cotswolds wedding venues

THE 10 BEST WEDDING VENUES IN THE COTSWOLDS

top venues updated 24.01.24

We’re completely spoiled in this part of the world in that the 10 best wedding venues in the Cotswolds overlap heavily with the top 10 wedding venues in the UK! Running through five counties; Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire the Cotswolds is a picture perfect area of outstanding natural beauty. Golden stone barns, grand manor houses and ornate mansions sit within rolling green hills. Most venues offer outside ceremony options to really make the most of the views and there are endless pretty villages for church weddings. Basically you can’t go far wrong! Here are my top ten cotswold wedding venues, after 14 years as a wedding photographer in the South West.

Most Luxurious Cotswolds Venue:

Euridge Manor

Ceremony at Euridge Manor
embrace in the boat house at euridge manor
Romantic black and white boat photo from Euridge Manor in Wiltshire
Euridge Manor is just out of this world. A crazy and luxurious mix of the most stunning architecture with immaculate gardens that twist and turn around the house. I could say more but I think it’s best if I let my blog post full of photos do the talking:
 
Location and capacity: Nestled between Bath and Chippenham it’s fairly easy to get to, though you very much feel like you’re hidden away in the English countryside. 
 
Address: Euridge Manor Farm, Colerne, Chippenham SN14 8BJ
 

See More: https://joabsmithphotography.co.uk/euridge-manor-and-the-lost-orangery-wedding/

Best little known venue in the Cotswolds:

Grittleton House

Grittleton House Cotswold venue
Marriage at Grittleton House
wedding twirls at Grittleton House
A relative newbie on the block as a wedding venue but dating from 1660, Grittleton House started with a bang, quickly being labelled ‘one of the best kept secrets of the Cotswolds.’ As soon as you enter the long drive leading up to the house you can feel it’s something special and the characterful Jacobean charms persist when you arrive. Grand entrance ways and ornate ceilings wow you in every direction as you take in the scale of the building, it’s huge! Thanks to its large rooms and roofed orangery you can choose to have your ceremony inside or out, with the later providing beautiful views of the gardens. One of my weddings was featured on Rock My Wedding: https://www.rockmywedding.co.uk/grittleton-house
 
Address: The Street, Grittleton, Chippenham SN14 6AP

The best venue just outside the Cotswolds:

Elmore Court

Elmore Court, gloucestershire Wedding
Elmore Court wedding
gloucestershire wedding

Technically just outside of the Cotswolds Elmore Court just misses out geographically but for me earns a spot on the list of best venues in the area. It’s luxurious, stunningly decorated and has a wonderful array of rooms to suit all wedding plans. Elmore is one of my favourite places to capture a wedding and I couldn’t recommend it more. Here’s a stunning winter wedding I photographed there:

Address:Weir Ln, Elmore, Gloucester GL2 3NT
website: elmorecourt.com
 

The best all rounder

Caswell House

caswell House exterior
Bridesmaids at Caswell House
Wedding breakfast at Caswell House
Caswell House Gardens

Undoubtedly one of the best wedding venues in the Cotswolds this 15th Century Stone House and barn is extremely popular and for good reason. The buildings and settings are idyllic; multiple large spaces, accommodation and a secret garden with an ancient orchard – all big ticks for me as a photographer!

Address: Caswell House, Caswell Ln, Brize Norton OX18 3NJ

Website: https://www.caswellhouse.co.uk

Best Location for Photos: 

The Manor House (Castle Combe)

Drone photo of The Manor House before a wedding
lots of guests during receptions drinks and canapes at The Manor House in Castle Combe
married couple kissing on an old bridge in Castle Combe

The Manor House in Castle Combe is 14th-century private luxury, in one of the prettiest villages in the whole of the UK. Hidden amongst the trees you can celebrate your wedding in the impressive grounds before taking a stroll along the famous Cotswolds street. It has plenty of rooms for guests to stay, wonderful staff and even it’s own pub you can all pop to the night before – ideal!

Address: West St, Castle Combe, Chippenham SN14 7HX  Website: https://www.exclusive.co.uk/the-manor-house/

quick break! 

A little About me

Now’s hopefully a good time to mention that these are also a collection of my favourite venues to photograph weddings at. I love to capture couples naturally to beautifully tell the story of your day whilst letting you have as much fun as possible. If you like my photos above I’d love to hear from your once you’ve picked your dream venue!

a couple kissing on a hilltop in the cotswolds, with beautiful pink sunset background captured by Joab Smith Wedding Photography

Best Cotswolds farm style venue:

Kingscote Barn

Kingscote Barn Exterior
Kingscote Barn Exterior
If you’re looking to have a barn wedding in the Cotswolds you are a little spoiled for choice. There are a lot of options but Kingscote Barn is definitely up there with the best of them! 17th century and in traditional Cotswold stone it’s sat amongst rolling hills and quite honestly ticks all the boxes. Again it offers an outside ceremony option and when you’re drinking and chatting on the lawn afterwards it has that garden party feel with lovely views to match.
 
