Your Sussex Wedding - Jun/Jul 2019 (Issue 79)

REGIONAL VENUES 27 which could be used for speeches should anyone in your wedding party have a penchant for the dramatic. Alternatively, you can just imagine a string quartet serenading guests during their wedding breakfast. This opulent space can seat 180 for your first meal together as newlyweds or 245 for larger ceremonies. Running parallel to The Ballroom is The Supper Room, now home to evening receptions, with its own bar at one end, where you and your loved ones can dance the night away. HISTORY OF ART After making my way back in the direction of The Front Hall via the Red Hall, where a portrait of the current Duke of Richmond hangs, I was thrilled to be treated to a tour of the original part of the house. You too have the option for this part of the property to be opened up for private tours on your wedding day. It’s here, in the Long Hall, that I felt privileged to stand in front of not one but two incredibly intricate works by renowned Italian painter Canaletto. Leading off of the hall, you’ll find The Tapestry Drawing Room. The tranquillity of this space makes it ideal for you both to escape for some alone time and enjoy the beautiful sunset views. It’s also worth inviting your photographer to tag along, as the Goodwood tapestries, designed to look like paintings, offer an exquisite backdrop for photos. WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN It was then back into the main house and the Regency period State Apartments, where it was possible to take further refuge in the wonderfully peaceful Music Room, perfect for catching up with nearest and dearest on the big day. Last and most definitely not least on my tour was The Egyptian Dining Room – once seen, never forgotten! Available for more intimate W-days, the space was born of the 19 th -century fascination with ancient Egypt, boasting gilded cartouches, sphinxes and crocodiles. FEET UP Making the short trip to Goodwood Hotel, which, just a stone’s throw away, is ideal accommodation for your guests, I was ready for some R&R. I spent the night in a delightful Garden Room, complete with its own terrace. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed putting my make-up on al fresco on the warm spring morning that followed! The hotel has its own well-equipped health club with pool, hot tub, sauna, steam room and gym, which naturally I had to put to the test! As a word to the wise, it’s also worth getting booked into the Waterbeach Spa while you’re there. With every kind of treatment on offer, using luxurious products, it’ll help you relax and unwind before or after the big day. I paid a visit to The Goodwood Bar & Grill, where I enjoyed the seared rump steak (reared on Goodwood’s 300-year-old home farm), with shallot jam, watercress and hand-cut chips, accompanied by a glass or two of pinot grigio. The full tum, delicious wine and exceedingly comfortable bed all led to a great night’s sleep, dreaming of being a Duchess – even just for one day! For further information check out goodwood.com Goodwood House, Goodwood, West Sussex PO18 0PX | 01243 520 102 | weddings@goodwood.com EXPERIENCE GOODWOOD Covering 12,000 acres, Goodwood is a vast estate, so while you’re there… ❤ Fulfil a need for speed at the Motor Circuit ❤ Have a flutter at the racecourse ❤ Enjoy a round of golf ❤ Learn to fly or take a helicopter sightseeing flight from the aerodrome ❤ Spend your wedding night at the luxurious Hound Lodge ❤ Dine on the delicacies produced on Home Farm at Farmer, Butcher, Chef ❤ Relax at the Waterbeach Spa and Health Club