East Sussex Wedding Ceremony at Frickley Lake
If you’re considering an outdoor wedding ceremony or a boho wedding theme, check out this amazing real wedding story for ideas and inspiration.
Last summer, on a beautiful hot day at the height of British summertime, I married the lovely Charlie and Lucy at their festival-style wedding in East Sussex.
They chose Frickley for their dreamy outdoor wedding venue - Frickley Lake – a lovely setting on a private farm. It has a freshwater lake with a pagoda and is surrounded by camping fields and forests. It’s perfect for a boho inspired woodland or festival style wedding.
One of my favorite parts of the day was Mike the dog, their Romanian rescue dog, stealing the show as ring bearer. He had his own aisle entrance (complete with tux, obvs), led by one of the groomsmen in time for his big moment. As ring bearers go, he was definitely on the unruly side…! But that just made the ceremony even more memorable.
Lucy was rocking a gorgeous unique dress and the bridesmaids were a mismatched dream.
Charlie and Lucy met at uni in Manchester. They were friends for 6 years before anything romantic happened. Eventually Charlie started to tell mutual friends that he fancied Lucy, hoping that word might get back to her. Eventually, the internet intervened when they matched on Tinder.
How did you find out about celebrant ceremonies and what made you decide to have one?
Neither of us are religious. We went to a wedding the previous summer with a celebrant who knew lots about the couple and said some lovely words regarding the nature of love and relationships that really resonated with us; the ceremony was so beautiful and personal. We wanted a similar experience for ourselves.
How was the process of creating your wedding ceremony?
Very enjoyable! A few months before the wedding, Roxy sent us a questionnaire to fill out and then we met, shared a bottle of wine and talked about our story as a couple. She asked some great questions and got to know us. She then shared a few drafts of the ceremony with us to fine tune it and make sure the details were correct and we were comfortable.
Looking back at the day, how did the ceremony feel?
Absolutely magical and very personal. We had a gorgeous setting, beautiful weather and Roxy hit all the right notes; people laughed and cried, just the way we wanted. We would do it all again in a heartbeat.
What was the most special part of your ceremony and why?
A very close friend to both of us played a major part in us getting together. We asked him to do a reading and gave him free reign to do whatever he wanted. He wrote the most beautiful poem that brought everyone to tears – it was wonderful and something that we will treasure forever (we have the poem framed now on our wall).
Tell me about your vows
We didn’t want the added pressure of creating our own vows so we used one of Roxy’s suggestions – they were simple and meaningful.
What would you say to couples considering a celebrant ceremony?
Do it! And meet with your celebrant beforehand to make sure they are a good fit. As well as telling them about your life, consider asking them questions about themselves as well. Be open to suggestions.
How did your wedding ceremony tie in with the rest of your wedding day?
It was the opening of our wedding and set a precedent for the whole day, starting a vibe of being relaxed, full of laughs and happiness which carried on for the rest of the day and well into the night.
How did your ceremony go down with you guests?
Very well. Everyone loved it, guests still say it’s their favorite ceremony that they’ve been too. We have a few friends who were dubious about weddings too but since ours are starting to consider it.
How would you describe the vibe/style/look & feel of your day
As above, relaxed, full of laughs and happiness with an enchanted meadow aesthetic.
What's the best piece of advice you would give to other couples getting married?
Don’t do it. Run whilst you can!
*Joking - Do whatever you want to do (and book Roxy as your celebrant 😉)
How did you combine your legal ceremony with your celebrant wedding? Did you do it the legal bit before or after?
We went to Brighton registry office with our immediate family on the Thursday before, followed by a picnic on Hove beach. It felt indulgent to have two weddings but why not? It also meant we spent time with family and on the weekend we didn’t feel guilty about spending more time with our friends.
What did you love most about planning your ceremony?
When we sat down with Roxy and talked about our relationship, fun times we have had together and also how we felt about each other. As a couple we don’t often tell each other why we love each other so it was nice (and reassuring) to speak about …
How did you decide on Frickley Lake as your outdoor wedding venue?
We wanted a festival vibe with camping and so searched high and low for a venue that we were able to make our own, guests could camp and that was BYOB. Through reading festival themed wedding blogs we found Frickley Lake near Eastbourne which was absolutely perfect for us.
What do you remember most about your ceremony?
Lucy: Walking down the aisle and seeing Charlie with a ridiculously goofy grin on his face and the feeling of utter joy.
Charlie: Seeing Lucy walk down the aisle is something I’ll never forget. Brought a tear to my eye and I didn’t even cry at Bambie.
If you could do the day all over again, is there anything you’d change?
Nothing.
Suppliers:
Photographer: Corina Photography
Flowers: Hilary Stevenson
Food: Thai Angle
Canapes: Green Fig
Venue: Frickley Lake
Readings:
The Amber Spyglass – Philip Pullman
The Wise Man's Fear
We love what we love.
Reason does not enter into it.
In many ways, unwise love is the truest love.
Anyone can love a thing because that’s as easy as putting a penny in your pocket.
But to love something despite, to know the flaws and love them too
That is rare and pure and perfect
If you are interested in a modern wedding ceremony with a unique ceremony script, I would love to arrange a chat. Email me at roxy.hayde@humanistceremonies.org.uk or fill in the form and I will get back to you asap.