The Beacon Wedding Venue, Tunbridge Wells

Filming at The Beacon

The Beacon is a house from 1895 built as the country home of Sir Walter Harris, sitting above Rusthall just outside Tunbridge Wells with the Weald laid out in front of it. The view is the thing everybody mentions first and for once the venue is not overselling it. On a clear afternoon it runs for miles, which gives me a background no room can provide.

Ceremonies are licensed in the restaurant, which has some very good stained glass, and the bar next door is oak panelled. Both of those matter more than they sound. Coloured light through old glass does something to skin tones that looks expensive and costs nothing, and dark panelling gives me contrast to put faces against.

Numbers go up to a hundred and sixty across the main spaces, with the Grand Pavilion for the larger part of the day and the cellar bar for the part of the evening nobody plans. Smaller parties of up to thirty can dine in the private rooms, which is a genuinely nice option if you want a small wedding that still looks like an event.

Outside there are gardens, lakes and a tipi in the grounds, plus sun terraces that catch the late light. I work across the South East and the terraces here are among the best places I know to take a couple for ten minutes at golden hour. Ten minutes is all I ask for, and it is usually where the film finds its centre.

To get more information about The Beacon you can visit their website at the-beacon.co.uk.

Their address is The Beacon, Tea Garden Lane, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 9JH.