Highly Manor really is set up for weddings, I know that may sound silly to say, buy you'd be surprised just how many venues don't feel like they are set up for weddings, events in general yes, and a wedding is an event, but they are so much more nuanced than your average shin dig birthday or corporate meet up. 

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What makes Highly manor so well suited to weddings?

 

 

Location Location Location

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I hate to be that person so let’s get the most boring but still vital one out the way, location. You would be forgiven for imagining that they purpose built the Manor House nestled away in what feels entirely remote with unspoilt views stretching out into the distance, and yet still triangulated pretty much bang in-between London Brighton and Chichester, a stone’s throw from the M23 if you are driving, there’s even nearby major train stations at Crawley and Hayward Heath. As a Sussex based wedding photographer I'm very used to traveling all around the uk, but it's nice when access is easy.

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The Grounds At Highley Manor

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They speak for themselves. A vast beautifully kept lawn area with some beautiful old fir trees, and a huge magnolia tree which add significant drama and make taking photos of groups or bride and groom portraits so easy, you can pretty much point in any direction and have a beautiful back drop to your wedding images. As a wedding photographer and Videography team We really couldn't ask for much more visually from a space.

 

 

Inside & Outside Ceremony Spaces

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The showstopper at Highley Manor is the large oak a-frame outdoor ceremony area, it where most wedding couples are going to want to hold their ceremony, however the inside space indoor dedicated space is more than adequate should you get rained out or just want to not worry about it leading up to the day. The building itself obviously has a lot of history and heritage to it. Rebuilt in the early 19th century it has seen a fair share of parties and good times, and it really feels that way, it’s difficult to explain but it has “good energy”. 

 

Dedicated Bridal Prep Room

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Tucked out the way round the back of the estate the bridal prep room is perfect to keep prying eyes away before they are supposed to see anything (we all have that aunty that wants to see before everyone else) It’s not the biggest space, and from a photographers stand point you do have to get a little creative with angles, but, its light, clean and you do have a little outdoor courtyard which can be utilised for some extra leg room if needed.

 

The Groom

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Being such a large manor house has added benefit of all the space in the world for the groom to get ready on site. Sometimes the groom can end up going without on photo content if they are getting dressed up of site, but we think you are just as important grooms, like it or not, you are part of the days story and can create some wonderfully emotional images and scenes for the wedding film if you are having one. 

 

 

The Team

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You can have the best venue in the world, the most iconic looking scenery, but without a good venue team to back it up the day is likely to be a disaster. The team at Higley Manor where amazing, slick well-oiled timing machine, but don’t make couples feel like it’s a catastrophe if things shift of what the sheet of paper says (you’d be amazed how uncomfortable I have seen some venues make couples feel if they drift of schedule, it would actually be something I’d advise couples bring up when meeting venue coordinator, you’ll get a vibe of them pretty quickly, and don’t get me wrong, it’s nice when things run smoothly and on time, but it’s a wedding day, I always think you should think of it like a birthing plan, a “wish list” rather than exactly how it has to go to the last full stop, otherwise you’re just setting yourself up for potential disappointment.