MAKE A SPLASH

Our roundup of Sussex’s coastal venues

ROYAL PAVILION, BRIGHTON

03000 290 905 | www.brightonmuseums.org.uk

This breathtaking former royal Regency palace offers a one-of-a-kind wedding venue in the heart of Brighton and Hove’s cultural quarter. One of the most exotically beautiful buildings in Britain it was designed to entice, enrapture and enchant the great, good and grand of George IV’s court.

The Royal Pavilion’s glorious garden is one of the few fully-restored Regency gardens in the country. Groups of flowers emulate jewels against the flourishing evergreens that frame striking views of the palace, creating a picture-perfect backdrop for images of your wedding day.

Your ceremony can take place in the Red Drawing Room, which has a maximum capacity of 44. This beautiful room retains much of George IV’s striking 1820s decorative scheme, incorporating the Royal Pavilion’s distinctive dragon wallpaper and palm-tree pillars. Located on the ground floor it’s not open to the general public and benefits from its own private entrance leading directly from the Regency garden and offering the feel of true exclusivity on your special day.

For evening “I dos” the dazzling Music Room, one of the palace’s most spectacular state rooms, is available. It has space for 90 loved ones who enter via the Pavilion’s grand entrance and are led to the Music Room via the exotic, Chinese-inspired Long Gallery. Its extraordinary interior is lit by nine lotus-shaped chandeliers, with walls decorated with rich red and gold canvases in the Chinoiserie style, supported by painted dragons. The gilded dome ceiling is made up of hundreds of plaster cockleshells creating the illusion of height.

The Royal Pavilion can be hired for your reception even if you’re not holding your ceremony at the venue. The King William IV Room, situated on the first floor offers an elegant setting for day and evening. With handpainted Chinese-style wallpaper and hanging lanterns, it also benefits from a private entrance, its own lobby and a caterer’s kitchen. It can host 80 for a drinks reception, 70 for a standing buffet or 60 for a seated meal.

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BRITISH AIRWAYS I360 VIEWING TOWER

03337 720 360 | www.britishairwaysi360.com

The British Airways i360 Viewing Tower, along with its spacious beachside event rooms, offers a wonderful backdrop for your vows and photographs. The glass viewing pod is ten times the size of a London Eye capsule and travels from ground to 450ft, offering uninterrupted 360-degree views of Brighton, the South Downs and the beautiful Sussex coastline.

The South Coast’s highest bar, The Nyetimber Sky Bar, is one of the most exclusive venues in the city and offers an unforgettable location for your guests to toast your union with a glass of this award-winning local sparkling wine in hand. The pod can accommodate up to 175 people standing or 60 seated theatre-style.

After a ceremony in the sky, inspire your guests further with the venue’s event rooms: Attenborough, Birch and Constable. The flexible spaces are open to private beachfront terraces offering stunning views of the sea and the West Pier. All rooms have natural daylight, audio-visual facilities and views of the sea, the beach and the historical West Pier. They can hold between 100 to 480 loved ones. Alternatively, you can host an intimate reception in the reconstructed 1866 West Pier toll booth, which also has a private sea-facing terrace for 20 wedding breakfast and 40 evening guests. And, whether you’re looking for a formal banquet or a sumptuous beach barbecue, the venue’s chefs will create your menu according to your personal taste using the finest seasonal ingredients, many of which are sourced from the South Downs region.

Kevin Meredith

THE GRAND BRIGHTON

01273 224 355 | www.grandbrighton.co.uk

The original palace by the sea, built as a retreat for the London set, The Grand Brighton boasts Victorian splendour, stunning architecture and sea views mixing sumptuous renaissance-style décor with statement furniture and glossy Art Deco-inspired accents. This historical hotel is centred around a sweeping spiral staircase and is just a stone’s throw away from the beach. It takes centre stage on Brighton’s famous seafront and restorations to its 155-year-old facade have well and truly brought the exterior back to its former glory.

