Why get married in the Cotswolds?

The Cotswolds National Landscape covers around 790 square miles, stretching from the area around Bath and Wiltshire in the south through Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire towards Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the north. It is the largest National Landscape in England.

Its character comes partly from the Jurassic limestone underneath it, which gives so many Cotswold villages and buildings their distinctive warm stone.

For wedding photography, that gives you an extraordinary variety of backdrops without needing anything artificial.

You can move from an old church to a meadow, a stone courtyard, a country house or a candlelit barn — sometimes without ever leaving the venue.

And it works throughout the year.

Spring brings blossom and fresh greens. Summer gives long evenings and outdoor celebrations. Autumn can be spectacular in the Cotswold countryside, while winter weddings suit old stone buildings, candlelight, fires and dark evenings particularly well.

Some beautiful Cotswold wedding venues to consider

There are hundreds of wedding venues across Gloucestershire and the wider Cotswolds, from large country-house hotels to intimate barns.

A few stand out particularly well for couples looking for somewhere with character.

Cripps Barn

Near Bibury and Cirencester, Cripps Barn is probably one of the best-known barn wedding venues in the Cotswolds.

It's an 18th-century Cotswold stone barn in the Coln Valley, surrounded by woodland and meadows. Inside are flagstone floors, exposed beams and a huge fireplace, while ceremonies can also take place outside in its woodland setting. It is licensed for civil ceremonies for up to 150 people.

From a photography point of view, it's exactly the sort of venue that gives you options.

You've got the scale and warmth of the barn, open countryside, woodland, firelight, stone, evening atmosphere and plenty of space for natural photographs of people actually enjoying themselves.

Stone Barn

Another Cripps & Co venue, Stone Barn sits between Burford and Northleach and has a slightly wilder Cotswold feel.

The historic stone barn was originally an agricultural building and retains flagstone floors, timber beams and large fireplaces, with views across open pasture. It can host civil ceremonies for up to 200 guests and also has an outdoor ceremony area.

For photography, I love venues like this because they don't require lots of staged decoration to give images atmosphere. The building, landscape and light already do a lot of the work.

Natural wedding photography in the Cotswolds

My style of wedding photography is primarily natural and documentary.

That doesn't mean I'll simply disappear into a corner.

I'll help when you need help, organise the family groups you actually want, find good light and suggest somewhere beautiful for photographs of the two of you.

But I don't believe your wedding should become a photography production.

Most of the time, I want you to forget about me and enjoy yourselves.

The best photographs usually happen when people stop worrying about being photographed.

A local photographer for your Cotswold wedding

Being based in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire puts me within easy reach of weddings throughout the Cotswolds, including Cheltenham, Cirencester, Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Broadway, Bibury, Northleach and the surrounding villages.

I also photograph weddings throughout Gloucestershire and further afield.

Whether you're planning an intimate ceremony, a relaxed barn wedding or a full weekend in a Cotswold country house, I'd love to hear what you're planning.