Blog

If you’re getting married and are on the hunt for a unique, memorable venue for a wedding reception in London, then you need to consider taking to the water and cruising down the River Thames.

Thames river cruises are the perfect location for a wedding reception, allowing you and your guests to celebrate your special day in true style, with London’s twinkling sights as your backdrop. You can wind your way past the Shard, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and many other iconic landmarks all whilst enjoying a party aboard your own private vessel.

Below are a few things that you need to consider if you are thinking about a River Thames cruise for your wedding reception.

Selecting your vessel

Here at West End on the Thames we have a whole fleet of amazing boats for you to choose from. Our boats range in size allowing us to cater for groups of up to 500 guests. We also provide versatile boats that can be dressed and arranged to suit your requirements and specific tastes.

It’s your special day, so you want to guarantee you’re getting the party you dreamed of, and with our wide and varied fleet, you can opt for the perfect boat for your event.

Key considerations!

When it comes to planning a wedding reception there is a lot to take on. You’ll want to arrange catering, entertainment, and decor. All of which can be tricky when you’re organising an event on the river.

That is, unless you opt for a leading event planning company like West End on the Thames. Not only can we help you design the perfect menus for the day, but we can also select ideal entertainment options, and provide stunning, personalised decor that suits your specific needs.

Take away the stress of organising your own event and work closely with our expert team to build a perfect wedding reception on the water.

Choosing a route

When arranging a wedding reception on the Thames you’ll want to give some consideration to the route you’ll be taking. Which specific landmarks would you like to see?

You’ll also need to take into account the tides and other factors. That’s why working with West End on the Thames can make deciding on the route a breeze. Our team of experts arrange events on the river every single day. So we can work with you to plot out the perfect route for your big day.

We can make use of over 20 piers from the Thames Barrier to Putney, allowing you to take in a whole array of sights including Cutty Sark, Butler’s Wharf, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The Shard, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Battersea Power Station, and more!

Logistics

When it comes to weddings, the logistics can be a real nightmare. And again, if you’re looking to host an event on the Thames, things can become more complicated. You’ll want to ensure that all of your guests are present and ready to depart, so that you’re not leaving anyone behind as you pull away down the river.

Luckily for you, our team of experts are world class, and can arrange transportation, parking, and accommodation, taking all of the pressure away from you. They are even able to help with accessibility ensuring that all guests are able to make it aboard and get around the vessel safely.

Organising vendors and suppliers

If you’re getting married you’re probably gearing up to spend days researching different vendors and suppliers to allow you to put together the best event possible. However, you really should let West End on the Thames handle it for you.

Thanks to our many years’ of experience in organising events on the River Thames, our team is also on hand to help recommend the absolute best vendors, suppliers, and caterers around. We can also liaise directly with these businesses, so you don’t have to. That means we can sort everything from catering to music, decorations to photography, handling all the different aspects of your day from start to finish.

Don’t take our word for it, hear what these people had to say

We can tell you everything about what we offer. But sometimes, you just want to hear from those people who have been there before you.

We’ve organised a number of wedding receptions on the Thames and here are some words from past clients who let us arrange their special day for them.

We put together a wedding reception for Gemma that included a summer barbecue menu and fresh flowers. We also personalised the wedding items to fit her more informal brief. Both the bride and groom were incredibly happy with how the event went and both gave great feedback, saying: "I just wanted to say thank you to you and the team for looking after us so well on Saturday.  The boat looked amazing, the food was delicious and you made organising the whole thing so stress free, we all had such a brilliant time!"

We also hosted an intimate pre-wedding party for Nissa and Ian, with 55 guests in total. The six-hour hire of the vessel was split into two sections. First, there was a two-hour cruise with canapes and drinks on arrival, before a stop was made so the party could disembark to a land venue. After that they came back onto the vessel for an evening cruise back to Westminster.

The weather was superb, so the guests could make full use of the deck and the garden upgrade they’d added. There was also a smooth and easy transition between the vessel and the land venue - and vice versa. Nissa and Ian were both extremely happy with the event we provided for such a special occasion.

Planning your own wedding reception on the Thames?

Get in touch for more information.

Couples interested in arranging a wedding reception on the River Thames should get in touch today to find out more about what West End on the Thames can offer.

Take a look at images of our past wedding receptions to get an idea of the sort of wedding receptions we can organise. Please also remember to visit our wedding page to view more details about this service we offer

You can contact us via email here or give us a call on 020 8323 5827 and one of our friendly team will be happy to help!

Written by Adam Rowden, creative copywriter at West End on the Thames.