• A unique concept for the wedding industry, opening in October 2017
• 20,000 sq. ft. of space designed by renowned New York architect
• Iconic Central London location to attract aspirational couples from around the world
• Open seven days a week, all year round
• A new hub of trends, ideas and creativity for the wedding industry
• Backed by one of the UK’s most successful serial entrepreneurs
• Stellar list of brands already signed up including Elie Saab, La Perla, Needle & Thread, Rob
Van Helden, Cutture, Rosalind Miller Cakes, The Wedding Shop and Top Hat
London will soon become home to the world’s first upscale permanent wedding retail, planning and inspiration destination, located within one of the capital’s most lauded wedding and events venues – One Marylebone.
The Wedding Gallery [www.the-weddinggallery.com] promises to be a relaxed and welcoming environment where visitors can browse an unrivalled, exclusive and evolving collection of wedding products and services under the guidance of industry experts. Visitors will leave feeling inspired, informed, focused and more confident about the type of wedding they can achieve.
The 20,000sq. ft. venue has been designed over two floors by celebrated New York architect Christian Lahoude, former Lead Store Designer at Gucci and Design Director at Tiffany & Co as well as founder of a New York based firm of architects responsible for designing boutiques for the likes of Jimmy Choo and Alexander Wang. Christian said of the launch “I am delighted to be working on this exciting new concept. I will be creating an environment that allows brides and grooms to indulge themselves in the planning of one of the biggest days of their lives. Too many brides run around their home cities or towns from one shop to another in a state of stress seeking their ideal components. The Wedding Gallery is designed to take away this pressure.”
The Wedding Gallery will be an end-to-end wedding planning experience, curated by leading industry experts where brides and grooms will be guided through the wedding planning process and have exclusive access to the collections of up to 200 brands, open throughout the year and seven days a week.
The space will double as an exclusive member’s club for the wedding industry offering meeting rooms, a multitude of event spaces, a café/bar and library as well as playing host to regular trunk shows and networking activities.
Thousands of couples will pass through The Wedding Gallery each year allowing them access to an unrivalled range of services to ensure that their individual needs are met. By appointment only, clients will be able to visit The Wedding Gallery in a number of ways to soak up the atmosphere and browse the curated list of wedding suppliers and fashion brands. Entry is free of charge and visitors will have the option of taking advantage of the in-house expert team, where they will be able to book a 90- minute appointment with a Wedding Gallery Consultant who will guide them through the space and the wedding planning process. These appointments will be charged at £50 and will include a glass of bubbles for up to four people. Additionally, they will receive a beautiful hard copy ‘Wedding Edit’ with details of suppliers and brands that suit the client’s wedding tastes, along with follow up information and support from their consultant. In the Fashion Departments, clients can book 60-minute appointments with a Wedding Gallery Stylist, charged at £30 who will offer advice about a carefully selected range of bridal and menswear designers. There will be focused consultations available for additional services such as bespoke jewellery design, honeymoon planning and gift list building.
The venture is backed by beauty and events entrepreneur George Hammer, most notable for bringing brands such as Aveda, The Sanctuary and L’Occitane to the UK as well as being founder and Chairman of beauty and hair salon Urban Retreat, the largest spaced concession in Harrods with over 250 staff, and One Events, the venue group consisting of One Marylebone, One Mayfair, One Belgravia, One Embankment and One Horse Guards.
Commenting on the launch of The Wedding Gallery George said, “This is an incredibly exciting moment not just for the wedding industry but for aspirational, engaged couples around the world. We’ve spent many years putting on high-end events at our venues and recognised a gap in the market to harmonise the UK wedding industry within a beautiful, permanent space. In all of my businesses we have had a strong focus on the customer experience and we will stay true to this mantra in The Wedding Gallery.”
With a scheduled production window of approximately eight months, once completed the multi-millionpound refurbishment will feature a comprehensive department of bridal and groomswear along with a Beauty, Hair and Makeup Studio and vendors including venues, cake makers, stationers, florists, caterers, jewellers, a gift lists provider, photographers, filmmakers, honeymoon destinations, entertainers and everything in between. Brands will be able to choose varying levels of presence ranging from a full concession to display cabinets and guest curators will be invited to style certain areas of the gallery in a year-round schedule of events. Whilst there is still availability for brands who would like to be involved, The Wedding Gallery has concluded agreements with, amongst others, bridal designers Elie Saab, Suzie Turner and Needle & Thread, lingerie designers La Perla, florists Rob Van Helden and Hiding In The City, leading wedding gift list company The Wedding Shop, caterers The Last Supper and Top Hat, pyrotechnic specialists Alchemy Fireworks and laser cut stationery masters Cutture.
As one of the first brands to sign up to The Wedding Gallery, Rob Van Helden commented, “The opening of The Wedding Gallery is a very exciting opportunity for us as a luxury brand. It will be the perfect place for engaged couples to plan their forthcoming wedding, with all the products they need presented in an unbiased way. We are very much looking forward to showcasing our services in this amazing setting and becoming part of a great team.”
The Wedding Gallery is being curated by Anna McGregor and Lotte Martin of LAMP Productions, who between them have over 30 years of experience in the UK and global weddings and events industry. Anna said of the launch “We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting project. The Wedding Gallery will empower the client, taking away the mystery and stress often associated with planning a wedding and allowing them achieve the day of their dreams. We will provide guidance and inspiration to couples and a hub for the industry to communicate and grow.”
