12 of the best Sussex wedding venues – with pics!
Sussex is a beautiful part of our country – if you’re getting married here you’re SO lucky! Not only do you have the sunniest coastline in the UK to enjoy, you have THE most amazing choice of wedding venues. You’ll find every imaginable wedding venue in Sussex, from the grandeur and magnificence of Goodwood to the relaxed and whimsical Party Field. Together with our friend and English Wedding member, Sussex wedding photographer Martin Beddall Photography, we’ve put together a list of 12 of the best Sussex wedding venues – with something for every couple, no matter what your budget or wedding style might be!
1. Cissbury Barns
All images are by Sussex wedding photographer Martin Beddall Photography
Unique and stylish, spacious barn wedding venue with two barns to choose from! The Cissbury Estate is in the South Downs national park, with beautiful grounds making this a tranquil haven to enjoy. The barns themselves are 200 years old, brick and flint and were used for sheep farming back in the day. They’re now beautifully transformed inside, with huge doors opening onto a lawned garden and patio area. The light floods in when these are open – so they’re wonderful if the weather is on your side! Surrounded by woodland, the barns are secluded and this makes them a really special place for your Sussex wedding.
Anna and Daniel married at Cissbury Barns in late October. Their ceremony was in the East Barn, and the reception was in the West Barn with guests enjoying drinks and outdoor games on the patio and lawn – see the beautiful photos of their day here: Anna & Daniel’s Cissbury Barns wedding in Sussex
Cissbury Barns wedding venue, Nepcote, West Sussex Venue website
2. Goodsoal Oast
A purpose built wedding venue in East Sussex, Goodsoal Oast has white walls, bare beams, gorgeous windows and is pretty much a blank canvas for you to style your wedding day. There’s a croquet lawn, and your guests can have a bit of a glamping experience overnight, if you wish!
The ceremony space is beautiful – have a look at Zoë and Josh’s wedding photos, especially the bit where they walk out of their ceremony to the sound of singing from the balcony above!
A beautiful East Sussex wedding: Zoë and Josh
Goodsoal Oast, Burwash Common, Etchingham, East Sussex
3. The Secret Barn
The Secret Barn is on a real farm in the West Sussex countryside – it’s welcoming and charming and you’ll feel as though you’re miles away from anywhere. It’s rustic and wonderfully welcoming, with views of the Downs from outside, and bare beams and original flooring inside. In contrast to purpose built wedding barns, this feels very real – and from their website it’s clear the authenticity of the place makes it all the more charming! Add a fairy light canopy, hay bales and festival wedding styling, and you have a rustic hideaway you and your guests will love!
The Secret Barn takes a very limited number of bookings each year. The barn seats up to 110 guests for dinner and has standing space for 150. Up to 40 campers are allowed to stay overnight too! Flowers and catering are provided by Petal and Feast.
Hannah & Chris were lucky with the weather for their Secret Barn wedding – the sun shone, and guests mingled outside with drinks in the sunshine. Click the link to see their Secret Barn Sussex wedding
The Secret Barn wedding venue, West Sussex (near Steyning) Venue website
4. Hyde Estate – the Wild Garden
The Wild Garden at Hyde Estate is everything its name promises and more – with wildflowers from daffodils to heather, striking azaleas and bluebells in spring and breathtaking autumn foliage on its redwood trees come September and October. A stunning and romantic venue, the Wild Garden is the perfect reception space for your wedding marquee or tipi, and has its own beautiful lake – a gorgeous backdrop for your wedding photos.
Chloe and Martin celebrated their Sussex wedding with a reception in the Wild Garden. They used the space for a tipi which looks gorgeous all lit up with fairy lights in the evening! See their Wild Garden wedding here: Chloe & Martin’s Hyde Estate wedding
The Hyde Estate, Handcross, West Sussex Wedding venue website
5. The Walled Garden at Cowdray
The Walled Garden is a hidden gem of a Sussex wedding venue close to Midhurst, hidden away from it all in the heart of the South Downs. There are plenty of features and backdrops for atmospheric wedding photography, with the Cowdray Ruins and beautiful grounds of the park all around.
