Lady Sarah Chatto’s ‘grandest’ royal wedding venue reopens following major delay

Lady Sarah Chatto and husband Daniel married back in 1994 with the happy couple walking down the aisle at the scenic St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London.

The building dates all the way back to 1679, replacing a former church on the site that had been destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Due to its age, back in 2024, it was announced that the building was being closed to the public in order for repair works to be carried out.

An announcement on 17 May 2024 read: “Significant repairs are required to the structure of the church and the tower and opportunity is being taken to redecorate the church and transform the facilities in the crypt.

“We are very grateful to Bloomberg L.P. for their generous contribution towards the programme of repairs.”

However, it appears that the repair works didn’t go smoothly as the church’s reopening ended up being delayed by three months with the venue only allowing the public back in earlier this month. It had been slated to reopen back in Easter.

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An announcement confirming its return read: “St Stephen Walbrook has been closed for 14 months whilst undergoing an extensive programme of remediation and repair. The church will reopen to the public from 3rd July.

“Tuesday recitals and Thursday Eucharist services will restart from 3rd July when the church reopens to the public. The Friday organ recitals will restart at St Stephen Walbrook from 1st August 2025.”

Lady Sarah’s wedding day

Lady Sarah and Daniel celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary on 14 July, with the couple having a 30-minute ceremony in front of guests including the late Queen and Sarah’s late mother, Princess Margaret.

However, due to the shortness of their wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were left waiting by their driver, who hadn’t yet arrived to pick them up!

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The couple made royal history with their choice of venue as the church hadn’t been used for a royal wedding before. It was able to house a modest 200 people, a far cry from her cousin, King Charles, who married the late Princess Diana in front of 3,500 guests.

For her nuptials, Sarah wore a Jasper Conran dress boasting a Queen Anne neckline, long sleeves, a fitted bodice and a full princess-style skirt. Sarah also donned the Snowdon Floral Tiara, which was created especially for the wedding.