Outdoor Weddings at Pauntley Court
Written by Melissa
If it’s an outdoor wedding ceremony you are after, then look no further! Our romantic and magical gardens at Pauntley Court are the perfect setting, with dreamy, film set panoramic views of the glorious Gloucestershire countryside.
There is a feeling of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ meets Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, when you tie the knot in our gorgeous gardens. The views through the hornbeams and the yew hedge windows, unveil a secret garden of ‘outdoor rooms’, which are simply magical. The pinkish tones of the beamed, Elizabethan wing of the main house, deliver a stunning backdrop to all your wedding photos.
We give you the option of three unique outdoor spaces which are fully licensed for an outdoor ceremony with the Gloucester Registrars Celebrate with us.
First, the intimate lawn between the quince trees, secondly, for the large wedding, the more open lawn with its majestic arch framing the view from the ha-ha, or finally under the glorious awning of the stretch tent, you are spoilt for choice!
If you choose to have a humanist ceremony, you are free to marry anywhere you desire in our gardens and grounds, perhaps falling in love with the private walled garden with its statue of Pan and espaliered fruit trees, or the tranquil lake side setting shared with our serene pair of white swans that are known to make an appearance at just the right moment.
For the smaller civil wedding, the heavenly quince tree lawn is so special with the intricate box hedging and quince trees framing this intimate outdoor area. In May you have the wonderful pinkish/white quince blossom or in September the quince trees are full of the golden pear-like fruit, which are also used to make our very own quince gin.
Your chosen florist can dress the natural hornbeam arch with a half-moon of beautiful flowers or an urn each side, both of which could then be re-purposed for your wedding breakfast.
For the larger wedding of up to 100 the open lawn is perfect. We will often suggest that you have a humanist celebrant. This releases you from any constraints and allows you to have your wedding ceremony wherever you would like it. Don’t worry if a passing rain cloud causes a small dilemma, as you can retreat to the wonderful stretch tent on the lawn next door until it passes!
The Pauntley team will be able to give you lots of great ideas on where you would like your ceremony to be at Pauntley and on the day they will be on hand to ensure that everything flows just as you had imagined it. Do take a look at the gallery below to see some of the beautiful outdoor ceremonies we had here last year.
Photographers
Alicia Victoria - Red Maple Photography
Celebrants
Florist
Outdoor wedding blog photos gallery
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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