I honestly cannnot recommend Louisa, Jane & everyone at Highden enough!!!! We were told by Jane that they started doing weddings there when their children got married, and one by one, they all had their weddings in the walled garden where they grew up. The family enjoyed the experience so much, they now hire it out as a wedding venue & you can really see the passion & excitement there, especially from Jane!
Hand on heart, we first visited last February & with it being winter, I liked it, but it didn't hit me. My now husband is an awarded gardener (very proud!!!!) & told me that the bones were there & this was our venue. I wasn't sure & was worried about the possibility of poor weather & a mainly outdoor venue. We revisited in June a few months later & yes, my husband was very, very right! The venue is beautiful, the garden is beautiful, the huge lavender bushes smell divine, the climbing roses & wisteria were gorgous. The tunnel made from apple & pear trees with fairy lights were just beautiful, & reminded us of a part of The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall which hold very important memories for us. We met Soph & Simon the wedding singers there too, & everything just felt right. It was so beautiful that we knew that even if it rained all day, we would still spend a wonderful day together in the marquee, looking out at the beautiful garden.
The run up to the wedding, Louisa was great at communication & gave me a list of information they needed, so I think I had a year to go through everything & knew there wouldnt be any surprises before! She also gave me a list of suppliers that had already been there, but we were free to choose whoever we wanted. This flexibility turned out to be very rare with wedding venues, but ensured we got the day we wanted! We did use glamping tents, entertainment & caterers from their vendors list though, which was incredibly helpful as a starting point, especially with the caterer as there are so many options there! For anyone looking, we would 1000% recommend Mid Sussex Catering for food & drinks all day, as well as the evening bar. We were also able to visit the venue whenever we wanted (just check before, dont just turn up haha!) & came back for this years open day with some of our immediate family where we could take notes for later that year. They hold a maximum of one wedding a week on Saturdays only, meaning our tables & chairs were delivered 5 days before the wedding, & when we arrived on thursday to start decorating, the lovely gardener was there cutting the lawns! With thursday & friday to set everything up, Jane came over & asked that we walk her through where we wanted to get married *weather permitting* as they have several sites in the garden that you can marry. The morning of our wedding, Jane, Vicky & Richard set up everything outdoor with our wedding arch & guests chairs, while my husband & some of his family put out flowers etc. The day was perfect. Vicky was the day organiser & I only saw her a handful of times, but teh day was perfect & she must have been incredibly busy! Vicky & Richard were both there at midnight & did some initial tidying so that we could go to bed in our tent. The morning afterwards, I felt horrendous (I think I was just so exhausted & didnt drink enough) but while I was napping in a rattan armchair, Jane came by & made my husband & mum a cup of tea/coffee & had a lovely chat about the day. We had both Sunday & Monday to take everything down which was easily done. Start to finish, the Denman family have been wonderful. Thank you for giving us the most beautiful wedding day, with blue skies, beautiful surroundings & wonderful memories. Every time we drive past your sign we smile (: