Chloe and Paul’s spring wedding took place at Blackstock Country Estate in East Sussex on Tuesday 26 May 2026, and it was a lovely one. A midweek date meant the estate was theirs for the day, with exclusive use of both our Tudor Barn and our Granary Barn. Fifty guests joined them, forty-four adults and six children. From the morning in the makeup room to the last of the buffet, it was an unhurried day, and a great deal of it was their own doing, right down to the centrepieces.
Chloe arrived first thing with her three bridesmaids and settled into the makeup room with breakfast, while Shannon Hawkins MUA and Emma Louise looked after hair and makeup.
Over in the Tudor Barn, their decorator Joanna from Inspiration Decor was dressing the room for the ceremony. Fairy lights along the beams with ivy wrapped around them, wisteria draped above, lanterns on the floor. Cream cushion covers on the chairs, and the ones by the aisle finished with white chiffon and a baby blue rose. Paul got ready at home and turned up around lunchtime, just before the first guests arrived.
Chloe walked down the aisle with her dad to I Get to Love You by Ruelle. They walked back out to I’m a Believer, which tells you a fair bit about the mood of the afternoon.
The bar opened, a playlist went on, and everyone wandered out for drinks. Prosecco and bottled beer, sparkling elderflower, a water station, squash for the children. The canapés were a handmade sausage roll with mature cheddar and ploughman’s pickle, and southern fried chicken with ranch, and a few were put by for Chloe and Paul to have around their photographs.
Alli Hards took the photographs, and Callum Bosworth filmed the day, with our Blackstock buggy on hand to run the two of them out onto the grounds if the weather held. The end of May is a good time to be out in the gardens here.
Joanna had dressed The Granary as well. Cream cushion covers again, baby blue chiffon finished with a white rose, and festoon and fairy lights across the ceiling. The centrepieces on the tables were all Chloe and Paul’s own work.
Chloe’s dad announced them in and gave a short speech before the meal rather than after it, which gave everyone a clear run at the food.
The wedding breakfast was a sharing roast feast, brought to the table rather than plated. Herb-rolled pork belly with apple sauce and whole roast thyme chicken, olive oil roast potatoes and maple root vegetables, giant tarragon Yorkshire puddings, buttered greens, a mature cheddar cauliflower bake, creamy herb mash, and jus on the side. House red and white to go with it, and the children had a choice of chicken goujons with chips and peas or a small roast dinner. Pudding was sticky toffee with salt caramel toffee sauce and malt gelato, with the Tudor courtyard set out for tea and coffee afterwards.
The DJ from Present Entertainment set up in the Tudor Barn, and once the evening got going Chloe and Paul cut their cake, two tiers of chocolate and coffee from Patisserie 43 on our Blackstock log stand. First dance straight after. Joanna had put fairy lights above the dance floor and wisteria along the mezzanine, and by then the barn looked like a different room altogether.
The evening buffet was served with a delicious array of sausage roll bites and hot and spicy chicken wings, double cheese straws and torn bread, a mini quiche selection, fresh salad leaves and a selection of handmade sandwiches. The bar and the music carried on until eleven.
Chloe and Paul’s day shows what a midweek date can look like here. Two barns to yourselves, a smaller guest list, a sharing feast rather than a plated one, and plenty of room to breathe. If you’ve got a quieter celebration in mind, or a different day of the week, we’ll shape it around what matters to you.
If you would like to picture your own spring wedding, we would love to hear from you. Give the team a call on 01323 848006, email venues@blackstockestate.co.uk or send us a message through our contact page to arrange a viewing and see the Tudor Barn and The Granary for yourself.
