Pelham House - A Luxury 1920's Style City Venue in East Sussex
I recently had the immense pleasure of creating a cute, quirky and off the cuff photoshoot at the absolutely mesmerising Pelham House in Lewes, East Sussex. This city wedding venue, mysteriously tucked away behind Lewes highstreet is a tardis of uncomparable measure.
Back Story - I was looking for a wedding venue with charm and character and a boujee boutique feel to use as the backdrop from one of our brand new wedding dresses. It is a one of a kind dress, so therefore had no professional photographs of it, from Luce Sposa and is the only one of it’s kind in the UK. A blush pink wedding dress with ruffles and an insanely stunning plunge neckline.
Whilst searching for wedding venues online, I saw a photograph of the bridal prep room at Pelham House and I knew that it was perfect! The purple velvet sofas, the beams, the makeup area. It was just what I had wanted to create a ‘backstage’ feeling. The vibe I wanted was a mix of ‘fashion’ and ‘bridal prep’, almost as if you’re watching ‘backstage’ at a wedding as the bride gets ready but with a fashion-show feel!
I kept the team small and enlisted the help of just a few key suppliers to create my vision. I managed to bag one of my favourite photographers, Fernanda King, who captured the essence of what I was trying to create both in the bridal prep room and in the main venue at the stunning Pelham House. I then asked my gorgeous friend Gavin Harvie, a high end hair stylist based in Brighton, to be on hair and his industry partner Nadia Harper MUA to be on makeup. A dried flower bouquet from my lovely friend Hedgerose and Honeysuckle and we were ready to shoot!
I spent a little time trying to find the right model for this shoot and I am so thankful that I stumbled across Margarita Llevano online. A stunning high-fashion latina model originally from Colombia, Margarita was the perfect model to take this shoot on and was an absolute superstar from start until finish! After her bridal hair and make-up was finished, Fernanda photographed a few ‘behind the scenes’ style images which were exactly what I was hoping for. That ‘backstage at a fashion show’ feel!
We then moved over to the main house and let me tell you, I was NOT expecting it to be so incredible and so VAST! Every room is enchanting and it really feels as if you have stepped back in time. Pelham House has only become a wedding venue in recent years and it’s ALL that they do. A speciality venue, truly one of a kind, the original building dates back to the 16th century and has been cleverly restored with a 1920’s feel without losing the charm of the original Georgian house. If you are looking for a wedding venue to surprise and enchant your guests, then Pelham House HAS to be on your list!
We made full use of what Pelham House had to offer (although we could have easily outstayed our welcome as there is just so much to see!) The gorgeous ceremony room, the staircase, the super chic and modern bar area and the wood panelled room which boasts the most incredible carvings dating back to the 1500’s. We had an outfit change half way through and Margarita changed into a stunning pearl decorated halterneck wedding dress by Anny Lin - another favourite of ours in the boutique and the only one in the UK!
There isn’t much more that I can say, so I’m going to let the photograhs by Fernanda do the rest of the talking and I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our dresses and the magnificent Pelham House!
Hannah x
