As a wedding cake designer, I love working with gorgeous wedding venues. Let’s take a look at a Grove House wedding – a stunning grade 2 listed country house located close to Richmond Park and Putney, which makes the perfect choice if you’re looking for a wedding venue in south west London.
A Brief History of Grove House
Roehampton Great House first stood on the site between 1622 and 1790, after which time the large mansion was demolished and a smaller sized villa with pleasure grounds was built for Joshua Vanneck – Grove House – designed by James Wyatt, an architect famous for his neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles.
Stephen Lyne Stephens inherited the house in 1851 and lived there Yolande Duvernay, a Parisian ballet dancer. When Stephens died a Romanesque mausoleum was built in the grounds. Yolande was buried there in 1894.
The central feature of the landscape is the lake which dates back to the Great House. The bridge to the lake is an exquisite folly, contemporary to Grove House and consists of a stone balustrade with three arches and Coade-stone urns.
Within the grounds is a curious man-made grotto, behind which is an icehouse. Known as ‘Rooks Grotto’, and built somewhere between 1895 and 1912, it included pathways, caverns and cascading waterfalls. The icehouse was rediscovered in 1998 behind a bricked-up door and although no date can be fixed to its construction, it probably dates to the late 18th Century.
In 1921 Dr Claude Montefiore bought Grove House for £29,750 on behalf of the Froebel Educational Institute for Froebel College, which is one of the colleges of the University of Roehampton.
Wedding Day
The exquisite grounds of Grove House will be a central feature for any wedding held at the venue, with the extensive lawns, rose garden and fountains making the perfect backdrop for entertaining guests and creating wonderful photo opportunities. In the images you can see how artificial wedding flowers have been used creatively. Check out my blog post on using articial flowers vs fresh here.
On arrival guests will be welcomed into the grand Portrait Room, which is where the ceremony will take place and with floor to ceiling glass windows and period features, it provides a bright and spacious setting to say ‘I do’. The venue can offer ceremonies for up to 150 guests, or smaller ceremonies there are a number of other rooms that can be used and during the spring and summer, the wedding ceremony can also be held in the grounds.
If you are arriving straight from external ceremony, guests are welcomed with drinks and canapes into the grounds with the option live music to create a fun ambience in which to get the party started. From there, most couples will have the breakfast served in the Portrait Room, but as with the ceremony, there is the option to have this set up outside.
The wedding cake can be set up in the Portrait Room, or alternatively in the Adam Room, both of which form a fabulous backdrop for the cake cutting (especially with a cake from Simon’s Bakery - have a look at my website for more inspiration).
Once the breakfast is finished, guests will move into the Terrace Room overlooking the garden. Here, the party can really get going with a live band and or DJ playing and use of a full bar. There are plenty of options and space for providing additional entertainment too – how about games in the garden, a photo booth or magician?
Whatever your wedding date, Grove House is spectacular in every season. From a frosting of snow on the ground through to the amazing wisteria and roses, the scenery and surroundings are sure to add to the romance of the day.
Grove House Wedding Info
Address: Grove House, Frobel College, Roehampton Lane, SW15 5PJ
Phone: 020 8392 3505
Email: grovehouse@roehampton.ac.uk
Capacity: 150 ceremony, 200 evening
Cost: £5,880 incl VAT
What’s included: exclusive use of venue, two event managers, security, cleaning and furniture
Catering options: choice of accredited caterers specialising in a range of cuisines
Suppliers & Wedding Professionals Featured
Photography: Claire Wakefield Photography
Photography: Claire Johnson Photography
Photography: Lisa Peel Photography
Planning: Celebrating Love By Lucia
Tablescape hire: Luxury Hire Company
Glassware: Surrey Wedding Company
Wedding Gowns: Tala Daniel Bridal
Stationery: Ivy White Design
Catering: Penni Black
Catering: Saffron Caterers
Catering: Blue Strawberry Events
Artificial Silk Flowers: Fleur De La Couture
Cake: Simon's Bakery
Simon's Bakery is located in Tooting, south London, and I deliver across London, Surrey, Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and beyond. I design luxury modern bespoke ganache and buttercream 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.
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