Sky and beach
as far as
your eyes can see
Happiness is a place
Weddings at The Gallivant are as individual as you are.
Every one hand curated to ensure you have the wedding of your dreams.
There's a glorious sandy beach on our doorstep and beautifully considered spaces inside and out to celebrate in.
We are proud to be members of Mr & Mrs Smith and Small Luxury Hotels of the World. They represent 500 of the best independent luxury hotels across 90 countries.
Your private beach house
Beautifully considered spaces for eating, drinking, dancing, sleeping and relaxing, set behind sand dunes fringed with sea grass and buckthorn that over look an extraordinary sandy beach.
Curated menus, individually designed with you, locally sourced and sustainable. Plates filled with joy and happiness.
On property wellness and beauty gurus for pampering and recovery, a Bamford mini spa and calming yoga studio.
One of the top ten independent luxury hotels in the UK, as voted by The Times, Telegraph, Conde Nast and countless others.
Trust us, it's all about our people
Conor Sheehan
Hotel Manager
Before joining us Conor worked for 15 years at Soho House in a number of senior operational / management roles, Ace Hotels and Tillingham Wine Estate. His super power is creating exceptional customer experiences overseeing our team of 40.
Nico Fitzgerald
Head Chef
Nico smiles a lot and that sense of happiness is in is food, a celebration of exceptional local produce. The bespoke menus his team of 10 will cook for you will be memorable and a highlight of your time with us (he's a BBC Masterchef finalist).
Lindsay Austin
Guest Happiness Manager
Lindsay's boundless energy and positivity helps make everyone feel uplifted and happy. This helps everything run smoothly without you having to worry. She oversees a team of 8 who are focused at creating happy guests.
How we manage our impact
We are committed to reducing our impact on the world, improving our sustainable working practices and creating a working environment that we can all be proud to be associated with and recognised for.
Harry Cragoe, our owner, started this mission in earnest from 2016. It's a genuine philosophy and not a box ticking exercise.
As a hotel in a small village we recognize that our workforce diversity may be limited due to the demographics of the local area but we are proud to have acheived a 65% female team vs 54% in the rest of the UK.
You can see our Sept 2023 Sustainability credentials here
(We are always improving these - the next update will be published April 2024)
So why The Gallivant?
Your beach house, exclusively
All our weddings are exclusive use with everyone in our team focused on delivering the event of your dreams. It means you have the ultimate flexibility to curate your wedding the way you want it.
Sand between your toes
Our beach is our best kept secret. Hidden behind a line of sand dunes, its appeared in countless movies, music videos and photoshoots. It's also perfect for shoeless drink receptions, oyster shucking stations, beach games, wild swimming and of course the ultimate wedding shot.
Your menu not ours
Tell our Head Chef Nico your favourite ingredients and he'll devise a menu just for you. Once this is agreed, you'll be invited to spend the afternoon here so he can cook it for you and you can taste it alongside a selection of wines.
Beauty that's not just skin deep
Everyone of our indoor and outdoor spaces is infinitely considered. The result is an effortless beauty that is deeply pleasing and in tune with our relaxing location. It sets the tone and helps create a truly happy environment.
Wellness is in our DNA
So it's not surprising that some of our team are expert wellness gurus delivering leading yoga, breathing and wellness classes. We are also one of only four Bamford spa partners in the UK with Bamford trained therapists always on hand.
The happiest team in hospitality
Because happy teams create the happiest experiences. And unlike many other places you may be looking at, we don't bring in hired hands to help, our team are all part of The Gallivant family, many of whom have been with us for years.
Considered inside and out
The Gallivant feels like a beautiful private house with considered spaces everywhere you look that make the perfect setting for your intimate celebration.
We have licensed spaces both inside and out for Civil Ceremonies, and can seat eighty comfortably in the Summer House for your Wedding Breakfast or outside in either the eco-coastal garden or terrace.
The beach of your dreams
The Gallivant is one of the most perfect settings in the UK for your wedding with an extraordinary sandy beach on our doorstep.
