The Pilgrims Rest in Battle has been voted as The Best Wedding Venue in Sussex (East and West no less!) in the Muddy Stiletto Awards. There are more than 320 wedding venues across the whole of Sussex so this prestigious award is something the team at The Pilgrims Rest are hugely proud of.
So what does it take to be No 1? It appears that size does not matter when it comes to being the best. This small, but perfectly formed, 600 year old wedding venue, is also run but a small, but perfectly formed, team - clearly a winning combination. The Pilgrims Rest opened its doors as a wedding venue in December 2016 and since then has gone from strength to strength, promoting the benefits of smaller weddings right from the start. Years before we had ever heard of “Covid” and “Micro Weddings”, The Pilgrims Rest had been advocating the less is more principle to ensure couples have a stress free wedding day. The Pilgrims Rest has no fixed suppliers, no corkage charges and absolutely no hidden extras. What they do have is a tried, tested and trusted book of local talent from caterers to photographers who have worked at the wedding venue and the team are ruthless about who is, and who is not, allowed in their book! Since the beginning, The Pilgrims Rest has added to the venue to help keep wedding budgets down from second dressing rooms to antiques and vintage accessories. Included in the hire price is their seasonal look which is professionally designed and installed to ensures the venue needs little decoration but remains one that couples can make their own. With her doors re-opened after restrictions, The Pilgrims Rest, and her team is ecstatic to be hosting weddings once more - even more so than being named the best wedding venue in Sussex! Since launching The Pilgrims Rest as a wedding venue in 2016, I have often written about the benefits of holding smaller weddings; keeping guests lists down and how taking the “less” route can often mean more on your wedding day. I hope I wasn’t tempting fate’s fickle finger as I wrote, as none of us could have predicted just how “less” 2020 weddings (and 2021 for that matter) would become. It has never been a secret that I love a small wedding, as I like nothing more than spending time with family and friends; so it is no accident that our venue is designed to work so well for them. 600 years old, with only knows how many celebrations hosted beneath her eaves, an eerie quiet has descended upon our grand old lady over the last year. It has been strange and a little sad to see her doors closed for so long, but on the few occasions when weddings have been allowed to proceed, we have lit fires and candles, flung open doors and happily watched as she sparkled back into life. This time last year, the term micro wedding was pretty unknown but was about to become the headlines of wedding magazines and blogs across the globe. As 2020 moved at a glacial speed through lockdown after lockdown, tiny weddings became the norm as couples threw caution to the wind and tied the knot when restrictions allowed. The Pilgrims Rest team worked closely with our own couples as they turned their perfectly planned weddings upside down, slashed their guest lists, complied with social distancing rules and had micro weddings of their own. Amazingly, there was nothing at all micro about these weddings. There were streams of happy tears; clapping rather than singing; funny speeches and delicious, long lunches or sometimes just a simple ceremony with just five people. Although poles apart from how their original wedding plans and Pinterest boards looked, it was clear that love was the order of the day; no matter how tiny the wedding or how many restrictions in place, these weddings have been absolutely magical and we have felt very lucky to be a part of such special celebrations. Now, months into 2021 and in the midst of another lockdown, unable to finalise wedding plans and lacking a crystal ball to guide them, brides and grooms are taking the lead and putting together more than just one wedding plan. With two or three different guest lists - depending on what might be allowed as their wedding day gets closer - it has given them back a little more control and also a renewed sense of excitement. Over the last year we have come to realise what is important to us. For many, family and close friends sit firmly at the top of that list, especially with regard to their wedding plans. The aim of achieving the ultimate “Instagram wedding” has taken a back seat and plans of filling baskets with flip flops and dating tiny favours suddenly parked. As we learn about the environmental impacts that have improved during periods of lockdown, more couples are creating more sustainable weddings, following the less is more wedding route and searching for venues that need less decoration.
Happily, it seems that even Covid can’t get it the way of true love and it is so exciting to see how many engagements have been announced in the last few months. Newly engaged couples, starting their own planning are thinking carefully about last year and are searching for venues that can adapt to last minute changes in guest list size but remain cosy and warm if larger numbers cannot go ahead. So will weddings going forward will be great or small? There is no doubt that there will be some couples who want all their friends, family and work colleagues and want to dance until their feet drop off and who can blame them? Saying that, I am certain that more invitations for smaller, personal and relaxed weddings shall find their way through our letter boxes in the coming months. Whatever you choose, a word to the wise as you write your invitations; There used to be a rule of thumb that 15% of guests invited to weddings would decline. After a year of being kept from our friends and family; our dancing shoes hung up and arms unable to hug, I am sure I will not be alone when I reply “Yes” to every single invitation that lands on my doormat! If you would like more information about The Pilgrims Rest or would like to arrange a virtual tour with one of our team please contact us on 07552873448. Photographer: Jessica Bevan Photography I always find when I walk into old buildings, I try to imagine some of the stories the walls have to tell. And I therefore think we are very lucky to be able to offer couples the chance to get married in one of the most important heritage sites in England.
Having opened her doors to visitors and pilgrims to Battle since 1420, this grand old lady has historic soul. She has hosted celebrations from medieval banquets to Georgian balls, Victorian luncheons to Edwardian tea dances. Over the centuries flagons of ale, goblets of wine, flutes of champagne and copious cups of tea have been consumed beneath her eaves to the sounds of ladies’ chattering and gentlemen's laughter flooding through her walls. With endless historic features from ancient beams to linenfold doors, witch’s marks to ward off evil spirits and a secret tunnel hidden under the Great Hall fireplace that runs beneath the Abbey walls, The Pilgrims Rest is a beautiful, historic venue like no other. The Pilgrims Rest is perfect for weddings all year round, no matter what the weather; when the sun shines your guests can spill out into the rose gardens and, as the evenings draw in, stoke up her fires, light some candles watch as she sparkles into life. At the Pilgrims Rest we offer you flexibility and choice on your wedding day. A unique venue where you can make your wedding day your own, with no corkage charges, no must-use suppliers and no hidden extras. Our friendly and experienced team will hold your hand ensuring your wedding day goes without a hitch and guarantee that your wedding will be personal and unique to you. After all, we want you to write your very own chapter in this grand old lady’s history. Photographer: Katie Rogers Photography |
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