Piqued by Industrial-Chic? While many brides and grooms are ditching the big bad cities in favour of the rural romance of a fairy lit barn or an elopement into the Highland wilderness, there’s a growing contingent of couples who are chasing the industrial/warehouse-chic wedding trend and we don’t blame them one bit! Team Fuze are OB-SESSED! If you’re a city slicking couple who are hoping to hop onto the warehouse wedding bandwagon, you’re going to love this week’s Incredible Scottish Wedding Venue. Here’s why we’re giving the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow a massive thumbs up:
• City Centre location (just minutes from train/bus station)
• Humungous space to accommodate even the largest of receptions
• Loaded with industrial and period features
• Numerous dining options to suit all budgets/tastes
• Walking distance to some great locations for epic external city centre photography
• Blank canvas allowing couples to get as creative as they like
Ambling around the fairy-lit lanes and cobbled courtyards of Glasgow’s arts and cultural quarter, it is almost impossible to imagine the Merchant City in its past incarnations. Nowadays, the fashionable district in Glasgow’s east-end mirrors that of London’s, Covent Garden; however, when you look beyond the boutique shops and trendy bars, the area’s industrial past and Victorian va-va-voom stares you right in the face!
Centred around the medieval old town, the Merchant City (or historically, Trongate or Glasgow Cross), was first formed in the 18th Century as a centre for trading and storing sugar, tea and tobacco. As the British Empire expanded throughout the 19th Century, Glasgow became the United Kingdom’s second city and Trongate became a working district of warehouses and home to the city’s central fruit, vegetable, flower and cheese markets.
Built during this era to serve as a wholesale fruit market, this week’s Incredible Scottish Wedding Venue is an absolute PEACH! Having undergone a wonderfully sympathetic refurbishment, the Old Fruitmarket re-opened in January 2006 and has successfully managed to retain its market atmosphere whilst providing all the modern conveniences a couple could ever wish for in a wedding venue.
Hidden from view from the cobbles of Candleriggs, the Old Fruitmarket is accessible through the grand entrance of Glasgow’s City Halls. As you enter the Old Fruitmarket, prepare to be completely awestruck by its old-world atmosphere where cast iron pillars hold up a ginormous vaulted roof, under which balconies and original listed greengrocer signs overlook the concrete floor below.
When George McLean returned from conducting the marriage of Sarah and Martin at the Old Fruitmarket in July 2018, he was in love with the rustic feel of the original market and the contemporary vibe of the ceremony area upstairs, exclaiming “this venue has it all” and as you can see by the stunning photography captured from the amazing Karen Thorburn, it REALLY does! If you’re looking for a city centre venue small enough to provide an intimate space for your ceremony, but also big enough for a huge afterparty, this is your wedding venue!
Sarah and Martin chose to have their ceremony in the beautiful Recital Room on the first floor. This glorious light filled room comfortably seats up to 120 guests and although the whitewashed walls and state-of-the-art lighting give off a contemporary vibe; the lofty, vaulted ceiling and enormous arched windows tells a tale of the past. The Recital Room also makes for a fantastic space to host a wedding breakfast and reception for up to 120 guests.
After the ceremony, Sarah and Martin opted to utilise the fabulous Fruitmarket for their wedding breakfast and reception. This space can comfortably seat over 300 guests and although packed with all the trappings of a Victorian market, the true beauty of the Old Fruitmarket is that it manages to blend its industrial past with a huge dollop of romance!
Warmth and softness is added to the venue by way of a state-of-the-art lighting system. Added to this, hundreds of colourful bulbs and fairy lights joyfully hang from the greengrocer signs and encircle the pillars. What’s more, the lighting can be adjusted for smaller groups allowing for a more intimate atmosphere where you could almost forget about the size of the room. The Old Fruitmarket is a true blank canvas venue and couples are free to discuss their wishes and ideas with the Fruitmarket team who will endeavour to fulfil your wildest industrial-chic dreams!
A similarly flexible approach is taken to catering at the Old Fruitmarket. The venue is fully licensed and employs highly recommended contracted caterers who have crafted several menus to suit the majority of tastes and budgets. The catering team are also more than happy to work with couples who have a more bespoke catering vision for their big day.
Both the Recital Room and the Old Fruitmarket make for incredible wedding photography backdrops; however, the city centre location opens up amazing possibilities for couples and their photographers to get creative. Sarah and Martin opted to take advantage of the fantastic architecture and green spaces of Merchant City before heading back to the Old Fruitmarket just in time for their first dance.
Thanks to:
Venue: The Old Fruitmarket
Couple: Sarah & Martin
Photographer: Karen Thorburn Photography
Celebrant: George McLean
