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About Us

Paul Figg

Founder

Kent-born with a passion for nature, from an early age it was almost inevitable that the rolling hills and honeycombed-coloured houses of the Cotswolds would eventually draw me in. When not found in the hills themselves, you’ll likely find me at my day job, working behind the scenes of Cotswolds Wedding (tinkering with technical things that I probably shouldn’t touch) or welcoming new local businesses to the site. Oh, and at a wedding? I rarely stray far from the dance floor!

Ainsley Brolly

Social media exec.

I’ve always loved weddings; with a large extended family, there’s been plenty to attend over the years! From the dress, to the dinner, I find the whole experience simply magical. You’ll struggle to get me off the dance floor – my record being four straight hours of dancing – I even missed out on the evening buffet! I cover all things social media for Cotswolds Wedding and occasionally take the reigns of welcoming new businesses to the site when Paul’s in the hills!

Our Cotswolds Wedding story

Hi, I’m Paul and here’s the story of how Cotswolds Wedding came to be.

Where do we begin?

Cotswolds Wedding was born out of a need to help local wedding businesses during a time of hardship. When I tell you that we began putting the website together in early 2020, your mind doesn’t have to wander far to remember what caused this hardship.
newspaper-with-coronavirus-headline
plastic-model-of-wedding-couple-in-spotlight

Time to brain storm

We were all hit hard by COVID-19, but some faced far larger hurdles than others. I was fortunate. As a local guy working with a fantastic marketing team in the North Cotswolds, I had been furloughed and found myself with the gift of time.  Having lived and fallen in love with the Cotswolds over several years, I knew I had to help the local businesses that kept it ticking over. After a few days brain-scratching, it became clear how to put my marketing skills to good use.

"we teamed up to help local wedding businesses with a simple goal"

With myself tackling the website side of things and my partner-in-crime Ainsley as social media growth ‘guru’, we teamed up to help local wedding businesses with two simple goals:

During lockdown:

  • Ensure local wedding suppliers and venues maintain their social and online presence during the COVID-19 outbreak.

After lockdown:

  • Help couples find the best and most reputable local suppliers and venues by providing a platform that further extends the reach of the amazing businesses that have joined us.
With myself tackling the website side of things and my partner-in-crime Ainsley as social media growth ‘guru’, we teamed up to help local wedding businesses with two simple goals:

During lockdown:

  • Ensure local wedding suppliers and venues maintain their social and online presence during the COVID-19 outbreak.

After lockdown:

  • Help couples find the best and most reputable local suppliers and venues by providing a platform that further extends the reach of the amazing businesses that have joined us.

Why wedding businesses?

Why wedding businesses?

There wasn’t a single website dedicated to compiling Cotswolds wedding businesses all-in-one place, so finding them wasn’t easy – especially with all the competition out there! It was clear that this new platform was needed to strengthen the future of the Cotswolds – even after difficult times.

But we didn’t want to make this just another directory, signposting from one place to another while charging a fortune. There’s plenty of these nationwide already and smaller independent businesses often don’t have the advertising budget to afford them. So, from the get-go we set out to do things differently.
wedding-couple-clasp-hands-in-love-heart-shape

"we took an alternative approach"

Minimalist

As was already determined, our focus is local, and this means we can strip away all the usual overwhelming filters and options that often bombard (and turn off) users/couples.

The Result?

A minimalist design for an easy, effortless and enjoyable supplier-finding experience:

Building a Community

Our local-focus also put us on the path toward developing a community – an opportunity that we clutched with both hands. It began with building a relationship with everyone we feature, but soon branched out to more inclusive avenues…

How we breakdown the barriers between suppliers and couples:

  • We look to touch base and regularly update those who’ve joined us, especially when we reveal any exciting new developments!
  • We feature guest blog posts from those who join us to provide inspiration for both other supplies and future couples, and
  • Everyone who joins us is ‘introduced’ to all our followers on Instagram and Facebook with a dedicated post.
We also have a few more ideas in the pipeline so watch this space!

Feedback was positive

As you’ll see from the comments below – it quickly became obvious to us that local wedding businesses had been waiting for such a platform.

"It's so heartwarming to hear you've spent this time supporting others. I'm all for this so please let me know if I can do anything to support you back!"
Charlie FloundersCharlie Flounders Photography
"A wonderful idea to keep us all going during this very weird period of uncertainty."
Sarah McLeanWedding Coordinator, Dumbleton Hall Hotel
"It's a brilliant idea to create a platform to promote the network of people working in the Cotswolds!"
Victoria AbboshVictoria Abbosh Makeup
Victoria Abbosh
"I've just had a look through everything, and it looks great! Love it!" ... "Keep up the great work and can't wait to see more from you guys!".
Kate CliftRetropress
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Anyway, that’s enough about us – what about you?

We’re always keen to hear your ideas on how we can help fulfill our goal. Or perhaps you’d like to join our growing community of like-minded suppliers who keep the Cotswolds ticking over? Get in touch or find out how to join us today.

Join us

About Cotswolds Wedding

As the only wedding directory based in the Cotswolds, we specialise in bringing the best venues & suppliers that this glorious area has to offer to the lovely couples looking to tie the knot here.

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