One of the many great things about an autumn wedding is being able to forage for colourful foliage to decorate your venue from gardens and hedgerows.  As the Autumn light changes, the colour of the leaves merge from yellows to burnt oranges; plums to deep reds.  With rose hips and berries, dried honesty and oak leaves, the world, when it comes to decorating for an Autumnal wedding, really is your oyster.  With the right venue and a little imagination, a stunning Autumn look can be achieved easily and inexpensively.  At The Pilgrims Rest we set about creating an Autumn look that is just so…
 
Being situated in the heart of East Sussex, The Pilgrims Rest is well located for foraging; so we set about collecting hazel branches and wove in copper wired pea-lights before putting them in large glass vases filled with fallen oak leaves.  We raided a local charity shop and built little piles of old red books adding tea-lights and baby pumpkins and topped them off with Virginia Creeper and oak leaves to make a cosy aisle arrangement.
 
At The Pilgrims Rest we are always adding and improving our wedding venue to make life as easy and inexpensive for couples as possible.  In the summer we made and arranged garlands, woven with pea-lights over the fireplaces and staircase, to which colour can easily be added to suit a chosen theme.  With autumn in mind, we decided to include pops of burnt orange and red which look stunning.  We arranged flickering candles, pumpkins and Virginia Creeper up the ancient staircase to create warmth and atmosphere.  Coupled with the fur topped benches and the fire in the inglenook fireplace, the vaulted Great Hall is a pretty special place to make your vows.
 
Autumn doesn’t always mean oranges and reds - often there are shades of soft pinks and mauves in the countryside.  So, in the dining room we opted for a more faded, vintage feel.  As the hydrangeas in the garden were beginning to turn in early September we picked, and dried some.   We then added these to our fireplace garlands and arranged them in some of our old glass decanters.  The colours go beautifully with our lime-washed trestle tables, Chivari chairs and pewter candle sticks.
 
We never underestimate the beauty, and smell, of fresh flowers and really enjoy working with some amazing florists.  As with all our suppliers, we are constantly seeking out new and young talent to add to our tried, tested and trusted list.  Hastings based Laura at Bly Rose Flowers, created some beautiful table runners using natural foliage, berries and bay leaves coupled with dried thistles, honesty and hydrangeas adding to our faded, vintage theme.
 
A bay leaf tucked under some elegant place names created by Lynda Loves tied in nicely with the runners.  Lynda has been with us since we launched as a wedding venue has made some wonderful stationery for some of our couples.  So too have local catering supplier Abbey Catering, who kindly loaned us their crockery, cutlery and dove grey napkins for a few days.
 
To really capture the autumn look we asked local photographer, Jessica Bevan to come and take some photographs.  Jessica is a young, Sussex photographer we met recently, having shot a wedding at The Pilgrims Rest this summer.  We had been really impressed with how well she captured the feel and warmth of The Pilgrims Rest at the wedding.  We think you will agree she has done an amazing job.
 
The Pilgrims Rest is a 600 year old Wealden Hall house in the heart of East Sussex. Full of rustic charm and historic soul, this is a wedding venue unlike any other.  If you would like to arrange an appointment to view the venue please contact Amy on 07552873448 or email at venue@pilgrimsrestbattle.co.uk.

Venue decor and styling by The Pilgrims Rest: www.pilgrimsrestbattle.co.uk

Photography by Jessica Bevan: www.jessicabevanphotography.com

Table flower garlands by Laura Bly: @blyroseflowers
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Wedding stationery by LyndaLoves: www.lyndaloves.com

Tableware by Abbey catering: www.new.abbeycateringservices.co.uk

There are many types of wedding venues - ones that offer a wealth of different packages to suit your budget and others that offer an empty field for your marquee.  Some venues have a style of wedding that must be adhered to with preferred caterers and suppliers; Others are essentially a completely empty venue needing everything brought in from furniture, lighting, catering tents and port-a-loos. 

So, what if you want something else?  The Pilgrims Rest is an exclusive use venue licenced for weddings and civil ceremonies.  There are no corkage charges and no hidden extras.  At The Pilgrims Rest we have designed our venue to be a wonderful backdrop for your wedding – one that you can stamp your own personality on without the hassle and expense of furnishing an empty venue. 

We have carefully sourced furniture and accessories from lime-washed trestle tables to vintage decanters, ceremony chairs to pewter candlesticks.  We have created a bridal dressing suite so that the bridal party can get ready on site complete with panelled drawing room for pre-wedding photographs.

At The Pilgrims Rest we give couples choice and flexibility to make their day their own.  Whether you choose to have a vintage tea or a Game of Thrones banquet it is all possible in this incredible 600 year old building.

We have a list of wonderful local suppliers that we can share with you – people we know and trust to help make your day just how you want it.  If you would prefer to do it yourselves, then bring your own food, set up your own bar and pick some posies from your garden – the choice is yours!
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If you would like to book an appointment to meet Amy and discuss options then please contact us on 07552873448 or venue@pilgrimsrestbattle.co.uk
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