A Small Wedding for 15 people
Written by Melissa
Pauntley Court is a warm and welcoming family home, set in stunning formal gardens and surrounded by the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside. The house oozes character, atmosphere and a cosy intimacy, perfect for a micro wedding. You will have exclusive hire of the main house, wing and The Dovecote accommodating you and your loved ones in 10 individually designed bedrooms. You can enjoy 2 nights and 3 days with your close family and friends, extending your celebrations, allowing time to create special and unforgettable memories.
You can choose from a small church ceremony in the normal church next door or a civil ceremony in the elegant Ballroom or charming Panelled Room. There are numerous spaces for your intimate wedding reception such as one of the many 'garden rooms' or under our fabulous Tentickle stretch tent.
We have been delighted to see so many couples adapt and overcome the challenges of covid-19, going ahead with wonderful, unique and intimate weddings for 15 people, demonstrating that true love can and will conquer all.
We would like to walk you through the wonder and beauty of our most recent wedding of 15 (or as we like to call it - a Covid ‘Clever’ Wedding).
The lead up to Grant and Carole's wedding
Grant and Carole checked into the Bridal Suite, Elinor Fettiplace, on the Thursday before their wedding weekend. They enjoyed a cosy evening in front of the glowing wood burner, finalising the exciting few days that lay ahead, before their close family and friend's arrival the following morning.
Leading up to the big day...
Meeting Melissa in the ballroom on Friday morning, Grant and Carole were able to go through the final details for their wedding breakfast before everyone was about to arrive at midday.
Grant and Carole had already specifically chosen the bedrooms for their guests and so were able to place personalised gift bags in each bedroom before their arrival.
Melissa's mother even came up to play her cello so Grant and Carole could be sure the professional cellist could be heard from outside the ballroom during their ceremony the next day!
The Morning of the Wedding
The excitement was building for the day as Carole and her mother began to get ready after fresh coffee and a cooked breakfast by our amazing housekeeper, Rachel.
The sun was shining as Carole came out and met her father in the courtyard.
Following the guidelines, the family and friends were perfectly spaced in our elegant Ballroom eagerly awaiting Carole's arrival.
The intimate ceremony felt warm and personal in our beautiful Ballroom. The two gorgeous urns by @louisejamesflorist perfectly framed the open doors with views onto the Gloucestershire countryside.
After the ceremony, the guests wandered out into the exquisite formal gardens to have drinks and canapés under the Tentickle stretch tent. The photographer, David Liebst, was able to perfectly capture the happy couple in both the beautiful spaces inside the house and of course in the magical formal gardens.
All afternoon the couple and their family and friends spent time chatting, laughing and enjoying the intimacy and gorgeous scenery, before returning to the ballroom for their wedding breakfast.
Testimonial
"Melissa and her team went above and beyond to ensure everything went smoothly under these unusual circumstances"
"Together with the surrounding countryside, they make the perfect setting for a wedding and have resulted in some wonderful wedding photos!"
"All that is left to say is that you would be hard-pressed to find a better venue for a small, intimate wedding and reception"
If you would like to find out more about a small wedding at Pauntley Court, please click here to contact Melissa.
Photographs by David Liebst https://www.davidliebstphotography.com/
Flowers by Louise James Florist www.louisejamesflorist.co.uk
Hair and MUA by Clare Bryce www.purepampering.co.uk/
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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!