The Perch Oxford Wedding Photos

“We did not need to think twice about booking him. In fact, we booked Jonny before we booked either of our venues. It was the easiest decision we made (other than to get married)!”

Meeting the old fashioned way, via a mutual friend Helen (who was one of the bridesmaids) while both in their final year at Oxford. Over 8 years later, Henry managed to surprise Emily with a proposal whilst on a walk in the Brecon Beacons. He asked her to pose for a selfie, which actually turned out to be a set up to capture the entire event on camera!

What was your Oxford wedding inspiration?

We had two main criteria for wedding decisions – is it fun and is it personal? For decor, we had personal details such as homemade sloe gin, with the bottles labelled with the names of friends who helped us pick the sloes the month after we got engaged. Postcards with photos of our guests on served as an alternative to a guestbook. For the fun touches, we had an awesome live band (The Maida Vales), a beautiful flower curtain, plenty of confetti for aggressive confetti throwing (handmade by the mother of the groom), a vintage post box, sparklers – as well as a few great surprises from the mother-of-the-bride (e.g. guestbook jenga!). Having Independent Musicians Collective, the choir that Henry’s sister Katie is in, sing during our service smashed both criteria out the bag.

Why choose Divinity School and The Perch Oxford?

Getting married in Oxford was meaningful to us, not only because is it where we met, but it is also geographically in the middle of where we were brought up (Emily in London, Henry in Cheltenham). We are not religious, but loved the idea of a more ‘formal’ setting for our ceremony followed by somewhere relaxed for a good party. The Divinity Schools of the Bodleian Library was perfect. The Perch was ideal for the reception – a relaxed ‘English country garden’ setting, with great food and a gorgeously decorated marquee. With the added bonus that we could arrive by boat. We didn’t need to visit any other venues!

Alan Hannah Wedding Dress | Teokath London

My very first bridal appointment at Teokath in Wimbledon, I found the dress! I wanted to make sure I had checked out all options, however, so I kept looking. Each new dress I found I was comparing back to this one, so I went back to get it. It is by Alan Hannah, a British designer. I loved its simplicity, with the detail on the back, and apart from being pretty hot on the day (it was the hottest day of the year so far), I am so glad I went for it! henry wore a Ted Baker suit, with a tie and pocket square from Etsy. The lovely new cufflinks which were a wedding present from Emily’s parents. With eight adult bridesmaids with their own styles and personalities, we thought it might look be too much to have fully matching outfits. We absolutely loved the powder blue colour of the Maids to Measure dresses, and the ability to have mismatching styles. They accessorised with their own jewellery and shoes. They all looked beautiful!

Advice for those planning their wedding now?

1. Wedding planning is essentially an exercise in decision-making. Try to make them quickly, and then move on. Back yourself for making the best possible decision at each point, and try not to over think it after. It is only one day, after all!

2. Have fun with the small details. They really don’t matter, so you don’t need to stress about them, but they can be the most enjoyable part of wedding planning as a result. We have really loved hearing our guests talk about the fun additional touches that we added in the weeks after the wedding

3. Take time out to be together as a couple on your wedding day. We had a 40 minute boat journey after our service with just us, our sisters and Jonny – which was the perfect opportunity to soak it all in

4. Be organised!

The Perch Oxford Wedding Photos

We were lucky enough to have two very strong recommendations from Henry’s sisters (Katie and Louise). Both had Jonny photograph their weddings. We absolutely loved their photos. We did not need to think twice about booking him. In fact, we booked Jonny before we booked either of our venues. It was the easiest decision we made (other than to get married)!

We loved how much fun it was! Jonny’s emphasis is all about natural, candid photography, and just going with the flow of the day. Jonny is easy going, makes you feel super relaxed and doesn’t ask for any cheesy posing. What more could you want? It was also particularly special to have Jonny shoot his Knight wedding hat trick! Book Jonny before you book your venue, like we did. You will not regret it!