Build it and they will come
Well, what can I say about this extreme DIY wedding just outside Lewes in East Sussex. ………. when I say extreme DIY, I mean my couple J&T BUILT the BARN themselves!!! Yup!! You heard me!
And along side building this barn for their wedding they also started renovating and converting an old bus to live in.
I mean, clearly they haven’t done all of this JUST for their wedding to then abandon them, they intend on running the barn as a wedding venue and to live on the bus, potentially renting the bus out as wedding accommodation! I am so envious of their adventure, the barn and it’s location is so private and gorgeous – I really hope I get to shoot more weddings here in the future.
What also made this wedding special for me is that I had already shot two of their friends weddings, with one being only months earlier! So it was really lovely to know lots of the guests already and to see my previous couples again!
A dress that was meant to be!
How is this for a story of a dress that was just meant to be – T found her perfect dress in a sample sale a year before the wedding, it was however at least 2 sizes too big, so she planned to have it altered to fit ……… this never happened, as T fell pregnant with their first child and would be over 8 months prengant by the time of their planned wedding – so the dress actually fit perfectly on the day!!
I started shooting their day at the Sussex Barn, where J and some guests were getting ready. T was getting ready with her Bridesmates at her parents house which is up by the small holding (they own the land that barn is on) that you drive through to get to the barn. I walked up to the road with J and his guests (taking photos along the way obvs) to get onto the coach where the Bridesmates and parents joined us. T drove with her dad in his Landrover. We were all off to Southover Grange in Lewes for the legal ceremony. It didn’t take long to get there, but as we approached the centre of lewes and as the bus navigated it’s way through the small roads we came to halt – a silly driver had parked his car in a place that meant anything larger than a car couldn’t pass through the road. So we all had to pile off the coach and walk the rest of the way – which luckily for me just meant another opportunity to get some cool photos of people walking through Lewes.
Picnic in the Park
After the ceremony, which had an amusing moment when J couldn’t get T’s ring on her finger, followed by T not being able to get her own ring, on her own finger either, as she was quite heavily pregnant so her fingers were slightly swollen (see the photos below), we all filed out into the beautiful gardens at Southover Grange for bit of a picnic to keep everyone going until the food a bit later on. We had a beautiful sunny ‘just’ about Autumn day for it! They had taken drinks and crisps in her dad’s car so a few of the wedding party went to collect them and while we did some formal photos everyone enjoyed and drink and snacks. After an hour or so, we all piled back on the coach and drove the short journey back to the Barn in Isfield where a the rest of the wedding guests had assembled ready to start the party!
Pizza!
Early in the evening they had pizza made by Garden Grove, and in the barn my couple had sourced their own buffet – lots of cheese, mini pasties, quiches, bread, fruit, and cakes made by T and her friends Katie and Libby.
Fire
As soon as the sun had dipped the enourmous bonfire was lit and as expected everyone gathered around the fire with their drinks chatting until the Band kicked in and lured them back into the barn to dance the night away.
I can’t think of many barns, if any? that are so close to Lewes or Brighton!
Go and check out their Instagram account to see their projects – @the_bus_barn_project I believe their website is in the pipe line but if you were looking for a wedding barn defo get in touch with them!
Some of their fabulous suppliers were:
Wedding dress // Charlie Brear
Wedding suit // Master Debonair
Bridesmaids dresses // ASOS
Hair // Studio Seventy Six
Flowers // Lady Lissy Florist
Pizza // Garden Grove, Brighton.
Band // Northern Quarter
Coach // Regency Coaches