To see more from this beautiful Sussex wedding venue have a look at Fiona and Tony’s wedding on Martin Beddall’s wedding photography blog. They even had a harpist in the garden – setting the scene perfectly amongst the brick walls and abundance of summer flowers there. A truly beautiful space for a gorgeous couple, and a perfect summer wedding. Fiona and Tony’s Walled Garden Sussex wedding
The Walled Garden, Cowdray Park, Midhurst, West Sussex Venue website
6. Buckhurst Park
Winnie the Pooh fans will love this wedding venue, just a short drive from Tunbridge Wells. The 100 Acre Wood is part of the Buckhurst Estate! (And there are some wonderful passages from A.A. Milne’s books for wedding readings, by the way!)
Buckhurst Park is in lovely Withyham village, and is a luxurious backdrop for a marquee wedding (the house is off limits). The top lawn is perfect for a wedding marquee, and the terraces are open for drinks and canapés – perfect in sunshine! There’s a croquet lawn which they use for larger marquees, and a beautiful sunken rose garden with a lily pool.
Alex and James had a gorgeous clear sided marquee to make the most of the beautiful garden setting at Buckhurst Park. Their wedding is gorgeous – take a look here!
“You couldn’t have captured our day more accurately, the selection of photos you have here are stunning and make me so excited to see the rest! Your style of photography suited our day perfectly and I’m in love with what you captured. Thank you a hundred times over.” ~ Alex
Buckhurst Park, Withyham, Hartfield, East Sussex Venue website
7. Glynde Place
Glynde Place is the perfect combination of old school glamour and classic elegance, in beautiful Sussex countryside. The grounds are private with beautiful views of the South Downs. You can be married in the house itself, or in St Mary’s Church next door if you are having a church wedding. And despite the grandeur of this gorgeous Sussex wedding venue, you can have an intimate wedding here – in the Coach House, which has been recently restored.
Receptions are held in the grounds, where you can have a marquee with beautiful views to the house, but in a private space – and if you prefer to be hidden away there’s an old cricket pitch site where your guests can camp with you overnight in a wonderfully idyllic spot
For couples looking for a very relaxed style of wedding without use of the historic house, Glynde Place also has The Old Cricket Pitch site which is deep in the grounds of the estate. This is an idyllic spot for couples desiring a marquee-style wedding with camping for an agreed number.
Alice and Paul really made Glynde Place their own with a beautiful, art deco inspired wedding in the house (with Alice’s dog Dolly walking down the aisle!), followed by a tipi reception on the lawn, where the festoon lights really came into their own as the sun set on their day. All images by Martin Beddall Photography here: Alice & Paul’s Glynde Place wedding
Glynde Place, Glynde, East Sussex Venue website
8. Southend Barns, Donnington, Chichester
A 200 year old threshing barn with tons of character, hidden courtyards and tranquil lawns – or an elegant Dairy Barn with a 22 metre aisle – Southend Barns is a pretty special choice for your Sussex wedding. The barn itself is a blank canvas – if you need any ideas for decorating the space for your wedding, check out Sarah & James’s wedding full of ribbons and balloons, which really transformed the space into a fun and vibrant wedding breakfast room!
The barns have been lovingly restored – the authentic beams and chandeliers are idyllic and full of character. The benches of sweet chestnut in the wedding barn add ambience; the wooden tables will add authenticity and old English charm to your wedding breakfast.
See Sarah & James’s Southend Barns wedding here
Southend Barns, Donnington, West Sussex Venue website
9. Goodwood House
This is the one with a butler. One of England’s grandest houses atop the Sussex Downs, and a wedding venue unlike any other. Goodwood House has 12,000 acres of grounds and its own chefs. You can be married inside the house, hotel and celebrate in a marquee on the grounds. If recent royal weddings have inspired you, and your budget is on the generous side, then Goodwood is your dream Sussex wedding venue!
