Sammy and Ed were married here on Thursday 6 August 2026, with a relaxed midweek wedding in the middle of summer. They had lovely weather for it. Sixty adult day guests and four children joined them through the day, with around fifteen more joining for the evening. They had exclusive use of the Tudor Barn and The Granary throughout their wedding.
Sammy arrived first thing and settled into the make-up room with her three bridesmaids and their flower girl. They brought breakfast with them and had it there mid-morning, with the three groomsmen joining them. Sammy was doing her own hair and make-up, which kept the morning nice and relaxed.
Ed got ready at home and arrived around lunchtime. Soon after, the day guests started arriving, the bar opened, and Sammy and Ed’s playlist was playing in the background. They had put together their own Spotify playlists for the day, which played as guests arrived and continued through the wedding breakfast.
Sammy and Ed’s ceremony took place in the Tudor Barn. Joanna at Inspiration Decor dressed the barn for them, with fairy lights along the beams in the ceremony area and wisteria draped above where they stood. Their flower girl went ahead of Sammy, scattering a few petals down the aisle before she entered.
Their flowers came from Betty at Little Flower Florist, an East Sussex florist who works with seasonal, British-grown stems.
Once they were married, everyone moved through for drinks. Pimm’s and prosecco went round, with sparkling elderflower for anyone who was not drinking and squash for the children.
The canapés came out from our in-house team at Circa Events. They included Asian duck wontons with kewpie mayonnaise and spring onion, Golden Cross goats’ cheese with a panko crumb and chilli relish, and handmade sausage rolls with mature cheddar and ploughman’s pickle, with vegetarian options available too. We put a few aside for Sammy and Ed as well. Canapés have a habit of vanishing before the bride and groom get anywhere near them.
They slipped away for photographs around the estate while everyone else carried on with the drinks. Early August is a lovely time of year for photographs at Blackstock Estate. Photography was by Pete Lowe at Sussex Media Design, based in East Sussex.
The groomsmen did the honours and announced Sammy and Ed into The Granary, where we had set out eight round tables and a long trestle-top table for them.
Circa served a barbecue for the wedding breakfast, with pork and apple burgers, Brighton pork and herb sausages, Moroccan chicken thighs and squid and chorizo sticks, alongside plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. Sweet potato wedges, corn, rainbow slaw and green salad were served with it.
The little ones had their own menu, ending with a Circa ice cream sundae with sprinkles and popping candy.
Pudding was a torched lemon meringue pie with a gold dome and a madeleine base, with a vegan chocolate brownie, dairy-free ice cream and chocolate sauce as the alternative.
Sammy and Ed brought along their own red and white wine for the tables, which we chilled and had ready for them, and they raised a prosecco toast before the speeches. With the weather still warm, tea and coffee were served outside in the Tudor courtyard at the end of the meal.
The evening reception moved back into the Tudor Barn, with DJ MLC providing the entertainment.
The cake was a three-tier one made by a friend of theirs, with lemon, Biscoff and Victoria sponge layers, sitting on our Blackstock log stand. Sammy and Ed cut it and went straight into their first dance, and the rest of the cake was sliced through the evening for anyone who fancied a bit more.
Later on, Circa served gyros marinated chicken skewers with potato fries and all the accompaniments, with a halloumi version available too.
Joanna had put fairy lights above the dance floor and along the mezzanine banister in the Tudor Barn, and more across the ceiling and banister in The Granary. The bar and the music carried on well into the night. Plenty of their guests were staying with us in our on-site accommodation too, so nobody had far to go at the end of it.
Photography was by Pete Lowe at Sussex Media Design, based in East Sussex.
Flowers came from Betty at Little Flower Florist, with decoration and lighting from Joanna at Inspiration Decor and the evening entertainment from DJ MLC. Food and drink throughout the day were looked after by our in-house team at Circa, and the cake was made by a friend of the couple.
Sammy and Ed’s wedding is a lovely example of what a midweek summer wedding at Blackstock can look like. They had exclusive use of both barns and were able to make the most of a long August evening.
If you are planning a barn wedding in East Sussex and would like to see the Tudor Barn and The Granary for yourself, our wedding coordinators would love to show you round. Give the team a call on 01323 848006, email venues@blackstockestate.co.uk or send us a message through our contact page.
Congratulations Sammy and Ed, and thank you for letting us be part of it.