It can be the setting for many things - a truly memorable drinks party, the location for the ultimate wedding photograph or the most chilled out recovery yoga class the day after.
Beautiful bedrooms
Individually designed, all our bedrooms have an effortless coastal luxury vibe, many opening directly onto our eco coastal garden.
With an exclusive mini Bamford spa, on property wellness gurus and a five mile sandy beach over the dunes, your guests will leave feeling they've been to a wedding in far-off exotic location and not somewhere only a couple of hours drive away from London.
Exquisite food
Nico and his team prepare and cook food with genuine love and respect for the ingredients they are so lucky to be able to source. Using fresh ingredients from the surrounding land and sea, we believe mother nature is the true artist.
Food so good that your guests will be talking about it for months to come, the reason so many return to The Gallivant as guests.
A location that works
Located 30 minutes from Ashford we are quick and easy to get to from central London. The high-speed train from St Pancras to Ashford takes 40 minutes and by motorway it’s just over an hour.
From further afield, Gatwick is 85 minutes and Heathrow 120 minutes.
Lydd airport, 15 minutes away, has a 1,500 metre runway with ILS, RNAV and NDB instrument approaches. It can handle aircraft up to Boeing 737 / Airbus A320.
Planned to perfection
We only host a select few weddings every year, each one meticulously planned and handled with the same passion and professionalism that ensures the perfect occasion.
In the planning stage you will meet all the important members of our team. This makes everything more personal and ensures you have confidence that we've thought of everything.
You'll have access to The Gallivant Little Book of Wedding Suppliers, our 'Black Book' of some of the very best suppliers in the industry who can really make all the difference to creating the wedding of your dreams.
Daisy, our very experienced Weddings Manager, will help curate your wedding, planning every last detail with you and then ensuring the exact delivery of this by our team on the day.
An important part of the planning is 'An Afternoon with Nico', where you can discuss with our Head Chef Nico your bespoke Wedding Breakfast menu before tasting every dish. It really is your Wedding Breakfast menu, not ours.
Alongside this tasting, you will sample up to ten wines so you can pick the perfect accompaniment to your menu. We champion English wine and have one of the largest English wine lists in the UK.
Exclusive One Night
ON THE DAY
- Exclusive use of the entire property, inside and out.
- Accommodation for you in one of our beautiful Luxury Garden rooms.
- Bedrooms for your guests.
- Drinks reception with canapés, either inside or in the eco coastal garden.
- Wedding Ceremony, either inside or out.
- Bespoke, individually designed three course Wedding Breakfast.
- Luxury tableware.
- Half a bottle of wine per guest.
- A glass of English champagne for the toast.
- Wellness / yoga class on the beach or in our studio the morning after.
- House Breakfast.
INTIMATE PLANNING BEFORE THE BIG DAY
- An afternoon with our Head Chef Nico fine tuning your Wedding Breakfast menu and tasting a wide selection of wines.
From £12,000 including bedrooms
Exclusive Two Night
DAY ONE
- Everything that's included in our Exclusive One Night package.
DAY TWO
- Morning wellness / yoga class on the beach or in our studio.
- Late morning House Breakfast.
- Late afternoon lazy lunch, either inside or out, featuring pre-sit down cocktails followed by an extraordinary BBQ or lunch inside.
- Afternoon to share with your friends; beach games, English wine estate tours, wild swimming, beach drinks, spa and yoga (all charged accordingly).
- Accommodation for you in one of our beautiful Luxury Garden rooms.
DAY THREE
- Morning wellness / yoga class on the beach or in our studio.
- House Breakfast and departures.
From £19,000 not including bedrooms | £30,00 including bedrooms
In the press and awards
Best Beaches Near London | CONDE NAST TRAVELLER - June 2023
The Best Seaside and Beach Hotels | TELEGRAPH - April 2023
13 Best Wedding Venues in East Sussex | FOR BETTER OR WORSE – March 2023
Boutique Hotels for Food Lovers | OLIVE MAGAZINE – February 2023
Top 50 Boutique Hotels | November 2022
Make an enquiry
Click below to email Daisy or Sarah or call 01797 331 581.