What's Next?
Welcome to 100 Barrington
First and foremost, we would like to thank you for choosing to hold your wedding here at
100 Barrington. We know how important – and nerve-wracking – this step can be, but we hope that this document will help reduce some of the pressure of the next few steps.
We HIGHLY recommend that you read this guide from top to bottom as it will take you through every step of planning your big day, after which the following quick-jump buttons will be able to take you directly to each section.
Important
Ceremonial
Food & Drink
Stuff You'll Need
Music Etc
Who are we?
We are going to be getting to know everything about you over the coming months, so we thought it was only right for you to know who resides at 100 Barrington and might be on the other end of the phone to you at some point.
We are lucky to have a great team of people who work together to make sure that you are taken care of throughout your journey with us.
First and foremost is Anna, our Bookings Manager, who along with her team will be your first port of call for pretty much everything here at Barrington Towers.
If you decide to join us for a Wet or Mixed Hire (more on that later), you will meet with Dan, who, in addition to being our Operations Manager is our resident sommelier.
We are all kept clean, tidy and presentable by Maria who heads our housekeeping team and will be the person who you meet, bleary-eyed, the morning after your wedding.
And last but by no means least, we are all looked after by the founder and director of the company, Pippa.
In addition to our resident staff (and often it really does feel like we live here), we also have Tamsyn, Lorraine, India, Steph, Ciara, Martyn, Chase and Fernando who make up our Duty Management team.
Finally, Joe is the supremo at our tech partner who support 100 Barrington; whilst Joe is not technically a member of Barrington staff, he is very much part of the family and someone you will definitely meet between now and your big day.
Event Data Sheet
Our Event Data Sheet (also known as the EDS) can be downloaded by clicking the button below.
This spreadsheet will be your best friend in getting your head around the steps that lie ahead and will make communicating your decisions incredibly straight forward.
Don't panic! We don't expect you to have this done and dusted all by yourself; we will be inviting you to a meeting with your caterer and someone from our senior team about two weeks before your big day to make sure that all of the Is are crossed and the Ts are dotted.
We do, however, suggest that you use this document to help guide your plans and to see what decisions will need to be made.
Your Ceremony
Ceremonies held here fall into one of two categories: legal civil ceremony (both civil marriage and civil partnership) or a celebration of partnership.
If you choose to hold your legal ceremony here, you will need to book a registrar from the local authority – more on that in a minute. If you choose to hold the legally binding part of your union somewhere else (such as a church or registry office), you can then still hold a “celebration” here, presided over by a celebrant.
Celebrants can be chosen by you to match the style and feel of the ceremony you are looking for; a list of our recommended officiants are below.
Do note that, as a rule, a bare-bones legal ceremony is only 15-20 minutes long; lots of couples choose to add a reading, a speech, a music performance, or a combination of the above to make a fuller ceremony, keeping in mind that a civil ceremony cannot allude to anything religious in any part of the proceedings.
Book Your Registrar
If you are planning on holding your legal ceremony here, you need to book a registrar from the local authority; once you have secured your date with us, this should be job number one as slots book up quickly, especially with dates in high season. 100 Barrington sits within the London borough of Lambeth, and they can be contacted via the button below.
The time you choose to get hitched is, of course, up to you, however, we find that the 1/2/3 p.m. slots give the best rhythm to your day. This will also allow sufficient time for your guests to arrive, and hopefully have had some lunch!
Please note that there are additional fees if you schdule guest arrival before 2 p.m.
Please don’t forget to bring your ID on the day of your wedding for the Registrar.
Your Event Manager
This is a vital role for the day, and a position that comes with a long list of responsibilities here at Barrington, above and beyond what you might normally expect.
First, the good news: when you book through one of our catering partners, they will, by default, supply you with an Event Manager as part of the package. All of our partners and their associated Event Managers are experienced, not just in wedding day management, but also in managing the specific requirements of our venue.
You are more than welcome to enlist a wedding planner or on-the-day coordinator, but your caterer will always allocate a manager from their team who will be here from before the first delivery arrives at 9 a.m. until after the very last collection, usually about 2 a.m.
