Reception venue help!! NW/W/SW London?

Alleycat

Hi all,

Well we're still searching for a venue for our reception. Hoping you lovely people might have a few suggestions!

Our wants:-

Sit down meal for 45
Space for dancing of some sort i.e. DJ, small band
Pretty, gastropub style - stripped wood, a bit of victorian charm mixed with some individuality, bright and airy
Preferrably some outside space i.e. patio, beer garden

We are not fussed if its a pub, restaurant etc. Not too much to ask surely?!

I have searched and searched to find the perfect place and I just can't find it. We have visited a few possibles as well and I am starting to wonder if such a place exists!!

Alley

Horace

Hi Alleycat

Have you tried the London Wetland Centre near Richmond?

http://www.wwt.org.uk/text/537/venue_hire.html

They have some lovely rooms for weddings. You need to scroll down the page on the link to see the rooms they have to hire.

Alleycat

Hi Horace,

Thanks for the suggestion. We have been in contact with them and they are quite inflexible and a bit out of our price bracket unfortunately.

Thanks for posting though!

We are seriously getting to the stage where we are going to elope to Gretna Green!

Horace

Ah but Alleycat you can't elope there, you have to be there a few days before they will marry you:rolleyes:

Anyway, have you thought out of a box a bit? I can remember once attending a party at the rugby club in Walton on Thames which is on an island in the Thames (don't know their details unfortunately), it might be worth a look.

There are a few nice places in Thames Ditton too, I was thinking somewhere like Ye Olde Swan which is on the river but I am not sure of their prices though (food is nice)

Molanole

Don't know if you've found somewhere now or if these will fit what you want but this is my favourite pub in Ealing:

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/93/938/Red_Lion/Ealing

It's not very big but has a garden out back, and I have seen parties out in the garden where it's been hired out. Great food but not sure if they'll accomodate a band.

Or there's this:

http://www.thegrangelondon.co.uk/thecommonroom.htm

They have a function room, and a nice garden and a summer house. Food is good and it's directly opposite Ealing Common so in summer I think you can spill out onto the Common. I know they used to do a picnic service to take onto the Common which might be a good idea.

Or there's this in Shepherds Bush:

http://www.defectors-weld.com/snug-bar.php

The snug bar can be hired and I know they have music nights in there. Food's ok too. Only drawback is outside space is tiny and really is only there as a space for people to smoke in rather than somewhere to sit out and enjoy the sunshine.

Hope this helps.

Mola

Alleycat

Hi, thanks Mola for the suggestions!

We ended up booking Pembroke Lodge in Richmond as we went off the idea of a pub. We couldn't find a pub big enough and quite a few did not allow children in after 8pm even with a private party. Probably something I should have thought about, but when they said they could do wedding receptions it didn't even enter my head that it would mean no children. Seeing as we have a nearly 4 year old ourselves, big problem!