The Wedding Gallery is a new and unique concept store, and has been dubbed as a wedding department store… with everything you might need for your big day under one roof. In the wedding industry, it’s been described as somewhere in between a permanent luxury wedding fair and a one-stop wedding shop, but in reality it’s a contemporary department store for beautiful weddings and events. It has been carefully curated, and has historic and classic British brands you’ve heard of, as well as smaller boutique brands you might not have – all together in one store.
The Devine Bride team were lucky enough to get an invite to the Press Preview before the store opened to the public, and it was just lush!
Situated in the basement of One Marylebone, a stylish wedding venue in itself in the west end, you are greeted from the outside with discreet signage welcoming you down the outside stairs to the basement…. from there you have to buzz in, where a stylish reception area and cloakroom attendant awaits your presence. After checking in, you are swept through a secret moving bookcase to the right where the gallery opens up before you.
A glass of champagne and we had stars in our eyes looking at the glamourous setting and all it had to offer…
Set over two floors, The Wedding Gallery is a permanent store filled with a whole host of inspirational suppliers. From wedding gowns, to accessories, lingerie, skincare, flowers, jewellery cakes and stationery, the team have tried to bring you everything! There’s even a dedicated menswear fashion expert ready to dress your groom, and a tiny private personal cinema where you can watch the gallery’s selection of wedding videographers wedding clips!
The gallery has it’s own consultants per department, but it also has on hand ‘planners’ to guide you through the whole store and each part of your planning process – giving an introduction to each brand, and taking some of that initial communication hassle away for you. The gallery’s experts will help you shop from an ‘unrivalled collection of wedding brands’, whilst ‘introducing you to their selection of planning and styling services’.
I have to say the beautiful store does provide a relaxing and creative private environment to shop, much unlike a wedding fair and a much less pressure than your average luxury bridal or wedding store.
The Wedding Gallery looks very concise conceptually, and it has a very clean and neat style and layout, so I was surprised to find it actually houses over 40 designers and brands! Brands such as Temperley London, Jenny Yoo, Charlotte Olympia, La Perla, Jennifer Behr, TH&TH, Lamplighter Studio and Wild at Heart are all there for you to learn from and browse adoringly. Most of the brands here are hard to find in many other department stores, let alone any other multi-brand wedding shops, but I was surprised to see Jo Malone there since you can nearly get Jo Malone anywhere these days… The vibe of the whole gallery is slightly more upmarket and exclusive than that.
Under the guidance of a Wedding Gallery Consultant, you can receive help and advice on which of their suppliers and brands might be right for you and your wedding. However, like most department stores and concessions, although the store itself is carefully curated, the brands themselves have also had to pay for the privilege to be in there… and it’s most likely the sales reps get commission, too.
If the general consultancy doesn’t suit you, you can also opt for a more tailored bridal or menswear fashion styling appointment to help you find your perfect outfits.
The visiting options are:
The Consultancy
Suitable for those who want a peek and an intro to The Wedding Gallery and all it has to offer. Their consultancy team will offer some help and advice based on what their selection, no matter what stage of the planning process you are at.
£50 for 75 mins
Bridal Styling
With the help of a Wedding Gallery Stylist, find your perfect dress and complete the look with everything else you need – from shoes to accessories. You will be guided through each department in an organised manner; bridal wear, bridesmaids fashion, shoes, accessories, lingerie and jewellery.
£30 for 60 mins
Menswear Styling
Menswear at The Wedding Gallery offers a small but concise selection, from the finest Savile Row brands to a few of London’s young and tailors (including Charlie Casely-Hayford, who falls into both categories and who I used to work with at Comme des Garcons!). The department includes fully bespoke suit services as well as stylish ready-to-wear pieces, including shirts, ties, shoes, unique accessories and jewellery – which has lots of colour way options instead of just black morning suits.
They also have a cute but cool drinks trolley in the corner to help your groom ease into it!
£30 for 60 mins
First Look
This is an appointment basically just to browse, for guests to don’t need full access to the bridal and groom’s attire departments, but still wish to browse through shoes, accessories, lingerie and makeup.
Complimentary (but by appointment only), 75 mins
The Lowdown
All visits are by appointment only, and you must pay for your time slot for most of their services apart from the browsing one, but hey, you get a glass of champers on arrival, and there is a cute cafe and planning area on site where you can take a time out with your mum or your ‘maids if it all gets a bit too much. And it is very inspiring and such a lovely gallery, even if it is out of the average bride’s budget brand-wise.
Overall, The Wedding Gallery makes for a wonderful afternoon out if you’re in the beginning stages of planning your wedding, especially if you love classic, feminine or luxe styling. The fact that it’s by appointment only makes it much more private, and makes the shopping experience much less stressful, for sure… but to me it did seem more like a gallery than a retail store.
We’d love to hear what you thought of it if you make it along for a visit – rumour has it they’re booked up already until the end of Jan 2018, but that may just be the press buzz of course!
