Voco Oxford Thames Wedding Photography - Gemma and James

A summer wedding at an Oxford riverside hotel

“Wow! These are absolutely incredible! You guys are truly very talented!”

— Gemma and Thomas

In July 2021 we had the pleasure of being the wedding photographers for Gemma and Thomas wedding at Radley Church, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, with a reception at Voco Oxford Thames Hotel. As usual, our day started with Sam covering Gemma’s preparation at her family home, whilst Steve was with Thomas and his family. The couple had a lovely church wedding at Radley church, and departed in a gorgeous classic car for their venue, stopping of with us at some local fields for some couple portraits before heating on to their reception at Voco Oxford Thames.

Voco Oxford Thames is a high quality Oxford Hotel to the south of the city. It is ideally located on the side of the River Thames, with lovely grounds and gardens that lead down to the river. There are gorgeous gardens, ideal for bride and groom portraits as in the photo of Gemma and Thomas above. The hotel is part of the IHG group, and is fully licensed for wedding ceremonies, which means couples can have their whole wedding day at the hotel, and they and their guests can stay the night in a top quality hotel. We have photographed weddings a number of times at Voco Oxford Thames, and thoroughly recommend it as a wedding venue. The staff are attentive and professional, there are plenty of places for photos and you can book a toast master/master of ceremonies to ensure your day goes to plan. As Oxfordshire wedding photographers, we are pleased to be recommended suppliers for 2022.

As always, we photographed Gemma and Thomas in an unobtrusive, relaxed informal way, as well as of course capturing some group photos and portraits of the couple. We stayed well into the evening, after the couples first dance, to capture some candid photos of the couple and their guests enjoying the late evening light in July.

Here are a selection of photographs from Gemma and Thomas’s Voco Oxford Thames wedding.

If you are planning a wedding at Voco Oxford Thames, or at any other Oxfordshire wedding venue, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us here:

Stratton Court Barn Wedding Photographer - Emma and Simon

An outdoor wedding at an Oxfordshire rustic barn location

We photographed the lovely Stratton Court Barn Wedding of Emma and Simon, on a sunny September day in 2019. It is always a priviledge to photograph at this lovely Oxfordshire barn location; not least in that it is just three miles from our Bicester home! Stratton Court Barn is a gorgeous rustic location to host a wedding. Set in the Oxfordshire countryside, but convenient also for Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, Stratton Court is a sole use wedding venue, fully licenced for wedding ceremonies. As well as the large ceremony room, that can seat 90 guests, there is also a separate bar and lounge area for the wedding guests to have a drink, and of course for the post wedding dancing. When you add in the dedicated bridal preparation room and the lovely gardens and fields surrounding the venue, Stratton Court really is a perfect place to get married in Oxfordshire.

For Emma and Simon’s big day, the weather gods smiled on them, and they were able to have their wedding ceremony and their wedding breakfast outside on the courtyard of the barn. We know Emma and Simon well, as friends, whom we got to know at a local pub. In addition Ness (one of Emma’s bridesmaids) and Sean, who run the wonderful Chilterns pub The Blackwood Arms, are also good friends, who gave us good advice when we ran a pub several years ago. Emma’s other bridesmaid Louise we also know well (she also runs a pub; the Red Lion, Penn!)

As usual, Sam’s day started with bride and bridesmade preparation at Emma and Simon’s home. In my case, I was with Simon and his best man at a Turkish barbers in Bicester! (I made a mental note never to have my ears and nose waxed - ouch!).

I arrived at Stratton Court with Simon to photograph his family and guests arriving. Sam arrived with Emma and the bridesmaids. I photographed the ceremony from the front and to the side, including the part when the couple have to step in side to do the legal part of the ceremony (due to the arcane licencing laws in the UK). Sam as normal was stationed at the back of proceeding, to be in pole position for the first kiss photo and the couples recessional.

