Hixter Bankside London Wedding - The First Ever!

January 25, 2016  •  Leave a Comment

 

Exterior of Hixter restaurant with bride and groom, black and white photoHixter Bankside London restaurant wedding photographyCouple outside restaurant entrance

One pretty fail-safe way to guarantee that you'll always remember your wedding anniversary (and, for that matter, ensure that you'll always have friends up for a celebration) is to get married on New Years Eve. Anna & Nick did precisely that, with what can only be described as an absolutely epic party in the heart of London, at the very cool Hixter Bankside restaurant, just down the road from the Shard. As if that wasn't enough in itself, this also happened to be the very first wedding ever to be held there, the restaurant having gone out and secured the licence especially for the occasion! And it was very cool indeed...

Detail of bouquet in front of fire placeLondon Wedding PhotographyBridal preparation in Dulwich Black and white photos of bride and bridesmaid getting ready at homeLondon Wedding PhotographyBridal preparation hair and make up The bride's father getting ready before the ceremonyLondon Wedding PhotographyFather of the bride Bride and bridesmaid apply the finishing touches to the father of the bride's suit and tieLondon Wedding PhotographyFather of the bride Colour photographs of bridal party getting ready at homeLondon Wedding PhotographyBridal preparation in Dulwich The bridesmaid helps the bride with her jewelleryLondon Wedding PhotographyBride and bridesmaid The bride's family see her in her wedding dress for the first timeLondon Wedding PhotographyBride and family Bridal preparation took place in Dulwich, an area I'm getting to know pretty well now after several weddings where some or all of the day has happened there, and then it was straight into the centre for the wedding itself. The ceremony was scheduled for late in the afternoon, so dusk was falling as I crept across town. (One thing I've learned about New Year's Eve weddings in London: allow plenty of time for travel. The roads are busy enough anyway, but as you get closer to the centre you also have road closures to contend with!). No problems reaching the restaurant though, and it was looking fantastic as I entered, all set up and ready for our bride and groom.

Nick was already on site, greeting the guests as they arrived and very quickly started to fill the corridor and bar area. We successfully grabbed a few moments downstairs with best man and ushers for a couple of photos, but with Anna not far behind me (in a huge limo, no less) we were soon back upstairs and taking our positions ready for the first ever bride to walk down the Hixter aisle!

Detail of neon sign and restaurant exteriorHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyVenue exterior The groom, wearing a dark blue suit, with best man as he straightens the tieHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyThe groom Close-up of wedding rings held by best manHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyWedding rings Black and white image of groom with best man and ushers in downstairs cocktail bar at Hixter BanksideHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyGroom and uishers The groom greets wedding guests as they arrive before the ceremonyHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyGroom and guests Wedding guests take their seats in the ceremony room at the front of the restaurantHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyGuests seated The groom waits at the front of the ceremony room as his bride arrivesHixter Bankside London Wedding PhotographyGroom waiting There's no other way to describe it - Anna looked stunning, in what I guess I would call a half-wedding-half-cocktail dress. I've certainly never seen one like it, and a quick glance in Nick's direction confirmed that he was pretty floored by it! And so to the marriage...

The bride walks down the aisle on her father's armHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyBride entrance Black and white image of bridesmaid looking on at start of wedding ceremonyHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyBridesmaid The bride arrives at the start of the marriage ceremonyHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyBride arrives Friends and family watch on as the wedding ceremony commencesHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyThe marriage The bride places the wedding ring on the groom's fingerHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyExchange of rings Bride and groom kiss as they are announced as husband and wifeHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyThe kiss Wedding guests watch on and talk amongst themselves as the bride and groom move to sign the marriage registerHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyWedding guests Colour images of bride and groom signing the registerHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographySigning the register Bride and groom walk down the aisle as husband and wifeHixter Bankside Wedding Ceremony PhotographyWalking down the aisle And then it was on to the party. Trust me, this is a couple which knows how to put on a celebration! And this is where Hixter Bankside really came into its own - what an absolutely superb space for an all-out wedding reception and New Years bash. Downstairs, a very cool cocktail bar, with drinks and canapes flying everywhere (try the chicken popcorn!), and upstairs a large modern restaurant, with stunning and very eye-catching modern art scattered around pretty much everywhere you look. Seriously, this place has got 'party'written all over it!

Champagne glasses in the downstairs cocktail barHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonChampagne Tray of canapés at Hixter Bankside wedding receptionHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonCanapes Bride with guests in the downstairs bar during wedding receptionHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonWedding guests in cocktail bar Music set up in the corner of the cocktail bar, by the wine cellarHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonLive music Guests at wedding reception in cocktail barHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonWedding guests celebrating Best man and wedding guest sat at downstairs cocktail bar during wedding receptionHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonSat at the bar Black and white photographs of wedding guests at barHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonWedding guests Panaromic black and white image of downstairs cocktail bar at Hixter Bankside restaurantHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonCocktail bar Black and white documentary photo of groom with guestsHixter Bankside wedding photographyThe groom Bar billiards at HixterHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonWedding guests Guests in the bar at wedding receptionHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonWedding reception Colour portrait of bride and groom alone in restaurantHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonBride and groom Black and white image of bride and groom in restaurant at Hixter in LondonHixter Bankside restaurant wedding LondonBride and groom in restaurant And the food. Oh my, the food! It turns out that Anna & Nick are very much into the culinary arts, and this had been a huge part of their decision-making process as they were planning the wedding. (Those who know me will attest to the fact that I'm rather into all things edible myself). The wedding breakfast was a meat-lovers paradise (I'm sure there were some vegetarian options too) with a couple of the restaurant's signature dishes forming the backbone: whole stuffed chickens sat perched on a bed of fries, and huge, beautifully rare bone-in rib steaks, all served family-style and in enormous quantities. Oh, and yorkshire puddings the size of footballs to get things started. The word feast is entirely appropriate in this blog post!

