Love in Another League: A Romantic Wedding in St James’s

An Elegant London Wedding Venue with Historic Charm

The elegant architecture and romantic heritage of Over-Seas House make ROSL headquarters a wonderful choice for a wedding venue in central London. Nestled between Mayfair and Westminster, overlooking Green Park, this heritage wedding venue in St James’s is full of character, warmth and charm – a rare combination in one of London’s most refined neighbourhoods.

We spoke to Ruth Bala, a member of ROSL’s Council, about her decision to celebrate her wedding at ROSL and what made it the perfect setting for her family’s choice for their special day.

“We wanted a wedding venue in central London that would be easy for our guests to access and which could accommodate the ceremony within the same building as the reception. We are in our 40s, so many of our friends needed to book childcare, making easy logistics appreciated.” Ruth shares.

Outdoor Garden Wedding Ceremony with Indoor Backup

The garden made a pretty, romantic setting for the ceremony, especially in May when the flowers were in bloom. We ran the risk that it would rain, particularly as we had the Hall of India & Pakistan as a back-up indoor location. In the event we were blessed with rays of sunshine, although it was a very close call at the point the setup needed to commence.

Inclusive Heritage Venue in Mayfair & St James’s

Some grand Westminster clubs can feel unwelcoming to outsiders and those from ethnic minority backgrounds, but ROSL admitted women well before suffrage and is naturally inclusive, as it has always been devoted to forging Commonwealth ties. It is a place where we knew that we and our guests would feel welcome.

Mayfair Wedding Reception Spaces with Character

The fact that our guests could move between different rooms, each with their own distinctive décor was a big plus. This gave the wedding different phases, making for a more varied experience. We began with the ceremony in the garden, then moved to the dinner in the Hall of India and Pakistan and finished with dancing in the art deco Princess Alexandra Hall.

A Warm and Personal Afternoon Ceremony with Live Harpist

We chose to have an afternoon ceremony; guests arrived in the garden, where our harpist Amie True was playing to welcome them. Our son Maximilian, who was then six years old, walked me down the outdoor stairs descending into the garden and down the aisle. He was so excited to be part of the day and still refers to it as ‘our’, rather than ‘your’, wedding.

Exceptional Drinks Reception and Wedding Catering in a Romantic Garden Setting

After the guests showered us with dried petal confetti, we had an hour-long sparkling wine reception in the garden with canapés (smoked duck, potato and truffle, three cheese gougères and shepherds’ pie tartlet) while the harpist played. The food was divine – we had beef carpaccio or salt-baked beetroot tart to begin, followed by roasted chicken breast or brick pastry aubergine for the main course and treacle tart with mascarpone ice cream for dessert. We had ROSL’s house wine, with sparkling wine for toast and port to finish.

Art Deco Wedding Space Ideal for Dancing

We moved to the art deco wedding space, the Princess Alexandra Hall, for cutting the cake and dancing, with ROSL’s Elderflower Collins cocktails on supply. Our DJ, Glu Sound from Storm DJs, played a compromise track list of indie music selected by Paul, followed by drum ‘n’ bass selected by Ruth.

The heritage of the venue offers a varied aesthetic, from the Georgian Palladian style of the main building to the art deco style of the Westminster wing.

On-Site Accommodation Completed the Perfect Wedding Weekend

Although we live in zone 2, we stayed overnight in ROSL’s accommodation so that we could wake up and have a leisurely breakfast in the 1910 Dining Room with one of our friends who had also stayed over.

Why Ruth, Paul and Her Family Recommend ROSL for a Heritage Wedding in London

We did not hire a wedding planner, so we relied on the venue to administer the event with our input. Magda and Natalia were brilliant and we had full confidence in their support and decision-making. We could not have asked for a more helpful team. We would absolutely recommend ROSL as a wedding venue in London because of its beautiful heritage building with a very pretty English garden overlooking Green Park, the strong events team with sensible ideas and a genuine desire to help and the exceptional food quality. Both the canapés and the wedding breakfast were the best we’ve tasted at any wedding and many of our guests agreed.

This article is from our latest issue of Overseas Journal, “Wellness: The Art of Staying Healthy”.

Our Historic Event Spaces

Each of our eight elegant spaces is fully licensed, including our romantic Garden wedding venue overlooking Green Park and can accommodate celebrations of 10 to 120 guests. With ample on-site wedding accommodation in our beautiful Grade I-listed Clubhouse, everything you need is under one historic roof.

Discover what’s possible for your special day