Cherry Barn wedding | Becca & Will

The Cherry Barn near Rye in East Sussex was the wedding venue of choice for Becca and Will. A day in August they had booked long before the Covid-19 pandemic. They booked me back in November 2019. In between weddings got hit hard. At first, no weddings were allowed, then just 15 people, 30 people, no dancing, no readings…etc. But they held their nerve and kept this August 2021 wedding date – the restrictions lifted just a few weeks before.

Sussex Barn wedding venue – The Cherry Barn

The Cherry Barn is a lovely Sussex wedding venue. Part of Clayton Farm, near the village of Peasmarsh, the barn sits within a 400-acre working sheep and fruit farm. Sat on the High Weald, there are lovely views of the quintessential English countryside from every angle. Next to the barn are the apple orchards, supplying apple juice to the nation’s supermarket shelves.

The barn itself is big. Dating from the seventeenth century it has been sympathetically restored, from its recent role storing hay for the farm’s sheep in winter to becoming a wedding venue in 2018. A largely redundant traditional Sussex barn became one of the best barn wedding venues in the county – principally because it’s big and lets in light. Two sections – one for the ceremony, then chairs cleared for drinks space, which became handy as the rain showers hit without warning. The other half, long tables set up for the meal – quickly moved after to reveal the large dance floor.

Coverage on this wedding day began just up the road in Peasmarsh, at an Airbnb, the beautiful Ivy Cottage. Here Becca got ready with her mother, sister, and bridesmaids, and the two flower girls. Becca’s dad even timed his arrival perfectly to see Becca walk down the cottage stairs in her wedding dress.

Then off to The Cherry Barn. Dark clouds on the horizon. Just before Becca arrived, the heavy rain came. The wedding car headed to the back and it then became an operation to get Becca into the venue not too wet. Meanwhile, Will was struggling with his emotions as he stood at the top of the aisle.

They got through the ceremony, holding back the tears (Will mainly). Then drinks and games out on the lawn, with the odd dash back into the Cherry Barn when a rain shower appeared. We even managed a few quick portraits in a nearby field and the orchard with the sun out. It clouded over after that and rain came back.

Meal, speeches, cake cut, and then the first dance before the party started. It’s been a long time since the dance floors have been busy, let’s hope it continues…

Here are a few images from this wedding for a lovely couple at The Cherry Barn in Sussex…