SPA TOWN WEDDING GUIDE & REAL WEDDINGS
Wedding Photographer and Videographer Near Cheltenham
An ivy doorway at Manor by the Lake, two dachshunds at The Barn at Upcote, confetti at a church porch for The Frogmill and a vintage car at Dumbleton Hall. Every venue is labelled with its real place.
In short: Bright Sight is Cam and Beth, a photo and video duo based near Cardiff. We photograph and film weddings in Cheltenham and on the Cotswold edge above it. This guide shows Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham, The Barn at Upcote in Withington and The Frogmill near Andoversford, plus Dumbleton Hall at Dumbleton near Evesham, on the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire border, which we label as nearby. Standard full-day packages start at £1,999 for photography, £1,999 for videography or £3,699 for both, with travel included and a £120 deposit to secure your date.
A Regency spa town with the Cotswold edge behind it
Cheltenham grew into a spa town after mineral springs were found there in 1716, and a visit from George III in 1788 made it fashionable. It is still known for its Regency architecture, and it has a railway station and a racecourse whose March Festival fills the town’s hotels. Behind it the land rises to the Cotswold escarpment, where Cleeve Hill, at about 330 metres, is the highest point in both the Cotswolds and Gloucestershire.
For a wedding, that gives you two kinds of setting within a short drive of each other. In the town there are manor houses and hotels where the whole day can stay under one roof and guests can arrive by train. Up on the Cotswold side, barns and inns in villages such as Withington and Andoversford are reached by car. The useful question when you start looking is not which is prettier but which one your guests will find easiest, and which one leaves room for the day you are picturing.
We have worked at weddings in both settings, and this guide follows them: Lauren and Wayne at Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham, Harriet and Kyle at The Barn at Upcote in Withington and Lucy and Jack at The Frogmill near Andoversford. Dumbleton Hall, where Lucy and Christian and Emma and Jason married, is at Dumbleton near Evesham, on the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire border, so we have labelled it as nearby. Lauren and Wayne’s highlight film from Manor by the Lake is in the wedding film section. For the wider county, see our Gloucestershire guide.
Booking photography and film together near Cheltenham
Cam and Beth are a photo and video duo, and they have photographed and filmed over 400 weddings together since 2016. For a Cheltenham wedding the benefit shows up mostly in the planning: one timetable, one set of addresses and one place to send your questions, whether the day stays in a single hotel or moves from a town ceremony to a barn up the hill.
The photo and video team package has a £120 deposit and a £300 saving compared with booking photography and videography separately. We are based near Cardiff, and travel across England and Wales is included in our standard full-day packages, so a Gloucestershire venue is planned in the same way as one closer to home.
01 / Hatherley Lane, Cheltenham / Lauren & Wayne
Manor by the Lake: a parquet aisle, an ivy doorway and rings of hanging greenery
Lauren and Wayne married at Manor by the Lake in August 2022. Their story begins with the bride walking down a parquet aisle on the arm of a man in a navy suit, beneath a brass chandelier and in front of a tall mirror, with carved dark wood behind her and a guest in the foreground turning to watch. The next photograph is the way back out: the couple laugh and hold hands under a floral arch in a bay window while guests clap, and the first portrait is a kiss on the forehead inside a pointed stone doorway thick with ivy.
The venue describes the house as a Victorian manor house in seven acres of grounds, with a private, spring-fed lake, and it is hired for exclusive use. The wider photographs show why the house itself matters here. In one the couple walk hand in hand, seen from behind, up a gravel path between rounded clipped hedges towards an ivy-covered stone house with a tower, a red-leaved tree beside it. In another, in black and white, the groom holds the bride from behind among trees with low sun coming through the leaves, kissing her cheek while she smiles with her eyes closed.
Manor by the Lake is licensed for indoor and outdoor ceremonies, and its own FAQ names the Italian Pavilion, the Manor Arches, the lakeside and the Italianate Gardens outdoors and a Ballroom indoors. Lauren and Wayne’s ceremony photographs are indoors, so it is worth asking which of those spaces would be open to you on your date and what the wet-weather plan is. The room laid for the wedding breakfast is quite different in mood from the panelled ceremony room: pale and high, with string lights across the ceiling, hanging rings of greenery, a crystal globe light, candelabras and long wooden tables with chair covers tied in bows. If your ceremony and meal are in different rooms, ask how long the turnaround takes and where your guests will wait.
Beyond the main house, the venue lists Butterfly Cottage and Redgrove Lodge, the lodge a short walk from the manor, so a larger wedding party can sleep on site. Ask which rooms and cottages come with your booking and how late the evening can run. Lauren and Wayne’s highlight film is in the wedding film section below.
