Party Field wedding

A summer wedding in a field in Sussex. The Party Field, at Rise farm, just south of Lewes, was the location for Faith and Jon’s festival-style wedding. A blank canvas for them to create their own relaxed wedding day. But when your wedding is essentially a tipi in a field, you need the weather to play ball. It did – although it clouded over as the day progressed, it stayed warm and dry.

I arrived a bit early – the only people there were the guys setting up the mobile bar – in a converted horsebox. Jon’s mum arrived with a list of things to do – firstly, to get the ceremony area ready. A backdrop of the South Downs, looking across the Celery Sewer. That’s not as bad as it sounds – the celery sewer is the name for an old drainage ditch, running into the River Ouse. Just a couple of fields away, I photographed a wedding back in April, for another couple from Brighton. Grooms with the same surname too. Nice part of Sussex this – I’m back in Lewes soon.

Wedding in a Sussex Field

Benches were put in place, even the groom was on hand to help. Rocks jammed in feet of the canopy, to hold it in place against the breeze. The wedding guests started to arrive in the field. Some had spent the night in tents there, others would pitch their tents later. Everyone gathered in this part of the field for the ceremony, ready for Faith to walk across from the tipi. Time for the ceremony to begin. The ceremony completed smoothly, the breeze then swept the confetti, from the cannons, straight over one side of the aisle. Then Faith and Jon led everyone back to the area outside the tipi for drinks. On hand, table tennis and pool and several types of beer in the kegs. After mingling for a time, Faith and Jon, with family, headed over to Lewes, to get the legal ceremony done at the Registry office there. Steph, the maid of honour, had the photography duties for that part of the day.

Back for more drinks and then speeches in the open. The smell of the nearly ready paella, wafting across the field. It was a case of grabbing a plate and a spot to sit, somewhere on the hay bales, to eat. A folk band played alongside the diners. As the evening guests started to arrive, the beer kegs were getting pretty dry by now. Switch to bottles from the bar. Another band got ready in the tipi – expertly squeezed onto the small stage. No first dance, as such – nothing formal about this wedding – but they danced…

Here are just a few images from the day in The Party Field…