FIND YOUR AREA
Where are you thinking of getting married?
02 · WORTHING + FINDON
Worthing, Findon + Steyning
Georgian manors, flint barns and a seafront cinema
05 · ARUNDEL + PULBOROUGH
Arundel, Pulborough + Petworth
Castles, loggias and Tudor barns
JUST NORTH OF BRIGHTON
Wedding venues just outside Brighton
Country weddings close enough for Brighton guests to get a taxi home.
Cross the A27 and you're straight into the Downs. These venues sit between Pyecombe, Henfield and Hassocks, most of them 10 to 25 minutes from the seafront, which makes them perfect if half your guests live in the city.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
PYECOMBE · 15 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Pangdean Old Barn
A 1720s oak-framed barn with a walled garden, just up the A23. Ceremonies can happen in the barn or the gardens, and the catering is all in-house.
Wedding cost guideCeremony fee £450 + VAT (up to 70 guests); wedding breakfast from £70 to £82 per head + VAT on the venue's own site. Venue hire listed from £2,000 to £6,000 + VAT (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
DEVIL'S DYKE · 15 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Devil's Dyke Farm
A blank-canvas barn with sweeping views across the Downs, on the site of the old Dyke railway station. You get the venue for three days, so there's no rush to set up or clear away.
Wedding cost guide2027 venue hire: May £5,500 (midweek) or £7,500 (weekend); June to September £8,900 (midweek) or £10,200 (weekend). Includes three days' exclusive use, furniture and bar staff. Catering extra.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
SMALL DOLE · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Tottington Manor
A 17th-century manor at the foot of the Downs, with outdoor ceremony spots, all-inclusive packages and 12 bedrooms for guests who want to stay.
Wedding cost guidePackages for 60 guests: Celebration (Mon–Thu) £9,445 in 2026 or £10,770 in 2027; South Downs (any day) £12,845 in 2026 or £15,380 in 2027. 10% less in November, January and February.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WOODMANCOTE · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Woodmancote Place
A manor house garden built for marquee weddings, with three licensed lawns and a church nearby. They only take about 15 weddings a year.
Wedding cost guideExclusive use of the grounds listed at £5,000 incl. VAT for 20 to 200 guests; marquee and catering extra (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
ALBOURNE · 20 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Wickwoods
A country club hotel with a glass-roofed ceremony room and gardens, and everything (rooms, food, drink) handled under one roof.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £2,550 to £3,250, with packages from £57 per head for at least 60 guests (Bridebook listing).
RECEPTION VENUE
SHERMANBURY · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Shermanbury Place
A newer, festival-style option: a whole-weekend 'Party Paddock' on a country estate, with camping and a shepherd's hut. Celebrant-led ceremonies happen on the estate.
Wedding cost guideFrom £2,500 for a Friday-to-Sunday weekend (2027 bookings); dry hire.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
St John the Baptist, Clayton: a tiny Saxon church with medieval wall paintings below the Jack and Jill windmills, for couples with a link to the parish.
WORTHING, FINDON + STEYNING
Wedding venues near Worthing, Findon and Steyning
Where the Downs meet the sea, and home to some of my favourite venues anywhere.
This stretch between Steyning and Worthing has a bit of everything: Findon Place for country-house elegance, Cissbury and Selden for barns, Castle Goring for drama, and a walled garden at Highden that very few people know about yet.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FINDON · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Findon Place
A Georgian country house at the foot of Cissbury Ring, hired exclusively, with a ballroom, a cedar garden for outdoor ceremonies and the village church right next door. Marquees on the lawn work beautifully here.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £10,500 to £20,500; offers for early-2027 one-day weddings for up to 72 guests from £5,500 + VAT (Bridebook and Coco listings).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FINDON · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Cissbury Barns
Restored flint barns on a downland estate, with ceremonies in a woodland glade or the East Barn and cottages for the couple and family.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £2,700 to £8,550 depending on season and day; catering extra (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WASHINGTON · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Highden Estate
An acre of private Victorian walled garden on a Downs estate, licensed for outdoor ceremonies, with a marquee for the reception. It has hosted only a handful of weddings, so it's a genuine hidden gem.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £2,995 to £7,500 for 2026; marquee, catering and furniture extra (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
STORRINGTON · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Sullington Great Barn
A listed 15th-century tithe barn next to a manor house, with a rose garden and cottages on site. They take only around six weekend weddings a year.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
PATCHING · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Selden Barns
Barns with a walled garden, an oak pergola and three licensed ceremony spaces, plus plenty of beds on site for the wedding party.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire from £4,650 off-peak; 2027 'Begin Forever' package £7,501 incl. VAT for 50 adults (January to April 2027).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
CLAPHAM, NEAR WORTHING · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Long Furlong Barn
Rustic farm barns with a licensed Cartshed for ceremonies and new guest accommodation. Twilight and ceremony-only options help if your budget is tighter.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WORTHING · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Castle Goring
A one-of-a-kind house that's Gothic castle on one side and Palladian mansion on the other, with a bright ceremony hall and lawns for a marquee. The whole building is yours for the day.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire + VAT: £1,950 Mon–Thu, £2,950 Fri and Sun, £3,900 Saturdays in summer. Ceremony fee £260. Catering via preferred caterers.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WORTHING SEAFRONT · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Dome
An Edwardian seafront cinema with a licensed Atrium, a newly refurbished lounge and a balcony looking over the sea.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
St Mary's House, Bramber: a Grade I medieval house with a Victorian music room, for ceremonies only (up to 80), with the reception elsewhere.
