FIND YOUR AREA
Where are you thinking of getting married?
01 · LEWES + THE DOWNS
Lewes, Firle + the South Downs
Estates, barns and a castle under the Downs
03 · EASTBOURNE + COAST
Eastbourne, Hailsham + the coast
Castles, priories and seaside hotels
LEWES + THE SOUTH DOWNS
Wedding venues in Lewes and the South Downs
The closest country weddings to Brighton, and some of the prettiest in Sussex.
Lewes is the sweet spot: twenty minutes from Brighton, with the Downs on every side and a high street made for confetti. Firle is the star of the area, but there's a real range here, from a castle keep for fifty to a vineyard weekend for 150.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FIRLE · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Firle Place
A honey-stone country house in its own parkland at the foot of the Downs, home to the Gage family for 500 years. You can marry inside or out, hold a church blessing at St Peter's next door, then dine in the house or a marquee on the lawn.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £8,995 to £14,995, including exclusive use, furniture and lighting (Bridebook listing; the venue's brochure is on request).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FIRLE ESTATE · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
New Elms Barn
The Firle Estate's newest wedding venue: a restored barn right under the Firle Bostal, with outdoor ceremonies in the grounds. It's a more relaxed, barn-style way to get the Firle setting.
Wedding cost guideListed from £1,500 to £2,500 venue hire, which looks low for Firle, so ask for the current price list (Bridebook listing).
LICENCE: CHECK WITH VENUE
FIRLE · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Charleston
The Bloomsbury Group's farmhouse, with its painted rooms and walled garden. Weddings take place in the Hay Barn, a big, flexible space on the same site, so the gardens are right there for portraits.
Wedding cost guidePackages listed from around £103 per head on a venue-hire site; ask Charleston for wedding pricing and whether the legal ceremony can take place on site.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FALMER · 10 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Falmer Court
A 13th-century thatched barn once owned by Anne of Cleves and Thomas Cromwell, now beautifully restored and taking weddings since 2022. It's the closest country-estate feel you'll find to Brighton.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LEWES TOWN CENTRE · 20 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Pelham House
A 16th-century townhouse hotel with a surprisingly big garden and a gazebo for outdoor vows. Guests can stay on site and walk to the pubs and the castle afterwards.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £2,650 to £8,300, with catering from about £75 to £127 per head (Bridebook listing; the hotel quotes on request).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LEWES TOWN CENTRE · 20 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Lewes Castle
Say your vows in the Keep Garden at the top of a Norman castle, with views across Lewes to the Downs. It's open-air and up 125 steps, so it suits smaller, adventurous weddings with the party elsewhere in town.
Wedding cost guideFrom the Sussex Past 2024/25 brochure: West Tower and Gun Garden £2,750 for four hours, or £3,750 for exclusive use all day.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LAUGHTON · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Laughton Barns
Big, characterful barns between two lakes, run by the events team at Circa. The Apple Barn is licensed, there's an outdoor ceremony option, and the catering is all handled in-house.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed at about £5,750, with in-house catering from £64 per head + VAT (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WIVELSFIELD · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Great Ote Hall
A Tudor manor with gardens built for a marquee, hired for the whole weekend. The Hall itself is licensed for small ceremonies, with bigger ceremonies out in the garden.
Wedding cost guideWeekend hire listed from £3,500 to £4,500, with the marquee and caterers extra (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
ALFRISTON · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Rathfinny Estate
A vineyard in the Cuckmere Valley making some of England's best sparkling wine. Weddings run as two-night exclusive weekends at the Flint Barns, with a marquee among the vines, or as small day weddings in the Tasting Room.
Wedding cost guide2026: Flint Barns exclusive weekend from £22,500; Tasting Room day weddings for up to 30 from £5,000 (Wed, Thu, Sun) or £7,500 (Fri, Sat). Legal ceremony fee £750.
RECEPTION VENUE
BARCOMBE · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Anchor Inn
A riverside pub on the Ouse with a marquee in the garden and rowing boats for hire. Marry in Lewes first, then bring everyone here for a relaxed, festival-feel reception.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request (each wedding is quoted individually).
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
The Cedar Roof Barn, Isfield: a relaxed, family-run barn near Lewes where you bring in your own suppliers.
UCKFIELD + ASHDOWN FOREST
Wedding venues near Uckfield and Ashdown Forest
Country-house hotels where everyone can stay, and barns you can make your own.
