Alfriston Gardens

Well…where do we begin! From minute 1, me and my wife (eek!) knew this was the venue for us. The open days were well organised and very welcoming, and gave lots of information about how the day would run and what was included in the hire fee. There were also a number of excellent suppliers to talk to. Once we booked, we were always welcome (and encouraged) to visit the venue again to show family members, ask questions and discuss logistics. We ended up visiting about 5 times in the year it took to plan the wedding! A special thank you, to Janie, India and Nell who were all so attentive and answered our many questions. The day before the wedding, Janie and Nell ran through the logistics of the whole day with us, ensuring we were confident and happy with everything which in turn allowed us to relax knowing everything was in hand. The venue itself is beautiful. The backdrop of the South Downs hills is stunning (we sadly had rain on our day, but whenever we visited with sunny weather it was incredible!). The Century Barn where the ceremony takes place is big, bright and airy, and so beautiful we didn't need loads of decoration. The mezzanine with refurbished theatre/cinema seats was a big deciding factor for us (we had a theatre theme!), and a fun quirk that our guests loved. The Woodland Barn was perfect for the wedding breakfast and evening reception – the big windows flooded the room with natural light. The Shepherd Huts and hotel rooms were simply beautiful. The beds are comfortable and soft, the huts are very well insulated (perfect for cold autumnal weddings), and the design of each hut/room is elegant. Lavendar Lodge is perfect for bridal parties getting ready in the morning. Although we didn't require it ourselves, the bathroom is fully accessible too. It is designed as a wet room with wheelchair transfer by the toilet and a shower seat installed. Generally, the whole venue is accessible, with no-step access to all key spaces. We also recommend checking out Alfriston town literally 5 mins down the road – it’s a quaint little town with a lot to offer. Black Pepper Hospitality is the only caterer they work with, which took one element of planning out of the equation (great), and they were fantastic too. Dean was efficient and listened to all of our suggestions. Katie ran the service on the day and she was so lovely and attentive. All of our guests loved the food too. Overall, we loved our experience at Alfriston Gardens. 5 stars from us!

We got married in September at Alfriston Gardens and it was everything and more we could have dreamt of. Janie, Dean & the rest of the team were incredible from start to finish. The venue, food, accommodation, scenery: everything was perfect! So many people have commented on what a beautiful venue it is. To be able to cater for that many people & have the day go so seamlessly, we can’t thank you enough! We had the best day ever!

We attended Jamie and Emily's wedding on 26th October 2024. We stayed in a shepherd's hut on site which was beautiful and very comfortable. Food at the wedding was outstanding and organisation and service from all staff was exceptional. If I wasn't already married I would be using this establishment. 5*

Firstly, thank you so much to Janie and the team for making the day incredibly special, going above and beyond to make sure that everything ran like clockwork and that the bridal party were well catered for, even searching frantically for elusive pins! We stayed as guests at Alfriston Gardens, not the happy couple, but felt compelled to write a review after our wonderful stay. The location is perfect, being a 2 minute drive from the village of Alfriston, which in itself is simply stunning and worth a visit! Alfriston Gardens is a beautiful venue, with pristine gardens (perfect for outdoor games) and sensationally converted barns that ooze charm and character, whilst remaining bright and airy. The exposed beams really set the scene as a backdrop for stunning photos. The ceremony itself took place in the small barn, making it an intimate experience whilst also comfortably seating almost 100 guests. The upper mezzanine makes for a wonderfully theatrical addition, unique as far as I know to this particular venue. There are a number of shepherd huts which provide really comfortable accommodation, however we stayed in one of the rooms accessed from the main reception. We stayed in room number 1, which was beautifully decorated and comfortable, adding to the charm of the venue overall. The special day itself was glorious (despite the weather) with the barns setup for the wedding breakfast, which then made way for dancing the night away! We stayed just one night at Alfriston Gardens, but left with a lifetime of the most magnificent memories. Thank you!

