FAQs
In planning a wedding, we understand that there are always numerous questions, so here are the answers to those asked most frequently:
A Registrar can be booked as soon as you have chosen your venue. However, some dates in the summer are very popular so you should check for Registrar availability before confirming your venue booking. Please call Chichester Registry Office on 01243 642122 and ask for the Southern Ceremonies Team.
We ask that you choose one of the catering and marquee companies on our approved supplier list, specially selected by us for their high standards. They bring an in-depth knowledge of the venue and attention to detail that will help to make your day perfect.
You may start delivering equipment, your marquee and putting up decorations up to two days prior to your event, and you have two days afterwards to remove everything. Therefore for a wedding on a Saturday, set up is from Thursday onwards, and the venue needs to be cleared by close of play on Monday.
Yes, you may bring your own alcohol, but you will need to make arrangements with your caterer to serve it.
No, they do not charge corkage, and some are able to supply drinks in addition to food.
There is no overnight accommodation on site but plenty of local places to stay. On the night of the wedding up to 30 guests can camp in a designated area. Please contact Louise Hartley for further information louise@bignorpark.co.uk. The wedding music will finish at 23:30 (23:00 Monday to Thursday) and we ask all guests to be off site by midnight. You will need to book a local taxi in advance for collection at 23:45, and please note that Uber does not operate in our area. We have unlimited capacity for free parking, cars can be left overnight and collected by 11:00 the following morning. Campervans / motorhomes can also stay overnight in the parking area.
Yes, but you will need to make sure your bar company or caterer has a mobile licence for serving alcohol. If not, you will need to apply for a Temporary Event Notice in order to legally sell alcohol. This can be obtained from the Licensing Team at Chichester District Council Tel: 01243 534745.
We have one hundred wooden folding chairs that are included in the venue hire fee. You will need to hire tables and any other additional furniture such as outside seating – we can recommend suppliers.
There is a wood-burning stove in the Stove Room of the Stables, and heaters can be hired for all other rooms and for marquees.
Yes, children are very welcome to Bignor Park, provided they are supervised at all times. Parents need to be made aware of potential hazards for children at the venue such as ponds.
Yes, up to a total of two hundred and fifty including your day guests, but please note that the Stables has room for a maximum of two hundred.
Tealights and candles may be used, providing they are placed in glass holders and appropriate fire and safety precautions are observed.
Yes we do, but it must be biodegradable natural petals only, no confetti cannons.
Yes we are! Well behaved dogs are very welcome, and must be supervised at all times.
There are two loos in the Stables, so if you are considering having more than one hundred guests, you will require portable loos in addition.
There is a no smoking policy within all the buildings at Bignor Park.
Yes we do, but only from our approved professional firework display company Aurora Fireworks. They need to be low level noise, and are by prior agreement dependent on the location of livestock on the estate at the time of your event.
Bignor Park is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty surrounded by livestock, so we do not allow the release of sky lanterns. They can frighten the animals and there is a fire risk with woodland all around us.
Yes we do, and we will put them up before your event so your guests know where to park – there is unlimited capacity for parking.
There is no on-site accommodation at Bignor Park, but we have a detailed list of local accommodation that we can recommend for you and your guests in our Places to Stay section, ranging from award-winning hotels to friendly B&Bs.
Yes, you may leave cars overnight, and we ask that you return to collect them by 11.00 the following morning.
Yes, we have a designated area for camping for up to 30 people. The loos in the Stables are not locked so available for campers but there are no other camping facilities.
No one wants a great party to end, but we do have a structure in place to ensure that all our events come to a close on a timely basis.
Music
We ask that your music be turned off by 11.30pm (11.00pm Sunday to Thursday). This is common practice at most venues – it conforms to local council requirements on noise pollution and avoids disturbing our neighbours.
Last orders for drinks
Last drinks are to be served at 11.15pm.
Time to leave
All guests are expected to leave Bignor Park by midnight. This allows half an hour after the end of the music for your guests to finish drinks and meet their pre-ordered taxi.
Amazing setting, romantic grounds set against the backdrop of a grade II listed stately home and the South Downs, exclusive use (one wedding per weekend), free access two days before and afterwards for setting up/taking down, no corkage charges, list of top flight caterers to choose from with varied budgets, dedicated wedding coordinator at your disposal (with fifteen years experience running weddings here), top ratings and reviews on Google and Bridebook, family-run venue, award-winning green ethos with conservation at the heart of our estate, carbon positive venue.
Location, location. We are situated in West Sussex at the foot of the South Downs, with spectacular, panoramic views from Barlavington Down to Chanctonbury Ring. We are in between the lovely, historic market towns of Petworth and Arundel. Chichester and the South Coast are only twenty minutes drive away. And close to us are the classic Sussex hamlets and villages of Bignor, Sutton, Bury and West Burton, the Roman Villa and picturesque downland churches. Not forgetting Fittleworth, with its national award-winning village shop and café.
For your dining reception, the Stables offer a number of options. The two main function rooms, the Coach Store and the Stove Room will seat around 100 dining guests. There are also two further rooms, the Tack Room and the Stalls so there is plenty of flexibility, and the rooms are arranged around a large cobbled Courtyard.
Yes, we only host one wedding per weekend on select dates from spring to autumn. And with two days before and afterwards for set-up and take down, your wedding really will be something special and unique to you, promising unforgettable memories.
Outdoor ceremonies generally take place at the beautiful Greek loggia with its own walled garden. There is a wide choice of entertainment spots, most popular is the South Lawn for pre-wedding breakfast drinks. There is also the temple, the Zen pond and the croquet lawn, not forgetting the formal gardens with their beautiful herbaceous borders and clipped box hedges, and the Victorian glasshouse.
Because you have the flexibility to decide how you wish to use the wide variety of spaces available, and two days before to set up, it really can be your very own wedding. No two weddings at Bignor Park are ever the same! You can involve your friends and family in the preparation as much as you like. So it is not just about the wedding day, it can also be about the lead-up, capturing the excitement, asking your best friend to decorate one of the swings in the garden with garlands, or a favourite aunt to create name cards for the tables. And with another two days available to collect your possessions and reassemble afterwards, you will have plenty of time to reminisce on your happy memories of the big day with everyone involved.