Cotswolds 88 Hotel is an intimate lifestyle boutique hotel set in the hauntingly beautiful village of Painswick. Here, the modern and vintage merge; the historic exterior and funky interior breathe new life into the foundations of this stunning country retreat. The hotels ethos is based on the latest lounge trend in which luxury and chill out blend together. Cotswolds 88 Hotel in Painswick, Gloucestershire is fully licensed to hold civil ceremonies and partnerships for up to 120 guests.
This really is a stunning venue… intimate, classy, elegant and trendy all rolled into one. If you’d prefer, you could have your wedding ceremony in St. Mary’s Church which is literally a couple of minutes walk from the hotel along a quiet country lane… maybe 5 minutes in heels, followed by your wedding reception at the hotel. When I photographed a winter wedding here, the bride had organised for paper bag lanterns to line the sides of the lane, lighting the way from the church back to the hotel. It was very pretty and was wonderful to see the newlyweds walking arm in arm back to the hotel with their friends and family following closely behind. It was a very picturesque scene.
Please contact me to chat about your wedding photography at Cotswolds 88 Hotel.
To view a blog post about Nicola and Cameron’s Winter Wedding at Cotswolds 88 Hotel please click here.
Images Copyright of Kathryn Andrews Photography 2010-2012
With our tummies satisfied after our lunch date, my friend Lizzie and I got into the car and made our way back to my flat in Southampton, Hampshire… Lizzie was on a lunch break from work and had to head back for a meeting and I was going to carry on with some editing. As I drove into the car park I was a bit miffed that a car I didn’t recognise had parked exactly half way between my space (my allocated space) and another parking space next to me. This left me no option but to park in the space to the right of mine which I didn’t really want to do. The elderly man who used to park there and who has lived in the flat below me for the past seven years sadly passed away on Sunday. I knew he wouldn’t be needing the space but thought that somebody might… somebody who cared deeply for him who might be coming to visit his home. As Lizzie and I walked around the corner towards my front door, I saw her, his companion in life, his friend and his carer. I had opened my door to her two days earlier and she stood there in front of me… an elderly woman with glazed eyes, telling me ever so calmly that Les had gone. I had wanted to throw my arms around her and give her a hug… but although we have spoken often, I somehow felt that I didn’t know her well enough. Truth be told, she reminded me of my nan, and if I had hugged her, the flood gates to my own heart were certain to open and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to close them again. I also knew that in front of me stood a very dignified woman who was trying her hardest to remain composed. Aside from the age difference, she and I are very similar, we have the same outlook on life and I have happily stood and chatted with her about all manner of things over the years. I knew that if I put my arms around her those glazed blue eyes would overflow with tears. “Hi Pam!” I called out with a smile on my face… she was heading towards her car which she had parked on the roadside. She turned around and indicated for me to wait. She wanted me to find a phone number for her so that she could start sorting things out for Les. I said goodbye to Lizzie and invited Pam upstairs to my flat. As I opened the front door I picked up a pile of post which had landed on the mat. I was aware of a parcel although I didn’t think too much about it as I was busy thinking about all the things Pam would have to organise. When somebody dies, it is not easy trying to deal with formalities. Especially when that person has no other family. I found her the phone number she wanted and we spoke for a while. I could see she was hurting… I could see the huge void that was left in her life… I could see she was numb. But this brave woman will carry on regardless and will remain dignified. If it was me, I’d be a blubbering mess but the fact that Pam held it together does not make her care any less. She cares a LOT. She spoke about Les and how strange it would be now that he was no longer here and she wouldn’t be driving him to various places and preparing his meals…they had both lost their partners some years ago and had found happiness in each other’s company. She paused briefly and then told me about the garden and her grand daughter and how she still had a lot of things in her life to keep her busy. Then she made her way home. Why is it that when faced with these situations we never really know what to say to someone? I tried my best, I was kind to her as I always am… but I somehow wanted to do more. I closed the door and made my way back to my desk. Les… you are most definitely in my thoughts. Rest in peace my friend. I looked at the pile of post sat waiting to be opened. I couldn’t remember ordering anything. I certainly wasn’t expecting a parcel. I opened it and inside was a present! I say it was a present because I could see a rectangular shaped object wrapped in gorgeous black and silver wrapping paper. My eyes lit up… someone had sent me a present! I pulled it out of the outer packaging and carefully lifted the sellotape; I didn’t want to tear the paper – it was too pretty to tear. Haha… I always do that but I don’t know why because I doubt that I’ll reuse it. Inside was an envelope and a book. I opened the envelope to see who it was from, then I smiled. In December 2010 I travelled to the Cotswolds to photograph the wedding of Cameron and Nicola at Cotswolds 88 Hotel in Painswick and they were writing to show me their gratitude. The card read…
Dear Kathryn, Apologies for the very belated card but Cam’s Australian family have only just gone home after Christmas so it is only now that things are beginning to get back to normal! We wanted to give you a massive ‘Thank You’ for our wedding photography. I still can’t quite believe how generous you were to come all the way out to the Cotswolds. The pictures are just amazing. Far better than we ever imagined they could be. You are so talented and I’m sure with your professionalism and nature that your business is going to be a huge success. All my friends have commented on how brilliant the pictures are and I will spread the word to all brides I meet as well. I will want to get some books done soon so will be in touch about those shortly but thank you so much again for everything. Best Regards, Nicola and Cameron x
I was so touched to read that and I’m sure they won’t mind me sharing their kind words with you. I travelled to the Cotswolds from Southampton in Hampshire to photograph this very elegant winter wedding which I was more than happy to do. Of course, Nicola had already thanked me by email and text but it was still nice to receive a card and with it was a rather lovely looking book – ‘Annie Leibovitz at Work’. What a thoughtful gesture! Nicola and Cameron have really thought about this kind gift and that means a lot to me. I’m going to take a bit of time away from my computer this afternoon and start reading it. I’ve had a quick flick through the pages and some of the photographs in there are just incredible. I have a feeling Annie will be a huge inspiration to me. Thank you so much to both of you x 
I’ve been looking forward to blogging about this wedding for months! Nicola contacted me a while back after she found me on Rock ‘n’ Roll Bride and told me how much she loved my photos 
))). We arranged to meet and discussed the wedding and photography requirements. Not only had Nicola chosen an amazing wedding venue at the Cotswolds 88 Hotel, she was also a lovely person and I was already looking forward to her big day.
Saturday finally arrived and I made the journey from Southampton in Hampshire to the Cotswolds where Nicola was to marry her Australian fiance, Cameron, and the day went without a hitch. The venue was absolutely amazing; Cotswolds 88 Hotel is an intimate lifestyle boutique hotel set in the hauntingly beautiful village of Painswick. Here, the modern and vintage merge with the historic exterior and funky interior breathing new life into the foundations of this stunning country retreat. The hotel’s ethos is based on the latest lounge trend in which luxury and chill out blend together.
This was a very elegant, classy wedding yet showed off Nicola’s creativity through the choice of venue and all the little details she added. Nicola looked stunning in her Grecian style wedding dress and her gorgeous Gucci shoes added the finishing touch. Cameron looked like a very happy man!
I’d like to thank Nicola and Cameron for choosing me to provide their wedding photography. It really was an amazing day! Please forgive me for the rather large amount of images I’ve added to the gallery, but this is really just a very small number of photos from the day. Enjoy! )
