Pauntley Court’s OPEN HOUSE & WEDDING FAYRE
A warm welcome awaits you at our exciting Open House & Wedding Fayre this March. With spring in the air, come along and soak up the romantic atmosphere and uncover the magic that this unique country house exudes from every brick and tile, to help make your wedding celebration unforgettable!
Our family home just so happens to be the birthplace of Dick Whittington as well! This charming, characterful Gloucestershire house boasts spectacular vistas, magical gardens, and boutique accommodation, all wrapped up in an enchanting rural setting that will instantly capture your heart.
Whether you are considering a large affair of up to 100 people in a marquee, or a more intimate gathering using the Main House for your evening reception, then why not come along to have a tour of the estate? See for yourself the wonderful bedrooms (all ten sleeping up to 24!) and come and meet some of our amazing suppliers, and Wedding Coordinators; Holly, Rebecca, and Jilly, who will all be able to set your imagination racing and give you a boost of inspiration for your plans and creative ideas for your special day.
If you are considering a large wedding of up to 100 guests, then this is your opportunity to see a stunning marquee from The Country Marquee Company, who will have their traditional three-pole marquee, on our marquee lawn in front of the sunken gardens. Walk inside through the witch’s hat marquee entrance and be ready to start your Pauntley Court Wedding Fayre experience! You will be greeted by one of the smiley Pauntley Court Team who will register you and get you underway. Don’t forget to claim your free EXTRA ticket entry to the prize draw for more of a chance to win a 2-night stay in the romantic Elinor Fettiplace wing of the Main House, overlooking the quince orchard!
You will be able to wander around the marquee at your leisure, and perhaps sample a quince cocktail (using quinces from our own gardens), created by the The Watering Hole Event Bars, whilst starting to get a true sense of how to create the perfect wedding day. With the wonderful floral creations of Christiane and Beth of The Honeysuckle Flower Co. and various tables styled by Beth of Alba Tableware, you will be able to get a proper picture of how your special day could look and feel.
Our fantastic wedding coordinators will be chatting to all couples who have already booked their weddings at Pauntley Court, while Melissa will be taking private tours of the bedrooms in the house and Dovecote.
Other suppliers in the marquee include Matt Bee of The Cotswold Wedding Guitarist , creative wedding cake maker Beth of, Cake Box, canapes to sample from Charlotte Gardner Catering and be ready to be surprised with a touch of magic from the amazing entertainer and magician, Darren Campbell
David Leibst Photography will also be here, and you can ask him about where you will be for the all-important sunset shot, or best time of day for that romantic lakeside photograph!
Melissa will come to the marquee to meet you and take you on a tour of the beautiful bedrooms in the house and tell you all about the history and a few interesting historic facts about Pauntley. Afterwards, perhaps talk to Charlotte Holder (hair stylist) and make up artist, Emily Tarrant in the ballroom. Lauradana of Wedding Creations will have styled a wedding breakfast table for an intimate wedding and in Ballroom too, Bec of Home Farm Kitchen will have a mouth-watering and beautiful wedding cake on the grand piano and perhaps something delicious to taste!
Next, why not go into the main house kitchen and chat to Rachel, our amazing housekeeper, grab a cup of coffee and find out how she can help make your weekend stay even more of a treat for all your family and friends who are staying with you over the three days! She can tell you about how she can help support you with pre-wedding cooking on the Friday night, making a cooked breakfast for 24 on Saturday and Sunday morning, tidy-up duties of the kitchen, and if necessary, baby-sitting.
Take your coffee into our ‘Pink Room’ and watch our slide show to see photos of the venue from some of our past weddings. Meet with Emily Collett, another fantastic wedding photographer. Then perhaps head off to the bar in the ‘Panelled room’ and chat honeymoons and special holidays with Phil Birley of World Odyssey.
Outside in the main drive, Dom of Taste the Good Life, will be making some fresh pizzas to sample and Matt Fox with his original photo booth - The Flash Fox - will be in our Flower Room.
The Tentickle Stretch Tent will be buzzing with some flowers from local flower farm growers, The Ledbury to Lydney Flower Collective, including my sister–in–law from the top of the lane, Jules (Pauntley Petals) and Rozanne, of The Ledbury Flower Farmer.
