Choosing the best Cotswold outdoor ceremony venues
The Cotswolds present one of England’s most beloved rural landscapes for wedding celebrations. This designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty captivates with its distinctive honey-colored stone buildings nestled among gently rolling hills, ancient woodlands, and meandering streams. Dive in to the list of the best Cotswold outdoor ceremony venues.
Lapstone Barn
Lapstone Barn is a meticulously restored 18th-century stone barn situated on a former working farm in the rolling countryside near Chipping Campden. The venue occupies an elevated position providing far-reaching views across classic Cotswold landscape. Check out what a full Lapstone wedding day looks like captured on photo and film!
Main Offerings for Weddings:
- Ceremony and Reception Spaces: The venue features two distinct yet connected spaces – the original stone barn with exposed beams and honey-coloured walls for ceremonies of up to 200 guests, and the contemporary Oak Room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the countryside for dining and dancing.
- Outdoor Spaces: The barn is surrounded by manicured gardens that transition naturally into views of working agricultural land.
What Makes Lapstone Barn’s Countryside Setting Special:
- Elevated Hilltop Position: The barn sits on a natural rise in the landscape that provides exceptional views across multiple valleys of quintessential Cotswold countryside. This elevated position allows guests to appreciate the patchwork of fields, hedgerows, and woodland that define the region’s character.
- Agricultural Panorama: Ancient hedgerows divide the land according to historic boundaries, while working farms continue agricultural traditions visible from the venue. This active rural setting provides an authentic backdrop that connects celebrations to the living countryside.
- Package and Pricing Options: Lapstone offers venue hire starting from £6,500 for midweek dates to £9,500 for summer weekends, with their transparent approach covering venue use, coordination services, and essential equipment.
Review Highlights:
- ”Lapstone Barn was the perfect venue for our wedding. It was the best day of our lives and it wouldn’t have been possible without Lapstone. The staff, particularly our coordinator Kat, were all superb through the whole process and particularly on our big day. They helped make the day relaxed and run as smooth as possible.” Google
- ”Lapstone is beautiful, it was love at first visit! Our coordinator was lovely and so patient throughout. Most of the planning progressed smoothly. There were times we felt they weren’t being as flexible as promised, but credit where it’s due, they were great and most of the run up was brilliant.” Google
Barns & Yard
Barns & Yard comprises a collection of meticulously restored historic barns set within the 1,000-acre Deer Park Estate in the picturesque Malvern Hills, Worcestershire. One of the best Cotswold outdoor ceremony venues, Barn’s & Yard combines authentic agricultural heritage with breathtaking countryside views.
Main Offerings for Weddings:
- Ceremony and Reception Spaces: The venue features multiple connected barns including the magnificent Oak Barn with its impressive timber frame dating from the 16th century, and the charming Tack Barn for more intimate gatherings. These characterful buildings maintain their authentic rural features while incorporating thoughtful modern amenities, accommodating up to 170 seated guests and 220 for evening celebrations.
- Outdoor Spaces: The venue is set within extensive grounds with spectacular views toward the Malvern Hills, creating a dramatic natural backdrop for celebrations. Landscaped gardens transition into ancient woodland areas managed for wildlife conservation, while hidden clearings provide intimate outdoor ceremony locations.
What Makes Barns & Yard’s Countryside Setting Special:
- Historic Deer Park Setting: The venue occupies part of a traditional English deer park that has maintained its rural character for centuries. Ancient woodland surrounds the complex with trees dating back hundreds of years.
- Malvern Hills Backdrop: The dramatic hills provide a striking natural backdrop visible from throughout the grounds, their distinctive profile creating a recognisable landscape feature that grounds the celebration in a specific sense of place.
- Packages: The complex includes luxury on-site accommodation in beautifully converted farm buildings sleeping up to 48 guests, allowing friends and family to experience the countryside setting throughout their stay.
Review Highlights:
- ”We had the most wonderful wedding day at Barns & Yard. From our first viewing, to leaving the day after we said our ‘I dos,’ nothing was too much trouble. We visited a number of wedding venues but nothing really compared to here. Our day was magical from start to finish.” Google
- ”Barns & Yard is without a doubt the most beautifully perfect wedding venue. We knew exactly what we wanted in a venue for our big day and as soon as we drove down the driveway it was immediately breathtaking and made 10x better the minute we met the staff.” Google
Elmhay Park
Elmhay Park is an elegant Italian-inspired orangery and converted stable yard set within the picturesque Wiltshire countryside near Bath. This sophisticated venue combines classical architectural elements with far-reaching rural views across the surrounding estate farmland, creating a refined yet authentic countryside setting.
Main Offerings for Weddings:
- Ceremony and Reception Spaces: The magnificent glass-domed Orangery features classical columns and floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the rural landscape from every angle, while natural light floods the space throughout the day creating a constant connection to the outdoors. The adjoining converted stable yard provides additional character-filled spaces that maintain their agricultural heritage, accommodating up to 200 guests with countryside views from multiple aspects.
