A beautiful elegant Sussex wedding venue

Paul & Laura got married on Friday 15th July 2022 at Field Place Manor House, a beautiful wedding venue near Worthing, West Sussex and recently I asked them a few questions about their wedding preparation and any tips for future brides.

Please tell me about the proposal:

We went for a walk along the seafront with our dog Crumpet on New Years Day 2021. We often walked along there with him and Laura always stopped to take a picture of the sea. When she did that this time, I stayed back and when she turned around, I was down on one knee with the ring in my hand. She did not realise straight away and thought i was taking a photo, or talking to the dog, when she did realise thankfully she said yes.

As this was in lockdown, we stood on our parents doorsteps and gave them the news.

What drew you to Field Place and made it your dream wedding?

Paul: We both used to work nearby without realising it and went there during our lunch breaks. We must have passed each other at least once without realising it! Since then I used to walk my dog around there and after we met we often took him round it together. Laura and I also went to a craft fair there where Laura met my best friend, and eventual best man, and his wife for the first time. It was then she decided that this might be nice for a wedding one day!

Did it take you a long time to find your 'perfect venue'?

Laura: Not really, we knew Field Place from the above and it was the only place we looked at. We spoke with Amanda to discuss things and that sealed the deal as we liked the sound of what they had to offer.

What was the most challenging part of organising your big day?

Laura: Getting everyone's catering order from our guests. Ultimately the food was amazing and everyone loved it, so it was well worth it.

How did you know your wedding dress was 'the one'?

Laura: I went to Whyte Weddings on recommendation and took my dad and cousin with me as sadly my mum had passed away in March 2021. I tried on four and all were beautiful, but everyone agreed on the Maggie Sottero 'Giorietta Lynette' (or number 3 as we know it!).

Who supplied the Groom and Groomsmen's suits and was there a particular style you were looking for?

Paul: I went to Dickies as it was recommended (and used to be in Goring, in the old Sure Video unit which I have fond memories of!). Style-wise, Laura is Scottish and I have Scottish ancestry along with my Best Man, so I decided that I wanted to wear a traditional Scottish kilt. I settled on the Blackwatch tartan as my Grandad used to be in the Blackwatch Regiment and it was Laura's mum's favourite tartan as well, so it had special meaning to us both.

Did you always want to get married?

Laura: I'd always hoped that I would meet the right person.who would make me happy and be a true partner one day. As soon as I met Paul, I knew I had found who I was looking for.

Paul: I had and when I met Laura and she instantly got my weird movie references on our first date and loved (some!) of the same music as we, we clicked and from then on we became inseparable.

What were your standout moments of the day and memories you'll cherish forever?

Paul: It was just an amazing day, better than we'd hoped. Seeing Laura was my highlight as she looked beautiful, but having all of our friends and family together, the food, the music (our band, Serotonic, were awesome!). Everyone looked so proud of us and it was just perfect.

Laura: Literally all of it. It was so much better than I could've even hoped for. I particularly loved seeing family and friends, especially those who travelled from all over the world that you don't get to see very often, particularly in the last 2 years! Having everyone I loved in one room was very special.

Tell me about your first dance, which song did you dance to and why you chose it?

Paul: Music is a big part of our relationship, we actually named our tables after songs that had special meaning to us and the reading at the wedding was a Led Zeppelin song. The movies we bonded over early on were music based (Almost Famous, The Wedding Singer, Wayne's World, Bill & Ted...!) and we love concerts and all ages of rock music. I had a few suggestions, but Laura had the winner.

Laura: We do have a special place in our heart for the band Kiss and chose their song Forever, as power ballads are our jam and the words seemed really appropriate to us.

Do you have any tips for couples planning their wedding day?

Start planning earlier than you think. You have plenty of time until suddenly you don't! Try and remember that it's your day and it's not about pleasing other people. Yes, you want it to be memorable for everyone, but it's got to be true to you. If you're happy, they will be too! And remember on the day to look around and try to take it all in every now and then. The day flies by and it could be easy to feel like you've blinked and missed it.

If you would like to find out more information about this venue or about the weddings I have previously worked on, please get in touch at info@darrengrittonphotography.com

I would love to be a part of your very special day so please feel free to get in touch to see what I can do for you and together, we can capture your special day!