A Colourful Hawthbush Farm Wedding (Storm Clouds and All)
Some couples check the forecast, see rain coming, and move everything indoors just in case. These two grooms looked at the same stormy forecast and basically said "sod it, let's do it anyway," sticking with their plan to get married outside in the woods regardless. It made the whole day.
Hawthbush Farm is already brilliant if you want a relaxed, outdoorsy wedding. But add colour, personality, and a couple who refuse to let the weather boss them around, and you get a day that felt genuinely special from start to finish.
Stormy Skies and a Woodland Ceremony
The ceremony happened in the woodland clearing at Hawthbush Farm, tall trees on every side, and big, moody clouds rolling in overhead like something out of a film.
The sky had looked dramatic all morning, and instead of panicking about it, everyone just leaned in. Guests turned up with umbrellas at the ready, bright outfits stood out even more against the dark, brooding clouds, and there was this brilliant, slightly chaotic energy in the air, the kind you really only get at an outdoor wedding where nobody's pretending the weather isn't happening.
Then came my favourite moment of the whole day. When the ceremony wrapped up, the two grooms didn't do the usual polite, slow walk back down the aisle. Instead, they danced their way back out, boombox in hand, music blasting, with the entire crowd cheering them on. It set the tone for absolutely everything that followed, because if the ceremony ended like that, you already know the party was going to be something else.
Colour, Colour, Everywhere
If there's one thing that stood out most about this wedding, it's just how much colour was packed into it.
The guests clearly got the brief. Bright outfits, patterned suits, colourful dresses, all of it looking incredible against the green countryside backdrop. Nobody played it safe, and it paid off completely in the photos.
Inside the barn, rainbow tassel bunting hung everywhere, giving the reception space this joyful, almost festival-like feel rather than a typical "wedding barn" look.
It's always such a treat when couples fully commit to colour instead of sticking to a few flowers and calling it done. Going all in like this changes the entire atmosphere, making everything feel more playful, more relaxed, and it genuinely comes through in every photo.
Dancing Their Way Into Dinner
Rather than everyone filing calmly into the barn for dinner, the grooms decided to dance their way in too, with a trail of guests following right behind them. So dinner didn't so much begin as erupt, kicking off like a mini party before anyone had even sat down.
Once inside, the tables were set with big shared food bowls instead of individually plated courses, so people were passing dishes back and forth, chatting, reaching across the table for seconds. It's a small choice, but it completely changes the feel of the meal, stopping it from feeling like a formal wedding dinner and turning it into a big, relaxed meal with friends.
The Best Place Cards I've Ever Seen
Every single guest had their own caricature illustration waiting for them at their seat, and not generic, one-size-fits-all doodles either. Each one was drawn based on the actual guest.
People spent ages wandering the room hunting down their friends' portraits, comparing notes, and laughing (sometimes wincing) at how spot-on, or occasionally brutally accurate, some of them were. It ended up being one of those small, thoughtful details that kept everyone entertained and chatting all the way through dinner, long before the band even started.
A Live Band and a Proper Party
Once the speeches wrapped up and the food was cleared, the live band came on and the dancefloor filled almost instantly, with no awkward lull and no waiting around for people to warm up.
Hawthbush Farm works so well for evenings because everything sits close together: the barn dancefloor, the outdoor spaces, and the stretch tent are all just steps from each other. That closeness means people naturally drift between spaces all night, and the energy just keeps building rather than fizzling out in one corner of the venue.
Between the live band, the sea of colourful outfits, and the joyful chaos that had been building since that woodland ceremony, the evening turned into exactly the kind of party you hope every wedding becomes.
Thinking About Your Own Colourful Hawthbush Farm Wedding?
If this day proves anything, it's that perfect weather isn't what makes a wedding great. Stormy skies, bright outfits, two grooms dancing down the aisle with a boombox, rainbow bunting, and a barn full of friends celebrating two brilliant humans getting married, that combination is hard to beat.
Looking for a Photographer for Your Hawthbush Farm Wedding?
If you're planning a wedding at Hawthbush Farm and you want colourful, relaxed photos that capture the day exactly as it happens, the chaos, the dancing, the weather doing whatever it fancies, and all the brilliant little moments tucked in between, get in touch.
I photograph weddings all over Sussex, and Hawthbush Farm is always one of my absolute favourite places to shoot.
