Tying the knot Stokey style

Photo by Jason Harris

When Stokey residents Suzanne McManus and Stuart Jackson got engaged, they were determined to keep things as local as possible.

They booked the Yellow Room in Clissold House as the venue (overlooking the playground where their sons had played), had ice-creams and pre-drinks in the Rose and Crown and the Reception in the Londesborough Pub.

The rings were made by Metal Crumble, the flowers by Evergreen and Outrageous and the cake by Luminary Bakery.  Local seamstress Sybil Rouge made the wedding dress and Jason Harris was the photographer.

Suzanne and Stuart's flower arrangements were made by Evergreen & Outrageous

Reflecting on their magical day, Suzanne said: “The halo of having your wedding local stays afterwards. Every time we go to Clissold Park or pass the Londesborough, we get this warm fuzzy feeling – we wouldn’t have that if we’d got married somewhere out in the country, where we’d be lucky to visit every 10 years for an anniversary.  Our wedding involved the places we pass almost every day!

“It was also important for our children that they were familiar with the locations.

“We wanted everything to be walkable and to support the local community economically – we wanted the money to go to local businesses.”

Abney Park’s newly-restored chapel has also become a popular local wedding venue. It’s Europe’s oldest surviving non-denominational chapel (built in 1842) and features stunning new stained-glass windows. Since its refurbishment in 2024, the chapel has hosted more than 200 wedding ceremonies.

Abney Park's newly-restored Chapel has hosted more than 200 weddings since 2024

Besime Sahin and Hakun Kuyar were the first couple to get married there. They fell in love with the building after spotting it on an online wedding directory.

Besime said: “I love the way it looks and it being a brand new space was a big draw for me. I can’t believe I got to be the first bride!”

Local businesses are geared up for weddings here.  Luminary Bakery offers a tasting box of 12 mini cakes each with a different flavour (chocolate, salted caramel, lemon blueberry and orange cardamom to name but a few) to enable couples to choose a different flavour for each tier of the wedding cake.  

As well as the Londesborough, popular reception venues include Room 71-73, Abney Public Hall, the Black Pig with White Peals restaurant, Abney Park Café and the Coal House at Woodberry Wetlands.

Heidi Early, Chair of Stoke Newington Business Association, said: “It’s lovely to hear stories of people keeping their weddings local! There is such a strong sense of community here, such beautiful outdoor spaces, stunning venues and independent businesses which offer the uniqueness and quality couples deserve on their wedding day.

“By choosing to tie the knot in Stokey and to do it with small independent businesses at the heart of your day, you’re helping those businesses to survive and thrive and that in turn helps preserve the area’s magic.”