A separate event manager is required for events that are not being fully catered and staffed by one of our partners. This EM can be sourced directly through 100 Barrington or from one of our approved companies.
Pattern of the Day
Your day is your day, and your Event Manager or Wedding Planner will help advise you on relevant plans, but the following are two example sketches of what we know works well for our venue:
Fine Dining or Family Style?
You have successfully nailed down your venue and confirmed your Registrar. Now comes the fun bit: choosing your caterer.
100 Barrington have partnered with a wide selection of catering teams, creating a rolodex that can cater for a wide selection of palates and cuisines. These caterers have been chosen because of their ethos, the quality of what they produce and because they fully understand the idiosyncrasies of our venue and the expectations therein.
Do note that we do not receive any sort of commission for your booking with any of our partners; these are simply individuals and companies in whom we have confidence.
The role of the caterer here at Barrington is not just cooking and plating; they also have considerable additional responsibilities that most catering companies would not expect. As a consequence of this, we only allow clients to use caterers from outside of our list of pre-approved partners if - through religious or cultural reasons - we do not have a partner that can offer the cuisine that you are looking for.
Two quick notes on non-approved caterers:
1 - Please note that there is a £475 + VAT surcharge for using a non-approved caterer, payable as £100+VAT for the application and the balance on approval.
2 - We advise that you do not make any payments to non-approved caterers until you have received confirmation that they have completed a successful site visit and have submitted all paperwork and certificates.
Please talk to us as early as possible if you are considering a non-approved caterer - we may be able to steer you in the right direction!
It's worth noting here that most of the suppliers that you have engaged (such as photographer, videographer, etc) will have in their contracts that you need to supply them with a meal if they are here all day.
Evening Food
Whilst we are hovering around the subject of food, we heartily recommend supplying your guests with some evening sustenance, usually served no earlier than 9 p.m.; this is especially important if you are inviting evening guests.
All of our catering partners offer evening catering packages; these are usually either circulated by waiting staff or a served as an evening buffet.
Choosing evening food from a caterer different to your main supplier has additional complications that need to be factored into your planning; please make sure you talk to us before you book a separate caterer.
Santé, prost, salute and cheers!
An exhaustive rundown of our drinks packages can be found in our bar brochure below, as well as our current drinks menu.
In short, there are three options when it comes to all things liquid, a precis of which are:
Dry Hire
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You supply all of the drinks yourself from your chosen supplier(s)
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Your caterer supplies all of the staff
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You offer complimentary drinks to your guests throughout the day and evening
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All glassware, garnish, ice etc ordered through your caterer
Wet Hire
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100 Barrington takes care of supplying all of the drinks for your day
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We provide all staffing for bar-related activities
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You offer a paid bar in the evening*
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All glassware, garnish, ice etc included
Mixed Hire
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You supply all drinks up to and including the point where you leave the dining room; 100 Barrington takes care of the evening
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Your caterer supplies the staff up to and including dinner; we staff the evening
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You offer a paid bar in the evening*
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All glassware supplied by the venue for a fee. All garnish, ice etc supplied by your caterer for the daytime and by the venue for the evening
*With the paid bar, you can either have your guests pay for all of their own evening drinks; you can pre-set a tab to kick things off; or you can essentially offer a free bar to your guests, but you pick up the final tab.
Do chat to our bar team before you make any decisions on this - there may be routes and options open to you that you had not considered.
Each of these options comes with a catalogue of further info and T&Cs which are all laid out in the drinks brochure below.
Cocktails
As you will have seen in the brochure above, the Barrington Bar Service is constantly evolving to bring in the best of what each season has to offer.
However, one staple of our bar is our cocktail list!
Barrington work with the award-winning The Cocktail Society, to ensure that our bar (or should that be your bar?) is suitably stocked with mouth-watering – and thoroughly Instagrammable – creations.
A very popular option for our Wet and Mixed Hire clients has become known as “the livener”: as you and your guests emerge from the dining space after dinner, you are greeted by the sight of 120 Espresso Martinis laid out along our zinc-topped bar – the perfect lift to transition your beautiful day into an exciting evening.
