A Sussex Countryside Wedding at Highley Manor | Jade & Matt

Tucked into the Sussex Downs just outside Haywards Heath, Highley Manor has a way of making a June morning feel like it’s been waiting all year for exactly this day. Jade and Matt were married here in June, surrounded by seven acres of rolling grounds, laughing bridesmaids, and the kind of soft grey sky that somehow makes English countryside weddings even more beautiful.

I’ve photographed weddings at a lot of manor houses, but there’s something about the way Highley Manor’s grounds open up – from the intimacy of the getting-ready rooms to the wide, wildflower-fringed fields beyond the Pavilion – that gives every couple room to breathe. Jade and Matt used every inch of it.

This is the story of their day… getting ready, saying their vows beneath the timber Pavilion overlooking the Sussex countryside, and disappearing into the long grass for a few quiet minutes together before the party started.

Getting Ready at Highley Manor

The morning started the way the best ones always do – with too much laughter and not quite enough time. Jade’s bridesmaids were already in fits before they’d even got their shoes on, and that energy carried straight through into Jade’s own dress reveal, when four grown women burst into tears and cheers in the same breath.

There’s a particular kind of quiet just before a bride puts her dress on, and then a particular kind of chaos the second everyone else sees her in it. I love photographing both.

Photographing the details is important as you put so much effort into them.

First Look with Mum

The grand staircase is perfect for a first look. Mum waited at the bottom of the stairs as Jade made her entrance. It’s always a beautiful, emotional moment.

Followed by lots of giggles!

The Ceremony in front of the Pavilion

Highley Manor’s outdoor ceremony pavilion is one of my favourite spots to photograph a wedding in West Sussex – that A-frame timber structure framing the hills behind it does half the work for you. Matt’s groomsmen, meanwhile, were doing what groomsmen do best – checking the time like it might change anything!

Jade arrived on the arm of her dad and stepdad, walking the aisle together as Matt caught his first glimpse of her.

She walked up to the pavilion where Matt stood in front of the flower-covered beams, the Sussex countryside rolling out behind them for miles.

It’s hard to beat as a backdrop for a first kiss as a married couple.

And then, confetti – thrown with real enthusiasm by the guests who’d clearly been looking forward to the moment.

Family Portraits

With the ceremony done, we gathered the family for the group photos right where they’d just watched Jade and Matt marry – the Pavilion’s view over the Sussex hills making an easy backdrop for the whole group.

Golden Hour in the Grounds

Every Highley Manor wedding earns a few stolen minutes in the grounds, and Jade and Matt’s was no exception. We wandered out past the formal gardens into the long grass, where the light softened and the day finally slowed down for the first time.

There’s a gorgeous old oak tree on the edge of the woodland with a low branch that’s great for couple’s photos. Matt perched on it while Jade’s dress pooled around them both – one of those portraits that ends up meaning more with every year that passes.

The Wedding Breakfast

After the ceremony, the party moved into the Manor for the wedding breakfast and speeches. Katie, Aaron, Dave and Diane all took the microphone before Matt closed things out.

Singing Waiters

The real surprise, though, was for the guests. Halfway through dessert, the waiting staff broke into song – Jade and Matt had booked Silver Service Singers without a single guest knowing, and the reaction around the room was priceless. They danced their first dance to ‘Pointless’ by Lewis Capaldi as the evening settled in, before sparklers lit up the grounds at sunset.

A June Wedding at Highley Manor

Jade and Matt’s day had everything I love about a Highley Manor wedding – genuine laughter from the bridal party, a ceremony space that does the heavy lifting scenically, and grounds generous enough to disappear into for portraits that feel like they belong to nobody else. A grey June sky never got in the way of a single bit of it. Personal touches ran through the day too – Jade carried her great-grandmother’s dolphin brooch on her bouquet, and a chair at the ceremony held mementos from family members who couldn’t be there but were thought of all day.

Suppliers

Venue & Catering: Highley Manor (in-house)
Hair: Amy Rose Bridal
Makeup: Leanna Codd Makeup
Cake: Made by a family friend
DJ: JPC Events
Videography: ProDrone Videography
Singing Waiters: Silver Service Singers
Styling & Hire: Forget Me Nots Hire

Planning a Wedding at Highley Manor?

If you’re getting married at Highley Manor and are looking for a photographer who knows the venue well, I’d love to hear about your plans.

Also photographed at: The Ravenswood ▸ and South Lodge ▸

More real weddings at Highley Manor: Emily & Adam ▸ and Jess & Jonny ▸