Date of wedding: Saturday 20th May 2023
Number of guests: 92
The event space: The Bays
Unconditional love deserves an unconventional venue. Any wedding, whatever the theme or scale, can weave its story within our walls.
Recently, Grace and Anis celebrated their big day in style at Victoria Warehouse. We caught up with them to hear more about their experience…
Why Victoria Warehouse?
Before choosing Victoria Warehouse, we’d been looking online for months at lots of traditional venues, but none of them grabbed our attention enough for us to view them in person. We just felt that they lacked uniqueness.
We lived in Manchester city centre at the time and decided to look at cool venues near to us. We had known Victoria Warehouse from our student days but didn’t realise they did weddings. We felt that Victoria Warehouse would be a cool option, so we went to go and look at the space. It was the first venue we viewed in person, and as soon as we walked in, we knew it was for us. It had the perfect balance between a good party atmosphere and a romantic setting. It was exactly what we wanted, and we loved how the place already had a lot of character. Something about the energy made us feel ‘this is the place’. It’s such a good canvas to do with it what you want.
Did your wedding have a theme?
Anis has Moroccan heritage, which is something we wanted to celebrate. Rather than having a fully Moroccan wedding, we opted for a boho and Moroccan fusion. We also blended the industrial history of Victoria Warehouse into the theme. This included having a burnt orange, rustic colour scheme, as well as including natural greens from plants. We had a Moroccan tea stand, and the table plan had a Moroccan style.
What parts of the venue did you use?
Our ceremony and evening reception were both held in The Bays, which is a wonderful space that even has its own cinema room. The whole reception area also got used. There are some really nice photo spots in the venue, where the lighting looks magical. Our day was beautiful and sunny, so people spent a lot of time outside on the terrace. The outdoor area has benches and makes a cool backdrop for photos. On our wedding day, Bad Boy Chiller Crew were playing at the O2 Victoria Warehouse space, and the band came out to cheer us on for some of our wedding photos. We went down to the Quays for photos by the bridge as well, which makes for a picturesque background.
Talk us through your big day?
Anis and I got ready separately (I was in our flat, and he was in a nearby hotel). The ceremony started at 1:30pm, and Anis arrived at 12:15pm with the groomsman. Once the guests were seated in the ceremony room, I arrived with my dad and bridesmaids. I walked down the aisle to traditional wedding music. Then, we exchanged personal vows, reading out letters that we had written to each other.
After the ceremony, Anis and I had a special moment, where we were taken into a side room whilst everyone got ready with the confetti outside. We enjoyed some prosecco together.
After the throwing of the confetti, Moroccan tea and biscuits were served. We then had photos taken, followed by our three-course wedding breakfast and the speeches. In The Bay’s cinema room, we chose to have Interstellar playing throughout the day, as this was the first film we watched together. So, we spent 15 minutes watching that whilst the room underwent a changeover. Once we’d cut the cake, it was time for the party and dancing, including a live band, DJ, and taco station. The evening came to a close at about 1am.
How was the venue dressed?
The Event Edit did our venue dressing. We used a lot of candles and greenery, as well as fairy lights and drop-down lights to make it atmospheric. There were a lot of Moroccan decorations, including peacock chairs.
How did the venue team help to make your day special?
Leading up to the day, Eve was really accommodating. She answered all our questions and made us aware of anything we needed to know. We felt like our best interests were put first, and we were guided to make the day how we wanted it to be. On the day, Nateesha and Jade were amazing, and we couldn’t thank them enough. They made the day so special, chatting with us and our guests, as well as sorting the music. They had the perfect balance of friendly but also professional and on the case. We met them the day before the wedding, and they made us feel really at ease. They helped the day to move as it should, on schedule. We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day.
We also appreciated how flexible the venue team were. For example, we had different set menus to choose from, but they were able to adapt that for us. We asked if we could have something that wasn’t on the menu, which they were happy to provide. A lot of Anis’ family are Muslim, and the venue team catered for this well, with halal dietary requirements and an alcohol-free drinks station. The non-alcohol drinks were even served in different glasses, to avoid any confusion.
What impressed you most about Victoria Warehouse?
It was so amazing that we couldn’t pick out just one single thing. Victoria Warehouse is stunning and breathtaking, with every little detail put together perfectly. We also thought the quality of the food and drink was impressive. The staff were very professional and likable.
Are you looking for a magical venue for your perfect day? Find out more about weddings at Victoria Warehouse.
Photo credit: @jennyappletonphotoandfilm
