Heidi and Christian wanted a country wedding, and they chose Southend Barns, just outside Chichester, to have it. They both got ready at the Ship Hotel in Chichester, the ceremony was in the Dairy Barn, dinner was in the Threshing Barn, and the day finished with a live band. In between there was a spring afternoon on the lawn and a sunset out by the fields.
Getting ready at the Ship Hotel
Heidi and Christian both got ready at the Ship Hotel in Chichester. When it was time to leave, Heidi’s very proud father drove her and the bridesmaids out to Southend Barns himself.
The ceremony in the Dairy Barn
Southend Barns sits on a former working farm on the Selsey Road, a few minutes south of Chichester. The Dairy Barn is where indoor ceremonies happen. It has big windows and soft, even daylight, which is about as kind as ceremony light gets.
Champagne on the lawn and five minutes in the fields
It was a beautiful spring day, so guests spent the drinks reception out on the lawn with champagne and canapés. Heidi and Christian slipped away for five minutes for portraits in the gardens and the fields around the barns.
Dinner in the Threshing Barn
The wedding breakfast was three courses in the restored Threshing Barn, which is around 200 years old. The catering was by Field and Fork. Speeches followed, and then a few minutes back outside as the sun went down, for a silhouette of Heidi and Christian at the edge of the fields.
The evening belonged to a live band, and everyone was on the dance floor for songs from their youth. Meriella and her team at Southend Barns looked after every detail, and the flowers were by Passionate4flowers.
Congratulations to Heidi and Christian.
Venue: Southend Barns
Flowers: Passionate4flowers
Catering: Field and Fork
Planning a Southend Barns wedding
- Choose your ceremony space. Ceremonies are inside in the Dairy Barn or outside in the Secret Garden. Dinner and the party are in the Threshing Barn.
- Keep portraits short. Fifteen or twenty minutes when the light is right is plenty, and you’re back with your guests before anyone misses you.
- Save a few minutes for sunset. The fields behind the venue are best from late afternoon to sunset. Heidi and Christian stepped out after the speeches.
- Exclusive use. No other events run alongside yours, so the gardens and yard are yours for the day.
More about the barns, the best portrait spots and costs is on my Southend Barns wedding photographer page, and other venues near the city are on my Chichester wedding photographer page. For other weddings here, see Esther and Rob and Gemma and Michael. For venues nearby, see Chichester, or have a look at my prices and send me your date.
