Why book?
For an enchanting walled garden wedding in the heart of the South Downs National Park, where citrusy, herby notes waft under guests’ noses. The Walled Garden at Cowdray is a historic setting that provides a stately backdrop for celebrating your nuptials, along with opulent rooms and a scatter of cottages to house the bridal party and more.
Venue style
Whether couples opt for an alfresco ceremony under pergolas of English roses or an indoor vow exchange in one of the light-flooded spaces, The Walled Garden at Cowdray is one of those magical, film set-worthy venues that has all your visuals covered before you’ve even started on the details. Situated within the sprawling and beautifully manicured 16,000 acre Cowdray Estate, with plenty of accommodation options across cottages, lodges and treehouses, the celebrations can be contained to a day or expanded over a few days, filled with country pursuits. An “estate-to-plate” ethos with seasonal menus can be curated by the in-house catering company, The Yellow Kitchen. What’s more, the estate works alongside carefully selected local suppliers including photographers, cake-makers, musicians and much more.
Weddings at Cowdray’s Walled Garden take place all year round, spanning the most intimate of ceremonies (say, 10 of your nearest and dearest), to lavish events of up to 130 (standing for drinks and canapes). The team here are well-versed in bringing couples’ walled garden wedding dreams to life, whether it’s a traditional brief or a more whimsical, boho-botanical affair.
Set the scene
Standing adjacent to the dramatic Cowdray Ruins, The Walled Garden possesses a whimsical, England of yore quality – perfect for those quintessentially English nuptials. A true Alice In Wonderland spectacle, as you enter this Tudor Walled Garden via the original, heavy oak door. Inside, the working walled garden is bursting with life and the scent of citrus, mint and rosemary hangs in the air.
Located within the sprawling Cowdray Estate – a fine example of West Sussex heritage with its flint buildings and estate yellow doors – a wedding in The Walled Garden will always impress. Famed for its polo fields, Cowdray also offers a vast range of country pursuits, creative workshops, a thriving farm shop and staycation spots ranging from design-led treehouses to storybook cottages.
Event spaces
There are various location options for tying the knot at The Walled Garden, which is licensed for ceremonies underneath the picturesque wooden pergola, and inside, in the Castle Room and Courtyard Room. The Courtyard Room features exposed stone walls and natural hues, the perfect canvas to dress in your own style for your ceremony. The largest indoor space is the Castle Room, comfortably seating 100 seated or 130 standing, with thrilling views over the Cowdray Ruins and surrounding parkland.
The bride or groom can start their day upstairs in the Dressing Room, a light-flooded suite with a vaulted ceiling and oodles of space for pregame beauty sessions and gathering the bridal party.
For couples wanting a full alfresco celebration, the team can arrange a traditional stretch tent for the garden, one that weaves perfectly into the garden, as if it were always there.
Food and drink
An estate-to-plate ethos is truly authentic here at Cowdray with its own in-house catering team, The Yellow Kitchen, who gather and forage as many ingredients as possible from the working walled garden and wider estate. Masters in classical dishes, the Yellow Kitchen introduce innovative twists using seasonal fare. Menus are bespoke so couples can work with the in-house team to create their dream plates to serve on the day.
Accomodation
Scattered across this bucolic 16,000 acre estate are several accommodation options for guests and for the couple themselves. The Benbow Pond luxury holiday cottages are perfect for families or groups, sleeping 2-4, and are situated in the most tranquil of settings with many walking trails from their doorstep. For the newlyweds, we love the new sustainably built Treehouse Retreats located in the woodlands. Each treehouse features a wrap around balcony with an alfresco bath and bed so you can fall asleep stargazing – a magical way to start married life. Or perhaps stay at the charming Challens Yarde or Costers Lodge, part of Cowdray’s own collection of cottages. Guests will relish the rustic-styled welcome hamper, stocked with goodies from the farm shop, including Cowdray eggs, bread, butter, marmalade or jam, tea and milk.
The Lodge has a number of rooms which sleep between 2-4 next to the golf course. Adjacent to this is the cosy Bothy, a stellar choice for couples with its tempting roll top bath and views across Cowdray Park.
The story
The estate is the home of Michael Cowdray and his family and has been carefully passed down through four generations. The Walled Garden was the privvy garden to the now Cowdray Ruins, a beautiful Tudor country house that was burnt down in 1793 and now sits as eerily beautiful ruins beside The Walled Garden.
Eco-friendly
The Cowdray family are hugely passionate about holistic management of the estate and developing it in a way that is as kind to the planet as possible. Environmental initiatives include opening a farm shop and café on the estate to sell their own produce and walled garden bounty. Most recently, the new treehouse retreats were built with environmentally-friendly construction methods, using only FSC-certified timber sourced from Cowdray and other sustainably managed forests, with an active strategy of replanting and habitat regeneration. Environmentally conscious couples can take comfort in the knowledge that Cowdray’s in-house catering team and local suppliers do their very best to keep the carbon footprint of a wedding to an absolute minimum.
The need-to-know
Budget:
Jan – March, November £3,500 (Sun – Thurs) £3,750 (Friday) £4,350 (Saturday/Bank Holiday)
April, October, December £4,250 (Sun – Thurs) £5,000 (Friday) £6,000 (Saturday/Bank Holiday)
May – September £6,250 (Sun – Thurs) £7,000 (Friday) £8,000 (Saturday/Bank Holiday)
Capacity: 10 – 130
Social: @weddingsatcowdray & website
Email: [email protected]
Location: The Walled Garden at Cowdray, Riverground Stables Cowdray Park, Midhurst GU29 9AL
The Walled Garden Wedding Open Day
Sunday 15th October, 12pm – 4pm – Book Here
Venue imagery, with thanks to: Photographer: @scotthowardweddings, Florist: @brambleandbelleflorist, Production: @firebird.events, Catering and Table Decor: #TheYellowkitchenAtCowdray & @optionsgreathire, Dress: @mayandgracebridal
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