Spring Weddings at Mannings Heath Estate

With the first signs of spring on the horizon, it's time for many couples to start planning their wedding. 

Mannings Heath Golf and Wine Estate is announcing its wedding services for 2023. The venue is located near Horsham in West Sussex in an area of outstanding natural beauty and offers sublime views across the 500-acre estate.  

The estate has benefited from the investment in new facilities by its owners, the Streeter family. The 17th-century mansion house features original fireplaces, wooden beam ceilings and ornate chandeliers. There are two function rooms licensed for wedding ceremonies, Goldings and the Latilla Campbell Suite, with a capacity of 30 to 110 guests and extensive outside terraces for a drinks reception for up to 200 people.  

The estate offers a choice of set three-course wedding breakfast options for 60 guests from £7,250 including VAT and service charges. This includes a half-bottle per person of award-winning Benguela Cove wine and a glass of Cuvée58 Sparkling wine for the toast, both from the owner's South African vineyards. There is a choice of round or long tables, with white table linen and limewash Chiavari chairs. 

Mannings Heath estate has a capacity for 150 guests for an evening reception. It is licensed for drinks service and music until midnight, with the option of an extension until 1:00 am. 

On-site accommodation in the charming 17th-century Fullers’ Cottage sleeps up to eight guests. Just three miles away, the owner's Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens estate offers a luxury stay, with ten rooms each designed by a top British designer. It also features the Michelin-starred Restaurant Interlude with a multi-course tasting menu, with guests greeted by a self-playing piano in the grand hallway of the Grade II Listed mansion. 

The estate offers the support of an experienced wedding coordinator to help with planning and taking care of all arrangements on the day. Wedding events manager Jo Chellingworth says: 

“We can help couples plan their special occasion and manage all the details on the day, whether they want a traditional or more personalised wedding theme, live entertainment or other features. There is a range of additional options for couples and guests including wine-tasting tours, golf on the 9 and 18-hole courses and other activities.” 

Jo offers these tips to couples planning their special day: 

“Figure out your vision for the day. Whether you want it to be small and intimate or big and lavish, you should decide exactly what kind of wedding vibe you want from the start. That way, when it comes time to actually plan things like invitations, catering, and décor, you can focus on making sure those elements match up with your vision. 

“Start early! You'll be surprised at how much time you need to plan your dream wedding, so the earlier you start, the better! Make sure you have a budget in place before you start booking venues and getting quotes from suppliers. 

“Write everything down. Keep a notebook with all of your notes, ideas, and plans so that you don't forget anything important! Make a list of everything you need to do, and try to focus on one task at a time. Don't get overwhelmed by the details: with the help of the wedding venue’s event team and suppliers, the details will take care of themselves!” 

Mannings Heath Golf and Wine Estate is three miles from Horsham railway station with trains direct into London and Gatwick airport and has ample complimentary parking for wedding guests on site. 

For further information visit https://www.manningsheath.com/weddings

For the images named 'Credit...', please give credit to Be Unveiled Photography.

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Editors notes

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is a family-owned vineyard estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, which features ‘the finest woodland gardens in England’, Grade I Listed, as well as a Michelin Star restaurant and luxury vineyard accommodation.

The 240-acre estate was established by Sir Edmund Loder, the great Victorian plant collector, and now includes a Sussex Wine vineyard, with the first release of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sparkling wine in 2024.

The estate features outstanding displays all year round. In the spring this includes rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells. The collection is exceptional in its diversity and maturity, with several rare ‘champion’ trees, threatened in their natural habitat.

The gardens offer a protected ecosystem for rare wildlife such as Emperor Dragonflies and Damselflies, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak butterflies and migratory and native birds - Kites, Great Tits, Tree Creepers, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Nightingales.

The estate reopened in April 2019, following acquisition and two years’ intensive work by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE to restore the woodland gardens after eight years of closure and neglect under previous ownership. It was the largest garden restoration project in the United Kingdom since Heligan 30 years before.

Since further restoration work in 2021, visitors can also stay in the luxury vineyard hotel after dining at Restaurant Interlude in Leonardslee House, the Grade II Listed Italianate mansion house, to experience the Michelin Star multi-course tasting menu created by chef Jean Delport.

Visitors can view a magical world in miniature at the Beyond the Doll's House exhibition, which depicts the Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages at 1:12 scale. They can then enjoy a classic afternoon tea in the mansion house, making for a great family day out. It is one of the top places to visit in Sussex and is open all year round except Christmas Day.

For great days out, there is an extensive programme of entertainment that includes winter garden illuminations and light trails, wine and beer festivals, photo and art exhibitions, live music events, cooking and gardening demonstrations, arts and crafts fairs, modelling and toy shows, and children’s events and adventure trails.

Vineyards –

Leonardslee Estate: Acquired 2018 - 3.1 Acres - 2018 First vines planted - 4,000 Estimated bottles Experimental planting of Pinotage - 2022 First estate Pinotage

Mannings Estate: Acquired 2017 - 34 Acres - 2017 First vines planted - 70,000 Estimated bottles Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier - 2024 First release of wine