Karin, the wonderful wedding co-ordinator at Stratton Court Barn and her team did a great job of ensuring Emma and Simon’s guests were well supplied with drinks and canapes. After a few group photos in the nice garden area, we joined the wedding party for a wonderful ourdoor sit down meal. The courtyard at Stratton Court Barn is perfect for an outdoor wedding breakfast. After some amusing speeches, the bride and groom enjoyed mingling with their guests in the summer evening sun, before the partying and dancing started. As always, we stayed well into the evening to capture the dancing, as well as a sparkler run.

Thanks so much to Emma and Simon for having us along, and also to Karin and her team, whom we always enjoy working with.

Here is a selection of some of our documentary wedding photos from the day.

If you are looking for an Oxfordshire wedding barn location then Stratton Court Barn should be at the top of your list. And, if you would like a husband and wife team of wedding photographers to photograph your Oxfordshire wedding, we would love to hear from you! You can contact us by clicking the button below.

Cotswolds Hotel and Spa Wedding Photography-Daisy and Luke

A Spring 2020 Cotswolds Wedding

We photographed Daisy and Luke’s wedding at Cotswolds Hotel and Spa (also called the Cotswolds Club) on 1st March 2020. Based just on the edge of Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, this is a lovely venue with 114 hotel rooms, a marquee for the ceremony and a spa, not to mention a great golf course! Daisy had specifically requested no portraits or group photos for her wedding day, so, as we are documentary wedding photographers this was fine by us! Both bride and groom got ready at the venue, with Sam with Daisy and me with Luke. A wet and windy day meant most of the wedding took place indoors, and the ceremony in the large marquee at the venue. It also meant Daisy and her Dad came to the ceremony by golf buggy!

Daisy and Luke’s wedding was a really fun day and great to photograph, with their young son stealing the show in his scaled down Audi!

Below are a some of their wedding photos.

At the time of photographing this wedding, we could not have imaged the changes that were coming to life here in the UK due to Covid-19. At the time of writing (May 3rd), this was the last wedding we photographed. So far, we have worked with our couples to reschedule 21 weddings for this year. Take care everyone, and stay safe.

If you are planning a wedding and would like a husband and wife team of documentary wedding photographers, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us below.

Oxford Marquee Wedding Photography - Rebecca and Andrew

an islip, Oxford church wedding followed by a marquee in a family garden

“Ahr these are brilliant thank you so much great quality. We enjoyed having you both! You are both so lovely.

”

— Becky and Andy

Becky and Andy’s Oxfordshire wedding in May 2019 had a distinctly Scottish flavour! Although Becky grew up near to Oxford, Andy and her both live near Inverness these days, where Becky works as a midwife and Andy is in the armed forces. Andy’s family, friends and work colleagues ensured that plenty of Highland attire and men in uniform were on show on the day!

As usual, Samantha started the day with Becky’s bridal preparations at her parents home. In the garden was the marquee for the reception. I went to a nearby pub, the Red Lion in Islip, where Andy was getting ready and he was meeting his groomsmen. For their church wedding, a piper was on attendance. After a lovely ceremony, and a guard of honour for their confetti run, Becky and Andy made the short journey to the marquee by means of a vintage Landrover. Plenty of party games were on show including, ferret racing, a first for us at a wedding! The couple were piped into the marquee for dinner. Highlight of the speeches was an amusing self written and performed song from Becky sister!

After the speeches, and an wonderfully executed first dance, lots of partying took place and as usual we stayed well into the evening to photograph the merriment.

It was an absolute pleasure to be Becky and Andy’s photographers. Here is a small sample of their wedding images.

We also were pleased to capture some video of the day for Becky and Andy. Although we are very much photographers firstly, when we are both in the same place one of us can shoot some video. We can also leave a camera on a tripod running for the ceremony and speeches. However, we would recommend a full time videographer if funds allow of course. You can see the video highlights package we gave them here:

If you are planning an Oxfordshire wedding and you would like two documentary wedding photographers at your wedding (perhaps shooting a little video!), then we would love to hear from you. You can contact us here:

Manor Farm Barn Wedding Photography - Paulette and Jason

A spring wedding in a lovely Buckinghamshire Barn location

We are going back to May 2019 for the wedding of Paulette and Jason at Manor Farm Barn, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire. Marsh Gibbon is a nice village between Bicester and Aylesbury, and is on the border of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Manor Farm Barn is a family run wedding location, with the barn itself dating back to 1592. By 2002 it had fallen into disrepair; however that’s when the current owners the Benfield family decided to make it into a dedicated wedding venue. The first wedding, in 2005, was their daughter’s, Vikki, and it is Vikki that now does a fabulous job of running the business. Her care and attention to detail shines through with every wedding. We are pleased to be a recommended supplier at Manor Farm Barn.

