A petite Mid-Week Wedding For 30 This Summer
Written by Melissa
Emma and Mike's small wedding in June for 30 guests was the most atmospheric and personal wedding celebration!
The couple created a little piece of Italy in the middle of the Gloucestershire countryside. Pauntley Court is painted the most wonderful pinky, reddish colour which instantly reminds you of a Tuscan villa! Their photographer, Carrie Lavers, captured the celebrations perfectly and used the house and gardens as a sensational backdrop for some amazing shots that the couple will have to remember their big day forever. Read on to find out more about their perfect wedding, all planned in under 8 weeks.
The happy couple arrived with their close family and friends on Tuesday afternoon to check into their beautiful bedrooms before a relaxed first evening in the Flower Room.
Our bedrooms and bathrooms at Pauntley are individually designed and decorated, all full of character and charm. In every bedroom, we use gorgeous white company linens and the spoiling 100 acres toiletries so we hope to make guests feel at home yet surrounded by luxury at the same time.
The pre-wedding day dinner in the Flower Room is always a special part of a couple's time at Pauntley as it is a time to be together with your nearest and dearest to chat about the big day ahead. Why not ask about Rachel, our wonderful housekeeper, who can help set the tables and serve and clear so that all the family and friends can relax.
Emma and Mike had super helpful groomsmen who set up the rustic tables underneath the hornbeam arches and hung the festoon lighting and fairy lights. This created the most perfect outdoor wedding breakfast set up.
On the morning of her wedding, Emma was able to have extra special time with her mum, sipping tea while chatting and laughing and getting ready with her bridesmaids in the Elinor Fettiplace bridal suite. A very happy and memorable time, with lots of giggling and even some emotional tears as Emma opened a romantic letter from Mike. Surrounded by her best friends she could totally relax and enjoy getting ready.
Emma looked amazing in her beautiful Suzanne Neville dress. Quite sensational as she came down the main stairs to meet her father!
Holly, our wedding coordinator, ensured all the guests were seated out in the gardens between the sun-dappled quince trees, ready for the outdoor ceremony.
With not far to walk from the bridal suite to the outdoor ceremony space, amongst the magical quince trees, Emma certainly wowed Mike as she walked down the aisle with her father. She joined Mike under the arch of the hornbeams with the jaw-droppingly beautiful Gloucestershire views beyond.
After drinks (Aperol spritz, what else for an Italian twist!) in the exquisite gardens, the wedding breakfast underneath the hornbeam arches really could have been somewhere in Italy rather than an English country garden in Gloucestershire.
After 7 courses of an Italian inspired wedding breakfast, Emma and Mike had their first dance in the flower room with the glittering, sparkling lights and the glowing fire pit.
Pauntley Court offers so many special and romantic places to go off to with your photographer. Carrie Lavers really took advantage of every garden room from the sunken garden with its ornamental pond, the yew hedges with their secret and magical atmosphere to the rolling countryside which stretches all around the house and the gardens in every direction.
Photographer: Carrie Lavers - https://carrielaversphotography.co.uk
Dress: Suzanne Neville - https://www.suzanneneville.com
Caterers - https://www.intheframecatering.co.uk
Makeup: Amy Rose - https://www.amyrosebridalmakeup.com
Hair: Juta Zorubiene - https://www.facebook.com/jutazorubiene/
Flowers: Sarah Raven - https://www.sarahraven.com
< Previous blog Next blog >
Long story short - if you are making a wedding venue decision, look no further.
I waited 6 months before leaving a review to make sure im not just riding on high emotions after the wedding. But truthfully, all the high emotions are still there because this place was so perfect. We fell in love with Pauntley Court at first sight even though we visited during a gloomy rainy afternoon in December. Not even for a second at any point it felt like a commercial “venue”, it has a soul that you can feel as soon as you step on the grounds.
Our guests travelled from all over the world and Pauntley Court was so perfect to show them the English experience. Everyone was so impressed by the house, rooms and the beautiful gardens.
Melissa was so incredibly kind in every way since the moment we met her the first time. Absolutely nothing felt like too much to ask for neither during preparation nor on the day.
We had the wedding day exactly the way we wanted, absolutely everything could be done like we imagined - from choosing the ceremony space among multiple options to arranging dinner the night before. The most magical time however happened after the wedding when guests staying in the house gathered in the kitchen having tea and leftover cake, you can’t create a core memory like this in most of other wedding venues.
Another highlight was the amazing Rachel. At first I didn’t fully believe the reviews about how great she was, and I admittedly was quite skeptical if one person would be able to manage everything we wanted. And how wrong I was to ever doubt! Rachel ran the show so seamlessly and impeccable as if there was a team of 10. Our guests loved her as much as we did.
We can’t wait to go back to Pauntley for our anniversary. Thank you Melissa and all the team for making memories of a lifetime for us!