From the best openings this year to those due to open soon, this list is the inspiration you need for your big day
1. The Ned
Fancy tying the knot in the City? Soho House & Co’s new 252-bedroom hotel The Ned (020 3837 8785) is named after the designer of the Grade I-listed building, Sir Edwin ‘Ned’ Lutyens. It houses nine restaurants and six members-only spaces that are available to hire exclusively for weddings. Our pick is the Tapestry Room (pictured), which seats 120 and features walnut panelling, crystal chandeliers and a striking 20s tapestry that wraps around the upper walls.
2. Sea Containers Events
One of this year’s big openings, South Bank venue
Sea Containers Events (020 3193 3597) has turned heads with its 2,300sq m of event space and killer river views. The private dining room (pictured), with its balcony and sight line to St Paul’s Cathedral, is particularly popular. There’s also a roof terrace where those cityscape views get even better. Green & Fortune is in charge of wedding catering and, as with its offering at Kings Place, the food is seasonal and local.
3. Holkham Hall
North Norfolk’s Holkham Hall (01328 713108) has announced the opening of its Lady Elizabeth Wing, an elegant addition to its weddings-ready event options. The wing was originally built by the 2nd Earl of Leicester as a bowling alley for his staff. After a £4.5m overhaul, couples can now seat 250 people for a wedding breakfast or host a whopping 400 for standing receptions.
4. Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square
Across the road from the Tower of London, the Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square (020 3297 9200) has opened its doors in handsome style. As well as 100 bedrooms and suites, the five-star beaux arts-style property houses two wedding-ready ballrooms, including the formal, walnut-panelled UN Ballroom (pictured). Private dining for up to 14 is available in its Asian restaurant and also in La Dame de Pic, which offers classic French cuisine from Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic.
5. Tewkesbury Park
Rural Gloucestershire venue Tewkesbury Park (01684 272312) tells us its new events suite will be open in time for August weddings. The £6m Cotswolds Suite will have a floor-to-ceiling glass façade (CGI pictured), with views of surrounding parkland. The venue recently added nine luxury suites, two spa rooms, an orangery and a cocktail lounge to its offering.
6. The Harper
Opening early in 2018, The Harper (0345 130 9966) is boldly going where few boutique hotels have gone before – to beautiful, off-the-beaten-track Norfolk. The fifth property in the Bijou Group’s portfolio occupies a brick-and-flint barn once used by glassblowers. A mile from the sublime north Norfolk coastline, it promises modern rooms, a pair of restaurants and a spa.
7. Burgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne
In 1954, actress Audrey Hepburn got hitched in Burgenstock, Switzerland. Half a century on, you too can make like a film star and get married at the Alpine retreat of Burgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne (+41 41 612 90 10). Entrances here are suitably cinematic: guests arrive by boat across the lake – overlooked by a 900-capacity ballroom – before ascending 500m on a private railway line. Within the complex, there’ll be no fewer than four hotels (both modern and historic) plus a vast, glass-clad spa.
Find more inspiring wedding venues here.
This article was first published in SquareMeal Weddings 2017