Guests can stay in the Hound Lodge – Goodwood’s private country retreat with 10 unique rooms and your very own chef and butler. The Goodwood Hotel will house the rest of your guests, with its 91 bedrooms and suites all offering unrivalled luxury during your wedding weekend. There’s even a vintage bus belonging to Goodwood which will take your hotel guests to and from the wedding and reception!
Paula & Przemyslaw were married at Goodwood House – their international celebration welcomed guests from all over to this grand old English estate. Guests were served drinks and canapés at the front of the house after the ceremony, before the reception inside Goodwood itself. Take a look at the photographs of their day – A luxury Sussex wedding at Goodwood House
Goodwood House, Chichester, West Sussex Wedding venue website
10. Lewes Castle
From the height of luxury to the magic of a thousand-year-old castle – we’re certainly exploring the most diverse wedding venues in Sussex for you today! Lewes Castle is a wedding venue I love – and it’s owned by a charity: the Sussex Archaeological Society, which relies on donations to preserve its historic buildings. Exchange your vows in the open air under the archway by the West Tower of Lewes Castle. Be warned though – rather than an aisle, there are steps up to the keep. And this being a castle on a hill, they’re on the steep side!
In the heart of the South Downs, Lewes boasts magnificent views of the Sussex countryside. Drinks are served in the Gun Garden, where you can also have your wedding breakfast and reception if you choose – there’s room here for 100 guests.
Hannah and Sam were married at Lewes Castle and moved on to High Hurstwood village hall for their relaxed reception in typical village fete style, with bunting and Pimms on the lawn! See all the details of their day here: Hannah & Sam’s Lewes Castle Sussex wedding
Lewes Castle & Museum, High Street, Lewes Venue website
11. The Party Field
For your summer wedding, and perfect for sunny summer days, The Party Field is literally what it says on the tin – a field for you to hire for your wedding. Run by experienced event organisers, the ‘venue’ is yours to do what you like with! It’s amazing if you’re looking for a complete blank canvas to make your wedding unique and completely your own.
Perfectly in tune with the sweeping trend for festival style weddings, The Party Field owners work with local marquee and tipi companies and caterers and have over 6 years experience of hosting wedding festivals on their fields! So plan your dream day here – an outdoor ceremony, pizza and paella vans, bands playing until the early hours and a spot of glamping for all of your guests sounds pretty perfect to me.
Faith & Jon’s Party Field Sussex wedding was as relaxed as can be – guests camped overnight in the field before and after the wedding day. They had a pool table and table tennis, and a folk band playing. Tipis, hay bales and bunting… sunflowers, paella and a pork pie wedding cake!
The Party Field, Iford Estate, near Lewes, Sussex Venue website
12. Slaugham Place
Last but not least, a truly unique Sussex wedding venue: Slaugham Place is a moated garden with the ruins of an Elizabethan manor house – a venue with history; beautiful remains and happily, weddings hosted here since the 1990s are helping to fund repairs to preserve the site for visitors. So it’s a win for everyone if you get wed here!
The grounds are beautiful, with leafy trees and bridges making a perfect setting for glorious wedding photography with the Elizabethan ruins in the background. Set just below the small Sussex village of Slaugham, this is a perfect location for an outdoor wedding ceremony under the majestic arches of the ruined manor house. It’s private, magical and peaceful – and full of old English charm.
Rachel and Simon’s Slaugham Place wedding is beautiful, with a marquee in the grounds and stunning golden hour images once again by Sussex wedding photographer Martin Beddall Photography.
Slaugham Place, Haywards Heath, West Sussex Wedding venue website
Contact & Bookings – Reportage wedding photographer Martin Beddall, Sussex
https://www.martinbeddallphotography.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/martinbeddallphotography
Instagram – @martinbeddallphotography
Twitter – @mcbweddings
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