding cake which took pride of place in the centre of Kew’s conservatory. Theirs was a 4 tier cake covered in delicate pressed flowers, working perfectly with the nature-filled surroundings.
Read their full wedding story and drool over their amazing photos here.
I also worked with Rutendo and Ben on a fully vegan three tier wedding cake at Kew Gardens, complete with a ruffle of fresh vibrant florals. Their chosen flavours were vegan marble, red velvet & raspberry, and vanilla & wildberry.
Find out more about my vegan wedding cake options here.
2 - Barbican
The Barbican Centre is one of London’s most unusual wedding venues and I’m proud to be a recommended supplier there. It describes itself as a ‘lush tropical oasis’ and that’s exactly what it is, plant life dripping from concrete structures and pouring down from ceilings as though nature is taking back the building. By day it’s a performing arts centre, but it can also be all yours for your wedding.
Bonus London landmarks/unique buildings you can get married in…
Battersea Arts Centre
Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings
London Wildlife Trust Centres (recommended supplier)
@dejilawalphotography
Wedding cakes for unusual London wedding venues - design considerations
Because these kinds of venues are so unique, whether that means grandeur and opulence, botanical beauty or urban quirk, I prefer to design less-is-more wedding cakes for them. A simple one-colour design with delicate stencilling, touches of metallic leaf or a focal bow and florals often work beautifully, keeping the cakes feminine and ensuring they aren’t trying too hard against their backdrop.
If you choose to get married in one of London’s unusual wedding venues, you probably do so because you love the space - your wedding cake’s features shouldn’t try to overshadow your venue.
Looking for the perfect wedding cake for your wedding at a cool, unique London venue? I’d love to chat, and can promise our consultation will be really fun - we’re just talking about cake, after all! Just complete the form on my Contact Page and I’ll get back to you - then the excitement can begin!
