It’s a little piece of Dubai opulence – in a former working men’s club in Ravensthorpe.
The splendidly-named Grand Banqueting Suite specialises in Asian weddings with the Bollywood factor.
The stunning venue has grown out of the old Ravensthorpe WMC and is unashamedly ‘bling’.
Just yards from the busy A644 Huddersfield Road through Ravensthorpe, former restaurateur Ashiq Hussain has made his dream a reality, attracting wedding parties from across Yorkshire and Lancashire, and as far afield as Birmingham.
Dad-of-three Ashiq, 45, who lives in Bradley, is a trained chef who learned to cook – and run a business – at his father’s famous Kashmiri restaurant The Sweet Centre in Lumb Lane, Bradford.
He set up his own restaurant – Ashiq’s – in Bradford Road, Dewsbury, 20 years ago and in 2010 snapped up the old working men’s club and bowling green when it shut down.
Ashiq, whose dad Abdul Aziz opened The Sweet Centre in 1964, had a vision for an Asian wedding venue, just as the concept was taking off.
“I have a passion for food and I’ve been doing it since I was 14,” said Ashiq. “I saw the building and knew what I wanted to do with it.
“Locals didn’t want the club to be demolished and a housing estate built in its place. They wanted something to be proud of – and I think they are.”
The wedding venue started out in the club’s concert room but space was quickly at a premium.
Ashiq decided to expand but what started out as a lean-to extension soon became a whole new east wing, boasting what Ashiq describes as his “Bollywood” walkway and staircase.
The room is adorned with glitter and glamour – and feature huge chandeliers that came all the way from Dubai. In all there are more than 20 chandeliers of various shapes and sizes.
The venue has separate areas for men and women, a bridal room and prayer rooms. It can host weddings for up to 1,400 guests.
Ashiq, who sold his restaurant to concentrate on the banqueting suite, designed the new wing himself and did much of the electrics and labouring.
“I would start at 8am, just me and a couple of joiners,” he said. “I have friends who are electricians so they told me what I needed to do. There were no big teams. I even decorated it myself.”
Ashiq won’t say how much the venue has cost him so far – or even how much he paid for the chandeliers – but any money he has made so far has been ploughed back in.
“We have created an exclusive venue and we want it to be the best in Yorkshire if not beyond,” he said.
“Asian people like bling when it comes to weddings but it’s tasteful bling. We have the stage and the chandeliers and there’s a real wow factor. A lot of the ideas come from Dubai.”
Ashiq said weddings cost around £15-£20 a head but the cost of the venue was often dwarfed by the ‘extras’ such as supercars.
When there is a big wedding in town Ravensthorpe is often awash with Rolls-Royces, Lamborghinis and Ferraris – which cost around £1,000 a day to hire. There could be as many as 10 of them.
Ashiq, whose family are also involved in the business, is a hands-on boss never afraid to get his hands dirty. He oversees the kitchen and is meticulous.
The banqueting suite has weddings most weekends in the summer but it’s still a work in progress.
“We are still a year from having it where I want it,” said Ashiq. “When it’s finished we’ll have a grand launch with celebrity guests. It’ll be very special.”
