We began planning for our wedding day around March 2017. At this point we had viewed a few other venues around Central London and hadn't yet found something that suited our budget, flexibility or had that special touch. We found an advert for The Dickens Inn Wedding Venue in a bridal magazine named Your London Wedding. We knew the Dickens Inn well as we had previously been on dates there together, so we immediately went on to the website and filled out the contact form to enquire about a reception for our big day.
We received a swift response which confirmed that our date in October was available. Within the day we had organised a first viewing for the following week. At the viewing we were taken around the function room and given a full explanation of the menu options, facilities and extras available. After the viewing we sat down together by the bar looking through the prices against our own budgets and discussed how much we love the place itself and we realised this was the perfect place for us. We were very happy to find that at the Dickens Inn you have full control over the options and extras for your reception, so you only need pay for what you want. This is very rare for London venues which typically offer fixed packages with no flexibility. We had full control over our music options, as well as lighting, seating, decoration, courses, drinks and schedule. Once we had chosen these options they were all carried out by the Dickens Inn staff to the letter.
We enjoyed our first look round and were excited to plan our reception further. Although the function room didn't seem massive we loved the aesthetic and kindly we were later invited to see how an actual wedding was set up, which gave us an idea of how to use the space well and we were pleased to see that the venue can comfortably fit 130 seated guests.
We spent the next few months planning and deciding on our reception details. Throughout the organisation period we always received effective correspondence from the Dickens Inn Events Manager Agata who was happy to meet our requests and provide any information we needed. In terms of booking we had our date fixed in their calendar 6 months prior and were only required to pay a deposit later in the year.
If we ever needed to come in for any reason Agata was invariably accommodating. For instance we took our photographer to the venue and were allowed to show him around no problem at all. She also allowed us to attend the tasting at our leisure. The tasting day began with a bottle of the prosecco and followed with portions of three different menu selections for each of the three courses. The food was excellent which actually made it hard for us to choose our favourites for our reception banquet. Eventually we settled on a menu that we were really excited about. We were assured that all guests with dietary requirements of any kind would be catered for without problem.
On the week of the wedding we met with Agata again to discuss our room setup and explain the final details. We brought in all our own flowers, table decorations and wedding cakes and the Dickens Inn had arranged to provide us with the chairs and linen. For the big day, the staff very professionally set up the room exactly as we asked, there was no need for us to be present to direct the setup on the Friday night or the Saturday morning. This was a huge plus, we were free to relax and enjoy the celebration with great peace of mind.
We arrived around 4pm after our Church ceremony to find everything ready and our guests had been welcomed in. We were so impressed with how they used the space of the room and included so many simple and tasteful touches to the decor to complement the aesthetic.
The food went extremely well, each of the 3 banqueting courses were timed perfectly and not too close together so we had many opportunities in the intervals to socialise and meet with our guests.
Each of the courses were generous portions and beautifully laid out on the plates, we were thrilled. We had chosen separate menus for the 10 young children which they throughly enjoyed. In addition to this we also had many guests with special requirements. My nan for example has a very strict diet for her health, a few of our guests were vegan and some allergic to dairy and milk. In my mind this was a nightmare to sort out but we notified them in advance with the seating plan attached and the kitchen staff were extremely accommodating. I received much feedback from these individuals who were amazed at the effort that had gone into catering towards everyones needs.
An additional element that made our day special was its location. Not only was it easy for our guests to get to and from by way of the tube or bus. But the sites around the Dickens Inn were the perfect backdrop for many of our wedding photos. With the likes of St Katherine's Dock, the River Thames and Tower Bridge in the background the evening photos looked all the more magical.
While the room was being set up for the Evening Reception and Dance floor we had hired the Patio space outside for our guests to mingle in a 'Champagne Reception'. This was a great idea as it gave our guests somewhere to go during this time and The Dickens Inn have the physical space to be very flexible on this note. However on the day itself once we came to the champagne reception it had begun raining, but the staff at The Dickens Inn were extremely accommodating and prepared for us a private indoor area instead with a bar and comfortable seating. It was ideal and a bonus that our guests didn't have to stand out in the rain!
The setting up of the dance floor with lighting was according to our arrangements and went very quickly and smoothly. Throughout the Evening Reception we provided our own live music and stereo music using the sound system and microphones provided by The Dickens Inn. During the dancing we made use of the built in bar which we had paid for in advance.
We throughly recommend the Dickens Inn as the venue to host your wedding day, the place and staff made it such a wonderful occasion that was problem and worry-free. We will always remember it as such a wonderful experience and thank everyone who helped make it special. Many of our guests knew the Dickens Inn and were surprised at its ability to host a Wedding reception, we received much praise for the beautiful reception and its set up.