Babes, toddlers, kids and teens
Whilst we are not set-up to be a child-centric venue,
100 Barrington warmly welcomes children to wedding ceremonies and the subsequent meal. There is an obligation on the parents or guardians to ensure that children are not left unattended at any time and that their behaviour is appropriate: you don’t want a 4-year-old running full speed into a waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes! This includes babies asleep in strollers and young’uns wandering off to explore.
Children are welcome to stay at your reception up until
10 p.m., after which time they must depart from the venue. Exceptions can be made when the children are immediate family of the couple, but this is agreed on a case-by-case basis. In these circumstances, as before, children must be accompanied at all times.
At 100 Barrington, we do not allow those under 18 to consume alcohol, even with the meal. This is a non-negotiable policy. Any person under the age of 18 who is found drinking or being under the influence of alcohol will be asked to leave, along with the adult who is responsible for them.
The final decision for all matters relating to the continued presence of children at an event resides with the 100 Barrington Duty Manager.
Added Extras
When it comes to weddings, everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a perfect day; what may be OTT or cheesy for some might be just right for others, and this permeates through every facet of your day.
Two quick notes:
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The best providers book up months and months in advance, so if you are thinking about an added extra, booking sooner rather than later is advised.
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Do keep in mind that whatever decoration/floristry is installed for your day will need to be removed from the event spaces that night.
Unfortunately, 100 Barrington cannot supply ladders for decoration; ladders must be brought in by your supplier and are used at their own risk.
Photos
Every photographer has their own style and it’s important that you find the photographer that ticks your box. On the off-chance that your second cousin is not Annie Leibowitz, there are several on our preferred partners page, all with extensive Instagram archives that you can flick through and see what floats your boat.
Flowers
Whether you are looking for just the one modest bouquet or you are planning on recreating the Chelsea Flower Show in SW9, we recommend confirming your date with your florist as soon as possible, particularly if you are going for it. One thing to keep in mind is that whatever is put into the room for the day will need to be removed that night – there is more on clearing up at the end of the day later on in this document.
Cake
Made of sponge or made of Brie, the wedding cake is as omnipresent at a wedding as a fist-biting best man’s speech. Do consider:
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Who’s making it?
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How big it will be?
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When it will be delivered?
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How will it be stored?
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Who’s assembling it?
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What it will be made of? (I wasn’t kidding about the Brie)
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When are you cutting it?
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Are guests going to be offered it to eat on the night or to take away?
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Where it will be situated?
On this last point, having the cake displayed during that day makes for some great pics – have a chat to us about options for where to display it.
Guestbook, Gifts & Cards
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Guest book
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The guest book is quite often situated on the same table as the cake, as is the…
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…Card box
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Whether you told them to or not, people WILL bring you a card, and lots will bring presents, too. We recommend sourcing yourself a nice basket or post box for people to pop their cards in when they arrive. Top tip: if you are using something that is not obviously a letter box, putting your own card in the basket addressed “to the happy couple” helps get the ball rolling.
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On behalf of my wife and me…
Wedding speeches are a lynchpin moment in your special day, so do have a think about the following things:
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Job one: appoint an MC
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Select from amongst your guests someone to welcome everyone, to announce who the next speaker is going to be and who they are to you as a couple.
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Who is going to speak?
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Traditions of who gets to speak and who doesn’t are long gone, so the world really is your oyster. Do keep one eye on your plan for timings when deciding if Great Aunt Sheila really does need to speak, too.
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Do. Not. Try. To. Wing. It.
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Even the most experienced of speakers can get nervous, and that possibility only increases when emotions are high. Whether scripted or bullet points on a card, we do recommend everyone has a plan, if only to make sure they stick to their allotted time!
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For how long will everyone be speaking?
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A tricky one this, and one where we cannot offer too much guidance, save to say that we have never had a complaint that the speeches were too short!
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Will they be using a microphone?
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The answer to this should be a resounding yes!
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When are they going to speak?