Afterwards, don’t forget to stroll around our stunning gardens, which will be looking spring-like with tulips peeping up and hyacinths and wall flowers in bloom in the pots (we hope!). There may well be a spot of mini golf to try your hand at too from Crazy Golf Fun. You will be able to envisage an outdoor wedding nestled between the quince trees or a large humanist ceremony on the main formal ceremony lawn. There are so many magical spaces or ‘garden rooms’ to walk around, not forgetting our new terrace area outside the kitchen in the walled garden, with espaliered fruit trees and a statue of Pan in the centre of it.
If it is a church wedding you are considering, then Church Warden’s Derek and Sue will also be in the house to talk to you. The beautiful Norman Church, just next door, will be open so you can make your way up there before you leave, and have a look inside.
We cannot wait to welcome you here!
Love Melissa, Holly, Rebecca, Jilly, Rachel and the Pauntley Team xx
PS Oh and you also might meet Parky, Melissa’s husband!!!
Blog Photos by David Liebst Photography
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Having recently visited Pauntley for our first wedding anniversary, I was reminded just how magical a place it is.
James and I celebrated our marriage with our closest family and friends over three days in August 2024. Spending both the night before and day after our wedding with our nearest and dearest only enhanced our celebrations; Pauntley’s beautiful bedrooms and cosy communal areas greatly facilitate being able to have all of those you love in one place for an extended period. Waking up in the bridal suite greatly reduced the stress on the wedding morning; the Elinor Fettiplace was the perfect setting for bridal preparations.
We knew it was the venue for us when we walked into the ballroom on our first viewing and I burst out crying (happy tears); those tears were present again when I walked down the aisle (ironically outside) the following Summer.
Everything about Pauntley makes it the picture perfect venue - from the indoor furnishings to the beautiful gardens outside. A special touch are the beautiful flowers that Melissa's mother (the flower fairy!) collects from the gardens and arranges in the communal areas and bedrooms; she even treated our guests to a tour of the grounds on the Sunday.
We took full use of all of the spaces - firstly by hosting a grazing table, English sparkling wine and real ale welcome supper in The Flower Room on the Friday, complete with “s’mores” for our flower girls and page boys on Pauntley’s fire pit. On the day itself we had welcome drinks under the stretch tent; said “I do” alongside a string quartet amongst the quince trees; enjoyed canapés, fizz and acoustic music in the sunken garden; had our cake cutting, wedding breakfast and speeches under the hornbeam arches (complete with Melissa’s chandeliers!); took photos down by the boathouse; poured our champagne tower in front of the beautiful staircase and danced the night away with our band in the ballroom before collapsing in front of the fire in the main sitting room after our “light stick” exit in the courtyard. The morning after the night before was spent preparing for our send off BBQ on the terrace.
The stunning setting is only complimented by Pauntley’s true highlight: its team. Melissa could not have been more friendly and helpful from the first time we met her until our wedding weekend itself (and beyond!). The list of recommended suppliers provided was especially helpful given I had no knowledge of local hairdressers, make-up artists, florists, caterers, etc; all of the vendors that we chose were wonderful. Our wedding coordinator, Mel, put this type A bride to shame with her efficiency and organisational skills, all delivered with a smile and a wealth of industry knowledge. A special mention to Pauntley’s head housekeeper Rachel who took excellent care of us and our guests throughout with delicious breakfasts and a yummy BBQ on the Sunday. The whole team are warm, welcoming and ensure that you never feel like just another couple; they are all truly invested in making your wedding day the best it possibly can be.
As we are London based, we chose to stay on the Thursday and Sunday nights and I would highly recommend that option to future couples. Being there the night before - just the two of us - allowed us to sort various Waitrose / butcher / crockery deliveries and get ready before our friends and family descended for our welcome supper the following day. Equally, we enjoyed strolling around the gardens as husband and wife on the Sunday after everyone had left; an opportunity to reminisce on the best weekend of our lives in truly beautiful surroundings. We struggled to leave on the Monday morning!
We couldn’t recommend Pauntley enough and can’t wait to visit again on our second anniversary next year.
Thank you Melissa, Mel and Rachel for everything.
Image by Siobhan Beales Photography