Updown Farmhouse

Updown is a truly magical place to get married, and with their brilliant and dedicated team on hand throughout, the process could not be simpler. Updown has been created to ensure every guest feels like they are experiencing a home away from home, creating the ultimate relaxing backdrop from the minute you arrive.

Arrive the day before and make the most of the outdoor heated pool set on the edge of our ancient woodland. It’s the perfect mix of bougie and wild: open-air, surrounded by trees, open year-round. Before you check in, you can hand over your items to the team and head to your ceremony space for a run-through. After the hard work, head to Bar Vita, their ode to Rome’s glamorous watering holes, for a chilled martini and bar snacks.

There is a range of options on offer to make your day personal to you. Exclusive hire gives you access to the whole site, including the Restaurant, Pool, Bar Vita, Private Dining Room, Farmhouse and all bedrooms and cottages. To accommodate a smaller number, you can take one or two of these spaces instead.

At Updown, you can choose a setting for your ceremony that feels most meaningful to you, along with the person who will conduct it. From the most experienced celebrant to your friend or family member who can narrate your life story. They can host an unofficial ceremony on the main lawn overlooking the house. Or for something more intimate, the conservatory gardens offer a romantic, sheltered space filled with natural light and greenery. For couples drawn to the outdoors, ceremonies can take place within the beautiful ancient woodlands.

This is the perfect time for you and your guests to relax in the outdoor setting adorned with flowers and wisteria, creating a whimsical ambience. You can again choose from a range of calm, leafy settings for this to take place. Wherever you choose, the team will be on hand to ensure you and your guests are supplied with sparkling wine and canapés to fuel you until heading over to the meal.

Should the English weather not be on your side, do not worry! They can accommodate your reception in the lovingly renovated Farmhouse, with options in the Library or the Drawing Room, which are colourful, warm and full of light.

The Farmhouse has ample space to relax; there are four rooms in the house, two with king-size beds and two with super-king beds. All have period windows looking out onto every corner of the converted farm. Fig Tree Cottage and Beech Cottage are set in the grounds, away from the main house. Beech is the perfect space for families, while Fig Tree Cottage is a luxurious cottage, perfect for the happy couple to stay and with plenty of space for getting ready in the morning!

The Stables are a beautifully converted run of compact rooms which all open straight out onto the gardens. All of the stable rooms have airy high ceilings, exposed plaster, original beams and a collection of art unique to each room.

To kick off proceedings, you and your guests will be welcomed with a glass of fizz and a selection of seasonal canapés. Following the reception, guests will enjoy an Italian feast, accompanied by carefully selected wines from our list. The starters are designed to be enjoyed family style, followed by a plated main course and dessert. As the evening unfolds, your guests are welcome to enjoy a cocktail hour before a relaxed, generous buffet is served under the pergola. At Updown, the menus are rooted in seasonality, simplicity and flavour, generous, refined but unfussy, designed for people to share and celebrate.

Updown Farmhouse is a restored 17th-century farmhouse. Updown focuses on the best seasonal produce from extremely local suppliers, and its specially curated menus highlight what’s best available during that season. Updown is very proud of the ‘Kitchen Garden’, which is tended to by the lovely gardeners. The chef’s focus on traditional cooking methods, using wood fuel which encourages simpler, less energy‑intensive cooking styles.

Located in Betteshanger, between Deal and Sandwich, in a beautiful, secluded, rural location, but very close to the coast. The seaside town of Deal is a very short car ride away, most loved for its pebble beaches, long promenade and quaint, independent restaurants and shops. They are surrounded by the gentle, rolling Kentish landscape, perfect for a quiet walk or cycle. In the midst of the wedding planning, there is plenty of tranquillity to be found!

Updown is easily accessible from London St Pancras station to the following stops:

• Dover (just over an hour by train) – 15 minutes from the station to Updown
• Sandwich (around an hour and a half) – 10 minutes
• Deal (around an hour and a half) – 15 minutes
• Thanet Parkway (just over an hour) – 20 minutes

Coming by car is easily accessible from the A2 or M2 direction towards Dover. Close to the major Kent routes, you can travel here with ease.