An Abundance Of Colour: A Marquee Wedding At The Hyde Estate
Photography by Lauren Elizabeth Photography
Kayleigh and Sam's wedding took place in the Wild Garden at The Hyde Estate, an 850 acre family owned estate set deep in the West Sussex countryside near Handcross, just forty five minutes from London and twenty minutes from Brighton. It is the kind of setting that does much of the work before a single flower is placed: rolling lawns, mature trees and a lake guests could wander down to with a glass in hand with the marquee behind them.
Kayleigh and Sam came to us wanting a wedding that felt joyful rather than formal, one where the guest experience sat at the very centre of every decision, from the food on the table to the music on the dancefloor. Rich, confident colour was non negotiable. So was a day their guests would talk about for years to come.
Setting The Scene In The Wild Garden
The Hyde Estate's Wild Garden gave us a genuine blank canvas, and we used it to design a marquee wedding with the polish of a country estate celebration and the warmth of a garden party. Guests arrived to a ceremony among the trees before moving onto the lawns for a long, unhurried drinks reception in the sunshine, with roaming entertainment building the atmosphere as the afternoon light did its work.
Inside the marquee, considered colour ran through every layer of the design: the linen for the tea and coffee station, the herbs and table decor, the place settings, right down to the smallest details guests would only notice up close. Rather than the neutral, muted palette so many marquee weddings default to, Kayleigh and Sam wanted their reception to feel vivid, generous and entirely their own, a true reflection of who they are as a couple.
Furniture and styling came from Array Wedding and Event Hire, whose curated collection of handmade pieces and considered props gave us exactly the flexibility we needed to design a space that felt personal rather than off the shelf. The lounge furniture across the drinks reception and evening spaces was chosen to build atmosphere rather than simply fill space, giving guests inviting corners to gather in throughout the day.
Food And Guest Experience At The Heart Of The Day
For Kayleigh and Sam, the food was never an afterthought. It was one of the biggest influences on the entire day, and one of the reasons their guests will remember it for years to come. The couple served a fully vegan menu throughout, proof that plant based wedding catering can be every bit as indulgent and memorable as a traditional wedding breakfast.
The standout moment came at the end of the evening, when the table decor was transformed into a grocery station, stocked with the fresh ingredients used across the day's menu. Guests were invited to take these home and recreate the dishes themselves, turning the wedding menu into something that lived on long after the day itself. Many guests did exactly that, sending Kayleigh and Sam photographs of their own versions of the wedding dishes cooked at home in the weeks that followed, a small but genuinely special way of extending the guest experience well beyond the day.
A Roaming Brass Band, A Surprise Sing Along And A Dancefloor That Never Emptied
If there was one moment that defined the day, it was the entertainment. The London Strollers, a roaming brass band made up of some of London's top session musicians, wove through the gardens and the marquee throughout the afternoon, turning a drinks reception into a genuine party from the very first note.
Midway through the celebrations came the surprise the couple had been planning for months: a full sing along, orchestrated with the band and kept secret from every guest until the moment it began. It is exactly the kind of detail we love building into a wedding day, a planned surprise that lands perfectly because the guests never see it coming, and one that had the entire marquee singing together in the Sussex sunshine.
As the evening drew in, the brass band gave way to a DJ, who kept the dancefloor completely full from the first song to the last. It is the kind of detail that sounds simple but matters enormously in the planning: getting the handover between live entertainment and DJ right so that the energy never dips, however long the party runs.
Why A Marquee Wedding At The Hyde Estate Works So Well
The Hyde Estate is one of our favourite marquee venues in Sussex precisely because it gives couples like Kayleigh and Sam total freedom. There is no fixed marquee style, no in house package to work around, just acres of garden and a planner's ability to build a day entirely from scratch. Whether that means a traditional pole marquee, a clear roof structure for stargazing, or a stretch tent for a more contemporary feel, the estate flexes to the couple rather than the other way round.
For us, Kayleigh and Sam's wedding was everything a marquee wedding at this level should be: rich in colour, generous in spirit, exceptional in food and music, and built entirely around the experience of the people in the room.
If you are planning a marquee wedding in Sussex and want a day built around considered design, outstanding food and genuine guest experience, we would love to hear from you.
In Kayleigh And Sam's Words
IT WAS TRULY ICONIC
Where do we start? Hannah is a magic maker, through and through.
There was no ask too big or too small that didn't receive Hannah's undivided attention. At every turn Hannah found solutions to challenges quickly, professionally and with good humour. And what resulted was quite literally the most magical day we, and our guests, have ever experienced.
We decided to hire Hannah as our wedding planner about two years ago and she immediately understood what was important to us from the get go, our core values. From this she started to help us craft a wedding around it.
Over time, she got to know our personalities, both together and separately, to ensure the day we ended up with was a complete embodiment of us and all that we hold dear. Good food, good wine, good music and an unforgettable party.
Whilst our wedding was absolutely breathtaking to look at, every single element added value. It wasn't for the gram, it was for giving our guests a truly special experience, and something to take away from the day.
Hannah somehow managed to represent us on the day to a level we don't think we could have done ourselves. She saw us.
Hannah took on communicating with all suppliers, organising them, organising us and leaving us with the most enjoyable parts of planning a wedding, meaning we will only ever look back on this time fondly.
In the run up and on the day, Hannah and her team were absolutely faultless. Everybody we have spoken to since has exclaimed at just how "on it" and friendly they all were, being left wanting for nothing, the day flowing seamlessly from one moment to the next. As the couple, we barely even noticed what was happening when. A real master of her craft.
Hannah and her team held an environment that our guests could completely relax in, disconnect from the real world, and benefit from the wedding bubble just as much as we did as the couple.
Honestly, to boil these words down would be impossible. But all we can say is we would recommend Hannah and Pearl Events in a heartbeat.
Thank you so much Hannah and team for curating and running the best day of our, and our family and friends', lives. It was truly iconic.
Kayleigh and Sam
Pearl Events Atelier designs bespoke luxury weddings and events across Sussex, the Cotswolds and beyond, specialising in marquee celebrations at private estates. Get in touch to start planning your wedding.