The Ultimate Guide to Planning a
Wedding at Alfriston Gardens

On the edge of the South Downs, Alfriston Gardens is a very special wedding venue. It’s a seamless blend of heritage buildings and contemporary architecture that’s been extensively renovated to a high specification, all set in an unparalleled natural setting. We’re thrilled to open our doors to couples looking for a stylish East Sussex wedding.

In this wedding journal entry, we’re sharing all the details you need to plan an unforgettable wedding at Alfriston Gardens. So, whether you’ve already booked your date and are now at the planning stage, or if you’re at the start of your journey and researching whether Alfriston Gardens is your perfect match, this guide will give you an overview of what you can expect from your wedding at this superb venue.

As a fully licensed Sussex wedding venue, you can exchange your vows in the magnificent Century Barn, dating back to the 1800s. This is a light and airy space, where the soaring ceiling is still supported by the original oak beams. The building has been sympathetically restored to be everything you need for a 21st-century wedding ceremony venue.

The Century Barn can accommodate up to 155 guests for your wedding ceremony. This includes seating on the beautiful mezzanine lounge, with its reclaimed theatre seats, sumptuously upholstered in mint green velvet. Guests up here are guaranteed a wonderful bird’s-eye view of the ceremony!

The Century and Woodland Barns are ready to welcome you and your guests for an unforgettable wedding reception. The Woodland Barn is a brand-new structure that’s been cleverly adjoined to the original Century Barn to create an expansive event space. The barns are a beautiful meld of traditional building techniques with contemporary architecture – think of them as your ‘something old, something new’!

The Woodland Barn holds up to 155 people for a wedding breakfast and can comfortably host your evening reception as well.

When it comes to styling your Alfriston Gardens reception, the Century and Woodland Barns are stunning in their own right, with their richly textured beams, hardwood floors and crisp white walls. They also lend themselves to any styling scheme, from romantic candle lanterns and swagged chairs to a more boho or rustic aesthetic. For weddings in the warmer months, the far wall of the Woodland Barn completely opens via bifold doors onto the gardens and patio, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor space that your guests will love.

If you’re after some more technical info: the Woodland Barn has bespoke lighting, air conditioning and heating, a PA and sound system, a state-of-the-art catering kitchen and a spacious bar.

For bijou wedding receptions you could opt for the Oak Lodge, which has space for up to 70 seated and 100 standing guests. This original building is in the heart of Alfriston’s beautiful gardens and is the ideal space if you’re looking for a more intimate setting for your wedding reception.

We know that food and drink are amongst the most important elements of a wedding, so we’ve partnered with renowned caterers Black Pepper Hospitality to offer you simply irresistible menus.

From formal plated dinners to more relaxed sharing board or BBQ options, along with canapes and evening food options, you’ll be in excellent culinary hands with Black Pepper.

Black Pepper were selected for their experience and skill and, along with the dedicated Alfriston Gardens Events Management team, will ensure the day runs seamlessly.

With its exquisite gardens, two acres of stunning grounds and backdrop of the South Downs, Alfriston Gardens truly is one of the country’s premiere wedding venues. As soon as you arrive, you’ll feel like you’re in your own private world – just what you need for this special time with your family and friends.

As our name suggests, the gardens are one of the absolute highlights of the venue. Created by the award-winning Juliet Sargeant (you may have heard her on the BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time), they’re filled with pollinator-friendly flowers and plants, and are a delight to wander, whatever the season.

Our grounds also feature a gorgeous wildflower meadow and our very own standing stones. And did you know you can see local landmark The Long Man of Wilmington from the wildflower meadow?

What sets Alfriston Gardens apart from other Sussex wedding venues is the fantastic range of accommodation on-site, all with stylish interior design that’s been carefully created by a local designer. Think of us as a wedding venue with a luxury hotel attached – and one that’s exclusively yours. We have 25 rooms in total, which can accommodate 50-58 guests.

Lavender Lodge is our special honeymoon cottage and has everything you’d expect from a deluxe hotel. It’s the perfect get-ready space, complete with bespoke make-up chair, lots of natural light, huge mirrors and hooks for that perfect wedding outfit picture. It’s then a luxurious setting to enjoy your first night as a married couple, with its large open-plan living and dining area, relaxing master bedroom, and a stylish bathroom with freestanding bath and expansive views over the Sussex countryside.

As well as the master bedroom there’s also a comfortable Loaf super king sofa bed in mint-green velvet downstairs, so you could invite your best man or maid of honour to stay there the night before with you, or use it for a family group. The downstairs wet room means it’s also possible just to use the ground floor, making it easier for those with mobility challenges.

The pretty Oak Lodge has a smaller honeymoon suite plus four other bedrooms, making it a great option for a family group or wedding party to stay the night before or after the wedding.

The rest of your guests can enjoy a fantastic night’s sleep in the Vine Hotel, a brand-new hotel with a living roof and underfloor heating that has 10 beautifully appointed guest rooms. There are also nine deluxe shepherd’s huts in the wildflower meadow – ideal for those who love more informal accommodation that’s close to nature!

As the accommodation includes family rooms and accessible rooms, we can cater for all your guests’ needs. And because Alfriston Gardens is exclusive-use, you won’t have any strangers intruding on your wonderful wedding weekend – the whole venue is yours to enjoy.

Alfriston Gardens really is a wedding photographer’s dream venue, full of delightful spots and picture-perfect scenes around every corner.

If you’re documenting the period before the ceremony, Lavender Lodge provides some wonderful photo ops, from the winding stairwell with its exquisite bronze bee installation (created by the talented jewellery designer Alex Monroe), to the light-drenched bathroom with its stylish freestanding bath.

When it comes to photographing your ceremony and reception, the huge skylights in the Century and Woodland Barns bathe everything in beautiful natural light – your wedding photographer will love this! Our tip is to ask them to stand on the mezzanine viewing lounge, in order to get some photographs from unusual angles. This would work well during a ceremony and also create some wonderful shots during the reception.

Our glorious gardens offer endless opportunities for beautiful photos, from romantic couple’s portraits to the all-important group shots. If you’re planning on having a longer couple’s portrait session, head to the wildflower meadow and standing stones in the golden hour – that period just before sunset when the light is dreamy and romantic.

We hope this guide has answered a few questions you might have had about your wedding ceremony and reception at Alfriston Gardens. We’d love to welcome you to the venue, so please get in touch at https://calendly.com/alfristongardens/ to book a visit and find out more about this East Sussex treasure.