Modern & Fun Tropical Barbican Conservatory Wedding in London

A very warm welcome to Rosie and Jason and their Barbican Conservatory wedding in London today. Their day was so modern, colourful and filled to the brim with love!

One of the elements of their unique wedding I love most has to be how participatory their day was. They asked their guests to not only bring along a cake but also to do a song or dance in the evening – what a genius idea. Not only does asking guests to get involved bring everyone together but it also brings a real sense of community spirit on the wedding day itself.

I of course, also adore the stylish outfits, the conservatory venue and all the tropical vibes.

Lyndsey Goddard, thank you so much for sharing these truly wonderful photos of a really fun wedding day at the Barbican Conservatory indeed.

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Barbican Conservatory Wedding

The Proposal

A beautiful frosty day in December at Kew Gardens, at the end of the same walk we took on our first date… followed by sushi.

The Vision

We wanted to make the most of a venue that we knew inside out.

It was important to us to appreciate the stunning backdrop of the conservatory whilst still feeling playful and creative with the spaces and how we used them. We hoped it would reflect our journey as a couple.

The Venue

The Barbican Conservatory.

We both met working for the Barbican and still worked there at the time of the wedding. It was an extended family affair. There couldn’t have been a more fitting and special place for us to celebrate.

The Ceremony & Music

One of our lovely managers at work put us in touch with the Barbican’s own theatre producer. She had just qualified as a celebrant and was keen to be involved in her first wedding.

Angie was the most fun, caring and personal celebrant we could have ever hoped for and really took the time to get to know us, she did a stunning job on the day and no one would have ever known it was a first wedding ceremony.

The live music was performed by Peckham string quartet, who we knew from uni days. They were amazing and arranged a contemporary playlist that kept everyone well entertained.

Your Outfits

I’ve never been much of a dress wearer so I commissioned a 3 piece outfit designed by a very talented friend, Kathryn Clarke. It came together as white high waisted trousers and top with capped sleeves and buttons up the back, it had an additional sheer long sleeve layer that was cool and floaty on the very warm wedding day.

Jason loves a grandad collar and on a serendipitous visit to the Liberty sale, he found a two-piece Lemaire outfit, a grandad collar jacket and matching pants in a duck egg blue.

We chose our bridesmaid’s outfits first which were made by my mum, they wore oversized dresses in banana yellow and bronze silk. All the outfits were chosen with the green plants of the conservatory as a backdrop in mind.

Your Photographer

Lyndsey Goddard was incredibly professional and worked so hard for us on the day, seeming always to be in several places at once. We were so happy she was available for the date we had chosen and were overwhelmed when we received her photos. Her documentary-style really worked at capturing all the funny, special and unique moments of the day.

The Styling & Decor

One of my favourite moments of the build-up to the wedding was having a day with friends where we built tropical-themed decorations out of cardboard. Low fi and low budget but highly effective!

We asked everyone to bring a handmade cake expecting only a few to actually turn up. We ended up with at least 20 cakes, one of which was 3 tiered, it made the cutting of the cake hilarious and meant there was bound to be a flavour for everyone!

Our friends Esme who ran Hoxton Triffids and Isabel who is an incredible florist decorated the dining space and party room with more tropical-themed arrangements. The amazing Yan Skates made some beautiful bouquets and flower garlands that we used in the ceremony, picking out colours from the bridesmaid dresses.

Memorable Moments

• Being all together in such a beautiful and memorable setting.
• Reading poems as vows during the ceremony.
• The performances in the evening. We asked friends and family to sign up for a song or a dance to welcome the evening guests. It was all so funny and really moving and we were overwhelmed with how much love and energy everyone bought to the day.
• Friends having to carry the giant three-tiered cake down to the Barbican staff changing room 5 floors below the conservatory to find the only fridge big enough to accommodate it.

Advice For Other Couples

Involve friends and family with creative tasks, we loved having elements of the day that were a surprise for us and for other guests. We also tried to personalise as much as possible. Your day will feel like a true reflection of yourselves and the life you will share.

Create pauses in the day where you get to be alone even just for a few minutes, it’s amazing how quickly the day passes and how busy it feels. Spending some moments with each other amongst the plants made us feel really present and connected to each other.

Wow! What a beautiful celebration.

Rosie and Jason, I can’t thank you enough for sharing with us your Barbican Conservatory wedding story.

Further Reading