Getting Married In The Cotswolds
Why getting married in the cotswolds is such a great idea.
After the celebrations of the engagement are over, it’s time to answer the big questions; when will you get married and where? These are big questions, and there are so many options when it comes to where you want to get married that it can be overwhelming to even create a shortlist. To choose, you need to think about what your priorities are and the look and feel you want your wedding to have. If you’re looking to get married in the UK, the Cotswolds need to be on your shortlist.
As a Cotswolds Wedding Photographer this place is somewhere I love to photograph weddings at. So whilst I love shooting here so much, hopefully I can convince you to have you’re wedding here with there 6 reasons why so many couples are choosing to get married in the Cotswolds.
All Your Family and Friends Can Attend a Cotswolds Wedding
You don’t have to live in the Cotswolds to enjoy the feeling of a big wedding with all your loved ones surrounding you, celebrating your marriage and enjoying one of the best parties of your life. While destination weddings are increasingly popular, they aren’t ideal if you want your family and friends to attend your wedding without a second thought – they add the stress of travelling, possibly taking time off work and finding pet or childcare, and added expenses that they may not be able to afford.
The Cotswolds offer all the beauty you’ll find elsewhere but it will be within driving distance for all your UK family, and if you do have family coming over from abroad you can show them some of the most beautiful architecture and countryside the UK has to offer.
Another major plus of choosing the Cotswolds for your wedding location is that it’s very easy to reach from all corners of the UK and almost any UK airport, and there are plenty of options for wedding guest accommodation. There are hotels, bed and breakfasts, glamping, and camping options for your wedding guests to choose from, and many wedding venues offer accommodation in addition to, or as part of your venue booking.
A Cotswold Wedding Venue for Any Belief or Aesthetic
Do you dream of getting married in an ancient church? Or, do you want to move away from religious traditions and hold your wedding ceremony in a historic hall or school, a beautifully converted barn and farm, or even a castle? The Cotswolds offer all kinds of wedding venues where you can legally tie the knot and have the blessing or style of wedding you desire.
Your wedding day is your big day to experience and create memories to last a lifetime, and the numerous venues available in the Cotswolds is the perfect place to do this. When you’re ready to look for your venue, read my blog post on my favourite Cotswold wedding venues here. I love Caswell House in the Cotswolds, and you can see my photos of Andrew and Victoria’s wedding to get an idea of what that venue can offer you.
(You can also view a complete list of registered Gloucestershire wedding venues here.)
The Cotswolds Offers Breath-Taking Beauty
It’s no secret that the Cotswolds are an area of outstanding natural beauty, but it’s definitely worth reiterating again here. If you’re looking for the perfect English countryside for the backdrop of your wedding, you’ll be hard-pressed to find somewhere more perfect than the Cotswolds.
The Cotswolds are beautiful year-round, but spring and summer weddings will get the benefit of flowers in bloom, lush green trees, and (hopefully!) sunny skies. The traditional stone buildings and cottages that are famous in the area give that old-world, fairytale feel that is so perfect for weddings.
(It’s certainly one of my most favourite places for wedding photography. If you’d like to find out more about what I do, you can do so here – I’d love to discuss your ideas with you.)
Top Class Local Businesses
No wedding is complete without taking advantage of great local businesses, and you really can’t go wrong in the Cotswolds. The area is full of incredible caterers, producers, suppliers, musicians, and artists to add that something special to your wedding day if you haven’t already selected outside companies you want to work with. There are plenty of photographers with award winning wedding photos to their name. You want your wedding to have a little something special and unique, right? When you work with local artisanal businesses you’ll have the opportunity to create a wedding that has something as special and unique as your relationship with your betrothed.
The Cotswolds are famous for their farmers’ markets and shops throughout the region, which many venues and caterers offer you when it’s time to choose your menu. There won’t be any heated up frozen food here – it is much better fresh and locally sourced. And, of course, there are craft beers abound! If you or your partner is a craft beer lover, you’ll have plenty of local beers to try and stock your bar with.
A Relaxed Atmosphere
The days running up to your wedding day are often stressful, but arriving in the heart of the Cotswolds to prepare for the big day will never be a chore. The whole area has a feel of calm and there are plenty of quintessential British country pubs to grab a drink or dinner with friends and family on the days leading up to your wedding.
If you and your fiancée love walking, taking a long romantic walk together before you become a married couple, or after, is the perfect way to really experience the beauty of the area and take time for yourselves as a couple – as so many couples forget to do in the flurry of activity that surrounds a wedding.
A Cotswolds Wedding Is Family-Friendly (If You Want it to Be!)
What’s a wedding without a couple of young children spinning around on the dancefloor or stealing your new husband or wife for a spin around the dancefloor? The Cotswolds is a family-friendly place, so if you or your guests have little ones that are invited to your big day, there is plenty you can do to offer them (and the “big” kids) in the way of fun things to do. Hire a white bouncy castle, outdoor games, an ice cream or sweet stand to entertain the kids.
Besides the big day, the Cotswolds offers many family-friendly places to visit and activities to do, so your guests can come for the wedding and have some fun family time with those they don’t get to see as often as they’d like to.
If you want your wedding to be all about beauty, quality, and family, a Cotswold wedding is for you.
The primary element involved in candid photography is capturing the natural emotions and phenomena of a wedding as it takes place. This is the best since it helps in getting people their best pictures at that particular wedding moment. The approach of clicking pic in candid photography is also different from the traditional ones, the lights are used, and the images are captured informally. The final decision on images depends on the skills of the photographer; also editing skills plays a significant role.