HAYWARDS HEATH + MID SUSSEX
Wedding venues near Haywards Heath and Mid Sussex
Gardens, Gothic manors and whole estates for the weekend.
The High Weald around Haywards Heath, Balcombe and East Grinstead is full of private estates and famous gardens. A lot of these venues are exclusive use with accommodation, so they suit couples planning a full wedding weekend.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
HANDCROSS · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Nymans
The National Trust's romantic ruined manor and famous gardens, with ceremonies at the Loggia and on the lawns. It's beautiful in every season.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BALCOMBE · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Greentrees Estate
A private 170-acre estate taken for a single day or the whole weekend, with cottages for guests and woodland and lakeside ceremony spots.
Wedding cost guideSingle day (Mon–Wed) £10,500 or £12,500; Friday-to-Sunday weekend with all cottages £22,500 or £24,500. VAT included; catering and marquee extra.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BALCOMBE · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Balcombe Place
A Victorian mansion taken for a two-night house party, with seven bedrooms, licensed reception rooms and a lawn for a marquee. Only one wedding a week.
Wedding cost guideFrom £16,000 for a two-night exclusive weekend including bedrooms and meals for 14 (Coco listing); the house quotes individually after a viewing.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BALCOMBE · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Highley Manor
A Victorian Gothic manor with a Baronial Hall, 19 bedrooms and all-inclusive packages, so the logistics are mostly done for you.
Wedding cost guidePackages listed from £7,450 to £17,450 for 60 guests, including the ceremony, food, drinks and DJ (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WEST HOATHLY · 40 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Gravetye Manor
An Elizabethan manor hotel famous for its gardens and its Michelin-starred restaurant, taken on exclusive use for small, food-led weddings.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £24,000 to £28,000 (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
SHARPTHORNE · 40 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Ravenswood
A Jacobean-style country house hotel with indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces, room for a big party and 34 bedrooms.
Wedding cost guidePackages from £4,950 depending on date (venue's own site); listed from £8,450 to £22,250 including 40 guests (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WEST HOATHLY · 40 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Fallow Meadow
A luxury permanent tipi in a secluded valley reached by a private track, with access the day before and after.
Wedding cost guideFrom £11,995 (Coco listing); listed from £7,250 to £11,995 (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BOLNEY · 25 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Chapel Barn
A small farm barn for couples who want to bring in their own caterers and style the day themselves.
Wedding cost guidePrices on request.
RECEPTION VENUE
HANDCROSS · 30 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Hyde Estate
A tipi or marquee among lakes and wild gardens. The estate isn't licensed, so the legal ceremony happens elsewhere (there's a church within walking distance) or you have a celebrant on the day.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed at around £4,600 (Bridebook listing).
HORSHAM + AROUND
Wedding venues near Horsham
Lakeside barns, a five-star hotel and gardens with their own Michelin star.
Lower Beeding, just south of Horsham, has three of the county's best-known venues within a mile of each other. Further south, Southlands Barn has lakeside ceremonies with Downs views.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LOWER BEEDING · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Brookfield Barn
An exclusive-use barn with a pond, a lakeside ceremony spot and 11 bedrooms in the house. It books up well in advance for good reason.
Wedding cost guide2026 venue hire from £3,425 (Mon–Wed, Jan, Feb, Dec) to £7,800 (summer Saturdays); 2027 from £3,510 to £7,950. Whole-house accommodation £2,070 in 2026.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LOWER BEEDING · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
South Lodge
A five-star Victorian country house hotel with gardens, a spa and rooms for everyone, for couples who want hotel polish and no logistics.