For Paulette and Jason’s wedding, Sam photographed the bride getting ready as usual, whilst I met the groom at the barn as he arrived. They were blessed with a lovely spring day, which allowed plenty of opportunity for their guests to enjoy the outdoor space at the venue, and for us to take some unposed portraits of them in an adjacent field of cow parsley.

We loved photographing their wedding, and they have since become good friends of ours.

Here are some of the images from their day.

Steve

If you are planning a Manor Farm Barn wedding and would like two documentary style wedding photographers at your wedding we would love to hear from you. You can contact us using the button below.

Oxford University and Bodleian Library Wedding | Daisy and Adam

An Lincoln College Chapel wedding and Bodleian Library reception

“Thanks Steve and Sam!! They are amazing :). We have been looking at them all weekend!”

— Daisy and Adam

Daisy and Adam’s wedding took place in March 2019, and we were delighted to be their wedding photographers. They had met several years ago whilst studying at Oxford University, and both went to Lincoln College. Although they now both live and work in London, they naturally chose the chapel of Lincoln College for their wedding.

As we are Oxfordshire wedding photographers we often get to photograph weddings in the lovely city of Oxford (we are based in Bicester, 10 miles north of the city). It was a real treat for us to be photographing in Oxford again on this rather windy early Spring day.

Our day began with Sam photographing Daisy’s bridal preparation at the nearby Old Bank Hotel, whilst I was with the guys getting ready at one of the guest rooms at the college available for former students to visit. Daisy and Adam had booked a DIY video package from a company called Shoot It Yourself, based in Witney. Several of the wedding party therefore had video cameras and were shooting video as the preparations went along; you can see one of them in the mirror photo in the gallery at the end of this blog.

Their ceremony took place in the lovely intimate chapel of Lincoln College, which afforded lovely light through the stained glass windows onto the proceedings.

Whilst the register was being signed, their guests enjoyed some live music from the rear of the chapel. Once the ceremony was over we photographed Daisy and Adam’s confetti run, before they headed over for a short walk for a pint in their favourite pub from their student days. The White Horse on Broad Street is a quintessential Oxford pub and has featured several times in the TV classic “Inspector Morse” and the spin-off’s “Lewis” and “Endeavour”.  As they entered the pub, the customers burst into song, singing “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do...” to the bride!

Daisy and Adam enjoying a pint, whilst Sam and a cake, whilst Sam ask congratulates them!

After their drink, they made the short walk down to the famous Bodleian Library, for their reception and dinner. The Bodleian is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, is the 2nd biggest in the UK, and hosts over 13 million books. Many of these books are extremely rare and valuable. The “Bod”, as it is known by Oxford students, was also used as the Hogwarts library in several of the Harry Potter Films. For Daisy and Adam’s wedding, the main Divinity School was beautifully laid out with elaborate table decorations and colourful up-lighting. This and the catering were arranged by the wonderful Bayley Eyley from Be Eventful. The amazing flowers for the wedding were provided by the talented Joanna Carter, from Joanna Carter Flowers.

As usual, we stayed well into the evening to capture the dance floor partying, before finally leaving for the short bus ride back to Bicester.

Below are some of the photos from the day.

If you are looking for documentary style wedding photos for your wedding, whether in Oxford or further afield, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us below.