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Tradition used to dictate that speeches followed the meal, but this has often resulted in speakers either being too nervous to actually eat their meal or being three-sheets-to-the-wind before they get their hands on a microphone. Have a think about when the best time for each person would be to speak…
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Will everyone be speaking one after another?
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…indeed, there is nothing to stop you breaking up when the various people will offer their warm words to you and your spouse – the schedule above gives you a suggestion but is by no means the only way of doing it.
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Where are they speaking from?
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Two main options here: 1 - from their own seats, with the microphone being taken to the next speaker by your MC, or 2 – from one specific spot. Both options have their benefits, but the main “pro” for everyone going to one spot is that we can have the mic on a stand which avoids mic-technique training for your nearest and dearest.
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Where are they sitting?
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Do make sure that your speakers are not tucked away in the back corner with 24 people to climb over to get out.
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Are they using any tech?
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Some speech givers – and, let’s be honest, it’s usually the best man – decide to bring out a slide show or something of the like. We do recommend that you don’t head down this route, but if you do, please speak to Joe well in advance about hiring one in for the event.
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Are you doing bubbly?
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Are your speeches just speeches, or are they a toast? If they are a toast, are you going to have people use whatever they have in their glass, or are you having something sparking brought out especially? Do have a chat to Dan from Barrington and your Catering Manager about how to best manage this part.
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All things tech
Included in the hire fee are our uplighters and the lighting festoons both in the main room and the courtyard; for everything else there’s our wonderful tech partner Vivid London, based just across from us here. Once you have got an idea of the style of wedding that you are looking to create, send an email to Joe Lucas who will be able to advise you on the packages that they have to offer, ranging from one microphone and a few fairy lights, through to the South London version of Coachella.
Please note that it is a condition of our license that you use our sole technical partner.
Get your groove on
Having now nailed down your technician and all things loud and bright, it’s time to turn your thoughts to the latter part of the evening.
Our first piece of advice in this section is: playlists are your friends! Create several playlists on your Spotify, numbering them sequentially and clearly naming them with the various sections of the day, e.g.:
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1 - Pre-arrival music
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2 - Couple arrival/entrance
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3 - Register signing
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4 - Couple leaving
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5 - Reception in the bar
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6 - During dinner
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7 - First dance
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8 - Pre-band dancing
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9 - Music for band’s break
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10 - Post-band music
Having these playlists clearly named and broken down allows you to curate exactly what you want to hear in each part of your day, it helps Joe and his team know what to play and when, and it makes sure that it’s the exact version of the tune you want… you don’t want to unexpectedly find yourself walking down the aisle to David Guetta’s remix of the Bridal March.
Fun sponge moment: we do not allow guests to dance/be in the venue without footwear. Given the propensity of revellers to remove their clodhoppers after a few songs, we recommend that you provide a basket of flipflops, or something of that ilk to help those who forgot their flats. Please can you make sure you communicate this to your guests.
Next up you need to think about whether you are thinking of a band, a DJ, or both. Joe from Vivid will be able to help you through the requirements for your chosen act and has a wide selection & price list of PA equipment to help supplement if needed.
Do note that your band/DJ must have PAT tested equipment to be able to perform here.
First dance
Most couples do a first dance. Obviously, you don’t have to, but most do. We suggest that you have a think about the following suggestions to make this process as lovely, but as smooth as possible:
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Who is playing it?
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It’s really important that you (and we) know if the first dance music will be played by a band, a DJ or a playlist song. If you are having a DJ play this important song, do make sure that they actually know that they are playing it, and which version they are playing.
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Announce the dance
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Your guests will probably have been at the bar whilst the room is being set-up for the evening’s festivities; we recommend that your MC/Best Man/Wedding Planner announces the dance and asks guests to move through to the main space whilst you are nowhere to be seen so that you can...
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Make an entrance
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By this point in the day, you have probably had enough of being the centre of attention, but you probably don’t want to be standing awkwardly in the middle of the dance floor waiting for everyone to pile in. Before your MC announces the dance, secrete yourself outside in the courtyard (our Duty Manager can help you with this), allowing you to make a suitable entrance for your first dance.
