It was way back in August 2013 when I was a wedding photographer at Hendall Manor Barn for the first time. That was for Ali & Matt’s wedding and I still remember it vividly. Now, over 5 years later and I’ve photographed lots of weddings at Hendall Manor Barn, and my love for the place never fades. It’s hard to pin-point one reason for this, so I’ll tell you about all the things I love. Firstly, it’s a beautiful venue. You’ll need ask Nic & Peter for a full history of the place, but it’s a number of converted farm buildings, which have been done so in a very beautiful way. Some aspects look modern, sleek, and stylish, and yet others retain the full rustic character you’d expect of old farm buildings. I love this juxtaposition. It’s the same reason why an immaculately dressed wedding couple can look extra amazing when placed against an old stone or wooden wall.
When you arrive at the venue, after a short drive from the main road, you’re greeted by 3 massive barns that cut decisively into the blue sky. There is something about them which draws my attention every time I’m here. These barns are officially used for parking for wedding guests, but they also provide some amazing options for portraits in good and bad weather. The light filtering into these barns is an absolute gift to photography.
After this, you approach and enter The Stone Barn. This can be used for the ceremony, drinks reception, wedding breakfast, evening party etc. It has two huge windows in the sides which let in loads of natural light, and then ginormous shutters for these windows can be brought into place cutting out any unwanted light later on. On the other side of the barn is a beautiful terrace and lawn area. It’s a great place for post-ceremony drinks and canapés, portraits, group photos, games, and generally relaxing with your guests. Being suitable for all of these things, means that you don’t lose your guests being spread out too much, but allows everyone to do what they’re comfortable with in one area. However, it’s outside of this area where a lot of the best bride and groom portrait locations are. There is the pond, private lawns, orchard, swimming pool, and fields. And if you’re prepared to walk up a small hill in the fields, you get some amazing views of the Sussex countryside.
On top of all of this, there is a very cool 17th century sandstone barn where the bride and bridesmaids can party the night before the wedding, and then get ready in on the morning. I love this barn. There is loads of space, loads of character, and lots of interesting features.
There is one more thing and this is probably one of, if not the most important thing about the venue; because if it didn’t have this, I wouldn’t recommend it despite all of the good things mentioned above. And that is excellent service by the owners and staff there. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with at every single wedding, & are extremely accommodating. I always look forward to photographing weddings at Hendall Manor Barn and can’t wait to return there again.
You can view a selection of photos from my weddings at Hendall Manor Barn in the gallery below & read about specific weddings there by clicking these links: Maddy & Oli, Charlotte & Alex, Jo & Adrian, & Ali and Matt.
