A Sussex wedding at Horsted Place: Vira & David, via Lewes and Newick

Civil wedding photographs in Lewes

We began at Lewes Register Office, where their marriage became official. Afterwards, we stayed nearby for portraits, making the most of the surroundings before continuing to the next part of the day.

Lewes gave their wedding its first chapter. With another ceremony and a reception still ahead, it would have been easy to treat this as a brief stop in a busy itinerary. I loved that we stayed for portraits instead. It allowed the place where Vira and David’s marriage became official to have its own space within the photographs.

Those portraits also provided a natural link between the civil ceremony and the journey to Newick. The day had several settings, but the thread was always the same two people. Keeping them at the centre was what made the photographs feel like one wedding story.

A church wedding at St Mary’s in Newick

From Lewes, we travelled to St Mary’s Church in Newick. The church ceremony gave this part of their wedding its own atmosphere and significance. I had also attended their rehearsal beforehand, so it was especially lovely to see those preparations become the real occasion.

Having attended the rehearsal, I had seen a little of the preparation for this part of their wedding. Returning for the ceremony gave that earlier visit a lovely significance. The plans now belonged to the occasion itself, with Vira and David getting married in front of the people who had come to share it with them.

The move from Lewes Register Office to St Mary’s in Newick also changed the setting of the photographs. Each ceremony deserved its own chapter, with its own surroundings and importance. I wanted to give both room in the gallery, rather than letting one become a footnote to the other.

A wedding reception and portraits at Horsted Place

Following the ceremony, we headed to Horsted Place, where family and friends gathered for the reception and dinner.

Before everyone sat down to eat, Vira and David slipped away with me for their couple’s photographs. We explored the venue’s surroundings and also made portraits in their newlywed suite. Including both gave this part of their gallery a lovely variety, moving from the wider setting to something quieter and more personal.

Horsted Place brought everyone together for the reception and dinner, giving the day a place to settle after the two ceremonies. Before the meal, our portrait time included both the grounds and their newlywed suite. That combination was lovely to work with: one part could show the wider setting, and another could feel quieter and more close.

For Vira and David, these photographs became a little pause within a day shared with family and friends. I enjoyed making room for that change of scale. A wedding can hold two ceremonies and several locations, yet some of its most personal pictures can come from a short time together before everyone sits down to eat.

Photographing a Sussex wedding across three locations

With several locations and two ceremonies, there was a great deal to capture, but I never wanted their photographs to feel like a record of moving from one stop to the next. The story was in what connected those places: Vira and David getting married, celebrating with the people closest to them and finding a few moments to enjoy it together.

Photographing across Lewes, Newick and Horsted Place meant carrying the story through each change of setting. I wanted the gallery to feel connected by the people, with the places helping to describe each part of their celebration. That is what made this Sussex wedding so rewarding: there was variety, but also a clear personal thread.

For couples planning a Sussex wedding across more than one venue, Vira and David’s day offers a lovely example of giving each chapter its space. Portraits after the civil ceremony and before dinner helped the photography fit into the day, while the two ceremonies and the reception remained its centre.