Dorothée and Lee’s Oxford riverside wedding, with Hannah Larkin Photography

Published by Claire Gould on November 12, 2020November 12, 2020

I think we all need a little sunshine in our lives, and lovely Hannah Larkin Photography excels at stunning golden hour images – so today I’m sharing a wedding I know you’ll love. Beautiful bride Dorothée and her handsome hubby Lee were wed in the summer of 2018 in Oxford. Their day is wonderfully family focused, full of joy and laughter and ends with a sunset paddling session in the river. What could be more perfect?

With love,

They had a relaxed, summer wedding with a family festival vibe & quirky touches – flamingo cake toppers, colourful London skyline stationery, and a pink and yellow bouquet with tancetum daises looking like they had been picked from the garden. The Perch marquee was filled with flowers and trees, with food laid out on hessian covered trestle tables.

Dorothee & Lee got married in a ceremony at Oxford Town Hall and then travelled by boat to their reception at the Perch, a gorgeous riverside venue. Suppliers included Sophia & Camilla dress from Angelic Gowns Oxford, Stargem bridal tiara, rings by Carolyn Codd and gorgeous flowers by Nong Smitinand.

Images by Hannah Larkin Photography

Wedding photographer’s website

https://hannahlarkinphotography.com

How did you choose your photographer?

Hannah was recommended by the venue and we really liked her pictures, how natural they looked.

Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!

We were delighted. Hannah suggested an engagement shoot which we were not keen on but on the day it was a great experience and it also taught us how to react to Hannah’s presence and cues to help us relax. It was amazing as on the wedding day we were able to completely trust Hannah to do an amazing job, which she did!

Videographer details if applicable – and any thoughts for other couples about having a wedding video?

One of our friends did an impromptu video capturing the day and it was such a lovely thought as it captured things we did not see such as the guests arriving at the venue whilst we were doing photos by the river.

Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?

We chose the venue as we wanted to be in Oxford and The Perch is an incredible setting in the middle of the countryside, near the river. The weather was absolutely fantastic which made the day perfect.

Did you love wearing your outfits? How was the dress / suit shopping experience?

We did, I felt like a princess and I think Lee felt like my prince. We shopped in Oxford as we thought it was important to use local providers and they did not disappoint. Lee’s suit was made to measure so it was great fun having it measured. I loved the dress fittings with my daughter, trying all the accessories, it was like being a film star.

Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness

One of my friends recommend Nong and she came to our house to discuss what we wanted. Nong is a lovely person and she was very good at listening and providing suggestions to the point where we trusted her completely to make the City Hall and the venue amazing. She did a fantastic job with everything down to decorating the cake with fresh flowers, the bouquet, the table arrangements. So much so that we have been using her regularly ever since and she surprises us with her bouquets!

Did you hire a wedding planner?

We did not hire a wedding planner as we felt we could do it ourselves and the success of the day tells me we made the right decision. This was helped by getting married locally so there was no disctance involved in the preparations which helped greatly.

As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?

Lee’s Mum is a keen wedding cake baker so we asked her to make a multi-tiered cake. To accomodate all tastes, she made a different flavour per layer and it was delicious, judging by how little there was left ot it…

Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves

Lee’s sister prepared the invitations as well as the table plan cards and table placing frame. She did a great job, even when some of the supplies arrived broken, she still managed to save the day and make it unforgettable.

Did you personalise your vows or have any wedding readings? What were they?

We had two wedding readings, one in English and one in French. We chose them for their meaning to our life. They were:
Vive les mariès by Simone de Beauvoir
A lovely love story by Edward Monkton