Vicki and Joe met in Bristol whilst Vicki was attending University there. Born and bred Bristolian, Joe, caught her eye and 5 and half years later, they were married here at Hendall Manor Barns.
Vicki and Joe met in Bristol whilst Vicki was attending University there. Born and bred Bristolian, Joe, caught her eye and 5 and half years later, they were married here at Hendall Manor Barns.
That’s the tame version… the real one goes like this:
“We met when I lived with a girl Joe knew from school whilst I was at University. I flipped a coin to make a decision about whether or not to go out that evening, the coin decided that we were going out and Joe gave us a lift into town.
I got my foot stuck in the door as I was getting out of the car, fell flat on my face and the rest, as they say, is history!”
Oh how we laughed when we heard this!
Once they were engaged, the hunt for their picture perfect wedding venue began. Vicki was brought up in East Sussex, very near to us at Hendall, but, being the self confessed ‘hidden gem’ that we are, she had never come across us before.
As with many modern couples, social media often plays a big role in their ideas, supplier searching and other wedding inspiration to ensure they have a picture perfect wedding.
Vicki stated that she kept on seeing these amazing wedding pictures on Instagram under the hashtag #uckfield, but couldn’t decipher where this lovely venue was.
Eventually, having ‘dug’ further, she worked out that Hendall Manor Barns was a venue near to where she’d grown up and soon after we were delighted to meet Joe and Vicki as they came to see us for their venue showround.
Vicki’s recent review of Hendall said “We fell in love with the beautiful barn, gardens and bridal accommodation and the welcoming nature of Nicola and Peter so much that we cancelled all our other viewings and booked our date immediately.”
Vicki and Joe arrived to Hendall the day before their wedding and, along with some of their bridal party, dropped off all their alcohol, their wedding items and of course, their overnight bags, as the ladies were staying with us in our Bridal accommodation.
We had a quick wedding rehearsal and enlisted a groomsman or two to deputise as a bridesmaids so that Vicki and her mum could practise their aisle procession.
The ladies then retreated to the comfort of the accommodation whilst the gents headed home for the evening.
The following morning, weather fears were abated as the sun made a happy appearance and the bridal preparations began. Vicki had, what can only be described as an entourage of hair and make up professionals, each one almost looking after an individual lady.
This did allow for a nice and calm start to the day, not to mention it all beginning at a civilized hour! No 5am starts for this lucky lot! We welcomed back Kate from Hero Hairstylist as one of the ‘beauty squad’; we always love seeing her here and recommend her all the time.
In the Stone Barn, Kate and Caroline from the Sussex Cutting Garden where busy installing the most incredible hanging garland beautifully decorated with ‘Café au Lait Royal’ Dahlias. This created a unique and wonderful backdrop for their whole wedding day.
They had also made vases filled with flowers for the alcoves in the Barn, and all of the bridal bouquets and buttonholes.
Their wedding caterer, Martin of MD Food4Thought and his team were busying away in the kitchens, making sure everything was getting prepared and ready for the drinks and canapes, wedding breakfast and evening reception.
Their wedding cake was made by a member of Vicki’s family and, not only was it their wedding day, but it was also one of the Usher’s birthdays. So in homage to him, next to their beautifully crafted, three tiered wedding cake, sat Marcus’ very own birthday cake!
Vicki’s dress was from Mathilda Rose Bridal in Lindfield; one of our recommended bridal boutiques and my gosh did she look sensational! The gents were dressed in blue suits with pale pink ties and looked very dapper indeed.
After both she and Joe had met with the Crowborough Registrars in our Conference Room; it was time for our excited Bride to walk down the aisle and meet her Groom.
Vicki was walked down the aisle by her mother and they were accompanied by a string trio, The Dotted Crotchets, playing ‘Heartbeats’ by Jose Gonzales.
After seeing all these amazing photos, now would be a perfect juncture to tell you who their excellent wedding photographer was. Dale Weeks was given the honour of capturing their day; we saw Dale here earlier this year for Lotti and Kyle’s wedding, and it was a privilege to have him back here again!
He is super talented and we love his laid back, colourful, Kodak, film-like approach to wedding photography. We are very pleased to now recommend him as a photographer to our prospective couples; welcome aboard, Dale.
After their wedding ceremony, the guests headed out on to the terrace and courtyard to enjoy Canapes, Pimms, Prosecco and sparkling Elderflower in the sunshine, whilst a fantastic magician, Spencer Woods, entertained guests with his sleight of hand.
Spencer has also been added to our recommended suppliers list as we found him to be hugely entertaining, friendly and efficient; just what you need for a wedding or event!
The wedding couple ventured off with Dale to capture some superb couple pictures in and around the rural grounds at Hendall.
As the guests were gathered on the lawn for the group photograph, the wedding caterers, topped up the Champagne flutes with fizz in readiness for the toasts.
Vicki and Joe had decided to enjoy their wedding cake as their pudding, so en route to the wedding breakfast, they cut their cake (as did the birthday boy too!) and headed in to the cheers and applause from their guests and took their seats for speeches.
After the wedding breakfast had finished. Vicki and Joe headed out with Dale for a few more photographs whilst their guests enjoyed another drink on the terrace.
Paul, their DJ from Those Party People arrived and began his set up in the Stone Barn.
Evening guests arrived and shortly afterwards the Bride and Groom took to the floor for their first dance. The party continued in full swing for the remainder of the evening and, when it was time to say goodbye, the couple’s loved ones, lined up on the terrace and created an archway of golden sparklers for them to walk through.
We firmly believe in the importance of ending your day on a high with all your family and guests around you, ready to give you a well-orchestrated ‘send-off’ after a long and happy day.
Vicki and Joe – it was our pleasure and delight to host your wedding day at Hendall Manor Barns and we loved the 18 months of planning with you to create your dream wedding day. We wish you both a lifetime of happiness with one another and all the very best for your future together.
Massive thanks to Dale for these fantastic and wonderful images of Joe and Vicki’s picture perfect wedding day here at Hendall Manor Barns.
Venue – Hendall Manor Barns
Photographer – Dale Weeks Photography
Caterer – MDFood4Thought
Florist – The Sussex Cutting Garden
Bridal – Mathilda Rose Bridal Wear
Hair – Hero Hairstylist
Ceremony Musicians – The Dotted Crotchets
Magician – Spencer Wood Magic
DJ – Those Party People
Complete our enquiry form or call us and we can arrange to show you around our unique venue.