Bay Tree Burford Wedding - Joanne and Matt

A Spring wedding at a top Cotswolds wedding venue

Joanne and Matt’s wedding at the timeless Cotswolds wedding venue The Bay Tree Burford was an absolute pleasure to photograph. They were a lovely couple to work with, who specifically wanted mostly documentary style wedding photography, with just a few portraits and groups shots. The Bay Tree is one of our favourite venues; as Oxfordshire wedding photographers, we often get the opportunity to photograph weddings in the Cotswolds, and the Bay Tree is one of the best venues there. Part of the Cotswolds Inn group of hotels, the Bay Tree dates back to 1565 and has that quintessential Cotswolds charm and character. Based in the picture perfect Oxfordshire village of Burford, it’s a wonderful place to get married.

Matt and his groomsmen got ready in the hotel, after meeting up with some of their friends and family for a breakfast at Huffkins, a wonderful Cotwolds bakery and Tea Room a short walk away. Joanne and the bridesmaids preparation took place in the Lamb Inn, next door to the Bay Tree and owned by the same group. Their wedding ceremony and evening party were held in the Bay Tree conservatory, whilst their wedding breakfast took place in the main part of the hotel.

We loved photographing Joanne and Matt’s wedding and were thrilled to receive a lovely review from them on our Guides for Brides Page, part of which I’ve summarised below:

“
We met Sam and Steve at a wedding fair, and are so glad we chose them to photograph our wedding. We liked the fact that the specialise in documentary-style photography, as we wanted to have a nice mix of posed photos and more natural ones of us and our guests. Both Sam and Steve took time to find out about our wedding, the venue and what we wanted for the day, and responded quickly by email to any questions we had.
The quality of the photos from the engagement shoot and wedding were fantastic. The album containing the USB stick and the main album are things we will treasure. We really appreciated having full input into the layout of the albums following Sam putting together first drafts. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sam and Steve to other couples.”

— Joanne

Below are some of the photos we took for their Bay Tree wedding.

If you are looking for photography for your Bay Tree Burford wedding day, or for any other venue, we would love to hear from you. You contact us below.

Oxford Jam Factory Wedding Photography | Hannah and Michael

A quirky Oxford private wedding venue in the heart of the City

“
Thank you! We have had a quick look through them and really enjoyed all the photos - the posed group ones are really nice and all the natural ones are exactly as we hoped, a great memento of the day. You captured the setting just right!”

— Hannah and Michael

Hannah and Michael’s wedding took place in April 2019 in the heart of Oxford. Their wedding ceremony took place at Oxford Town Hall, followed by a short walk to the Oxford Jam Factory, with a short detour to Christchurch meadows for some photos.

Although we have photographed at the Town Hall before, this was the first time we had worked at the Oxford Jam Factory. As it’s name suggests, the venue previously was the home of the Famous Frank Cooper’s “Oxford” marmalade which was made on site between 1906 to 1968. Now a family run business since re-opening in 2006, the The Jam Factory is now a restaurant, art gallery and a venue for private events, including weddings.

Hannah and Michael had a slightly unusual wedding reception without a disco or band, but instead a variety of games were provided, and plenty of opportunities for a chat of course. It worked really well and was a lot of fun to photograph.

Here are some photos from their wedding day.

If you are looking for documentary wedding photography for your Jam Factory Wedding, or any other venue, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us via the button below.

Eynsham Hall Wedding Photography | Lisa and Ash

A Snowy Winter wedding at a Grade II listed Oxfordshire Country House Hotel

For this featured wedding, we are going back to early February 2019, and a snowy landscape for the wonderful wedding of Lisa and Ash. Their wedding took place at the fabulous venue of Eynsham Hall, near Witney, Oxfordshire. As we are Oxfordshire wedding photographers, its a venue we know well and always look forward to photographing there. Its also a wedding location that Lisa knows well, as she is the Eynsham Hall Wedding Specialist! As such, she gets to meet lots of photographers and other wedding suppliers, so we were thrilled that Lisa and Ash chose us for their wedding photography; they were particularly keen on our documentary wedding photography approach. The couple also chose a great selection of other wedding suppliers, most of whom we knew well, and they are credited at the end of this blog post.

