The Pilgrims Rest is 600 years old this year. Rather like a ship we refer to our wonderful building as a “She”. Much more than just bricks and mortar (or in her case, sandstone, lathe and plaster), The Pilgrims Rest has a real soul and, although this might sound strange, it is true; you can literally feel if she is happy or sad - as if she is taking on the spirit of her visitors. This is why weddings bring out the very best in this grand old lady and she comes to life when laughter and happiness floods through her walls.  

It is true to say that she has seen more than her fair share of life over the centuries - good and bad. Visitors have come and gone, from the original pilgrims to Battle Abbey in the 15th century, right up to brides and grooms in the 21st. She has hosted gatherings from medieval banquets to 1920’s tea dances with tankards of ale and glasses of champagne happily consumed beneath her eaves.

Her doors have been temporarily closed in the last few months but seeing as she was around during the black plague and Spanish flu I doubt this is for the first time. We are just a small part of her history - a chapter - and in centuries to come another custodian of The Pilgrims Rest may well write about the time when COVID-19 meant she had a little rest for a few months. 

We all love to have something to look forward to, whether a summer holiday or the perfect wedding day. Whatever the dream, it is the planning of, and the run up to it, that is all part of the fun. In recent weeks, people have seen their holidays cancelled and wedding plans ruined. For couples who have saved for months and even years, they have had to watch their wedding days come and go; the doors to their venues closed, wedding rings still in their boxes and not a trace of confetti blowing in the wind. 

Across the country, thousands of weddings have been postponed over the last few months with couples and venues like ours finding new dates to hold weddings. Happily, with a new wedding date planted firmly in the diary, previous disappointment can quickly evaporate and excitement resumes - a new wedding dream shining brightly at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.

With a new date can come new ideas - both creative and practical. It is easy to get swept along in the wake of Pinterest weddings so, for those who have nagging doubts about their initial choices, this is their chance to take a step back, carefully reflect and decide what is really important on their day.

What is a “Micro Wedding”? Essentially it is a smaller wedding, although the actual numbers differ. Sometimes described as one with less than fifty guests and at other times no more than twenty, there is one thing that wedding blogs all agree on - done right, there is nothing small about a micro wedding.

Seen as a new trend stemming from a reaction to Covid 19, the simple truth is that smaller weddings have been an organically growing trend for some time now; one that simply makes perfect sense for some savvy engaged couples - both financially and logistically.

Couples choosing the smaller wedding route do so for a number of reasons; whatever reason, the truth of the matter is that shrinking your guest list means you can spend more money elsewhere - maybe on the perfect wedding dress or even vintage champagne? Either way, a smaller wedding means that you are able to say your “I do’s” surrounded by your absolute nearest and dearest - and what could be better start to married life?

So, the decision to have a more intimate wedding has been made; the next step and possibly most important decision, is to find the perfect venue. Look for one that still feels cosy with fewer guests. The last thing you want is to be sitting in a cavernous space with no atmosphere; forget Pinterest wedding favours and flip flops in baskets, creating a truly memorable wedding is all about the atmosphere.