Our wedding coordinator Holly’s helpful advice on choosing your wedding venue
Written by Holly
It goes without saying, choosing your wedding venue is one of the most important parts of the wedding planning process, if not one of the most difficult. This time-consuming task can also be quite a daunting decision – after all, it’s going to be the setting for your love story, so you want to make sure it’s the right choice. Once you’ve chosen the perfect venue for your special day and you’ve booked a date, the rest of the planning process can really get started. To help you along the way, we’re offering a few expert tips on what you should consider when beginning the search for your venue.
The wedding venue search should ideally be at the top of your wedding to-do list, so we’d recommend getting started on the hunt fairly on in the planning journey. Venues can often get booked up months and even years in advance, so avoid disappointment by getting ahead of the game. Here at Pauntley Court, we have a handful of available dates for weddings in 2021/22 so do get in touch if you’d like to book in a viewing or virtual tour. When choosing the date for your wedding, consider the season in which you’d like to say, ‘I Do’. Spring and summer are generally the busiest times of year, while autumn and winter are still equally as beautiful.
When you’re visiting venues, step back and really think about what you want from the setting. Do you want a venue that’s rich with history, perhaps you’d like it to have the warmth of a family home, or maybe you want something that you can really make your own for the weekend? Pauntley Court has something to suit everyone – from its sweeping countryside views to its antique-esque décor and details. You’ll find plenty more of where that came from over on our gallery – have a nosey here!
Many couples seek the option to hire their wedding venue on an exclusive basis and this is something we are proud to offer here at Pauntley Court. It means you can enjoy a three-day weekend celebrating with your favourite people, without worry of interruption or rushing. Our country house wedding venue in the Cotswolds becomes a home from home, for you to enjoy as you wish!
Quick Tips
- Start the venue search with a vague idea of guest count. This allows you to explore ceremony, breakfast and reception options with ease and more accuracy.
- Consider whether or not you require accommodation, particularly if guests are travelling overseas or from afar. Here at Pauntley Court, we have a number of exquisitely furnished rooms for your friends and family to relax and unwind in.
- Location is key when choosing your wedding venue. Our rural estate has easy and quick access from the M50, is 2.5 hours from London, one hour away from Birmingham and Bristol, and just 30 minutes from Cheltenham.
- Think about the layout of your venue, moving from the ceremony to canapés, the breakfast to dancing. Does it flow easily? This will all help the overall vibe of your wedding day.
- Ensure your potential wedding venue has plenty of backdrops for your wedding photographs – you’ll find them in abundance here at Pauntley Court!
Aside from all of our previous tips and advice, we would always say follow your heart and if you walk into a wedding venue and it instantly feels like you, it’s probably ‘the one’. Savour the moment and take your time to soak up the surroundings and see if you can imagine tying the knot here. If you’d like to find out more about Pauntley Court or you are interested in booking in a viewing, swing by our contact page and say hello! We are already so excited to hear from you.
Images by Gyan Gurung Photography, Red Maple Photography, Capturing Life Photography & Hayley Morris Photography
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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!