The Wedding Palace, sometimes referred to as the Palace of Rituals, is a building that was constructed as a church, being used in the past as a venue for weddings, located in the capital city of the Republic of Georgia, Tbilisi. This interesting structure, which has some architectural influence of expressionism and medieval Georgian architecture, was designed by the Georgian architect Victor Djorbenadze. The Wedding Palace is located on the left bank of the Mtkvari River, near the Aragveli Bridge.
Built in 1984 as a wedding venue that was visited by celebrities too, for instance Margaret Thatcher in 1987, who was treated with a Georgian dance performance, as well as Deep Purple’s front man Ian Gillan, who actually renewed his vows with wife Bron while touring in 1990. Even though some would state that the architectural style is somewhat monotonous, on the contrary, it is not. When standing in front of the main entrance, which in fact has three different entrances, one can notice its curves and bell tower rising high towards the sky, where some might say that it has the shape of a tiara with many diamonds.
On the left side, there are balconies which resemble the palaces of Georgian kings, and it is the place where the groom’s party gathers. On the right side is a spiral block which has six asymmetrical window holes, where the bride’s party gathers, and then both parties enter the building from the left and right entrances, respectively, where they meet in front of the altar.
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After the ceremony, the bridal parties pass the fountain of life and exit through the central (main) entrance, from where their life together begins. Because the Wedding Palace was abandoned throughout the 1990s, some decay could be seen back then, but fortunately, it was purchased in 2001 by the wealthy businessman and Georgian oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili as a private residence. He also ran for President in the 2008 elections, which gave some hope that the building would not be left to decay.
After his heart failure, the possession of the Wedding Palace was transferred to his widow, but fortunately, since 2013, the Wedding Palace has been leased to a private events company that hosts weddings, fundraisers, and corporate functions. Nowadays, serving as a memorial of the highly underrated architectural style from Soviet times, it is a place that gathers and lures people for special ceremonies, as well as impressionable tourists who would like to take a glimpse of the glorious past of Soviet architecture.