For current venue details, explore Manor by the Lake.
02 / Withington, near Cheltenham / Harriet & Kyle
The Barn at Upcote: two dachshunds, a flight of stone steps and a barn laid for dinner
Harriet and Kyle married at The Barn at Upcote in May 2023. The first photograph is the bridal party on a bed: the bride, in white pyjamas and a pearl headband, sits cross-legged between four women in sage-green satin robes, everyone laughing, each holding a white champagne flute. Outdoors, the couple stand in front of a big tree and each hold a dachshund, one in a tiny bow tie and the other in a white tulle skirt. Then they come down a wide flight of stone steps hand in hand under a bright sky, the bride gathering her long lace skirt. The kiss on the cheek in an open field, her bouquet of dried flowers and grasses held between them, is the photograph at the top of this guide.
Upcote describes itself as a family-run, exclusive-use Cotswold barn venue set around an English country garden courtyard.
The venue holds a civil ceremony licence, and ceremonies can be held indoors or outdoors, in the courtyard or the gardens. Legal ceremonies run through Gloucestershire County Council Registrars, and independent celebrant and humanist ceremonies are welcome too. For the wedding breakfast, Upcote names the Threshing Barn for up to 120 guests, the Grain Store for up to 50 and a Bar Barn, with day capacity from 2 to 120 and evening guests up to 150. Harriet and Kyle’s breakfast room is a stone barn with exposed oak roof beams and an iron chandelier, set with round tables in white linen and sage-green runners, and a hexagonal wooden arch beside the door. Ask which space your numbers would use, what the plan is if rain moves a courtyard ceremony indoors and, if a dog is part of your day as these two were, what the venue’s rules are.
Two later photographs hold the second half of the day. In the first, the groom reads his speech from a folded sheet beside the top table, with white drapes and flowers on a hexagonal wooden frame behind him, while the bride looks up at him smiling. In the last, the two stand close in low golden light with soft green trees behind them, the groom wearing a dried-flower buttonhole. The venue includes a honeymoon suite on the night, so the couple’s day can end on site, which makes a slow golden-hour walk easier to plan. Harriet and Kyle’s highlight film is in the wedding film section below.
For current venue details, explore The Barn at Upcote.
03 / Shipton Oliffe, Andoversford / Lucy & Jack
The Frogmill: confetti at a church porch, a water wheel and bridesmaids in terracotta
Lucy and Jack married at The Frogmill in April 2024. Their story starts in a room papered with a blue and red leaf pattern, where a make-up artist in black works on the bride as she sits on a tall director’s chair with a glass in her hand, and then five women in white pyjamas toast on a bed under a blue block-printed quilt. The ceremony photograph is outside a church: the couple walk hand in hand out of a pointed stone porch through falling confetti, the groom giving a thumbs up and guests laughing around them. Back at the inn, the wedding party lines up on gravel in front of the stone walls and stone-slate roof: five men in light grey suits, the bride in an off-the-shoulder gown and four bridesmaids in terracotta dresses with white bouquets.
The Frogmill is a Grade II listed Cotswold stone inn, listed in 1952, and its own pages mention a river and a watermill; the dark wooden water wheel behind the couple in the garden portrait is part of that setting. The venue describes 28 boutique bedrooms, and a listed bridge over the River Coln stands near the inn. The portraits wander the grounds: the two of them walk down worn stone steps beside white handrails and a stone urn, and stand on a gravel path between clipped hedges with the mill and its wheel behind them, each turning to look at the other.
The venue lists several event spaces: the Mill Room for up to 150 people, with its own stage, the Snug for 50, the Alcove for 20 and a private dining room for 8. Lucy and Jack held their ceremony in church, so their day moved between a church and the inn. Ask the venue whether it can host a ceremony itself or whether you would marry elsewhere, and how long to allow for guests to travel between the two and park.
The last photograph is the first dance, in a panelled room with leaded windows and a wooden floor, nobody else in the frame and the bride’s long veil trailing behind her. A quiet photograph like this needs a few minutes with the room to yourselves, so ask the venue how the evening is paced and when the music starts.
For current venue details, explore The Frogmill.
04 / Dumbleton, near Evesham / Lucy & Christian, Emma & Jason
Dumbleton Hall: a vintage car, a chandelier and a lawn in front of the house
Lucy and Christian married at Dumbleton Hall in September 2023. Their story begins in a room with green walls and a sloping ceiling, where the groom, in a cream checked suit with a navy waistcoat and a floral tie, sits in an armchair opening a small card. A black and white photograph catches him at the front of a room, a hand pressed to his mouth, while a groomsman beside him smiles. Outside, the couple kiss in a shower of white confetti in front of a carved stone doorway, with guests in navy and pink watching, and then again beside a vintage wedding car on a gravel drive, with wooded hills and a large conifer behind them.