Seating plan, table layout and wedding breakfast menuHixter Bankside wedding photographyTable details Restaurant set up for receptionHixter Bankside wedding photographyRestaurant interior The newly married couple are greeted by their guests as they enter the restaurantHixter Bankside wedding photographyBride and groom entrance Chefs prepare the wedding breakfast in the open kitchenHixter Bankside wedding photographyChef Nibbles on the table before the main eventHixter Bankside wedding photographyYorkshire pudding starter Chicken and fries, served family style to each tableHixter Bankside wedding photographyRotisserie chickens Chicken and steak, served family style to guestsHixter Bankside wedding photographyWedding breakfast Guests tuck in to the main mealHixter Bankside wedding photographyGuests at wedding breakfast The compere for the evening introduces the speechesHixter Bankside wedding photographySpeeches A guest watches as the father of the bride begins his speechHixter Bankside wedding photographyFather of the bride Black and white photographs of guest reactions during speechesHixter Bankside wedding photographyGuest reactions The bridesmaid wipes away a tear during the speechesHixter Bankside wedding photographyBridesmaid emotion Black and white documentary image during speechesHixter Bankside wedding photographyGuests watching speeches Guests watching the wedding speechesHixter Bankside wedding photographyColour photos of guests The best man's turn to make his speechHixter Bankside wedding photographyBest man's speech Colour photos of reaction to speechesHixter Bankside wedding photographyGuest reactions The groom stands in front of one of the restaurant's many pieces of art as he makes his speechHixter Bankside wedding photographyGroom's speech Meal and speeches concluded, there was still a party to be had, and a New Year to see in. Also, a few group and family photos, which we set up quickly back downstairs in the bar while the rest of the wedding guests stayed upstairs filling up any spare room with marshmallows, churros and chocolate fondu. And then things really got going - the band kicked in (excellent band, by the way!), the cocktails flowed, the dancing grew wilder and wilder, and midnight suddenly arrived with a bang! And as the party continued on into the early hours of 2016, I was able to sweep our bride and groom out onto the now largely-deserted streets of central London, with the iconic Shard building looking in the background, for a final couple of portraits before returning them to the buzz of one of the greatest celebrations I've ever seen. Way to get married, Anna & Nick! You did this one in serious style!

Group photos were taken in the downstairs cocktail barHixter Bankside wedding photographyFamily group photo Groom with his hockey teamHixter Bankside wedding photographyThe Hockey boys Portrait of bride and groom in cocktail bar at Hixter restaurant LondonHixter Bankside wedding photographyBride and groom alone A candid moment during the group photos in the restaurant areaHixter Bankside wedding photographyFamily photo Bride and groom take to the dancefloor for the first time as husband and wifeHixter Bankside wedding photographyFirst dance The evening's celebrations kick off with dancing to the live bandHixter Bankside wedding photographyOn the dancefloor The band set up in the cocktail barHixter Bankside wedding photographyLive music The best man has a chance to relax at the bar now that his speech is safely behind himHixter Bankside wedding photographyBest man Black and white photos of wedding guests on the dancefloorHixter Bankside wedding photographyOn the dancefloor Candid black and white photography during wedding receptionHixter Bankside wedding photographyEvening party The groom chilling out with old schoolfriendsHixter Bankside wedding photographyGroom with the boys Party in the cocktail barHixter Bankside wedding photographyAt the bar Still going on the dancefloor...Hixter Bankside wedding photographyMore dancing Staff at Hixter pose by the bar, and the party continues...Hixter Bankside wedding photographyCast and crew The bride sees in 2016Hixter Bankside wedding photographyNew Year celebration Black and white photo of confetti at New YearHixter Bankside wedding photographyNew Year wedding celebration Confetti canons as the countdown to midnight reaches its peakHixter Bankside wedding photographyMidnight - happy New Year Bride and groom together on the dancefloor as the party continuesHixter Bankside wedding photographyOn with the celebrations A couple find a quiet space as the new year beginsHixter Bankside wedding photographyA quiet moment Hard-working bar staff!Hixter Bankside wedding photographyBack to the bar The bride and groom alone outside the restaurant late in the nightHixter Bankside wedding photographyBride and groom outside venue The couple on the streets of central London with the Shard in the backgroundHixter Bankside wedding photographyThe Shard Black and white portrait of bride and groom at London New Years Eve weddingHixter Bankside wedding photographyBride and groom The photos above are just a small selection from the day. Friends and family can view the complete set in Anna & Nick's private gallery, but you'll have to ask them for the password first.

 

If you are planning your wedding at Hixter Bankside and would like to know more about my wedding photography services, packages and prices, please don't hesitate to contact me to discuss your plans and ask me any questions you might have. I'm only too happy to help however I can.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, and thanks - as ever - for reading!


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