Every couple wants their wedding to be truly unique and special. But for this to be the case, they have to choose a venue that features an incomparable charm and essence and is located in a privileged environment, to celebrate their wedding. We have been thinking about which venue could gather all these characteristics and we immediately thought about the Real Fabrica de Tapices.
This historical factory dates back from 1721, and with its almost 300 years of artisanal handcraft tradition, it was catalogued as an Asset of Cultural Interest and considered as part of the Historical Heritage in Spain. It is a building in a neo-mudejar style perfectly located in the very center of Madrid, a few meters away from the Glorieta de Atocha, and surrounded by many of the most emblematic places of the capital.
Inside the Real Fabrica de Tapices, expert weavers and craftsmen have been applying from the very first days of the fabric to nowadays, their knowledge and century-old techniques that, after a delicate process and a careful selection of the best materials, resulted into unique pieces of craftsmanship. These luxury fabrics, turned into authentic works of textile art, have survived in time under the shape of carpets, tapestries and confectioners that show all their excellence as they are exposed on the floors and walls of this singular building.
We decided to go and visit this historical museum in the heart of Madrid and speak with the people in charge of turning our couple’s dreams into reality through exclusive spaces in the hands of one of the best catering services, “El Puchero de Plata”.
This professional team offers the maximum quality level and detail in every single one of its dishes and always adapting to the client’s taste and needs, making of every wedding a magical and unforgettable moment.
If you want to know more about the textures, colors and sabors that the Real Fabrica de Tapices offers, keep reading our exclusive interview below. You will be surprised by everything that this space and that the Puchero de Plata can provide you with for the happiest day of your life to be really memorable.
We walk along the Paseo del Arte to reach this reference space in terms of historical and contemporaneous decorative arts. From afar, we can already observe the architectonic beauty of the space: its stone and brick walls, its chimney, its wrought iron gates,its tiles and its gardens. Undoubtedly, a journey in history to the time of Philip V that carries us to the elegance and luxury Madrid featured in the eighteenth century.
We go in this great museum where silk and wool are still being worked on nowadays with great care and attention. Its white-wall corridors show different materials, machinery and, of course, precious works of art that fill each of the rooms with grandeur and color.
We move on to one of the rooms with a high wooden roof and exposed beams that go along in perfect harmony with the tapestries that hang on the brick and stone walls. Here, seated at a beautiful table, the manager of El Puchero de Plata is waiting for us.
Good morning. This is an incredible space to celebrate a wedding!
Good morning. Yes, we are surrounded by authentic century-old works of art. A unique space in the center of Madrid where traditional tapestry manufacturing techniques mix up with the latest trends in the organizing of events, gala dinners and product presentations of the main international companies.
Right now, we find ourselves in an emblematic building which features more than 300 years of history. Could you tell us a little more about its origins and everything that happened in this space until nowadays?
Of course. Let me tell you the story of the Real Fabrica de Tapices. In 1721, after the rupture of commercial relations between Flanders and Spain and the end of the export of Flemish Tapestries, Philip V founded the “Royal Tapestry Factory”, Real Fábrica de Tapices in Madrid, near the Santa Barbara Gate. The Vandergoten family, a generation of Flemish craftsmen, takes over the direction of the works.
A few years later, in 1744, the manufacturer introduces the high warp looms to increase its production capacity and the quality of the tapestries and, in 1775, Francisco de Goya delivered his first series of tapestries boxes.
In 1882, Alfonso XII authorized the demolition of the first building of the RFT to carry out the widening works of the city of Madrid and in 1889 the looms were moved to the new headquarters of the Factory, in Atocha. The neo-Mudejar style building was designed by the Chief Architect of the Palace, José Segundo de Lema.
With the Republic, in 1931, the RFT was renamed the National Tapestry and Carpet Manufacture and depended on the Public Instruction Ministry, but in 1982, after suffering from a difficult period due to its competition with the extinct Gremios Foundation, the manufacture recovers the denomination “Real Fábrica”.
In 1996, the RFT acquires the title of Foundation. Its gestion passed into the hands of a Board of Trustees made up of the public administrations and a series of individual trustees.
The building is declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the Community of Madrid in 2006 and, in 2011, the RFT headquarters is selected within the Industrial Heritage Plan by the Spanish Historical Heritage Institute. In 2018, the King Baudouin Foundation awards the Royal Tapestry Factory the “Prize for Belgian Heritage Abroad” 2017. The last award received to date, to this magnificent institution. This is the long and interesting history of the Royal Tapestry Factory.
El Puchero de Plata is responsible for giving life to all the different events, whether they are weddings or corporate, that take place in the Real Fabrica de Tapices. Could you tell us about the different spaces of this venue, the rooms it features and what it can offer each and every one of us for the union of our couples?