North of Lewes the land turns to woodland and forest. This is the area for weddings where the whole party stays over: Buxted, Horsted and Ashdown Park all have rooms on site, and Hendall gives you a 17th-century barn to style however you like.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BUXTED · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Buxted Park Hotel
A Palladian mansion in 300 acres, with an Orangery that's one of the loveliest reception rooms in Sussex. Packages include food and drink, and there are rooms for guests on site.
Wedding cost guide2026 packages from £5,800 (Mon–Wed, January to June, 40 guests); Saturdays from £10,140 to £14,210. 2027 from £6,040. VAT included.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
HERON'S GHYLL · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Hendall Manor Barns
A 17th-century stone barn on a historic manor estate, with a south-facing terrace and lawn. You choose your caterer from their list and style the day yourselves.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £3,995 to £6,995 (Bridebook listing; the venue quotes on request).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LITTLE HORSTED · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Horsted Place
A Gothic Revival country house hotel with a croquet lawn for garden ceremonies. It's small and stylish, and works beautifully for weddings of 60 or fewer.
Wedding cost guidePackages listed from £6,600 to £10,000 including 50 guests (Bridebook listing); ceremony room hire from £350 on the venue's own site.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FOREST ROW · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Ashdown Park Hotel
A neo-Gothic mansion deep in Ashdown Forest with seven ceremony spaces, including a lakeside summer house. With over 100 bedrooms, nobody has to drive home.
Wedding cost guidePackages listed from £2,995 to £19,000 (Bridebook listing; full prices are in the venue's brochure).
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
Bluebell Vineyard, Furners Green: an ivory marquee among the vines on the edge of Ashdown Forest, for receptions and blessings (the legal ceremony happens elsewhere).
EASTBOURNE, HAILSHAM + THE COAST
Wedding venues near Eastbourne and Hailsham
A moated castle, a medieval priory and the grandest seaside hotel in Sussex.
This corner of East Sussex has the most variety: Herstmonceux and Michelham for history, Blackstock and the Sussex Barn for farm weddings, and Eastbourne's seafront hotels for old-school glamour with sea views.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
UPPER DICKER · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Michelham Priory
England's longest medieval water-filled moat surrounds a priory, gardens and an Elizabethan Great Barn. There are licensed spots everywhere, from the barn to the orchard and kitchen garden.
Wedding cost guideFriday to Sunday hire from about £5,000 (non-exclusive) or £7,000 (exclusive) out of season, rising to £6,500 / £8,500 in summer; 20% off weekdays (Sussex Past brochure).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
HERSTMONCEUX · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Herstmonceux Castle
A 15th-century brick castle with a full moat and formal gardens: the real fairytale. You can marry in the Ballroom or outdoors in the Cloisters.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
RUSHLAKE GREEN · 50 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Stone House Estate
A private Tudor and Georgian manor you hire as a whole house, with gardens, an orchard and four-poster bedrooms for the wedding party. Small ceremonies happen in the Drawing Room, with a marquee on the lawns for bigger parties.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
HELLINGLY · 40 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Blackstock Country Estate
Two barns by the Cuckmere river, with a licensed Tudor Barn for ceremonies and the Granary for dinner and dancing. Cottages on site make it easy to turn the wedding into a weekend.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £3,050 midweek and from £5,050 on Saturdays, with catering about £80 to £90 per head (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
HELLINGLY · 40 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Sussex Barn
A Grade II oak-framed barn on a working farm, with ceremonies outside in the enclosed courtyard. It's a simple, beautiful blank canvas to decorate your own way.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
EASTBOURNE SEAFRONT · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Grand Hotel
Eastbourne's five-star 'White Palace', with chandeliered ballrooms and an outdoor ceremony on the Princes Lawn facing the sea. This is old-fashioned seaside glamour done properly.
Wedding cost guidePackages from £150 per head (the hotel's own site).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
EASTBOURNE · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Hydro Hotel
A clifftop hotel in Meads with a domed Coastal Terrace for outdoor vows overlooking the sea.
Wedding cost guidePackages listed from £130 to £160 per head, or £7,250 to £8,000 for 50 adults (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
EASTBOURNE SEAFRONT · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Lansdowne Hotel
A family-run seafront hotel (since 1912) with a licensed ceremony room and plenty of bedrooms. A sensible, friendly choice for smaller weddings by the sea.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
Saltmarsh Farmhouse, Seven Sisters: a licensed 16th-century farmhouse a short walk from the Cuckmere meanders, for up to 100 in the gardens.
Montague Farm, Hankham: three restored barns on an organic farm with a four-day dry hire, for couples who want to bring everything in.
RYE, BATTLE + HASTINGS
Wedding venues near Rye, Battle and Hastings
Further from Brighton, but worth every mile.
