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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We loved how unique Pauntley was compared to other venues. It really is like no other. It was the closest we felt we could get to a Tuscany-style wedding in the UK. Magical. So beautifully kept and somewhere you just don’t want to leave. We felt so lucky to have found somewhere that felt so different and special. It was a perfect size for our smaller wedding group – not too big with cosier spaces that made it easier to ensure everyone stayed together. The standard of accommodation was beautiful. It didn’t feel like a wedding venue but instead simply a beautiful place to stay. We would love to stay again!
The outside spaces at Pauntley Court were like no other. The unique spot for an aisle under the quince trees really sold it for us. We were praying our little hearts out that it wouldn’t rain so we could get married there.
The support from our wedding co-ordinator, Rebecca, was excellent. All my questions were answered and she was always on hand right up to and on the day. I felt at ease and it all went perfectly.
I can only praise how happy we were with everything and how grateful we were to be able to include Huxley on our day.