Cotswolds Elopement in Stroud

- Sammie & Ross -

Sammie and Ross eloped at the absolutely breathtaking Burleigh Court hotel in the Cotswolds. Burleigh Court boasts a gorgeous boutique manor house, nestled within four acres of gardens with incredible views over Strouds golden valley - It's a true hidden gem within the Cotswolds.

S & R kept it beautifully intimate, being joined just by their two girls and a couple of close family members. This meant that they were able to tailor their day to exactly how they wanted it. Focussing on their family and their love for each other.

It was intimate, personal and full of love.

Keep scrolling for more pictures of their gorgeous day and some tips for if you're thinking about having a Cotswolds Elopement.

The sun shone all day for us meaning that we had the entire grounds to play with. It was really lovely witnessing S & R and their girls exploring all the sweet little nooks that the hotel gardens had to offer: a gorgeous tree swing, steps, a hammock... endless opportunities for fun, connection and special memories.

After this, the girls went back to the room with family to have a little down time and I whisked S & R off for some couples portraits. Here we managed to find even more hidden gems - like a snuggle seat hidden amongst the trees. They were able to spend some quality time together, revelling in the fact they'd just gotten married - and we even had a cheeky champagne spray to celebrate.

It was a really special day from start to finish. S & R were able to get married and focus on what is most important to them - their love and their family.

I think Burleigh Court was the perfect backdrop for them to do this, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that wants a Cotswolds elopement. That being said, I can also imagine it is an absolutely stunning venue for larger weddings with exclusive use.

Additionally, another huge plus of Burleigh Court is that it's within Stroud. Stroud is such a beautiful part of the country, with rolling countryside for walks and a lovely little town full of quaint independant shops and vintage stores. Personally, if it's a nice day I would always recommend a walk around Rodborough Common follow by an icecream at Winstones - you can't get much better than that! But if it's not so nice, a trip into town to browse lovely vintage stores like Time After Time is just as good.

But don't just take my word for it... I asked the beautiful bride some questions about her elopement in the Cotswolds for anyone that's thinking of doing the same.

What did you love about the location?

This was our first time at the Cotswolds so it was a bit of a gamble but my god it paid off! Even just driving through to get to the venue, everything was so beautiful. One of our favourite things at Burleigh Court was the gorgeous rolling hillside views! The building itself was like something from a painting and our room was like an old English apartment rather than just a room - Perfect for all the wedding stuff we brought with us and having space for our girls to still play whilst we did the boring bits like getting ready. Our eldest daughter loved that there was a pool right outside our door - although it wasn’t quite warm enough for anyone else to dare venture in!

What is your favourite memory from the day?

It’s cliche but I really don’t think I can pinpoint one thing. It was a lot more relaxed and less pressure than a traditional wedding so we weren’t having to rush to a timetable or worry about finding the right family members for the right photos etc which meant we could just take in every moment as a family. It also meant we had time to play on the tree swing and in the big lawn hammocks with our girls and just be silly and have fun and my eldest even found time for a wedding day splash in the pool. My mum and stepdad were the only guests we had but them being there gave me and Ross the chance to get some amazing couple photos with Sophie and that was another highlight for me as it was our time to just soak in what had just happened. The intimacy of our vows was another highlight for me - it may seem really unorthodox to some people that my husband had one daughter holding onto his leg whilst I had our youngest on my hip the entirety of the ceremony but to me it was perfect. That’s our little family and we all felt so blessed and bursting with love that I now couldn’t imagine doing those vows without them both there with us.

What tips would you give to anyone planning an elopement?

My first tip would be to still make sure you hire a professional photographer! We obviously didn’t pay out for many traditional expenses such as cake, centre pieces, favours etc but no matter how big or small the wedding you still deserve the beautiful, high quality images to remember the day! I would also recommend booking an elopement with professionals who have hosted/worked with elopement’s before. There are little things to think about when you don’t have groomsmen or bridesmaids etc such as who will stop and start any wedding music for you and who will be the witnesses for the ceremony or even who will help you do up your dress from the back! Burleigh Court offered an elopement package where they can also provide witnesses for you and were great at tailoring that to fit around the fact we would have children too. Sophie was also amazing and so understanding when it came to any children meltdowns or toilet breaks and just flowed so effortlessly with us on the day!