The eastern edge of the county has some of its most romantic venues. They're an hour or more from Brighton, so they suit couples with family in Kent or the east, or anyone planning a full wedding weekend.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
NORTHIAM · 75 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Brickwall House
A Grade I Jacobean house with topiary gardens, an oak staircase made for portraits and a marquee lawn. It's exclusive use and sized for weddings of up to 70.
Wedding cost guide2026 full-day exclusive use £3,500 + VAT (Sun–Thu) or £4,000 + VAT (Fri, Sat, bank holidays); shorter weekday packages from £1,800 + VAT. Add £500 + VAT for 2027. Catering extra.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WINCHELSEA · 85 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Greyfriars
A Gothic family house on an 18-acre clifftop estate with medieval abbey ruins and rose gardens. They take just one wedding per weekend, so the whole place is yours.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BEXHILL OLD TOWN · 55 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Manor Barn
A 16th-century barn set in walled Manor Gardens, close to the sea. You can marry indoors or outside in the gardens, and it's one of the better-value venues in the county.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed at about £2,500 (Bridebook listing).
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
The Cherry Barn, Peasmarsh: a glass-fronted 17th-century barn on a sheep and cider-apple farm looking towards Rye.
WADHURST + THE HIGH WEALD
Wedding venues in the High Weald
Rolling hills, oast houses and ancient woodland on the Kent border.
The High Weald is the quieter, greener side of East Sussex. Venues here tend to be exclusive use, with woodland and lakeside ceremony spots and a slower pace to the day.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WADHURST · 55 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Wadhurst Castle
A private Regency 'castle' with a restored Carriage Barn, licensed garden spots and the feeling of having your own estate for the day.
Wedding cost guide2026/27 incl. VAT: full-day hire £6,200 (Mon–Fri) or £7,000 (Sat) from May to September; from £3,000 midweek January to April. Small & Intimate package from £5,750 for 20 guests.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
TICEHURST · 60 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Swallows Oast
A long-running oast venue with brick and timber interiors, plus outdoor ceremony spots in the woodland, under the oaks and by the lake.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £1,300 (afternoon) to £3,100 (all day) + VAT, with catering about £55 to £65 per head (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FLIMWELL · 65 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Flimwell Park
A contemporary timber 'Arc' building in ancient woodland and rewilded meadows, with eco lodges and a bridal residency. Very different from a classic barn, and beautiful for it.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
Pashley Manor Gardens, Ticehurst: award-winning gardens around a Tudor manor, for marquee receptions (the legal ceremony happens elsewhere).
JUST OVER THE BORDER
A few favourites over the county line
A few couples don't mind which side of the county line they marry on. This one is in Kent, about 15 minutes from the East Sussex border near East Grinstead.
KENT
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
HEVER, KENT · 60–70 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Hever Castle
Anne Boleyn's childhood home, with tiny ceremonies inside the castle or big lakeside parties in the Italian Garden, where the outdoor Loggia hosts ceremonies from April to October.
Wedding cost guide2026 incl. VAT: Astor Wing hire £5,000 to £8,000 (plus a castle supplement); Italian Garden £7,000 to £11,000 from April to October. Food from £92.50 per head.
A PHOTOGRAPHER'S PLANNING TIPS
Before you book the venue
01 · THE LEGAL BIT
Check the licence first
Only venues approved by East Sussex County Council can host the legal ceremony. If you fall for a venue that isn't licensed, you can marry at a register office first (Lewes is lovely) and have a celebrant-led ceremony on the day.
02 · TRAVEL
Plan around the A27 and the A22
Lewes and Firle are an easy run from Brighton; Eastbourne, Rye and the Weald take longer than the map suggests on a summer Saturday. Book a coach if most guests are coming from Brighton.
03 · STAYING OVER
Count the beds
Country venues fill up fast with nearby rooms. If your venue has no accommodation, block-book rooms in Lewes, Uckfield or Eastbourne early.
04 · THE LIGHT
Think about golden hour
Downland venues lose the sun early behind the hills. Ask what time the light drops at your venue in your month, and build your timeline around it.
REAL EAST SUSSEX WEDDINGS
A few of my East Sussex weddings
West Sussex wedding venues
Findon, Bignor, Cowdray and more on the other side of the Downs.
Brighton + Hove wedding venues
The Royal Pavilion, the Bandstand and the city's best party venues.
East Sussex wedding photography
How I photograph a country wedding, from getting ready to the last dance.
FOUND THE VENUE?
Let's talk about the day itself.
Firle in June, a castle in October or a barn by the river. I'd love to hear where you're thinking of.