An Intimate Autumn Wedding
Written by Melissa Hargreaves
Cosy and cuddly winter months lie ahead of us! I wanted to share Owen and Sarah Jane’s beautiful and inspiring October intimate wedding for thirty-four guests. Their fantastic photographer, Sophie Louise Photography, captured all the very special moments of their romantic, elegant and unique day, perfectly.
As a mid-week wedding, our couple and their families arrived on the Tuesday afternoon to settle in and enjoy the wonderful house and our stunning gardens, before their big day. Many beautiful flowers tumbled out of their car, followed by a spectacular handmade wedding cake to be reckoned with! Both the flower arrangements and the cake were artfully created by Sarah Jane’s family, giving those elements a very joyful and personal touch.
Sarah Jane chose the quirky 15th Century Dovecote, as her bridal, calm retreat to prepare herself for the Wednesday morning of her wedding. Surrounded by her close friends, her wedding build-up was an incredibly relaxed and intimate part of her special day. The bridal suite bedroom on the top floor of the Dovecote, has a truly ‘Rapunzel-like’ fairy-tale atmosphere, with its far reaching, panoramic views over the glorious Gloucestershire countryside.
Meanwhile Owen and his ushers, togged up to the nines and dashingly handsome, gathered in the Main House, super excited for the day’s events to unfold. A happy band of men!
Rebecca, our amazing Wedding Co-ordinator, worked her magic in perfectly setting up the Civil Ceremony in the sun-filled ballroom. Everything went like clockwork and with military precision! Owen met with the registrars, while Sarah Jane serenely glided over to join her father for some memory-making photographs on the balustraded main stairway with frescoed high ceiling.
After a very happy confetti throw in the Main House courtyard, guests wandered out to the gardens and mingled amongst the Autumnal golden colours of the quince orchard while the soft melodic sounds of the talented harpist, Hannah drifted through the garden rooms. The joyous atmosphere pervaded throughout the gardens, with the happy hum of chat and laughter under the stretch tent for drinks and nibbles. Windows of activity between the hornbeam arches, captured the croquet mallets aloft, all watched over by the old walnut tree! A very magical and enchanting scene.
Warm, rich terracottas, and earthy tones, designed by the bride and groom, set the cornicing and the pillars off in the ballroom beautifully, making their wedding breakfast, one of kind. The long banqueting tables were laid by our very special caterer Charlotte Gardner and her team and the dynamic Watering Hole Event Bars provided elegant cut glassware to serve the drinks in. We absolutely loved the burnt oranges, neutrals of the urns and the dried flowers and dusky terracotta candles - it really created a very bespoke and exotic feel to this space.
Jake, our extraordinarily brilliant barman from the Watering Hole Event Bars, looked after Owen and Sarah Jane and their guests all day until midnight. The funky bar in the panelled room was a glamorous affair and there were delightfully divine cocktails all laid out in formation on the Flower Room tables outside.
In front of the courtyard gates, The Fire Pit was a glowing hub of happiness, where guests could enjoy a cocktail, before going back inside to gather around the roaring fireplace in the panelled room and bar.
The DJ, Ian Possee, illuminated The Ballroom, transforming it from a sophisticated dining room into a groovy dance floor and party room! After the first dance, the party really got going with family and friends dancing the night away….
What a day to remember! A romantic and beautiful October wedding day, like no other.
(Thank you to Sophie Louise for use of the fantastic photos.)
The amazing team of suppliers chosen by Owen and Sarah Jane, were;
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I cannot praise Melissa, her team and Pauntley Court (PC) enough.
We were looking for venues for a whole year before we came across Pauntley Court and my gosh it was so unique.
From the very first video call with Melissa, PC just stood out. For one it is the most unique and magical place we've visited but also how wonderful Melissa was. On the initial call we were so taken with how bubbly Melissa was but also how nothing seemed too much trouble. This definitely continued throughout the entire wedding planning and on the weekend itself. Melissa would make herself available for any question we had (measuring the stretch tent, finding us an outdoor tap) - nothing seemed to phase her and she was open to anything - exactly what we were looking for in a wedding venue.
Now onto PC itself - I don't really think words can do it justice. The venue is simply stunning, every corner you turn there is something else to grab at your heart and pull you to the venue.
We also adored how you had use of the venue from 12pm on the Friday until 4pm on the Sunday. It meant we could have a rehearsal on the Friday, steam all the clothing, unpack and join our wedding party for drinks and a BBQ in the lavender garden on the Friday night. While Sunday enabled us to have a leisurely start while also reliving all the memories from the last night over breakfast with our friends.
Particular loves go to:
- the grounds - mentioned in reviews time and time again but they are just gorgeous
- the ability to have your legal ceremony in multiple locations and for a non-legal wedding you have access to the whole site
- Rebecca - the best co-ordinator ever - having access to Rebecca for the day (and calls leading up to the day) really helped with the last minute panics / helped the day run smoothly
- Rachel - the most wonderful housekeeper - keeping the food flowing on the Friday and for breakfasts. She ran a very tight ship and it enabled us to just relax knowing everything was handled.
- the beautiful ballroom - this was such a fantastic place to get ready with my bridesmaids but also hold an unforgettable ceilidh
- the cupid club - a new addition but great to keep the party going
- the lake house - makes a wonderful first look location or photo setting and with the water is such a calming space
I could honestly keep singing PC's praises and hope I can visit again in some form!
Image by Red Maple Photography