5 Types of Gloucestershire Wedding Venues I Love To Photograph

I am so lucky to live in the beautiful county of South Gloucestershire. When I say I am a Gloucestershire wedding photographer, I really am because this is my stomping ground. I drive the A roads past some of the most beautiful Cotswold wedding venues in the area. So after doing this week in and week out, I thought “Why not give a little more detail to those who don’t get to do this”. I mean let’s be fair, many people that get married have not planned a wedding and it is a daunting task.

So let’s get into it:

1. Home Estates
2. Hotels & Inns
3. Barn
4. Marquee
5. Town Hall

Home Estates

Estate, Manor House, Mansion, you can call it whatever you wish. But at the end of the day, it is a beautiful wedding venue steeped in historical elegance. Your wedding will become another document in its history. From driving down tiny lanes past the alpacas to arrive at Cowley Manor  or through the stunning gates of Elmore Court, your guests will be in awe of your wedding venue choice. Each estate offers you a different set of options to make your wedding photography perfect. If you are planning an exclusive wedding you may wish to look at Sezincote near Morton on the Marsh, or if you are after a smaller affair a wedding venue such as Barnsley House may be better suited to your intimate wedding plans. As a wedding photographer, I can guarantee that an estate wedding will give you the option to have your wedding photographs set on romantic stairwells, or outside on a beautiful sunny day by the waterfalls of famous gardens. You can each venue your own.

Hotel & Inns

Hotels are a fantastic wedding venue option when you and your guests may be travelling to your wedding destination.  You can keep all the wedding entertainment under one roof; including your guests. Wedding guests can stay the night before your wedding, visit local areas of attraction and not feel rushed to leave once your wedding day is finished. Hotel wedding venues in Gloucestershire range from small, intimate locations such as The Swan in Bibury, to larger venues such as Tortworth Court. The wedding venue prices will range but it is always worth asking your wedding coordinator for a guest discount. The room discounts can be passed onto your guests which is wonderful when travelling a great distance. You wedding photographs can also have a range of depth to them. Photographers enjoy the value of having unique areas of the hotel to access. You can make wedding pictures happen in some of the most interesting places such as car parks or in doorways. The one thing I love about being a photographer in Gloucestershire is when I take a couple out for five minutes with “an idea”. We might be in a car park with a flash and they have no idea what the final outcome will look like on their wedding pictures. But when they get them and the response is “Oh my gosh we had no idea this is what we were going to get!” I just love it! That is why you hire a professional wedding photographer – to get “those” moments.

Marquee

Who doesn’t love a good marquee wedding? Let me tell you, they are not old fashioned or cheap wedding venues. Gloucestershire Wedding marquees are not only fabulous for space and feeling like you are outdoors, but they create the most beautiful light no matter what the weather is doing on your wedding day. As a wedding photographer, it is my job to find great places to take your wedding photographs. I know some people worry about a marquee wedding for the dreaded idea of “but what if it rains!?” So I think there are a couple of things to remember: it can be pouring outside, but with a large marquee your guests will spread out inside. Some guests will still huddle outside under gazebos or umbrellas. It can be pouring out, but when you look at your pictures, a good wedding photographer will be able to use the beautiful light to create stunning wedding pictures for you. You will never know it was raining. Don’t believe me yet? Check out this incredible Glastonbury, Somerset wedding. They had an outdoor ceremony (in – the – rain!) and then had a marquee looking over one of their favourite places of all time – Glastonbury Festival. It poured and poured… but with almost all the pictures taken inside the marquee, you wouldn’t know it was raining other that guests sporting wellie boots in fine fashion.

Another fantastic option with a marquee wedding venue is that there are some fantastic areas you can put up a marquee. Some people will choose to have them in a parent’s garden, or some old estates will have them on a lawn for added space to the venue use. Venues such as Pauntley Court give people a beautiful view of the lake from the marquee meaning you can open up the sides and let your guests enjoy the scenery that you fell in love with when booking your wedding day. Hollie and Chris hired the beautiful Drakestone House for their wedding, with the sides open and the guests milling in and out, it created a wonderful space for guests all day long and into the evening.

Marquees are also a blank canvas – literally. You can head to Pinterest and be inspired by what you love and make it your own on the day. I have had clients with balloons, hanging flower wreaths, draping roses and candles – the only limit if your imagination and budget!

Barn

If you love the idea of a rustic wedding, a Gloucestershire or Wiltshire wedding barn is a great option for a wedding venue. You can head deep into the Cotswolds near Cheltenham to find barns such as Cripps Barn, The Barn at Upcote, Stone Barn or Lapstone Barn. If you want to be closer to the prestige of a Tetbury wedding barn you can have your wedding reception at some of the prettiest wedding barns such as The Great Tythe Barn and Kingscote Barn.

Each barn will offer you a different size for hosting a variety of wedding party sizes. With some of the best catering services available such as catering companies like Hey Pesto! and Strawberry Fields, you are spoiled for choice. The barns are all surrounded by beautiful countryside and fields. Your wedding photography options are endless.

Just like a marquee offers you a blank backdrop for making it unique for your wedding day, so too can a rustic wedding barn do the same – just with a lot more wood than white!

You may want more relaxed wedding photography to match the wedding venue and your wedding day vibe. But it is always worth taking 5-10 minutes out of your day to go out with your photographer and capture a few romantic wedding pictures and portraits that capture the backdrop of your day. You will also enjoy the quiet time that you have as just the two of you for a few minutes (and me hiding in the bushes not interfering).

Town Hall

Ok, so before your turn your nose up to a Gloucestershire town or village hall, I just want to let you know I got married in a town hall. It wasn’t even in this gorgeous country, but in a small town in the sticks of Canada… it was nothing special. But let me tell you, we didn’t spend alot on the wedding venue but instead put the money into making it look extraordinary. Many town or village halls in Gloucestershire are steeped in history. They are surrounded by stunning views and fields. This gives you a backdrop to get inventive. You can make them your own. Hire a wedding company to deck it out or get an amazing florist such as Wild and Co to quote you on making it look like the talk of the town for years to come. This beautiful village hall was just down the road from where the Bride’s mother grew up. It was more than a village hall to this family.

For more information on wedding photography at one of these stunning wedding venue options, please contact me. I offer a variety of wedding photography packages and prices that cater to different styles of weddings.