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Plan an interruption
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Your friends will love to see you dance together, your granny will shed a tear and Aunt Jane will be glad that Uncle Simon has been prised away from the bar, but most people would rather not stand motionless for all 4 minutes and 32 seconds of Perfect by Ed Sheeran.
We recommend that you have pre-arranged with a few couples to join you on the dance floor after a certain amount of time, opening the flood gates for the rest of your guests to join you on the dance floor.
One further teeny tiny piece of advice: it’s particularly helpful if you ask at least one couple who are not in the bridal party to join you for the “interruption”, so that people don’t think that it’s exclusively time for your bridesmaids to dance.
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Smoking, vaping and *other things*
There is no event that reawakens a latent smoker quite like the reception of a friend’s wedding. Therefore, even if you think you don’t have any friends that smoke, we create a roped-off smoking area at the far end of the courtyard near the large wooden doors. This is the only area that we can offer as a place to smoke or vape whilst guests are on site.
Whilst we are hovering around the subject of ingested substances, 100 Barrington operates a strict zero-tolerance approach to any illegal substances.
Anyone (and we mean anyone) found in possession of, or under the influence of, illegal drugs will be removed from the premises.
The outdoor space is fully open and flexible until 10 p.m. Due to the residential nature of our environs, after this time the bifold doors will be closed and the courtyard becomes a space to pop out to for a breath of fresh air (with or without nicotine). The small print: post 10 p.m., no alcohol is permitted outside, and numbers are limited to six at any one time. The door in/out is manned by a member of the security staff.
After 10 p.m., 100 Barrington offers no readmittance: it’s vital that any evening guests have arrived by this time, and that all attendees know that they are unable to leave the venue with a view to returning.
Candles, confetti and balloons
Whilst we are discussing some “dos and don’ts”, we need to flag a few other parameters that you need to consider:
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100 Barrington is a flame-free site, this is both in the catering space (where gas is not permissible) and in the guest areas, where candles are not permitted under any circumstances. High-quality flameless candles are available from many outlets, or you are able to rent our in-house set for your day.
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A wedding would not be complete without confetti, but we ask that only natural petals, or non-dyed biodegradable paper confetti is used. Plastic confetti is not permitted and all confetti must be thrown outside.
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Helium balloons are permitted on site, but canisters of Helium are not; any balloons that are being used for your wedding must arrive pre-inflated.
Things to sit on and eat off
For your ceremony, there are two layouts that work particularly well for indoor ceremonies.
The first layout is having guests face the Barrington Road windows (the inspiration for our branding); this focuses the ceremony in the narrowest part of the room and creates an intimate feeling. The second option is having your guests face the long wall opposite the bar with the chairs arranged in a semicircle across the width of the room.
For a wedding breakfast of 80 or more guests, we recommend planning two or three long tables running the full length of the space. This gives the catering team enough space to move around your seated guests and creates a warm, relaxed atmosphere for you to dine. The flexibility of the space and the furniture means that you can turn 100 Barrington into a white-linen fine-dining environment just as easily as you can create an informal, family-style banquet.
In addition to the dining furniture, a set of red leather Chesterfield sofas is included in your package. For the daytime, we recommend that the four main sofas (two two-seaters and two three-seaters) are arranged in two L-shapes in the main bar. In the evening, this can be rearranged if your numbers go above 120.
Last orders, please
At the end of your night, the bar will be cleared down by the bar team; if you have run a dry bar and you own all of the drinks, they will be stored in the Duty Manager’s office for collection the next day (more on that later).
All decoration and other accoutrements installed for your day will need to be removed that night by your Event Manager and team; these will also be stored in the DM office overnight.
As Barrington is in use most days, our cleaning team arrive at 6am to refresh and restore our venue for the next event – so no belongings can be left in the main room, bar, or catering arch overnight.
Time to go home
The schedule for the end of your evening (on Friday and Saturday) is recommended to be:
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00.30: bar closes
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00.45: music fades
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01.00: all guests departed.