Our day started we Sam going straight to Eynsham Hall to photograph Lisa’s wedding preparations, whilst I made the short walk from our home to Lisa and Ash’s Bicester house. After taking some photos of the guys getting ready, I joined them in a fun ride to the venue in a classic VW camper van, equipped with surf board (Lisa and Ash had a beach theme to the whole of the wedding, mostly due to their love of the Pacific island Fiji). The beach themed camper van was an incongruous site as we travelled the snowy Oxfordshire country roads to Eynsham Hall!

The wedding ceremony took place in Eynsham Hall’s Red Room which was brilliantly lit by the winter sun pouring in through the large windows; it really was a treat to be able to photograph the ceremony with such wonderful natural light. After the ceremony, we took the opportunity for a shot walk outside in the cold and snowy gardens, sharing portrait opportunities with the couple’s videographer, Our Big Day on Film.

Dinner took place in the amazing Green Room where the beach theme continued, aided by some wonderful flowers by Penny Blossoms and an incredible cake by Karen from Cakes By Kit . A running joke for the speeches was “Dilly-Dilly”, from the current Bud Light TV commercial, hence the strategic placed bottles of this beer.

After dinner, a number of evening guests then arrived to enjoy the disco and photo-booth, as well of course the odd drink or two! As usual, we stayed well into the evening to capture the evening’s partying, as well as a final flash lit portrait of Lisa and Ash in front of their wonderful wedding venue.

Their full list of suppliers, as well as a sample of some of their photos are below.

Flowers: http://www.pennyblossoms.co.uk/

Flower Arch: https://skymeadows.co.uk/

Cake: http://cakesbykit.com/

Videography: https://www.ourbigdayonfilm.com/

Light up Letters and DJ:

 https://www.facebook.com/orangediscotheques/

Brides Dress: https://www.maebridal.co.uk/

Groom and Groomsmen Suits: https://richardpaulmenswear.co.uk/

Brides Hair & Make Up: 

http://agmhair.com/ and 

http://www.charlie-jennings.co.uk/

Bridemaids Hair/ Make up: http://rubyrougemakeup.co.uk/

Photobooth: https://www.pixxelboxx.com/

VW Van: https://vintageweddingday.com/

Sweet Cart: http://bowtiquechaircovers.co.uk/

Brides Rings: http://www.biagiothejewellers.com/

If you are looking for Oxfordshire wedding photographers and like the idea of a husband and wife team photographing your wedding, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us with the link below.

Wendlebury, Bicester Wedding Photography | Millie and Nick

A winter marquee wedding in a family farm field

Our first wedding of 2019 was very local to us, in fact about 2 miles from our home! As we are Bicester Wedding Photographers , Millie and Nick’s lovely wedding at Wendlebury Church, followed by a marquee reception in a field at Millie’s parents farm was practically on our doorstep.

And what a lovely wedding it was to start our year! Samantha’s day started at the family farm with Millie and the bridal preparations with all her bridesmaids. I came along a little later to the village pub and hotel, The Lion in Wendlebury. This is a lovely village pub which has recently been upgraded with 13 bedrooms, and it was here that Nick and his groomsmen got ready. Once the guys were ready, and the customer pre-wedding pint was consumed, it was a short walk up to St Giles Church, Wendlebury.

Millie arrived to the church with her bridesmaids courtesy of one of the farm Land Rovers, and as usual Sam photographed her arrival, whilst I was inside waiting with Nick and the guests. After a lovely church service (including some rewriting of the words to the classic hymn “We plough the fields and scatter”; see the photos below), the whole wedding party made the short journey to the marquee.

After some fine catering by Quince and Clover from Bicester, and some moving speeches, the partying began with disco by Posh Parties, Northamptonshire followed by a ceilidh dance provided by the River Head Ceilidh Band.

We loved being Millie and Nick’s wedding photographers, thanks so much for having us along.

Some of Millie and Nick’s other wedding suppliers include:

Wedding Dress by Pure Couture ; Suits by Moss Bros and Henry’s of Banbury; Cake by Millie and her Mother! Catering by Quince and Clover, Bicester; Marquee by Richardsons; Bar by The Wriggly Monkey Brewery, Bicester; Flowers by Barbara Anne Floral Designs

Below is a sample of some of our photographs from their wedding day.