Wedding cost guideFrom £5,550 for a January weekday for 30 guests including food and drink (Coco listing); venue hire listed from £4,500 to £6,750 (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
LOWER BEEDING · 35 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Leonardslee Gardens
Exclusive-use wedding weekends with 240 acres of woodland gardens, lakes, a vineyard and Restaurant Interlude doing the food.
Wedding cost guideWedding weekend package from £39,250 for 50 guests (Friday to Sunday, including accommodation, food and drink).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WEST CHILTINGTON · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Southlands Barn
A barn with lakeside outdoor vows and Downs views, with clear, tiered pricing and a fully catered package if you want it.
Wedding cost guide2027 venue hire from £3,495 (Tuesdays, Nov–Dec) to £7,995 (Saturdays, May–Sep); Estate package for 70 guests from £15,430.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
Knepp Wild Weddings, Shipley: a tipi in a meadow on England's best-known rewilding estate, from £4,000 for 2026 (celebrant ceremonies only).
ARUNDEL, PULBOROUGH + PETWORTH
Wedding venues near Arundel and Pulborough
The romantic heart of West Sussex.
The Arun valley is full of private estates, from Bignor Park's Greek loggia to Amberley's medieval walls and Slindon's orangery with sea views. It's 45 minutes to an hour from Brighton, and worth it.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BIGNOR · 50 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Bignor Park
A family-run estate with outdoor vows at a classical Greek loggia, a cobbled stable courtyard and lawns for a marquee. They take just one wedding per weekend from April to October.
Wedding cost guide£6,950 for the ceremony and a Stables reception (up to 150), or £7,950 with a Croquet Lawn marquee (up to 200). Catering, marquee and registrar extra.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
SLINDON · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Slindon House
A National Trust manor in 18 acres of downland with sea views, a Grand Hall and an orangery that used to be a butterfly house.
Wedding cost guideFrom £3,000 for a weekday (Coco listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
AMBERLEY · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Amberley Castle
A 900-year-old castle hotel with a portcullis and walled gardens, best for intimate, all-inclusive weddings behind the walls.
Wedding cost guideIntimate ceremonies from £2,000; day weddings from £15,000; exclusive use from £25,000; marquee weddings from £35,000.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
BURY · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Bury Manor Barn
A Tudor barn on the River Arun with a walled garden and a pond, looking across the valley to the Downs.
Wedding cost guideFrom £3,200 + £250 ceremony fee for a February weekday (Coco listing); listed from £4,451 to £7,038 (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
FITTLEWORTH · 55 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Fitzleroi Barn
A characterful barn you can style yourselves, with no corkage and access the day before to set up.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from about £5,225 to £8,500 for an exclusive weekend (Bridebook listing; the venue publishes 2027 and 2028 price tables).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
PULBOROUGH · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Two Woods Estate
A licensed ceremony space among more than 100 redwoods on a 42-acre estate, taken on exclusive use.
Wedding cost guideFrom £3,500 (Coco listing); up to £13,400 (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
CLIMPING · 45 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Bailiffscourt
A medieval-style manor hotel a short walk from the beach, with a 13th-century chapel for blessings and 39 rooms for exclusive use.
Wedding cost guideExclusive use from £22,815 (Mon–Thu, 80 guests including all rooms and dinner) as a 2024/25 offer; ask for current rates.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
Grittenham Barn, Tillington: a Domesday-era farmstead with a lake and orchard, from about £3,500 venue hire.
Haylands Barn, Graffham: a restored flint barn at the end of a private drive under the Downs.
CHICHESTER + MIDHURST
Wedding venues near Chichester and Midhurst
Ducal estates, castle ruins and medieval halls.
The far west of the county is over an hour from Brighton but has some of its grandest settings: Cowdray's ruins and walled garden, Goodwood's state apartments, and a cathedral city with venues steps apart.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
MIDHURST · 70 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Walled Garden at Cowdray
A walled garden with lavender and Georgian stonework beside the Cowdray ruins, which make an incredible portrait backdrop.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire from £2,500 (Sun–Thu, January to March and November) to £7,000 (Saturdays, May to September). Winter package Oct 2026 to Mar 2027 for 50 guests including catering from £8,300.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
MIDHURST · 70 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Cowdray House
A Tudor-style country house taken for a house-party wedding, with Buck Hall's huge fireplace and 22 bedrooms.
