ALICE AND ED’S BEAUTIFUL SUMMER WEDDING AT THE SECRET BARN, SUSSEX WITH AN OUTDOOR RECEPTION
Meet the lovely Alice and Ed who hosted their wedding at the Secret Barn, Sussex. There’s a particular kind of couple who, before they’ve even described their wedding, gives you everything you need to know. Alice and Ed met at University – living together as students, who began a secret affair that clearly wasn’t secret for long – and that easy, slightly mischievous energy carried all the way through to their wedding day.
They weren’t planning a formal sit-down. They weren’t chasing a trend. They wanted a big, loud, joyful family and friends party – complete with twenty children running around and enough food to feed half the county.
Count me in, I said. Soon after, I met up with them for their Brighton Engagement session and felt like we were old friends already.
The Secret Barn is one of those venues that earns its name. Tucked away in the Sussex countryside on a working farm, it has the kind of atmosphere that makes people exhale when they arrive – all natural light, exposed wood, and a sense that the outside world has gone quiet. I love that it’s not been renovated within an inch of its life like many Barn venues, it retains all of its rustic charm.
It’s relaxed in the best possible way, and it suited Alice and Ed completely.
The food arrived in generous sharing plates, passed across tables in that instinctive, slightly chaotic way that means people are actually talking to each other. Children wove between guests. Nobody was sitting very still for very long. It was exactly the kind of wedding where my job isn’t to manufacture connection – it’s just to keep up with it.
“We are so thrilled and I actually LOVE the portraits with me and Ed in the fields and with the editorial fabric in the background – they’re probably my favourites! So creative” – Alice & Ed
CREATIVE TEAM
- Photography & Styling: Devlin Photos
- Hair & Make-Up: Poppy Tallulah
- Bridalwear: Paloma Blanca
- Groomswear: Gresham Blake
- Florals, Catering, Decor: Petal & Feast
- Venue: The Secret Barn
- Second Photographer: Laura Debourde
WHY THE SECRET BARN SUSSEX WORKS SO WELL FOR A RELAXED WEDDING
Hannah, who runs Petal & Feast and The Secret Barn is someone I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for a long time in this industry. She’s a creative force and has a great eye for detail – when I first started Photography Farm, it was Hannah who styled all the shoots. Some of my requests to her included a giant nest that two people could lie down in, a wicker coffin covered in flowers fit for Snow White and a set that looked like Miss Havisham’s decaying dining room. Hannah produced them all with aplomb.
She’s also an incredible chef – the kind of hearty, wholesome food that stays with you. She once whipped me up a batch of the most delicious drop scones in a shed with no power. She puts that same creative energy into events at The Secret Barn – you are guaranteed it will be gorgeous with florals from the field opposite the Farmhouse and catering from Hannah and her wonderful team.
It also cuts down on stress with your wedding planning as you will have fewer suppliers to source or deal with.
The Secret Barn sits in genuine Sussex countryside, and the land around it is full of photographic possibility – open fields that catch the late afternoon light in a soft romantic way. Couples who book a Secret Barn Sussex wedding often underestimate how much that natural landscape adds to their images. For portraits especially, there’s a freedom out there that you simply don’t get in a manicured venue garden.
Inside, the barn’s natural materials and warm tones mean the documentary coverage almost photographs itself. Whether it’s the first look at the altar or the chaos of sharing plates being passed between long tables, the light in there is consistently beautiful.
If you’re planning a wedding at the Secret Barn or somewhere similar in Sussex, I’d love to hear about it.