Dumbleton Hall is a Grade II* listed Tudor-style country house, designed by George Stanley Repton and built around 1830 for Edward Holland. Dumbleton is a village in Gloucestershire, though the hotel’s postal address reads Evesham, Worcestershire. The hotel describes itself as a country house in the Cotswolds, between Stratford-upon-Avon and Cheltenham, with gardens and a lake, and it offers ceremonies and drinks in the gardens with the option to stay in the house. Its wedding text has mentioned a marquee for sit-down meals for 150 guests, so confirm the current arrangements and capacity. The car photograph shows the setting well: parkland and wooded hills beyond a terrace of wicker chairs, with the stone corner of the house at the edge of the frame.
Overnight stays are part of the wedding offer, and the hotel lists rooms and suites including a Master Suite and a Manor Suite. Historic England’s listing records a panelled hall, a panelled ballroom with plasterwork and a library with a decorated plaster ceiling. Lucy and Christian’s evening photograph is a dip and a kiss beneath a gilt chandelier in a dark-panelled room, with light-up letters, a mirror ball in the bay window and a wooden dance floor. Ask which of the house’s rooms are open to a wedding party in the evening, where the music has to stop and how late guests who are not staying can remain.
Emma and Jason married here in May 2022, and two photographs from their day close the story. The first is a kiss under leafy trees in soft green light, the groom in navy with a pink rose buttonhole and the bride in a lace gown and short veil. The second shows the house from the lawn: the two of them walk away across wide grass towards a stone house of gables, turrets and tall chimneys, with guests gathered on the terrace in front. Seen from that distance, the photograph is mostly about scale, and the couple are small in it.
For current venue details, explore Dumbleton Hall.
Planning around Cheltenham’s trains, race weeks and hills
Cheltenham Spa station and the M5
Cheltenham Spa station is about a mile from the town centre. Great Western Railway runs services towards Swindon, with some trains continuing to London Paddington in about two hours (not every train runs through, so check the live timetable), while CrossCountry runs between Cardiff Central and Birmingham New Street and Transport for Wales runs to Cardiff. By road, M5 junction 11 joins the A40 between Gloucester and Cheltenham, and Gloucestershire County Council describes that stretch as very busy at the morning and afternoon peaks, so give a Friday-afternoon arrival extra time.
Festival week in March
The Cheltenham Festival arrives every March, and in 2027 it runs from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March, with the Gold Cup on the last day. Local accommodation is often booked months, sometimes a year, ahead, and many visitors reserve a room as they leave the previous Festival. If your wedding is in March, check your guests’ hotels against those dates before you settle the day, and tell us early if their travel plans cross that week. The racecourse sits at Prestbury Park, just below the Cotswold escarpment.
A hotel in town or a barn on the hill
Manor by the Lake is within Cheltenham itself, on Hatherley Lane, so a town hotel and the venue are close together. The Barn at Upcote says it is about 10 minutes from Cheltenham and easy to reach from the M5, and route planners put Andoversford about 10 minutes and Withington about 15 minutes away by car without traffic. Those are short drives, but they are still drives: for a village venue, ask about shuttles, book return taxis ahead and think about older guests and anyone with young children. Dumbleton Hall is farther out again, on the Evesham side, and our Worcestershire guide covers that side of the border.
Light, wind and the escarpment
The hills above Cheltenham climb to Cleeve Hill, about 330 metres up, and the Cotswold Way runs along the escarpment above the town. Higher ground is usually cooler and windier than the streets below, so a guest at a village venue may want a layer that the town would not ask for. In June and July the light lasts well past 9pm, while in December it has gone by about 4pm, which decides whether portraits happen before or after the meal. Ask each venue what the wet-weather plan is and which room you would use for photographs if the garden is out of reach.
Before you enquire: write down the station your guests will use, where you are getting ready, where you are marrying and where the party ends. If any of those are in the hills and your guests are staying in town, tell us how they will make the journey, and we will plan the timings around it.
Beyond Cheltenham the same hills run on through The Cotswolds guide and, further north around Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold, the North Cotswolds guide. South of the town, the valleys around Stroud and Tetbury have their own guide, and the M5 leads on to our Bristol guide.
Wedding film near Cheltenham, and the sound around the photograph
A photograph holds a single look. A film keeps the sound around it: the vows as they were said, the pause before a speech, the point where a quiet room becomes a dance floor. It is the part of the day you cannot get back from still images, and it is easier to plan well when the photographs and the film are thought about together.
