the pudding as they say – they WON Best Barn Venue in the UK Wedding Awards 2018 with You and Your Wedding magazine,
Hitched website, and Perfect Wedding magazine, and I am very pleased to offer discounted rates to couples getting married at this romantic wedding venue surrounded by open fields.
I photographed one of the first ever Southend Barns weddings in the Summer of 2012. Since then I have photographed a further 60+ weddings here, at all times of year and in all weathers - every one of them has been divine and an absolute vision! The staff are so professional and friendly, they are a pleasure to work with and even from my clients I have only ever heard amazing things.
I LOVE living on the beautiful Sussex coastline, and feel so lucky that I get to capture beautiful weddings not only all over, but at intimate wedding venues in West Sussex. With over eight years of experience photographing Southend Barns Weddings, it’s firmly become one of my favourite countryside venues.
This page features lots of beautiful photos that I have taken at my clients weddings who hired the gorgeous Southend Barns Wedding venue for their Wedding day - it's exquisite – proof is in
All your Wedding Photography needs for your special day in this glorious wedding venue near Bognor Regis.
southend barns
I LOVE living on the beautiful Sussex coastline, and feel so lucky that I get to capture beautiful weddings not only all over, but at intimate wedding venues in West Sussex. With over eight years of experience photographing Southend Barns Weddings, it’s firmly become one of my favourite countryside venues.
This page features lots of beautiful photos that I have taken at my clients weddings who hired the gorgeous Southend Barns Wedding venue for their Wedding day - it's exquisite – proof is in the pudding as they say – they WON Best Barn Venue in the UK Wedding Awards 2018 with You and Your Wedding magazine,
Hitched website, and Perfect Wedding magazine, and I am very pleased to offer discounted rates to couples getting married at this romantic wedding venue surrounded by open fields.
I photographed one of the first ever Southend Barns weddings in the Summer of 2012. Since then I have photographed a further 60+ weddings here, at all times of year and in all weathers - every one of them has been divine and an absolute vision! The staff are so professional and friendly, they are a pleasure to work with and even from my clients I have only ever heard amazing things.
Set on a working farm in the stunning Sussex countryside, this lovingly restored barn complex is my most local venue and features a magnificent 200-year-old Threshing Barn, which oozes rustic charm with exposed authentic wooden beams and iron wrought chandeliers – this, combined with stylish contemporary touches chosen by Mariella herself!
As one of the many wedding barns in West Sussex, this one is a blank canvas so you can decorate it to suit your theme or leave it naturally gorgeous with its’ rustic features. It can accommodate up to 150 for a sit-down meal which is catered for by their amazingly talented in-house catering team, who’s food I can vouch for is delicious.
This venue consists of two barns which have been lovingly restored to the highest standard combining contemporary, rustic and the prettiest of backdrops for wedding venues in West Sussex for your ceremony and celebrations.
One of the most notable aspects of this venue for me is that there are so many photo opportunities both indoors and out regardless of the weather. When renovating the barns the owners, Mariella and William Fleming had all weather weddings in mind so that come rain or shine, they are passionate about creating the most sensational, memorable experience for you and your guests.
In summer months, you have the option to have an outdoor Ceremony in the Secret Garden which oozes an authentic English Country feel, using beautiful natural elements that complement the rest of the venue, with log piled walls, rustic panelling and modern pews set amongst a 50ft aisle, overlooked by the venues own alpacas, and surrounded by the West Sussex countryside.
The Milking Parlour is a calm and luxurious bridal suite, which is located in its own private courtyard. Once used as a dairy parlour it has now been renovated with contemporary interiors complete with driftwood mirrors, lavish rugs, log fire, and again a lot of natural light, ideal for a make-up artist and photographer. The outdoor photo opportunities in the suites garden are endless, are surrounded by an attractive landscaped garden.
During cocktail hour, the picturesque courtyard that lies at the heart of the venue, with its luscious lawn, well-kept pots, rustic milk churns and Cornish slate patio lined with dairy inspired milk churns – is the perfect spot for family formals and for mingling with guests over drinks and canapés.
A romantic ambience fills the Collecting Yard with up-lights, fairy lights, twinkling lanterns, sumptuous sofas complete with warm throws, outdoor fire heaters and toasted marshmallows over a fire-pit creating a truly magical evening setting.
