Wedding Venues · The Cotswolds
Wedding Venues in Stow-on-the-Wold & the Cotswolds
Barns, manor houses and lakeside gardens across the north Cotswolds
Stow-on-the-Wold is the kind of place that makes you slow down. I grew up in Birmingham, all traffic and noise, so the first time I drove in, honey-coloured stone on every side and the hills rolling out behind the town, I understood the appeal straight away. It is a proper Cotswold market town, small, unhurried and genuinely lovely.
It is also one of the most popular places to get married in the Cotswolds, and it is easy to see why. Within a few miles of the square you will find exclusive-use barns, grand manor houses, country-house hotels and lakeside gardens, most of them licensed for civil ceremonies and all sitting in that unmistakable Cotswold countryside. Whether you want something intimate or a full weekend takeover, the choice around here is genuinely good.
So if you are putting together a shortlist of wedding venues in Stow-on-the-Wold and the wider Cotswolds, these are the wedding locations I would point you towards, with a few honest notes on each. I am a documentary wedding photographer who works right across the area, so most of these I have either photographed or spent time at.
Stow-on-the-Wold · Barn Venue
Hyde House & Hyde Barn
Hyde House is the one venue on this list I have actually photographed, and it is the one I would put at the top. Just off the Fosseway a mile or so from Stow, it pairs a light-filled house with a private barn, so the ceremony, the meal and the party all happen in one place without ever feeling boxed in.
The rooms do a lot of the work for me. Big bay windows, exposed oak beams and wide farmhouse doors mean the light pours in all day, which is exactly what my natural, documentary style needs, and there are long views over the rolling countryside for portraits once the sun drops. It is private hire, licensed for both barn and civil ceremonies, with an indoor bar and room for up to 150 seated. You can see a full day here in my Hyde House wedding photos.
Lower Slaughter · Luxury Manor
The Slaughters Manor House
A few minutes from Stow in the village of Lower Slaughter, The Slaughters Manor House is the luxury end of the Cotswolds. It sits in five acres of formal gardens, and on an exclusive-use wedding the whole place is yours, all 19 rooms, the award-winning restaurant and the bar included.
It works just as well for a small, intimate gathering as a full celebration, with civil ceremonies licensed inside and the gardens for drinks and photographs. Exclusive use runs to around 120 guests, or you can keep it properly intimate at 20 or so. There is a dedicated events coordinator to handle the detail, which is the sort of thing that quietly keeps a wedding day running on time. If a polished, grown-up country-house feel is what you are after, this is the one.
Chipping Campden · Exclusive-Use Barn
Lapstone Barn
If it is a barn you are set on, Lapstone Barn is one of the best in the north Cotswolds. It sits above Chipping Campden with long views across the vale, and it is exclusive use from the moment you arrive, the whole site yours and no one else’s.
The barn itself is a big, beautifully restored space that seats up to 200 for a ceremony and a meal, with a lighter, pared-back look than most barns manage. Accommodation is a real strength too, with room for up to 26 to stay across the bridal suite, farmhouse and cottage, so the wedding party wakes up on site. For couples who want the barn feel without giving up comfort, it is hard to beat.
Moreton-in-Marsh · Manor House Hotel
The Manor House Hotel
On the High Street in Moreton-in-Marsh, a few minutes up the road from Stow, The Manor House is a 16th-century hotel that has kept its character: arched windows, log fires and a 300-year-old mulberry tree in the garden. It sits right in the middle of the town among the tea rooms and shops, which makes it an easy one for guests travelling in.
For a wedding you can take exclusive use of one wing, with your own rooms and private access onto the walled garden from an upper terrace. That garden is the highlight, church views, a thatched summer house, and Apple Cottage tucked away with its own hot tub for the night before. The main hotel has 34 bedrooms, so there is space for everyone to stay, and it handles a small, intimate gathering and a bigger celebration equally well.
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View Pricing & PackagesStow-on-the-Wold · Town-Centre Hotel
The Grapevine Hotel
Right on the square in the middle of Stow, The Grapevine is a 17th-century hotel named after the ancient vine that still shades its restaurant, said to be around 150 years old. If you want a wedding in the town itself rather than out in the countryside, this is the one: everything within walking distance, and guests able to spill out into Stow between the ceremony and the party.
It is smaller and more relaxed than the grand country houses, which suits couples after something warm and unfussy. There are 22 bedrooms, a proper bar and a well-regarded restaurant, so it doubles as the place everyone stays. Good for an intimate town wedding with the Cotswolds on the doorstep.
Near Cirencester · Lakeside Venue
Water’s Edge at Ewen
Down in the south of the Cotswolds near Cirencester, Water’s Edge at Ewen is the one to look at if you want water and the outdoors. Ceremonies happen beside spring-fed lakes, with the option to marry outside by the water, something most of the older Cotswolds venues cannot offer.
It leans towards an all-inclusive way of doing things: your two-night stay is built into the hire, the boutique bedrooms are there for the wedding party, and the lakeside gardens carry the day from ceremony to evening. It holds up to 130 inside and as many as 180 outdoors, so it scales from a relaxed gathering to a big summer party. For a bright, outdoor, water-side wedding it is the strongest option on this list.
Cheltenham · Lakeside Manor
Manor by the Lake
On the edge of Cheltenham, Manor by the Lake pairs a Victorian manor house with its own spring-fed lake and Italianate gardens, so you get the lakeside setting with a more formal, luxury feel than a barn. It is exclusive use, so the house and grounds are yours for the day.
Inside there is room for up to 180 for the ceremony and meal, rising to 250 in the evening, which makes it one of the roomier options here. Twelve bedrooms in the manor, plus a cottage and lodge nearby, cover the wedding party. If you like the idea of water and gardens but want a grand house rather than a rustic one, this is the pick.
Near Stow-on-the-Wold · Country House
Wyck Hill House
Wyck Hill House sits in its own grounds a few miles outside Stow, and in normal times it is a grand country-house hotel with long views over the Windrush valley.
Worth flagging, though: at the time of writing it is closed for a full renovation programme, with the owners promising upgraded rooms, food and service when it reopens. I have included it because it is a well-known Stow-area venue and it will be back, but you cannot book a wedding there right now. If it is on your radar, keep an eye on their website, and I will update this entry once it is open and taking weddings again.
In Closing
Finding Your Cotswolds Wedding Venue
There is no shortage of wedding venues in the Cotswolds, and the hard part is usually narrowing them down. Between them, the places on this list cover most of what couples come here for: exclusive-use barns, grand manor houses, country-house hotels and lakeside gardens, some of the best wedding locations in and around Stow-on-the-Wold. Whether you want to get married in the town itself, out in the countryside nearby, or somewhere all-inclusive by the water, there is a good option here.
The Cotswolds is one of the most popular places to get married in the country, and plenty of couples travel in for it, so much so that a Cotswolds wedding is a destination wedding in its own right for a lot of people. Wherever you land, the light and the landscape do a lot of the work, which is exactly why I love photographing weddings across the area.
Pick the place that feels like you, and the Cotswolds does the rest.
Once you have a venue in mind, I would love to hear about it. You can read more about how I work across the Cotswolds, and if your date is still free we can take it from there.
Jordan Fox
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