Full-day video packages include a 7 to 10 minute highlight and a 40+ minute documentary film. Lauren and Wayne married at Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham in August 2022 and Harriet and Kyle at The Barn at Upcote in May 2023, so the two highlights show a summer day in town and a spring day on the Cotswold edge. Watch Lauren and Wayne’s highlight from Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham and Harriet and Kyle’s highlight from The Barn at Upcote in Withington below.
The wedding videography package page lists current inclusions, and our wedding films show more weddings from across England and Wales.
A real wedding on film
Manor by the Lake: Lauren and Wayne’s August 2022 wedding on film
Lauren and Wayne’s highlight follows their August 2022 wedding at Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham. Watch it alongside their photographs in this guide, then ask the manor which of its spaces suit your numbers.
Explore Manor by the Lake’s wedding spaces
Manor by the Lake / Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Lauren & Wayne
Watch Lauren & Wayne’s Manor by the Lake wedding film →
Watch their highlight on YouTubeA real wedding on film
The Barn at Upcote: Harriet and Kyle’s May 2023 wedding on film
Harriet and Kyle’s highlight follows their May 2023 wedding at The Barn at Upcote in Withington, a short way from Cheltenham. Watch it alongside their photographs in this guide, then ask Upcote which spaces suit your plans.
Explore The Barn at Upcote’s wedding spaces
The Barn at Upcote / Withington, Gloucestershire
Harriet & Kyle
Watch Harriet & Kyle’s The Barn at Upcote wedding film →
Watch their highlight on YouTubeQuestions about weddings near Cheltenham
Do you photograph and film weddings in Cheltenham?
Yes. Cam and Beth cover Cheltenham, the villages on the Cotswold edge above it, such as Withington and Andoversford, and the country towards Evesham, with documentary photography and film. We are a photo and video duo based near Cardiff, and travel across England and Wales is included in our standard full-day packages. Send your date and venue and we will confirm availability.
Which real weddings can we see in this guide?
You can see Lauren and Wayne at Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham, Harriet and Kyle at The Barn at Upcote in Withington, and Lucy and Jack at The Frogmill near Andoversford. Lucy and Christian and Emma and Jason married at Dumbleton Hall, at Dumbleton near Evesham on the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire border, and are labelled as nearby. The two highlight films are Lauren and Wayne at Manor by the Lake and Harriet and Kyle at The Barn at Upcote.
Many of our guests are coming by train. How should we plan around Cheltenham?
Cheltenham Spa station is about a mile from the town centre, with Great Western Railway services towards Swindon and some trains on to London Paddington, CrossCountry between Cardiff Central and Birmingham New Street, and Transport for Wales to Cardiff. Check the live timetable, because not every London train runs through. A village venue needs a taxi or shuttle for the last miles. Guests flying in will probably land at Birmingham or Bristol and finish by rail or hire car.
Does the Cheltenham Festival affect a March wedding?
It can. The 2027 Festival runs from Tuesday 16 to Friday 19 March, and local hotels are often booked months, sometimes a year, ahead. If you are marrying in March, check where your guests can stay before you settle the date, and expect busier trains and roads around those days. Send your date and venue and we will plan the timings around how everyone is getting there.
What should we think about for the season and the weather?
The light shapes the plan. In June and July it lasts well past 9pm, while in December it has gone by about 4pm, so a winter wedding often means portraits before the meal. The hills above Cheltenham are more exposed than the town, with Cleeve Hill reaching about 330 metres, so guests may want a layer at a village venue. Ask every venue what the wet-weather plan is.
Is a barn or inn on the Cotswold edge very different from a hotel in Cheltenham?
The difference is mostly logistics. A venue within Cheltenham is closer to the station and the town’s hotels, while a barn or inn in a village such as Withington or Andoversford means a drive, which route planners put at roughly 10 to 15 minutes from the town in light traffic. Tell us which you are weighing and we will talk through how each tends to work for photographs and film.
How much does a Cheltenham wedding photographer and videographer cost?
Our standard full-day packages start at £1,999 for photography, £1,999 for videography and £3,699 for photography and videography together. Travel across England and Wales is included in these packages, so a venue in Cheltenham or up on the Cotswold edge is priced like any other. Longer packages add more coverage and extras, and the package pages show the current inclusions.
Can we book photography and videography together?
Yes. Our photo and video team package brings Cam and Beth together on one timetable, with a £120 deposit and a £300 saving compared with booking photography and videography separately. Full-day video packages include a 7 to 10 minute highlight and a 40+ minute documentary film. The package pages show current coverage and prices.
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Planning your wedding near Cheltenham?
Send your date and venue, whether that is a hotel in town or a barn up on the Cotswold edge, along with the coverage you are thinking about. We would love to hear about the people, the place and the day you have in mind.