Location and capacity:
Nestled 5 minutes from Stroud and 10 minutes from Tetbury Kingscote can cater for 150 in the daytime and 200 in the evening. Their (rather special) accommodation can sleep up to 50 guests for the night of the wedding.
 
Address: Binley Farm, Kingscote, Tetbury GL8 8YE.

Best Cotswolds Location:

Hyde House

Hyde House, lower slaughter
Hyde House wedding venue
 Hyde house has many spaces with it’s crown being a more modern barn style building they call The Grange. ‘Bright and airy, large bay windows, rustic oak beams’ – perfect! As with all great venues it also has an outside option with ‘The Arbour’ and once again you’ll be sipping on prosecco with quintessentially British countryside views. The House and barn just so happens to be 5 minutes from two of the prettiest villages in the cotswolds, Lower Slaughter and Bourton-on-the-Water.
 
You can of course have your ceremony in the lovely barn at Hyde House but any of the churches in the local villages would be rather perfect too!
 
Location and capacity: Ceremony & dinner 150, standing capacity 170. Accommodation: 20 bedrooms
 
Address: Fosse Way, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cheltenham GL54 1JX

Best newcomer to the Cotswold area:

Anthology Farm

Anthology Farm venue
Anthology Farm

Anthology farm is currently an unknown gem but I can’t imagine this renovated 18th century barn staying secret for long. Imagine your ceremony on the flat lawn in front of the farmhouse with a backdrop of over 500 acres of private farmland, golden wheat fields and meadows of rare bee orchids. To make this vision a reality Luxury venue supplier Unique Homestays provide exclusive hire of the house and grounds, with guests having full use of the bedrooms, kitchens, lounge areas, cinema room and indoor swimming pool.

Location: ‘Anthology Farm is in Whittington near Cheltenham, with easy access to several major Cotswold villages and about half an hour by car from Gloucester.’

Website:https://www.uniquehomestays.com/weddings/uk/gloucestershire/cheltenham/anthology-farm/

Prettiest barn conversion:

The Barn at Upcote

I’ve only seen Upcote on a gorgeously stunning day so perhaps I’m biased but it was rather idyllic. An outside ceremony in front of a pristine barn with rolling, corn filled hills all around. Stunning. They have the main barn as well as a separate building with a bar, so I can only imagine it works well if the weather’s not so good too!
 
Location and capacity: the Barn at Upcote is 20 minutes southeast of Cheltenham, or just under an hour west of Oxford. Capacity for the day is 110 (evening is higher 150+) and for accommodation they have a honeymoon suite for the happy couple as well as accommodation for up to 18 people Glamping.
 
Address: The Barn, Upcote Farm, Cheltenham, Withington, Cheltenham GL54 4BL
The Barn at Upcote Wedding venue
wedding ceremony at Upcote Barn
Twirling in the sunshine at Upcote
just married at Upcote Barn

Most typically ‘Cotswolds’:

The Painswick Hotel

outdoor ceremony at The Painswick Wedding venue
This one’s another gem – and not just because it’s smaller than many of the others but because it really sparkles. Just pay a visit to the hotel for either an afternoon tea, sunday lunch or just a drink at the bar and you’ll see that pretty much everything ‘The Painwick’ does is a notch above the rest, and the same goes for when they host a wedding. Expect attentive staff and spectacular food in boutique surroundings. – photos wise It helps that it’s in the village dubbed ’the queen of the Cotswolds’ too!
 
Location and capacity: Sat on a steep hill in Painswick (Southeast from Gloucester) it has marvellous views of the Slad valley. Capacity wise they state ’40 to 50 guests is an ideal number, although we can host up to 60… and up to 100 for an evening bash!’. If guests would like to stay they have 16 luxurious bedrooms.
 
Address: Kemps Ln, Painswick, Stroud GL6 6YB

Best Luxury Cotswolds Wedding Venue:

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace
Undoubtedly the most luxurious venue in the Cotswold area and one of the ultimate places to tie the knot world wide, Blenheim just will not fail to impress. The exquisite palace is one of England’s largest properties, was home to Sir Winston Churchill and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. To be married here is a dream for many and for good reason, luxury almost doesn’t cut it! 
 

Website: https://www.blenheimpalace.com/

Address: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, OX20 1PP

 
Phone: 01993 810530

Best rustic wedding venue:

Cripps Barn

Cripps barn was another venue that really impressed me. It’s a converted barn like many other pretty venues, but in my opinion is just a little more special than many. With tastefully modern additions the barn remains very old and is complete with a gorgeous original fireplace. In contrast however the dining room offers light and space with lovely curved oak beams and plenty of glass. As many of my favourite venue do, it too offers an outside ceremony option and if I remember correctly the canapés afterwards were sublime! 
 
Location and capacity: Cripps is located just north of Cirencester and is temptingly close to Bibury if you’ve got time to nip away for photos! They state their capacity as: “Licensed for 120 guests in the main stone barn, however a further 30 can be seated in the adjoining Oak Room. Reception capacity: Space for 150 guests for your reception and up to 250 for an evening party.”
 
