Bistrotheque wedding, a chic East London venue

Bistrotheque: a stylish, industrial East London reception venue

Ed and Mark were separated in different parts of the world for twelve months during the pandemic. Their love for each other got them through, and they celebrated their wedding just over a week ago, with karaoke, gorgeous cocktails, oysters and many tears all round. Dozens and dozens of friends and family who couldn't travel tuned in for the live stream, zoomed in to give speeches, and held parties around the globe.

"But who will play you in the movie of your love story?" "Rhianna, and John Malkovich"

I feel very lucky to have met these two beautiful people and photographed their celebration.

The venue they chose for the reception, Bistrotheque, offers fantastic natural light and has an open, airy feel, with industrial decor. The 20th-century industrial warehouse of brick, concrete and steel essentially offers a blank canvas, requiring very little styling. There are multiple spaces that can be used depending on whether you are planning an intimate wedding or a larger celebration. This couple chose the upstairs dining room to accommodate their many guests, but there is a second, smaller private dining area downstairs, which is a great choice for smaller weddings. One feature I particularly loved was the baby Grand piano in the corner of the room, and the open bar area where guests were served cocktails and generous platters of oysters, cured meats, salads and fresh breads. If you’ve never been to Bistrotheque then please treat yourself to brunch; the food is excellent, combining French Bistro and Modern British style cuisine. Choose from options with witty names such as the ‘Phoebe Buffay’, which includes Gordal olives, Torres crisps, Smoked almonds, broad beans and Charcuterie. How much does a wedding cost at Bistrotheque? The event pricing is really transparent and designed to allow couples to customise their event as they choose, with a variety of packages to suit different wedding sizes and budgets. Bistrotheque’s been an art-crowd favorite for two decades. The downstairs space was once legendary for its cabaret shows and has recently (summer 2024) reopened as a dinner theatre space with regular drag shows, making it the perfect place to celebrate your queer wedding.

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Bistrotheque wedding order of the day

This wedding day was divided into four parts. The two grooms got ready together at home in East London, with Mark’s Mum and Dad there to share the morning with them. Personally, I think it makes a lot of sense to spend the morning of your wedding or civil partnership with the person you’re getting married or partnered to, but some people prefer the anticipation of spending the night before separately. In terms of your photos, a shared morning can make for some slow, quiet moments between the two of you, before everyone else arrives.

We then headed to the ceremony where Ed and Mark were joined by a handful of special guests. For me, this really works as a format; inviting a select few guests to share the ceremony before opening up the wedding reception to your wider friends and family. This gives you time to spend with your closest loved ones, and means you can get away with booking a smaller ceremony space. If you are in two minds about a smaller (20-30 people) wedding, dividing your day into these two parts can be a nice compromise. Ed and Mark invited two of their close friends to give readings at their civil ceremony, prompting tears from everyone in the room (including myself and the registrar). Your civil ceremony script can be personalised however you choose, as long as the legally binding part is spoken. Don’t feel restricted to the script you’re given and please, if you are a same-gender couple who receives a ‘Mr & Mrs’ script, let your registry office know! Ed and Mark also wrote their own vows to one another, which were utterly beautiful.

After the ceremony we had some time to take photos in the park before leaving for the reception. Ed and Mark’s wedding party had been asked to wear something yellow to stand out as a group. I think this is a really lovely way of going about the ‘dresscode’ for your wedding party, without asking everyone to wear perfectly matching outfit; it allows each individual personality and style to shine. We took some photos of the group strutting through the park arm in arm, and then some of Ed and Mark. On a busy wedding day, with lots going on, it’s often a good idea to break up the ‘couple photos’ into short bursts throughout the day, especially if you are hopping between locations. This maximises your time with your guests and means you aren’t away from the action for too long. Alternatively, you can choose to hang back while your guests make their way to the reception, and aim for a longer portrait session to give you a breather from everyone’s company for a while. A detour to get a coffee, or a pint, can be a good excuse for some time alone in the middle of the day.

We took a taxi over to Bistrotheque; a beautiful, industrial East London wedding venue. Here Ed and Mark were joined by dozens more guests, including those who lived far away, who joined us via Zoom link to share in the day. As mentioned earlier, short busts of couple photos can work for a long and busy wedding day. We waited until the light hit just right, and the speeches were over, for a quick wander around outside the venue. Ed and Mark took their cocktails along for the walk, and we found the area right outside the restaurant is surprisingly quiet; ideal for a quick portrait session. Where the couple were placed in the dining room during speeches allowed them to look out across the space and see all of their friends and family seated at the long tables in the industrial style space. The spacious room allowed them to move around and spend time with different clusters of friends.

After our time at Bistrotheque ended, we headed back to Ed and Mark’s home for an after-party in their garden and karaoke in the sunshine.  It was really special to spend time with them and their closest friends at home, and I think it’s amazing how much Ed and Mark packed into their day. Planned right, you can have an intimate wedding reception, a massive party, and a house party all in one day.

I love couples who aren’t done after the reception and carry on with an afterparty - some of my favourite wedding memories are of the impromptu afterparties with the last ones standing piling into the couples’ home or hotel suite to continue the celebrations.

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I’m always so happy to cover a Bistrotheque wedding, it’s easily one of my favourite venues in the city for its fantastic light, excellent food and history.