Here are some weddings I’ve shot at Farbridge:
A Bit of Information About Sussex Wedding Venue Farbridge
Farbridge is a fantastic example of a barn wedding venue in Sussex. Set in beautiful rural landscape in the heart of the West Sussex countryside and on the South Downs, it’s within easy reach of London, Brighton & Southampton. The barns have been custom restored to provide a great space for West Sussex weddings of 60-150 guests and is licensed for civil ceremonies. Onsite there are also seven bedrooms & a bridal suite, as well as loads of space in the central courtyard & surrounding areas. A stream runs across the bottom of the property and two lovely bridges cross it into fields full of sheep. I hope you enjoy the Farbridge weddings I’ve posted above.
Ceremony Room
The room you would get married in is just off the main barn. This means all your guests can have a drink & relax in the main area until the registrars & the groom are ready to start. Then all the guests will be called in for the main event! With large French doors down one side of the room I get great directional light, particularly for when the bride walks in. I prefer to use the available light rather than flash as it makes for much more natural & real shots. It is also much less distracting for the couple & guests as I work in the background, with everyone as unaware of me as possible. The registrars appreciate it too & often comment how unobtrusive I am. It helps to have very quiet cameras & changes in technology over the last couple of years or so have made quite a difference. I can use my telephoto lens to catch the bride as she walks in with the groom in the foreground as he turns to see his bride to be for the first time that day. I use fast lenses so I can shoot in low light giving a great drop focus effect separating the couple from their guests & the groomsmen & bridesmaids in the background. While I change to the wide angle & shorter lenses for the ceremony itself, the ceremony room at Farbridge affords me a great vantage point & plenty of room so I can not only get great shots of the happy couple, but also of all the wedding party.
The Bridal Suite
A particularly great feature of Farbridge is the bridal suite. Effectively three rooms made into one for the bridal party to use to get ready. There’s one room specifically for hair & makeup with a big mirror & lots of room to lounge around chatting while the makeup artist does her work. I’m able to get loads of great shots in there while everyone enjoys themselves. The bedroom & lounge area are reached through a door, so although that area is great for photos, it is private enough for brides & bridesmaids to go to get changed in while I continue shooting the girls being made up.
Wedding Breakfast
One of the best features of Farbridge weddings has to be the food. Simon the head chef has such an attention to detail that he even makes his own butter. Having shot weddings at such prestigious venues as The Waldorf & The Park Lane Hotel, as well as many weddings in Italy (as far as I am concerned, the home of good food) I can honestly say I think the food at Farbridge is the best you’ll get. Simon will take time to create a bespoke wedding meal suited to your specific wishes & then cook it beautifully. I’ve seen guests passing round a bowl after they’ve finished so that others on the table can taste the remains. That’s particularly true of Simon’s pea & ham soup!
The Main Barn
If your experience of barn weddings has been dark & tungsten lit then you are in for a pleasant surprise at Farbridge. The main barn is light & airy & makes it easy for me to capture stunning shots as guests enjoy the day. I’ve shot weddings at Farbridge at all times of the year, Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter & it is a pleasure to shoot there every time. Right the way from bridal preps to the cutting of the cake & the first dance I can shoot almost totally with available light. The setting is very stylish & can benefit from some beautiful flower designs, but equally looks great with a simple theme.
Weddings at Farbridge
I’ve photographed quite a few weddings at Farbridge now, I love shooting weddings there mostly because of the beautiful light. The way the courtyard works & all the flint means the light bounces around giving me lovely soft light & so lovely soft skin tones! In the barn itself there are lots of windows (unusually for a barn venue, good planning by Farbridge!), so I can shoot using natural light, always preferable to the muddy tungsten light you get in dark rooms. As a Sussex wedding photographer myself, it’s great to have a local wedding venue that I enjoy so much. The commitment to continual improvement makes this West Sussex wedding venue unique. This year alone they have changed the landscaping, added kitchen space & repainted all the woodwork.
Photographs I love from Farbridge
I’ve started doing a feature on my blog explaining why I love certain wedding photographs. It is inevitable that some of these are from weddings at Farbridge as I love shooting there so much. Here’s one I put up a short while ago from Kelli & Drew’s Farbridge wedding, I hope you enjoy it.
Farbridge, Preston Farm, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0JT, United Kingdom
01243 776776
info@farbridge.org.uk