On the banks of the Thames in the heart of one of London's most fashionable districts, the Royal Hospital Chelsea is a uniquely romantic venue.

In July, the Create team catered for a stunning wedding at the Grade I listed heritage site.

Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings   Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings

The day began with a wedding blessing in the State Apartments, a beautifully elegant space consisting of two rooms: The Council Chamber and the Ante Room. Over the years the State Apartments have hosted Monarchs and many other noble figures. The rooms were designed by Sir Christopher Wren and are adorned with paintings by the school of Van Dyck, Kneller and Lely as well as important carvings and mouldings by William Emmett, John Grove and William Cleere.

 

Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings   Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings

Following the wedding blessing, the newlyweds led their guests out to the Ranelagh Gardens, a secluded and picturesque part of the Royal Hospital estate, for cocktails and canapés.

 

Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings   Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings

We served a selection of delicious canapés chosen by the happy couple, including barbecue rib croquettes, beer battered oysters, sweetcorn fritter, braised short rib of beef wrapped in kataifi pastry, barbecue tenderstem broccoli with lemon and dukka mousse and charred lamb skewers with chermoula and coriander. These were accompanied by ginger and

Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings   Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings

The newlyweds welcomed guests with a receiving line at the entrance to their wedding marquee, before guests were seated for the piece de resistance: the wedding breakfast!

Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings   Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings

The meal began with starters of watercress velouté, served with parmesan and chive beignets, crème fraîche and fresh truffle. For the main course, our chefs served a rump of new season lamb, with aubergine and cumin puree, charred tenderstem, smoked and crushed new potatoes and mint and shallot salsa. Vegetarians enjoyed a heritage tomato ragout with dukka spice, smoked crumpet bread panzanella and sauce vierge. And for pudding guests tucked into a decadent pecan pie with fresh meringue and nitro pecan ice cream.

 

Guests got a little surprise during the dinner service, as amongst the Create waiting team were a few unusual guests – The Three Waiters. The trio of singing waiters served guests their meals before breaking into song, much to the guests’ delight! A table magician then brought a touch of magic to the evening’s entertainment, before the evening’s hotly anticipated speeches.

Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings   Wedding Celebrations at the Royal Hospital Chelsea | Create Weddings

Following the wedding breakfast guests partied the night away in the marquee, feasted on delicious wedding cake and headed out to the nearby Whiskey Tent where they discovered a Whiskey Bar, fully stocked with all the bride and groom’s favourites.

 

Our wedding team is dedicated to providing a bespoke service to the 50 weddings we deliver every year. We don’t just do wedding catering. Our team is here to support you throughout your wedding planning process, from initial enquiry to the throwing of the bouquet. Contact us to find out more.

 

photography by Mark Bothwell