PROFILE: Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens' New Three-Day Wedding Experience

Couples can now have their picture-perfect wedding and luxurious getaway, with Michelin Star dining, all in one magical setting. Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, near Horsham in West Sussex, has launched a new all-inclusive, three-day wedding experience, so lovebirds can celebrate their marriage amid the beauty and splendour of this iconic country estate in West Sussex.

Set within 240 acres of quintessentially English woodlands and ornamental gardens first planted in 1889, Leonardslee is an idyllic backdrop for exchanging vows and celebrating new beginnings. Guests can enjoy award-winning wines from the owners’ wine farm at Benguela Cove, in South Africa, and from June 2024 from Leonardslee’s own 37 acres of vineyards.

The estate's centrepiece, Leonardslee House, is a Grade II listed Italianate mansion where couples can hold their wedding ceremony in the grand Atrium with soaring columns, fine art and sparkling chandeliers. For those preferring an outdoor affair, ceremonies can take place on the sprawling lawns adorned with sculptures.

Leonardslee's new wedding package features all the essentials for an effortless and indulgent wedding weekend. It includes the use of Leonardslee House and the acres of enchanting gardens, with two nights' accommodation for the wedding couple and guests in ten luxury ensuite bedrooms.

The Michelin-starred Restaurant Interlude caters for the wedding breakfast and evening menus, allowing couples to treat their guests to fine dining worthy of the occasion. Bespoke services, from floral arrangements to music, are also available for a completely personalised and stress-free celebration.

Bespoke Wedding Plans

For three days, Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens becomes a private romantic hideaway, with exclusive use of the gardens when they are closed to the public outside of normal opening hours. The festivities start on Friday afternoon with wedding guests arriving to enjoy leisurely strolls through the Grade I Listed gardens before a chilled glass of estate sparkling wine on the terrace.

In the evening, the wedding couple can host cocktails in the bar before an intimate multi-course dinner in the restaurant, offering a taste of the gourmet meals to come.

After retiring to the ten elegant guest rooms, couples and their overnight guests will wake up on Saturday morning to breakfast hampers left at their doors, filled with pastries, fresh fruit and other delicacies. The hampers can be enjoyed in guest rooms or while meandering through the tranquil gardens.

Then the main event begins, with the couple's personalised wedding ceremony and catering set against the idyllic backdrop. As the afternoon reception flows into the evening, the on-site bar will stay open for drinking, dancing and celebrating beneath the stars with close family and friends.

Newlyweds can start off their first morning as a married couple with a delectable cooked breakfast on Sunday morning before a leisurely 12 Noon checkout. They'll bid Leonardslee goodbye for now but with a lifetime of precious memories made within the gardens' romantic confines.

Leonardslee's dedicated wedding coordinator will be there every step of the way to tend to every detail, allowing couples to simply relax, soak in the beauty around them, and cherish each joyful moment.

From Michelin Star cuisine to the warm hospitality and sheer beauty of the gardens, Leonardslee promises a wedding weekend like no other. Couples can make their fairy tale wedding dreams come true at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens by contacting the wedding team at weddings@leonardsleegardens.co.uk or visiting www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/weddings 

The three-day Leonardslee House wedding experience includes: 

• Exclusive use of Leonardslee House - and also of the gardens outside of opening hours (5pm – 9am)   
• Two-night stay at Leonardslee House in ten luxury ensuite bedrooms   
• Breakfast on both mornings: first morning breakfast baskets, second morning cooked  
• Dinner at Restaurant Interlude, the Michelin Star restaurant at Leonardslee House  
• Wedding: Wedding Breakfast, drinks package, evening catering  

Prices start at £39,250 for 50 guests 

Visit www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/weddings  

Ends

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.

The estate offers a great family day out and is one of the top places to visit in West Sussex. 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. There is also an exciting new 2,500 sq m play park designed to mix recreational play with the natural attractions of the Grade I Listed woodland gardens, and a spectacular winter festival annually when the gardens are illuminated, attracting many thousands of visitors.

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.

Leonardslee Family Vineyards in numbers 

·   Acquired 2017 

·   Total Estate 750 acres

·   38 Acres of vineyard, 73,000 vines  

·   2017 First vines planted 

·   170 Tonnes of grapes, 2023 harvest 

·   100,000 bottles annually produced 

·   Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier 

·   2024 First release of wine