A Personalised Pelham House Wedding in Lewes
In October 2022, I had the pleasure of marrying Sarah and Andy at the lovely Pelham House, Lewes.
It’s fair to say their nuptials were a long time coming. They planned and planned again but were derailed by pesky things like covid and parenthood.
Although they had been together 8 years (at the time of marrying), they’d actually known each other for 14, after meeting at a festival through friends in their uni days. They took their sweet time getting together, but it was worth the wait.
When they got engaged in 2016 and started planning, they imagined a festival-style wedding. But as time went on, their priorities and wants for the day changed. What they ended up with couldn’t have been further from that, but it fit them even more perfectly.
They got married in the gorgeous Pelham House, just a hop away from their Brighton home. Despite being a classy country house venue, they still added little nods to their festival roots. Sarah hired the big YES sign (pictured) from an old favourite hangout, Secret Garden Party, which took pride of place on the lawn outside the house.
The ceremony was lovely. I got to tell their beautiful history, which contained many funny stories that their friends and family loved hearing. Their friends recited an ode they had written for them. And the bonus of waiting all this time was that they now have not one, but two daughters to share their day with them. They wrote beautiful, personal vows to their girls, and each other. It's fair to say that there wasn’t a dry eye in the house at the end.
To make things even more special, I actually know Sarah, too. We first met many years ago as part of the same friendship group — no doubt late night on a dancefloor, in our wilder days…! So it was an absolute pleasure to marry her and her amazing husband Andy.
At the time of writing, it’s exactly one year since the big day. So Happy Anniversary, Sarah & Andy!
How did you find out about celebrant ceremonies and what made you decide to have one?
I found out about celebrant ceremonies after seeing Roxy’s Instagram page. The personal aspect she promoted made us curious and it sounded like something Andy and I would both like for our upcoming wedding. We were both totally sold on it after our initial chat.
How was the process of creating your wedding ceremony?
We definitely needed a lot of guidance (being our first time and all) and everything Roxy provided us including the script, example vows and readings, was exactly what we needed! It gave us the direction to get started and then we could adapt and make some things our own once we’d chosen the initial ideas. Filling in the script and having you at ours to discuss our story and how we can personalise the day, were all invaluable and got us really excited for the big day (which was needed!)
Looking back at the day, how did the ceremony feel?
AMAZING, special, love filled, authentic, fun and joyful! Would do it over again in a heartbeat! We loved how personal it was to us and different from many weddings we’ve attended. I also loved the fact that it was Roxy who led the ceremony! Knowing that we knew each other, and she knew some of the guests was another personal touch. She told our story perfectly! Thank you!!
What was the most special part of your ceremony and why?
So many special parts to it, very hard to pick just one! Having all our friends and family there after covid kept everyone apart for so long was very special. Having both our daughters there, listening to Roxy read our story to everyone. Saying our vows to each other and to our oldest girl. The readings from our siblings Nev & Jen and the poem/ode from our mutual close friends Nick & Reece. It was ALL very special.
Tell me about your vows:
We used an example that Roxy had sent us to help us get started, then we evolved it into our own personal ones. We kept them secret from one another, so we’d hear them for the first time on the day. This was nerve-wracking! I got quite emotional hearing Andy say his vows to me. We both added slight humour but also some meaningful soppy bits.
I also seized the opportunity for us to do something for our eldest daughter - and tell her in front of everyone how proud we are of her, how much we love her and how we will strive to be the best parents for her. It was our way of making her feel included and letting her know the day wasn’t just about Andy and I, it was about us as a family.
What would you say to couples considering a celebrant ceremony?
Book it in ASAP - you will not regret it!
How did your wedding ceremony tie in with the rest of your wedding day?
It was the best start to a love-filled, happy day. It was the beginning of all the personal touches and fun times to have.
How did your ceremony go down with your guests?
I believe they absolutely loved it! We had so many wonderful comments from friends and family on the day and the days, weeks, and months after. It was especially nice to hear from relatives how much they loved it, as it crossed my mind they may have preferred the traditional type - but they really really enjoyed it and some said it was the best they’ve ever been to!
If you could do the day all over again, is there anything you’d change?
I would 100% get a wedding planner if I could. It was super tough organising a wedding with so many guests with the events team at the venue. A lot of hours and late nights were put into it and I was pretty broken at the end of it. I would also change the year and do it when my youngest was a bit older.
This is so a) she could remember it and b) I could have a proper drink and relax a bit more. Attending my own wedding sober was tough in places. I could have really done with a big drink to relieve some of the on-the-day stress that I desperately tried to hide! (Or maybe that wedding planner would’ve eased some of that). It was a fantastic day though and the main thing is that we were all together, and everyone was smiling and partying :)
Sarah & Andy’s Suppliers:
Dress — Aire Barcelona at Fross wedding collection
Dress alterations — Helen Pearson: thebridalatelier@yahoo.com
Grooms suit — Gresham Blake
Wedding rings — Le Diademe Brighton
Cake — Bunston Bakes
Stationery — Amyverse
Flowers — Dove & Myrtle
Venue — Pelham House
Hair — Lara Ross Hair
Make up — Sophia Cox Make up
Drinks reception music — Harry’s Tricks
Evening entertainment — Pacha Vibe
If you’d like to talk about creating a one-of-a-kind, love filled wedding ceremony that you and your partner will remember forever, you know what do it! You can get in touch for a chat.