Let me tell you everything. The gardens have a central place in the Fabrica de Tapices. They are like the linking point of all the different spaces we offer.
In the first place, the Sala Teniers, which is used to celebrate civil ceremonies or to hold welcome cocktail parties when it isn’t possible to hold them in the gardens because of the weather.
After having gone through the workshop area, where guests can see the original 18th-century looms and the Museum area, you will reach the Goya Room. This is the main room of the Fabrica de Tapices and where most of the Gala dinners we offer take place.
Finally, we have the Rafael Mengs Room, which is where the Open Bar and Disco usually take place. Additionally, we have the Giaquinto room on the top floor, completely diaphanous and with multiple usage.
Keep in mind that there is always only one event per day, so all spaces are exclusively reserved for the couples and can be arranged the way they like.
I think you also boast an incredible central garden that has kept many of the original elements but has also been remodeled with a collection of dyed plants and other vegetal species with textile fibers. Would we be able to see it?
Of course, you can access it from right here, thanks to these little steps. The textile interpretation garden, another of the Fabrica de Tapices’s little treasure was inaugurated only a few months ago.
Wow, they have perfectly integrated the different types of plants in the original design of the garden, it’s beautiful, and very well cared for. What use can our couples make of this garden on their wedding day?
Usually, the garden is used for wedding receptions and welcome cocktails. When the open bar begins, you can enjoy it sitting comfortably, enjoying a drink in the open air, or taking a walk while contemplating the fabulous vegetation that the gardens feature. When the wedding is a cocktail type, with stands or corners, the bride and groom love alargate the time the guests can enjoy the gardens by locating the whole wedding here, outdoors.
But, would it be possible to carry out a civil ceremony inside the factory? How would you manage this topic from El Puchero de Plata and what would be the space destined for this type of ceremony?
Indeed, we have many couples who, after getting married in the Basilica of Atocha, celebrate their wedding with us, but we also have many civil ceremonies in the Teniers Hall.
Some couples opt for a celebration “in situ” with a notary and other couples opt for a more informal ceremony, through a ceremony or a friend who officiates something more personalized. We are open to any idea you have in mind!
El Puchero de Plata has many years of experience in the celebration of events and more than 1500 weddings behind it. What kind of cuisine and products do you offer to your clients on such a special day? Do you have closed menus or do you adapt to the needs of different couples?
After more than 20 years dedicated to this sector, we are certain that it is essential to be up to date on culinary trends.
Unfortunately, customers are more and more demanding on the quality of raw materials, presentation, service, decoration. We always try to adapt to the needs of our customers and interact with them, putting at their service all our experience to help them materialize the idea they have of the most important day of their lives.
Our main idea is to combine international cuisine with the best of traditional Mediterranean and Spanish gastronomy.
Apart from your wide gastronomic variety, what other complementary services can you offer from El Puchero de Plata for this special occasion?
We have a wide network of habitual suppliers of all types of services: photography, photocall, audiovisuals, musicians, notaries, rent of vehicles, floral decoration, infantile animation, Candy Bar, etc. All of them, professionals of the sector with wide experience and recognized prestige.
You have both national and international clients. Is there any difference when it comes to organising an event for the foreign client? Do you have a specific theme or product?
Yes, whenever we have a foreign client there is a new opportunity to learn a custom, a dish or even a different typical dance.
We’ve had couples from practically every part of the world and, of course, everyone likes to bring a touch of where they come from, from the classic American layered cake, to the bar of German beers, Australian flags that decorate the entrance to the gardens and even a buffet of Mexican fajitas and burritos to accompany the open bar.
We know that El Puchero de Plata offers a very exclusive and personalized treatment to each client. How long in advance should a client who wishes to make his wedding in the real Fábrica de Tapices contact you so that everything goes perfectly?
It really depends on the date that the bride and groom choose, some dates are booked with more than a year and a half in advance whilst others can be reserved only 6 months before. So the best thing is: the sooner you can!
One last question. What would you say makes the Real Fabrica de Tapices different from the other venues to celebrate events and weddings, and why should our couples choose to celebrate their wedding here?
Mainly because it is a space unique in its category, with wonderful gardens, located in the center of Madrid and with a capacity of 400 people? On the other hand, you will be able to enjoy the comfort of avoiding the transportation of guests, especially for those who come from outside of Madrid.
Thank you for your tile and for all the information you gave us.
Thank you for coming. I will be delighted to have you here again, whenever you want.
This is the end of or interview with El Puchero de Plata and our intense trip to the history and the beauty of the Real Fabrica de Tapices. We’re sure that next time you think about a charming and essence wedding in the very center of Madrid, you will think about the Real Fabrica de Tapices. History and tradition in the purest state.
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Photos: Photography Maria Trueba, Planning: Weddings and Events by Natalia Ortiz
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