We cannot fault our experience with Alfriston Gardens! We fell in love the first time we visited and are so thankful to everyone for making our day run so smoothly. From start to finish, our journey with Alfriston Gardens was seamless and we had so many compliments about the venue and food! The lawns are beautifully maintained, the rooms are cosy with character and Lavender Lodge is the perfect space for getting ready and to spend the night of the wedding in. Janie & India were so accommodating, as was Dean from Black Pepper Hospitality. We had a tasting evening of our chosen menu and were able to tweak what we wanted and really personalise our meal(s) to how we wanted them. Everyone commented on the food, it’s presentation and all our dietary / non-drinker needs were well catered for and organised with no errors! On the day we had Katie from the catering team who was attentive, kept us in the loop and managed everything well without being over bearing or intrusive. Janie and India are lovely - they’re approachable and really make you feel as if your wedding is priority, making everything feel even more personal, ensuring you have a drink in hand and are relaxed, with nothing to worry about. They were quick to reply to emails & queries and we felt so proud to have all our loved ones celebrate our day in such a beautiful venue. Janie even helped us the evening before to time when each bridesmaid would walk down the aisle to which part of the song! We would highly recommend Alfriston Gardens as a wedding venue but also look forward to finding another opportunity/excuse to use the space for another event!! Thank you so much ♥️ Mr & Mrs Hayllar x

We cannot fault Janie and Dean, who helped bring our wedding together and run a beautiful and seamless day. They were both on hand throughout the lead up and amazing on the day. From serving delicious food to managing all the staff and suppliers, the team at Alfriston Gardens are amazing. We got married in April 2024, which created a beautiful setting for all of our pictures as the spring flowers and blossom were out in full force. There are many different areas for group photos as well as couple photos out of view of other guests. We genuinely hope to experience many weddings here as guests in the future because it is such a special and versatile venue and would love to experience the day from the other side as all of our guests express how wonderful and beautiful our day was. Janie has since stayed in contact and continued her lovely hospitality, making us feel appreciated as a couple and not just a business transaction for one day. She really cares for the weddings that take place and the people involved, which is is special to find.

We couldn’t have asked for a better wedding venue, Alfriston Gardens is beautiful venue and our recent experience there was nothing short of magical. We came to view the venue on a grey day and were impressed that the Century and Woodland Barn still felt so light. The gardens are meticulously maintained and a superb space for drinks and garden games. A significant part of what made our wedding weekend so successful was the incredible support from Janie and India. They went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly, attending to every detail with professionalism. Janie made us feel at ease throughout the planning process and on our special day, on-hand to help the entire weekend. Dean also played a crucial role in our celebration, ensuring that we were happy with all the food choices, providing guidance on quantities and being extremely adaptable to requests. The food was incredible, and our guests all raved about it. We went for the BBQ option which went down well, with lots of different dishes to suit every taste and extremely generous portions. The accommodations at Alfriston Gardens were another highlight. We loved having our guests stay on-site, which created a lovely atmosphere during the weekend and made it really relaxed for everyone staying on site. The rooms were lovely and comfortable, but the bridal suite, Lavender Lodge, truly stands out the perfect space for relaxing before the big day and getting ready. Even if you have a large group there is plenty of space. Alfriston Gardens is not just a beautiful venue; it is a place where memories are made, thanks to a dedicated team and stunning surroundings. We couldn't have asked for a better location to get married, and we highly recommend it to any couple looking for a perfect wedding destination. Thank you so much to everyone at Alfriston Gardens who made our day so special, it truly was the best day!

Where do we start? We got married at Alfriston Gardens on Saturday 31st August and it was the best days of our lives. We decided to make a weekend of it by having a festival themed party on the Friday before the wedding so some of our guests could meet before the big day! Alfriston Gardens were so flexible and helpful in allowing this to happen and it wouldn’t have been the same without them. The venue itself is beautiful and having everything on one site meant it really felt like ours for the weekend. The real stars of the show are Janie and Dean! From start to finish, Janie made us feel so relaxed and comfortable, she catered to every need we had and checked in with us both at various times throughout the whole weekend. Her warmth and support put us both at ease and all of our family and friends couldn’t say enough positive words about them and our wedding weekend. She is a true asset to Alfriston Gardens. Dean was in charge of our catering. The food, wine and the whole experience was a pleasure and we never felt pressured. He was so accommodating to any changes we made and was so professional and genuine in the whole lead up to the wedding. There was plenty of catering staff/bar staff on the day and everyone mentioned how good the service was. The venue was spotless when we arrived, the cleaning team, gardeners etc had made it perfect for us despite previous weddings being close to ours and it really feels like your own bespoke place to get married. Janie and the team helped with all of our setting up and it was exactly what we had envisioned! We have both never laughed so much, partied so hard and felt so loved and that was all thanks to Alfriston Gardens! Thank you for everything!