Thanks for looking!

Steve

If you are planning a Bicester Wedding, a marquee wedding, or any other type of wedding where you like the idea of two documentary style wedding photographers, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by clicking on the button below!

Dovecote Barn Adderbury Wedding Photography | Mel and Ken

A summer Tipi wedding in the heart of the Oxfordshire Countryside

“ Great job guys! You’ve captured the feeling of the day excellently. We love them! ”

— Mel and Ken

We are going back July 2018 and the long hot summer for this blog, featuring the lovely Oxfordshire barn and tipi wedding of Mel and Ken.

Although they are based in the London area, the couple chose Dovecote Events for its central location. Based in Adderbury, near Banbury, Dovecote Events is a family business, specialising in wedding and events. Dovecote Barn, where Mel and Ken’s ceremony took place, is part of Bo Peep Farm. It is a listed 18th century barn that has been tastefully restored. Dovecote also can accommodate events in marquees and also their Nordic style tipi, which is where Mel and Ken had their reception. As Oxfordshire wedding photographers its a venue we know well, and recommend highly.

For this lovely Oxfordshire barn wedding, Sam went along to a nearby hotel for Mel’s bridal preparation, whilst I went straight to Dovecote Barn, to be with Ken and the guests as they started to arrive. After a lovely wedding ceremony in the barn, and a drinks reception in the lovely courtyard, the wedding party made the short walk to an adjacent field to the tipi. Mel and Ken had arranged for a number of games to be set up in the field around the Tipi, which were used to good effect by their guests.

After dinner, and some humorous speeches (including two best men and a slide show all about Ken!) the wedding guests continued to enjoy the warm summer evening outside the tipi. Mel and Ken lead the evening dancing with a fantastic rehearsed routine, to good tunes provided by Disco Shed . As usual, we stayed well into the evening to photograph the partying and dancing, and also a sparkler run by the bride and groom. Although we are documentary wedding photographers , we do set up two lines for sparklers and confetti, to get the maximum effect, as you can see from the photos below.

We loved photographing this Dovecote Barn and tipi wedding, thanks to Mel and Ken for having us as their wedding photographers.

Below is a selection of their photos, we hope you enjoy looking at them!

If you are looking for a wedding photography at Dovecote Barn and would like a husband and wife team of documentary wedding photographers, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by clicking the button below.

Caswell House Wedding Photography | Hannah and Daniel

An outdoor wedding at a high class Cotswolds wedding venue.

We are looking back to the warm summer of month of June this for this year featured wedding of Hannah and Daniel at the fabulous venue of Caswell House.

Situated on the edge of the Cotswolds near Witney, Caswell House is a high quality Oxfordshire wedding venue, based on a 15th Century manor house. It has beautiful grounds, stunning views and high quality facilities for both bride and groom to get ready. The staff are friendly, efficient and helpful, and the catering high class. Its a venue we know well, and we love to photograph weddings there.

On this gorgeous June day, Sam and I travelled together to the venue as both Daniel and Hannah were going to getting ready there. With the weather set fair for the day, the couple decided to have the ceremony outside. Due to the somewhat archaic licensing laws in England, the legal part of the ceremony had to take place under a 16th century archway, which presented something of a challenge photographically; the guests in bride sunlight and the couple in much lower light. However, it was challenge that once more our Fujfilm XT2’s dealt with confidently.

The wedding continued on in the glorious sunlight, with party games on the lawn and musical accompaniment on the harp from the talented Tori Handsley, whom we have often worked at the same wedding with.

It was lovely day, and a real pleasure to photograph such a lovely couple and a wonderful wedding and to be at Caswell House once more.

Below is a small sample of their photos from the day.

If you are planning a Caswell House wedding, or for that matter any wedding where the idea of two Oxfordshire documentary wedding photographers appeals, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us with all of your plans by clicking the button below.

Steve