For colder months or for just an indoor option, you may prefer for the Ceremony to take place in the Dairy Barn, which is fully licensed for all civil ceremonies and partnerships. With a heavenly 22 metre aisle and handmade sweet chestnut benches that can hold up to 140 guests, 120 seated, and these are positioned like church pews, I can honestly say it’s one of the only ceremony rooms that has a Church feel to it. It also oozes natural light which floods in through the windows and reflects off the white walls – perfect for beautiful candid photos without the need for a flash and makes for an idyllic setting for couples to exchange their vows, even being used after the wedding ceremony for a drinks reception or transformed into an entertainment room for the children. In wet and cold weather I have taken many formal group photos in here and even romantic Bride & Groom portraits as you’ll see in my gallery.
For December weddings, the Threshing Barn comes complete with a stunning 12ft Christmas Tree, decorated with fairy lights and exquisite decorations making it the perfect setting for your Winter Wedding. And if it rains, the staff are outside hoovering up puddles before your guests arrive, as well as providing an abundance of umbrellas and blankets to help keep you all warm and dry. They even arrange a wall of umbrellas to safely transport the bride on her short walk to the ceremony barn without the risk of getting wet. To top this off you and your guests can enter the chilly evening out by the warm fire-pits with a glass of mulled wine or my personal favourite, Winter Pimms, amongst lavish sheepskin rugs and glowing lanterns.
Almost unique among barn wedding venues, both the Dairy Barn and the Threshing Barn both benefit from the most glorious natural light and classy, neutral decor with a touch of authenticity which lends itself to weddings of all types. Adjacent to the Threshing Barn, you’ll find their in-house catering team, Roots, for all of their weddings and events, using local produce to create delicious food, whether you are wanting to serve traditional British Grub, a BBQ or something more refined – all with a touch of class. Roots will work with you to produce and deliver a menu to appeal to everyone.
1. The bridal suite is ideal for bridal prep and Blacksmiths for groom prep, although if you don’t want to move rooms on the morning of your ceremony then you could hire a gorgeous beach house on Air BnB in East or West Wittering or Bracklesham Bay - perfect for prep photos and you can then make the most of the scenic backdrop of the sea giving a West Wittering beach feel to your day. There's no need to worry about beach-traffic as you'll be heading out in the opposite direction. Why not make it a Wedfest - whole weekend with family and friends at the beach together before or after your Wedding Day.
Wherever you choose, I strongly recommend hiring a light airy room somewhere with lots of natural light and neutral colours to make the most of your bridal prep photos. In this instance the Groom and his Groomsmen often use the Milking Parlour at Southend Barns to get ready - definitely worth booking a second photographer for this.
With Chichester town centre being just a couple of miles North of the barns, you’ll find numerous B&B’s and hotels with Chichester being Southend Barns nearest train station and Chichester Taxi’s based right outside. I am often asked about accommodation near Southend Barns and you can find a list of these at the end of this page.
2. A crop field at the rear of the venue provides an idyllic backdrop for romantic twilight couple portraits during golden hour, and being so close to the beach it’s well known for its dramatic sunsets over the South Downs which set directly behind this field. I use an app which shows me sunset times and sun position so I can plan in shoot ideas featuring the sunset.
3. The sand dunes over at West Wittering beach is a pretty location for a pre-wedding or engagement shoot. There's also some beautiful Churches for religious ceremonies all around the Witterings, Birdham and even Chichester or Arundel Cathedral.
4. Make use of their garden games for a real fun atmosphere on your day. Just check out this gallery of guests having fun at Southend Barns weddings.
5. Book me, hehe. I am a recommended photographer for Southend Barns weddings so you know you can book me with confidence, and as a venue buddy I offer a £100 discount to Southend Barns clients (*NB. not in conjunction with sales, already discounted packages).
Southend Barns is one of very few barns which caters to the photographer whether it be wind, rain or shine, the white walls in the dairy barn and bridal suite allow for the perfect lighting and enough natural light for group photos too. I have photographed weddings here in every month of the year now and in all weather conditions, every one of my clients here has been in love with their photos :)
Mariella at Southend Barns has carefully chosen their lighting and colours and even in the middle area of the threshing barn where there is little natural light there are cool white lights focusing down to highlight the head table and preventing any colour casts on images. Obviously, a good photographer should also understand the lights kelvin temperature and be able to adjust their white balance accordingly to suit any type of lighting situations such as these. The Dairy Barn and bridal suite are painted white so are perfect for photos also.
Southend Barns is the perfect location for couple photos, with a mixture of greenery, dramatic sunsets, seasonal flowers and interesting authentic features. These blog posts below are some of my favourite Southend Barns weddings.