Emma and Kieran’s Sussex Wedding at Hendall

Emma and Kieran chose Hendall Manor Barns as their dream Sussex wedding venue and we were delighted to host both their ceremony and reception here.

The morning’s set up started early, with the florist, Tracy from Flowers by Design arriving at 8.30am to begin setting up the beautiful flowers in and around the Stone Barn.

Emma and Kieran had chosen the most beautiful colours and arrangements; delphiniums, stocks, roses, peonies, and simple greenery filling the barn with a soft colour palette, a fitting choice for a spring wedding.

The back wall of the barn was adorned with three stunning, gold floral hoops, which were suspended and made a striking backdrop. The alcoves were adorned with many different gin bottles, filled with either flowers or fairy lights; a really effective touch.

Not Your Average I do; one of our favourite venue decorating suppliers had installed a foliage wall, personalised with big gold lettering stating Emma and Kieran with the date of their wedding just beneath; this worked so well as an area for guests to pose for photographs throughout the day.

Their photographer, Richard Paice, hadn’t been to Hendall before so it was a real pleasure showing him around the venue when he arrived. After his tour of the grounds and venue, he made his way in to our Bridal accommodation to meet the Bride and her maids, and to capture some images of the bridal party getting ready.

The Bridegroom and Groomsmen, in navy tweed suits with pale pink ties and pocket squares, arrived to Hendall, donned their button holes and waited in the barn to greet guests as they arrived.

The Bride and her maids were being pampered in the cottage by Charlie Stocker, make up artist and Alix Donnelly who was in charge of hair.

The Bride’s dress was an A-line stunning gown with detailed sequined bodice, leading to a billowing silk skirt with buttons adorning the whole of the back; she looked sensational! The dress was bought from Proposals in Crawley; close to the couple’s home.

The bridesmaids dresses were from Debenhams and were a gorgeous pale blue colour, perfectly matching the delphiniums. Each bridesmaid wore the top of the dress slightly differently and were complimented by a simple, elegant bunch of baby’s breath.

The bridal party walked in to Shania Twain’s ‘From this Moment’. The Bride’s three year old son lead the way with the chief Bridesmaid; it was very sweet and made for the start of a touching ceremony.

Drinks were served on the terrace where the guests made the most of the sunshine, before the clouds drew in, as was forecast for later that day. They were excellently catered for by Sarah from Elm Green; Sarah is a well known face to us and we were thrilled to see her working her magic once again in our kitchen.

The wedding breakfast set up looked sensational in the Stone Barn. Wonderful boxes, filled with flowers sat elegantly in the centre of the round tables and individual, caramel shortcake wedding favours, added an extra touch of fun to the guests’ place setting.

The wedding cake was made by a friend of the couple; a two tiered semi naked cake, adorned with fresh cut flowers and a chocolate cutting cake for the guests to enjoy later on in the day’s proceedings.

After the wedding breakfast; a two course meal consisting of Bangers and Mash and Sticky Toffee Pudding (a perfect way for them to warm up), the guests enjoyed tea and coffee on the upper level of the Stone Barn.

As Evening guests began to appear, the DJ began to set up in readiness for the couple’s first dance as Husband and Wife.  They had a great evening dancing with all their friends around them and rounded off their big day walking through sparklers held aloft by the guests and off to the bridal suite.

Their Suppliers

Venue – Hendall Manor Barns

Bridal – Proposals in Crawley

Photographer – Richard Paice 

Venue Decorator – Not Your Average I Do

Florist – Flowers by Design

Caterer – Elm Green