Address: Fosscross Ln, Cirencester GL7 5BA. (45 minutes from Oxford)

Most exclusive wedding venue:

Babbington House

I’m going to be honest here and say that I’ve not actually photographed a wedding at Babington House, but it no doubt deserves a place on the list of best wedding venues in the Cotswolds. Sister venue to Soho House in London it’s typically reserved for members and perhaps no surprise that it’s often the choice of impressive celebrities. Luckily when it comes to weddings it can be yours for the day!
 
Location and capacity: Technically sat just South of the Cotswolds border between Bath and Frome. Weddings at Babington cater for up to 120 guests.
 
Address: Charity Ln, Frome BA11 3RW.

And 10 more ‘not to be missed’ Wedding Venues in the Cotswolds: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire

1. Old Gore by Yardspace

Old Gore blew me away. Perhaps the best example modern architecture meeting gorgeous old stone this beautiful space encompasses the best of classic and new wedding venues. Street food cooked served outside meets cosy fires inside. 

Address: Old Gore Barn, Fosse cross, Cirencester GL54 4BZ

2. Kiftsgate Court Gardens

“The creation of three generations of women gardeners” Kiftsgate is the idyllic vision of the perfect summer garden party. Get lost amongst the flowers or just enjoy the beautiful views!

Address: Mickleton, Chipping Campden GL55 6LN

3. The Matara Centre

A beautiful Asian inspired venue with outside ceremony options and well looked after gardens. Sat roughly between Bath and Gloucester.

Address: Kingscote Park Near, Tetbury GL8 8YA

4. The Great Tythe Barn tetbury

A lovely spacious barn with lots of accommodation. Not far from The Prince of Wales’ House!

Address: Long Newnton, Tetbury GL8 8XA

5. Owlpen Manor

A traditional Cotswolds Stone Manor house sat on a 215 acre estate near Dursley.

Address: Owlpen Manor, Uley, Dursley GL11 5BZ

6. Stone Barn

Another Cripps and Co triumph, Stone barn near Cheltenham meets all of their high ‘rustic chic’ standards. Very much East Cotswolds so ideal if you’re looking for a venue closer to Oxford.

Address: Upper Windrush, Cheltenham GL54 3RF

7. Hamswell House

Not far from Bath Hamswell House is an enchanting little Manor house and winner of ‘Bridebook best of Britain award for outstanding wedding venue.’ Not bad!  

Address: Hamswell House, Bath BA1 9DG

8. Merriscourt 

Set on 500 acres of Cotswolds countryside between the border of  Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire Merriscourt has three beautiful barns for you to plan the perfect wedding day around.

9. Manor By The Lake

 
Winner of the Best Town or City Wedding Venue Award in the South West 2020, Manor by the lake ticks every box. The first two big ticks are obvious but worth mentioning, it’s a gorgeous Manor, with a picture perfect lake surrounded by 7 acres of well pruned gardens. As you’ve perhaps come to expect at this point you can have your ceremony outdoors under the Italian pavilion if the weather lovely, but the inside option isn’t too shabby either. 
 
Location and capacity: Easily accessible on the outskirts of Cheltenham The Manor can cater for 300 guests during both the day and the evening. For accommodation it and can sleep 12 in beautifully-appointed rooms.
 
Address: Hatherley Ln, Cheltenham GL51 6PN

10. The Tythe Barn, Launton

This was a new one to me until recently, but my word do they have a good set up at the Tythe Barn. Everything has been flawlessly designed for an effortless wedding day with all of the features and amenities you could want from a venue. The barn is magnificent and I was spoiled for choice for options for photos. The only thing I can think that it’s missing is accommodation, but being so close to Bicester I can’t imagine that being a problem for guests. 

11. Primrose Hill Farm

Right at the top of the Cotswolds with epic views of Oxfordshire sits Primrose Hill Farm,  this venue is a brilliant mix of Farmhouse chic and modern barn, tastefully done and with all the space you could need. Separate ceremony and party rooms means no ‘turning the room around’ and the barn where you’ll have your wedding breakfast is just gorgeous. Add to that a beautiful mix of options for photos outside – including a lake!) And you have yourself a recipe for a brilliant day. Address: Arlescote, Banbury OX17 1DQ.

12. Tortworth Court

Tortworth Court’s orangery alone warrants being included in a best in the Cotswolds list, but they have a multitude of spaces set across 30 acres of country estate grounds, including access to a beautiful arboretum. If you’re looking for classy, grand and ornate I’d recommend having a good look around their website.
Address: Tortworth, Wotton-under-Edge GL12 8HH

 

 

Top ten Cotswolds Wedding Venues

So there we have it! The best wedding venues in the Cotswolds. If you’re also looking for a photographer I’d love to hear from you, you can contact me here: Contact

And If you’re still looking I have another ‘best venues’ blog post for Bristol also: here

 

 

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14 Comments

  6. Legitimately jealous of all the castles. We have castles in Connecticut… but you can’t get married in them! What a great resource for people who want to get married in the region.

  11. Blimey this post is amazing, so well researched and beautifully presented. You’ve made me homesick for England but in the best way, thank you

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