Great Betley Farmhouse

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Award winning blank canvas wedding venue, Airbnb Superhost Farmhouse B&B

09/09/2026

I’d love to know what you think about this 👇

Have a watch, then let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’m really interested to hear what everyone makes of it! 💬

Get • Ok this next tradition is one I know a lot of people have veeeery strong feelings about. And for good reason!!

It’s the tradition of women taking their husband’s names 👀

In most marriages, at least one person changes their name. But that doesn’t mean that doing it isn’t a big deal.

Your name is your identity, and it can carry a lot of emotion and history. So if anyone is going to change their name, it should be an active choice - a hell yes, not something that you only do because you think you ‘should’.

The wording in this video is taken from an article featuring historian Catherine Allgor 👩‍🏫🧠

I’m honestly learning so much from this series, and from the comments it seems like you’re all on the journey with me!

There are so many things in life that we just take at face value because ‘that’s just the way it’s done’, but it’s SO interesting to find out why they are that way in the first place.

So if you’re enjoying these lil learning nuggets, stick around for part 5 next week 😍🎓

07/09/2026

Great Betley lawn transformations, Part II…

Today’s question: which was more stubborn, a Victorian wall or ? 😂

Following on rather neatly from my post about the work we did around the pond six years ago…

We were getting a few things sorted on the far lawn ready for this weekend’s wedding when I noticed a bit of flint poking through the grass.

Naturally, I thought we’d just dig it out.

And, having literally just admitted in the last post about this lawn that I STILL forget to take “before” photos, did I photograph the innocent-looking little bit of flint first?

Of course I didn’t. 🤦‍♀️😂

So Lisa started with the pickaxe.

Then the shovel.

Then back to the pickaxe.

Then shifting soil out of the way by hand.

Then more pickaxe…

…and it gradually became apparent that my “little bit of flint” was actually a substantial chunk of the old building that stood on this part of the lawn in Victorian times. 😳

At which point it became less of a gardening job and more of a battle of wills.

Victorian wall: “I’ve been here for well over a century and I’m not moving.”

Lisa: “We’ll see about that.” 😂

There was digging, levering, pickaxing, dirt being moved out by hand, a LOT of sweat and a quantity of swearing that probably shouldn’t be reproduced on a wedding venue’s Instagram account.

But eventually…

OUT IT CAME. 💪

And just look at the size of it!

One of the fascinating things about living somewhere as old as Great Betley is that you never quite know what’s underneath your feet. Pieces of its past have a habit of appearing when you least expect them.

Although preferably not from the middle of a lawn a few days before a wedding. 🤦‍♀️😂

So, which was more stubborn?

Victorian wall: 0
Lisa: 1 🏆😂

The lawn is now one enormous lump of masonry lighter and considerably kinder to wedding shoes!

Just another quiet day getting Great Betley wedding-ready… 😂

04/09/2026

📣 Well, we’re going to blow our own trumpet just a tiny bit… 🎺

We’re absolutely delighted to announce that Great Betley Farmhouse has been named Best Exclusive-Use Wedding Venue 2026 – West Sussex in LUXlife’s Hospitality Awards! 🏆

Being an exclusive-use venue is at the very heart of what we do here.

When you choose Great Betley for your wedding, it really does become your place for the weekend. No other weddings happening alongside yours, no strangers wandering through your celebration and no conveyor belt of couples waiting for their turn.

Instead, you get five acres of beautiful West Sussex countryside, the lawns and gardens surrounding our 500-year-old farmhouse, and the freedom to create a wedding that actually feels like you.

We deliberately host only a handful of weddings each year because we want every one to feel special, personal and wonderfully relaxed.

Blank canvas. Your suppliers. Your ideas. Your people. Your wedding. 💛

So yes, we’re feeling rather proud of this one.

Best Exclusive-Use Wedding Venue 2026 – West Sussex.

Not bad for a little farmhouse down a country lane. 🥂🏆

31/08/2026

A very pertinent post, tell me what you think? ⬇️

Get Repost App • Wedded Wonderland Concierge What our brides actually told us this week at Wedded Wonderland Concierge…

We speak to brides every day.

And this week, we heard the same frustrations again.

“Why can’t I just get a price?”
“Why does everything suddenly cost more when I say wedding?”
“I don’t know who to trust.”
“I don’t even know if I’m asking the right questions.”
“I have a good budget, but I still feel like I’m getting nowhere.”
“I’m exhausted.”

And that last one stayed with us.

Because these women aren’t trying to be difficult.

They’re trying to make one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of their lives in an industry they’ve probably never navigated before.

They’re not asking for everything to be cheaper.

They’re asking for it to be clearer.
Tell me what it costs.
Tell me what I actually need.
Tell me what I don’t need.
Tell me if my budget is realistic.
Tell me if there’s a better option.

And please, just communicate with me.
Because behind the mood boards, spreadsheets, dress fittings and saved posts is a woman who just wants to feel excited about getting married.

Not exhausted by planning it.

So perhaps brides aren’t becoming more difficult.

Perhaps they’re just finally telling us what they need.

And as an industry, we should be listening.

Brides, what have we missed? Tell us what you’re really feeling.

30/08/2026

We were deeply saddened to hear of the tragic events at Big Church Festival at Wiston on Friday.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the gentleman who lost his life, with those who were injured, and with everyone affected by what happened.

Thinking too of all those in our local community and the emergency services who responded on Friday. 🤍

25/08/2026

💡 – Blank canvas venue? Choose suppliers who understand the canvas!

One of the joys of choosing a blank canvas wedding venue like Great Betley Farmhouse is that you really can create a wedding that feels completely yours. No fixed packages, no compulsory caterers, no prescribed styling and no conveyor belt of weddings.

But that freedom means there are a few more moving parts behind the scenes!

When you’re choosing suppliers, it can be a huge advantage to work with people who already have experience of blank canvas weddings.

They’ll understand things like:

✨ Access, delivery and collection logistics
✨ Power requirements and cabling
✨ Water requirements
✨ Setting up in a field rather than a purpose-built function room
✨ Working alongside marquees, tipis and other suppliers
✨ Allowing enough time for set-up and breakdown
✨ Having a Plan B (and sometimes a Plan C!) for our wonderful British weather
✨ The fact that seemingly tiny practical details can make a BIG difference on the day

It doesn’t mean every supplier you book has to have worked at your particular venue before. New suppliers are always welcome at Great Betley. But experience of outdoor and blank canvas weddings can be invaluable.

A good blank canvas supplier doesn’t just turn up with what they’ve been hired to provide. They understand how their piece fits into the whole wedding-day jigsaw. 🧩

And when your suppliers understand the logistics and communicate with each other, everything behind the scenes runs far more smoothly, leaving you to enjoy the bit that actually matters…

Getting married and having an absolutely fabulous day! 🥂💍

Address

Stonepit Lane
Henfield
BN59QT

Website

http://Greatbetleyfarmhouse.co.uk/

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