- Outdoor Spaces: The venue sits within a traditional English country estate managed according to generations of rural stewardship. Formal gardens designed to frame specific countryside vistas transition into rolling parkland dotted with ancient trees.
What Makes Elmhay Park’s Countryside Setting Special:
- Country Estate Experiences: Elmhay offers venue hire starting from £7,000 for midweek dates to £14,000 for summer weekends (2023 pricing), including exclusive use of the Orangery, stable yard, and surrounding gardens. The estate provides luxury accommodation for up to 60 guests across various historic buildings that maintain their rural character while offering contemporary comfort.
- Walled Garden Microclimate: The venue includes historic walled garden areas that showcase traditional countryside horticultural practices. These enclosed spaces create protected microclimates for growing heritage varieties, with espaliered fruit trees following centuries-old training methods along sunny walls.
- Rural Water Features: Natural springs emerging from the countryside landscape feed decorative and functional water elements throughout the grounds.
Review Highlights:
- ”This was the perfect place to host our wedding. An amazing and generous space. It was perfect for our young family, plenty of space for the children to run around safely.” Google
- ”We got married at Elmhay Park last month and couldn’t be happier with our choice. The venue was so beautiful, and already decorated with so many fairy lights that we hardly needed to bring any decorations! The night before the wedding the bridal party were in the Castle with a hot tub which really kicked the weekend off, and staying overnight made morning prep so much easier.” Google
Painswick Rococo Garden
Painswick Rococo Garden offers one of the most whimsical countryside wedding settings in the Cotswolds—the UK’s only surviving complete garden from the flamboyant Rococo period. This extraordinary 18th-century pleasure garden combines architectural follies and surprise viewpoints with spectacular rural views across the Painswick Valley.
Main Offerings for Weddings:
- Ceremony and Reception Spaces: The garden offers several utterly unique ceremony locations including the striking Red House with its vermillion walls and unusual octagonal design, the theatrical Eagle House perched dramatically on a garden vista, and the Exedra – a theatrical curved structure designed specifically as a stage-like focal point with the countryside as its backdrop.
- Outdoor Spaces: The entire six-acre garden is a deliberately playful, theatrical landscape designed to create a sense of surprise and delight as guests wander through its meandering paths.
What Makes Painswick Rococo Garden’s Countryside Setting Special:
- Hidden Valley Position: The garden occupies a secluded fold in the Cotswold landscape, with surrounding hills creating a natural amphitheater that protects the garden and focuses attention on specific countryside vistas.
- Rural Vistas Beyond Garden: The garden was specifically designed with carefully positioned viewpoints that frame the surrounding agricultural landscape.
- Historical Garden Celebrations: Painswick offers venue hire starting from £3,500 for midweek ceremonies to £6,500 for full weekend exclusivity (2023 pricing), with their packages varying significantly by season to showcase different aspects of the countryside setting. Their peak pricing coincides with June when their famous bluebell wood creates an extraordinary backdrop, while winter packages highlight the architectural elements against clear countryside vistas.
Birtsmorton Court
Birtsmorton Court is an exquisite medieval manor house surrounded by a rare moated setting in rural Worcestershire near the Malvern Hills. Dating back to 1190, this Grade I listed residence offers one of England’s most romantic countryside settings with exceptional water features and far-reaching views across traditional agricultural landscape.
Main Offerings for Weddings:
- Ceremony and Reception Spaces: The venue offers multiple ceremony locations including the intimate White Garden Room with its original Tudor features, the magnificent medieval Great Hall with its impressive hammerbeam roof, and the parish church located within the estate grounds.
- Outdoor Spaces: The Court features exceptional gardens including a classic English white garden, formal knot gardens designed according to traditional patterns, and the spectacular moat that encircles the property, creating a defensive feature that now serves as a stunning reflective backdrop for photography.
What Makes Birtsmorton Court’s Countryside Setting Special:
- Rare Moated Setting: As one of the few remaining moated manor houses in England, Birtsmorton offers the romantic aesthetic of a water-surrounded historic home that creates mirror-like reflections of both the ancient architecture and the changing sky above.
- Moated Manor Experience: Birtsmorton offers venue hire starting from £5,500 for midweek dates to £12,000 for summer weekends, with their comprehensive packages including use of the White Garden Room, Great Hall, Garden Pavilion and surrounding grounds.
- Ancient Tree Specimens: The grounds feature trees of exceptional age and significance, with some specimens dating back centuries and providing living connections to the estate’s long history.
Review Highlights:
- ”We had the most wonderful wedding day at Birtsmorton and also the most enjoyable planning experience. The team were so helpful and flexible to our needs and made the whole process such a joy from start to finish. An incredible venue with so much to offer and so many unique spaces!” Hitched
- ”I and my now Husband, got married here. This was the first place we visited for venue and the only one. It has beautiful 14th century building with moat around it and wonderful garden for outdoor wedding. everything is picturesque!” Google
