Intimate Wedding Venue in The Cotswolds - A Three-day Destination Wedding from the USA
Written by Hannah Grayson (Bride, June 2026)
Hannah, one of our US brides who was married at Pauntley Court this June, has written about her wedding story and about bringing her closest family and friends over from the US for her destination wedding in The Cotswolds.
Discovering Pauntley Court
My fiancé, Jack and I always knew we wanted a small wedding - something that felt like a staycation with a wedding in the middle. As I started researching venues, Pauntley Court immediately stood out. The pink house, the intimate size, the English countryside setting. It truly felt perfect.
After a virtual tour with Melissa, my fiancé Jack and I flew over from the United States to visit on a warm, rainy day in September and I absolutely fell in love with Pauntley.
Starting with the exteriors: the gardens are stunning. They are so colorful, with so many different types of flowers that make for the most incredible photo backdrops. Inside, it's cozy and gorgeous in a way that's hard to capture in photos. Everything about that initial tour exceeded my expectations.
What also stood out was how many options Pauntley offers. From wedding day vendors to the variety of spaces for different events (night-before dinner, the ceremony, the wedding breakfast), there's a lot of flexibility to make your stay and your wedding weekend feel uniquely yours.
Getting There
In mid-May, our families flew out from Boston to London, where we spent a few days before heading to Gloucestershire. We took the train from London Paddington to Gloucester, then a taxi to Pauntley.
I ordered groceries, wine, and a few other things from Waitrose (a grocery delivery service) ahead of time so we'd have breakfasts, snacks, and drinks sorted for the stay.
The Stay
We were there Tuesday to Friday, which gave us time to really settle in and enjoy the place rather than just rushing through a wedding day. The bedrooms are all stunning and so spacious, and most have their own bathroom, which makes such a difference when you have a full house of guests.
Tuesday evening, we all arrived, explored the gardens, and had pizza from Taste the Good Life for dinner. It was the perfect night before the wedding. It was amazing having everyone together, wandering around the beautiful property.
During our time at Pauntley Rachel, the Housekeeper, made our stay that much more special. She was so helpful and made us feel right at home from the moment we arrived.
The Wedding
Wednesday morning, the day of the wedding, Rachel prepared breakfast and we all ate together in the kitchen. It was such a cozy, relaxing way to start the day. Then, the ladies then headed up to the Elinor Fettiplace bridal suite to get ready.
The wedding was absolutely stunning. We had our ceremony under the quince trees, which was everything I'd imagined. Cocktail hour started outside until it started to rain a bit and we moved inside to The Panelled Room. We'd originally planned to have the wedding breakfast under the hornbeams, but the wind had other ideas, so we moved into The Ballroom. After dinner, everyone ended up in The Flower Room playing pool and just hanging out, which felt like such a fitting end to the night.
Our Vendors
Our wonderful vendors made the week truly magical. I highly recommend them all!
- Night Before Dinner: Taste the Good Life
- Photography: Katrina Bartlam
- Wedding Breakfast: Queen & Whippet
- Florals: Far Hill Flowers
- Cake: Home Farm Kitchen
Final Thoughts
Pauntley Court was truly the perfect spot for our small wedding and I really cannot recommend it enough. If you're dreaming of a small, intimate wedding that feels like a proper weekend away with the people you love most, this is the place.
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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