London has a multitude of wedding venues, but there aren't many more as spectacular as a Painted Hall wedding, located in Greenwich, London.
The Painted Hall - often described as the Sistine Chapel of the UK - was designed in the early 18th century by Sir James Thornhill. He spent 19 years planning and painting the space, and features 40,000 square feet of Baroque walls and ceilings, covered in striking images of kings, queens and mythical creatures, which were brought alive using modern techniques of the day. The epic painting tells a story around the rise of Britain in the world through a backdrop of political change, scientific and cultural achievements, commercial enterprise and naval endeavours. For his efforts, Thornhill was paid £6,685 and recevied a knighthood.
The Hall was originally intended as a dining hall for the Greenwich pensioners, but soon became a ceremonial space, most notably for the body of Lord Nelson lying-in-state.
For most of the 19th century the hall served as a gallery for naval artwork, before finally functioning as a dining space for naval officers up until 1997.
Jaw-dropping isn't an overstatement, and that's certainly I how I felt when I first entered the space. I've never set a wedding cake up in quite such a magnificent venue, indeed worthy of kings and queens.
In addition to the Painted Halls, guests can have drinks in the vaulted Queen Mary Undercroft, which also houses a 19th century skittle (bowling) alley, which was originally built for the amusement of the Greenwich pensioners.
While the Painted Hall represents a bygone era of opulence and extravagance, the couple wanted a more modern style for their wedding cake, without it being over the top.
I created a three tier wedding cake covered with my signature abstract watercolour effect colouring in shades of green, finished with the precise sharp edges that provide that extra level of sophistication, appropriate for such a grand wedding. Edible gold leaf ran down the height of the cake which shimmered in the candlelight in the evening.
To compliment the green colouring, I also added faux silk flower foliage. As discussed before, the quality of silk artificial flowers have come a long way, and they are almost indistinguishable from flesh flowers. If you're still deciding about what type of flowers and foliage to use on your wedding cake, this blog post discusses the pros and cons of artificial flowers for wedding bouquet, cakes etc.
The wedding cake flavours that I create combine interesting textures and combinations. The bottom tier was a sticky toffee pudding sponge cake with a filling of macerated dates and salted caramel. The middle tier was a raisin, orange and carrot cake with a roasted peach and caramelised walnut filling. The flavour of the top tier was a more traditional Victoria sponge with a vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and fresh raspberry filling. More info on the delicious flavours I make can be found on my website here
In conclusion, if you're looking for a stunning luxury London wedding venue that combines history, art and romance, and which is surely one of the best wedding venues in the UK, then the Painted Halls certainly should be on your list.
As a dedicated modern wedding cake designer, the satisfaction of crafting bespoke wedding cakes that transcend traditional boundaries is my utmost goal. Each wedding cake that I create becomes a personalised work of art that seamlessly fits the contemporary theme of the event. In the Painted Halls, the wedding cake became a tangible representation of modern artistry.
Stunning wedding photography by Iain at Gomes Photography who is one of the Painted Hall's recommended photographers.
Florals: Floral Jems
Venue: Painted Hall, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, UK
Simon's Bakery is located in Tooting, south London, and I deliver across London, Surrey, Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Essex, Bedfordshire. I design luxury modern bespoke buttercream and ganache wedding cakes and event cakes, characterised by a using abstract colour, a clean precise finish with sharp edges, and other modern cake design techniques to create interesting textures and shapes.
I draw on my years of cooking and baking experience to cakes that not only look stunning, but also taste amazing, experimenting with flavours and texture combinations to create a memorable taste sensation.