A WEDDING WRITTEN IN WHITEHALL
Raffles has hosted weddings for over a century. The tradition began in Singapore in 1887, and finds its London chapter here – in a Grade II* Edwardian building that served Britain as the War Office before it served anyone as a home. A fully licensed setting for civil ceremonies and receptions, with a dedicated wedding team who know exactly how the day should unfold.
Arrival: The Grand Staircase
The first moment belongs to the staircase – three British stones ascending two storeys beneath Meridies, the hand-blown Venetian chandelier, a red carpet running their length. Churchill addressed his staff from the balcony above. A century later, a procession begins in the same light.
The Ceremony: The Whitehall Ballroom
A room shaped by Thierry Despont in his final London commission – pristine whites and warm golds beneath seven-metre ceilings, no pillars to interrupt the view. Licensed for civil ceremonies, it holds a vow, a dinner for six hundred, and a dance in sequence.
Reception: The Lawrence
The 425-square-metre foyer between the staircase and the ballroom, named for Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence - the draughtsman who left the War Office for the Arabian desert. Cocktail hour happens here, as guests gather before the Ballroom doors open.
Repose: The Heritage Suites
Five suites, with four on the second floor - the old piano nobile floor - once the offices where Churchill, Haldane and a century of Secretaries of State made the decisions history remembers. Original 1906 chandeliers still light them; while rooms and suites on the second floor on the front facade of The OWO can be booked together as The Whitehall Wing.
Smaller Moments: Morse & Code
Two private rooms named for the cipher itself – smaller, quieter spaces for the rehearsal dinner, the breakfast the morning after, or a private word before the ceremony begins.
The Wedding Team
A planning team of Raffles wedding specialists with a black book of leading London florists and photographers know by reputation. The Guerlain Spa is at hand for preparation on the morning itself. One point of contact, from the first conversation to the evening the suites are slept in.
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