Wedding cost guideFrom £15,000 for a February weekday including accommodation (Coco listing); listed from £15,000 to £30,000 (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
GOODWOOD · 55 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Goodwood House
Black-tie grandeur in the state apartments of a working ducal estate, with ceremonies in the Yellow Drawing Room or the Ballroom.
Wedding cost guideFacility fee from £6,000 (Sundays, January to March) to £20,000 (peak Saturdays) in the 2024 brochure; ask for current rates.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
TROTTON, NEAR MIDHURST · 75 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Southdowns Manor
A country house in the western Downs with 15 rooms on site and good-value all-in packages.
Wedding cost guidePackages from £5,500 (catering for 50 day guests); two-day package from £8,500; Signature from £15,000. VAT included.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
UPWALTHAM · 55 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Upwaltham Barns
Flint barns hidden in a Downs valley, with in-house catering taken care of.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from about £3,250 to £8,150 (exclusive use), with in-house catering £90 to £110 per head (Bridebook listing).
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
WEST DEAN · 60 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Farbridge
An exclusive-use barn in the Downs with seven guest rooms for the wedding party.
Wedding cost guide2026/27 venue hire from £3,400 (Sundays, Jan–Feb) to £9,300 (Saturdays, May–Aug); 2028 from £3,700 to £9,600. Guest rooms £1,550.
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
SIDLESHAM · 60 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Southend Barns
All-inclusive barn packages near the Witterings, with bell tents for friends who want to stay.
Wedding cost guideAll-inclusive collections from £10,995 (Mon–Thu, 50 guests, off-peak) to £17,995 (Saturday, 70 guests, May to September); 2027 and 2028.
RECEPTION VENUE
CHICHESTER · 50 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
Vicars' Hall, Chichester Cathedral
A medieval hall reception steps from the Cathedral and its gardens. Marry at the Cathedral, a church or the Guildhall first.
Wedding cost guideReception hire from £840 (venue page) to £1,000 (2025 brochure), with catering from about £110 per head via the in-house team.
CEREMONY VENUE
PRIORY PARK, CHICHESTER · 50 MIN FROM BRIGHTON
The Guildhall
A 13th-century friary church in a city park, for the ceremony before a reception elsewhere in Chichester.
Wedding cost guideCeremony hire £1,740 (Mon–Thu), £1,980 (Fri) or £2,220 (weekends), incl. VAT; registrar fees extra.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK
West Dean Gardens: famous glasshouses and a pergola for marquee receptions (blessings only; the legal ceremony happens elsewhere).
JUST OVER THE BORDER
A few favourites over the county line
Some of the loveliest venues near West Sussex sit just over the county line. These two are in Surrey and Hampshire, close to the border.
SURREY
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
CAPEL, SURREY · 15 MIN FROM HORSHAM
Ridge Farm
A 16th-century farmhouse and former recording studio taken for a long weekend, with woodland ceremonies and a pool house for dinner.
Wedding cost guideThree-night weekend listed at around £18,000 to £19,000 including farmhouse accommodation (Bridebook listing).
HAMPSHIRE
LICENSED FOR CEREMONIES
ROWLANDS CASTLE, HAMPSHIRE · 15 MIN FROM CHICHESTER
Stansted Park
A stately home right on the border with a private chapel, lawns for a marquee and a speakeasy in the crypt.
Wedding cost guideVenue hire listed from £5,000 to £6,000, with catering £85 to £100 per head (Bridebook listing); the venue's brochure lists packages for 100 guests.
A PHOTOGRAPHER'S PLANNING TIPS
Before you book the venue
01 · THE LEGAL BIT
Check the licence first
Only venues approved by West Sussex County Council can host the legal ceremony. If you fall for one that isn't licensed, marry at a register office first and have a celebrant-led ceremony on the day.
02 · TRAVEL
Distances are bigger than they look
Pyecombe is 15 minutes from Brighton; Midhurst is well over an hour. If most guests are coming from Brighton or London, think about the A23 and A24 and book a coach.
03 · STAYING OVER
Count the beds
Exclusive-use estates often sleep the wedding party but not everyone. Block-book rooms in Horsham, Arundel or Chichester early, especially in summer.
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 WEST SUSSEX WEDDINGS
A few of my West Sussex couples
East Sussex wedding venues
Firle, Lewes, Buxted 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.
Marquee weddings
How I photograph a marquee wedding, from the empty field to the dance floor.
FOUND THE VENUE?
Let's talk about the day itself.
Vows at a loggia, a barn by the lake or a manor under the Downs. I'd love to hear where you're thinking of.