The hotel’s fully-licensed private event rooms can accommodate anything from intimate gatherings to banquets for 500 guests. The traditional wood-panelled Regent Room is the perfect space for smaller ceremonies of up to 50 guests, located on the ground floor beneath the famous staircase. This room is ideal too for a wedding breakfast for up to 60 or a post-ceremony drinks reception. The Consort Room, also on the ground floor, boasts a classic design and neutral tones, making it a fitting backdrop for chic “I dos” with up to 75 loved ones. It can also be hired for intimate wedding breakfasts with 60 guests.

For larger guest lists The Albert Suite is beautifully appointed and ideal for vows witnessed by up to 100 of your nearest and dearest. Its striking navy décor with white detailing highlights the architecture of this, the original ballroom. It can then host 60 for a wedding breakfast. Finally, the flexible Empress Suite can be used as one open space for up to 500 or divided into four separate suites for weddings of 150 plus. The area is also available as a dry hire venue to include the use of kitchen space.

A complimentary stay in a deluxe sea-view bedroom inclusive of breakfast and valet parking is offered as part of the venue’s wedding packages, as well as a menu tasting of the selected meal for two when booking for 50 or more guests.

THE OLD SHIP HOTEL

01273 329 001 | www.oldshipbrighton.co.uk/weddings

The Old Ship Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in the vibrant city of Brighton, with Grade II function rooms and parts of the building dating back to 1559. Standing proudly on the seafront with panoramic sea views from many of its 154 bedrooms, the hotel is perfectly placed to put its guests in the heart of the action being just a five-minute walk from Brighton Palace Pier and The Lanes historical shopping district.

Ceremonies take place in either the Fecamp Lounge (70 guests), the Gresham Suite (80 guests) or the Regency Suite (120 guests). These elegant spaces, part of Brighton’s original Assembly Rooms, are also available for the reception seating 35 to 60 of your nearest and dearest. The hotel also boasts the restored 400-year-old wine cellars, which can host an intimate dining experience like no other for 30 loved ones; and the grand Paganini Ballroom, capable of accommodating 150 guests (200 for the evening).

The venue offers a choice of set-price packages to suit 50 guests, menu tastings, accommodation for you both on your wedding night, discounted accommodation for your guests and a 20 per cent discount in the restaurant for dinner the night before the big day.

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ALL SAINTS THE OLD CHAPEL

01323 643 181 | www.allsaintschapeleastbourne.org

All Saints Chapel is a beautiful and rather well-hidden venue. Situated close to the sea in the picturesque ancient village of Meads, Eastbourne, this is a majestic English architectural masterpiece designed by Henry Woodyer in 1874. The All Saints Grade II listed Old Gothic chapel is deconsecrated and fully-licensed for civil partnerships, events and functions. It’s easily accessed via a leafy residential street through huge timber gates and the front grounds where guests are able to mingle pre- and post-ceremony.

The venue boasts four parts. First, the entrance reception, which is a modern, light and airy addition. It’s furnished with antique desks and pews complete with bar area where your reception drinks are served. Next is Harriot’s Hallway, an ancient cloister named after the founding and selfless Sister Harriot Byron Brown. Now beautifully decorated with strings of fairylights it’s used as the pre-nuptial area for the bride and her bridesmaids to relax, hidden from view, before their grand entrance. You then find yourself in the open area of the stairwell complete with wrought iron bannisters and gothic windows. You’re free to add your own personal touches anywhere you wish, but this is the perfect area to go to town! Finally, the pièce de resistance: The Great Hall. Here the Minton-tiled 60-foot aisle awaits the bridal party. The bejewelled light that floods in is ever changing, highlighting the Chapel’s various elements. Thirty metres of vaulted-timber ceiling tower above the altar, 150-year-old floor tiles lay beneath your feet and an elegant bar area stands beside hand-carved pew ends in the near corner of the banquet hall tempting guests to sample some of the 25 different gins on offer.

Both ceremonies and celebrations take place in The Great Hall, which can accommodate 120 seated and 200 standing. While the team expertly turn the space around from one use to the other you and your loved ones can enjoy canapés and prosecco in the garden and reception area.