The school disco-esque end to the evening is not our style: we won’t just slam the lights on full blast at 12.45, but we would be very grateful for your help in making sure that your guests are departing in a timely manner.
At the end of the night, all guests leave through the Gresham Road exit (between the WCs); please do keep in mind when leaving that this is a residential area and keep street-side frivolities to a quiet minimum.
Taxi!
Finding a guaranteed parking space near Barrington is basically impossible at the best of times, so we heartily recommend that you use public transport to get to and from the venue. During the day there are several bus routes that stop less than a minute’s walk from the venue, and Brixton tube is just round the corner.
Getting home after the festivities, we recommend:
Taxi Pre 10p.m.
If leaving before 10 p.m., the pickup address for taxis is
100 Barrington Road, SW9 7JF.
Taxi Post 10 p.m.
When leaving at the end of the evening, the pickup address is 71 Gresham Road, SW9 7NU.
Tube
The Victoria Line is about an eight-minute walk from us (maybe 15 mins after one or two espresso martinis); the tube runs until midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 24 hours a day on Friday and Saturday.
Bus
There are two 24-hour buses that run past the venue: the 35, which runs Shoreditch and Clapham, and the 345, which goes to South Kensington and Peckham.
Driving
If you do need to drive here, there are a handful of Pay by Phone spaces in the vicinity of the venue. In addition, outside of the hours 08.30-17.30 Monday-Friday, the single yellow lines in the area are often free for parking, however these are not guaranteed and there are often other restrictions in place, so please don’t bank on their availability.
Access before and after your event
During our busiest months we can be hosting three events in any given weekend, which means that we have to be pretty strict on when couples can access the venue either side of their actual wedding day.
As mentioned before, the default access times to the venue are 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. on your day and it is in this time window you and your Event Manager can arrange any collections and drop offs.
From time-to-time we may be able to offer access to the venue on the day before your event to drop off drinks, decorations, etc – please note that this is by no means a guarantee and is not something that we would be able to offer or confirm until a few days before your big day.
So that you and your team don’t have to worry about carting off your undrunk bubbly and centrepieces on the night of your wedding, we offer couples (or their delegate) the opportunity to come the next morning to collect.
So that this collection does not interfere with the next day’s event, this slot is very strictly between 9 a.m. and 9.40 a.m. the day after the celebration.
So, what’s included?
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Hire of the main room, bar space and courtyard
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Catering space "540" (N.B. there is no guest access to this space)
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Access from 9 a.m. - 2 a.m. (including set-up and clearing time)
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Guest access 2 p.m. - 1 a.m. (early arrival and departure available for a fee)
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100 Barrington Duty Manager on the day
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SIA security staff
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Lighting festoon in the main space
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Lighting festoon in the courtyard
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Box uplighters in the main space
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Our tables and chairs for the meal and ceremony
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Chesterfield sofas
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All plants and greenery throughout the venue
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Mains power
And what’s not included?
This section is a little harder to get down as an exhaustive list, but some things to bear in mind that are not included:
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Technical installations, including P.A. and lighting
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Surcharge for non-approved caterer
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Fees to the local authority
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Our LED candles or vintage whisky barrels
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Catering and entertainment costs
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Various aspects of the bar, including glassware – please see the Bar Brochure for more info
Any more questions?
Huge congratulations if you have made it this far through this guide without losing the will to live! We really hope that this pack has helped answer some questions for you, even if it has also created about 99 more.
If you have any questions, queries or want to clarify anything, please don’t hesitate to contact the team.
All terms, conditions, and pricing are correct at time of communication but are subject to change without notice prior to contracts being signed and deposit paid. In the interest of health and safety or changes in legal parameters, 100 Barrington also reserves the right to make changes to terms and conditions after the contract has been signed; in these circumstances changes will be communicated to the client as soon as possible. This document is advisory and does not constitute any legal obligation from 100 Barrington to the client. This document is the intellectual property of 100 Barrington Limited and should not be copied, shared or reproduced by individuals or organisations without the express permission of 100 Barrington Limited.
