This genius groom and bride had a beautiful wedding and made sure they set aside time just for them, to let it all sink in. Between their church ceremony and reception in Oxford, they took an idyllic boat ride down the river – and the photos are sublime! Gwen is stunning in a dress by Sincerity Bridal, and Alex’s custom made suit from Moss is elegant as can be. They’re an adorable pair, especially when you see the pics with their puppy, and we LOVE every moment of their wedding. All of the wonderful images are by London wedding photographer Hannah Larkin, who is the first of Gwen & Alex’s suppliers to get a glowing review and recommendation from the happy pair!
Wedding photographer’s website
Hannah Larkin https://hannahlarkinphotography.com/
Wedding photographer review
Hannah was the perfect choice for our wedding photographer. As well as being super talented, she gets to know you as individuals and is an all round wonderful human. She is kind, warm and funny but also a true professional. We appreciated the opportunity for her to get to know us in the engagement photos included in our package and found she made good suggestions to meet what we wanted in terms of formal and candid shots and how we might cater for our venue choices and different group/ family dynamics. We had great feedback about her from our guests and seemed to magically be everywhere at once, organised, approachable and assertive yet discreet. We absolutely love our photographs (even the kissing ones, we didn’t think we were those people!) and hope to use Hannah for family events in the future. She was adaptable on the day, noted and focused on key guests and captured everyone well including children and our puppy! As for our couple shots – we can’t recommend her enough. It is also worth noting she saved Gwen from a mishap including a taxi door and her veil, all with absolute calm! Thank you Hannah!
Your best wedding moment or memory
There are too many to mention as it really was the best day! One memorable moment was our bubble tunnel (instead of confetti) just after we came out of church – we’ve never seen so many bubbles. The guests (old as well as young!) loved the bubble guns and continued using them at the reception. This moment was extra magical as it rained hard all day but the sunshine came out just as we exited as newlyweds. Hannah also suggested we capture all our group shots while the sun was out, which was a great change of plan and we are really pleased we did this.
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
We took the option to take a boat to the venue, just as a couple with our photographer. As well as some lovely photos we also had a moment to just take a breath, soak it in and say “We did it, we got married!” before joining our guests for the reception party (we sent them by vintage bus).
Boat – Oxford River Cruises
Bus – Nostalgia Travel
We had lots of speeches! Father of Bride, Alex, Gwen, Maid of Honour (sister, with a bit from my nephew) and Best Man. They were all great and different and the timings worked well as we did them before a later wedding breakfast.
We had our puppy join us for a bit, with the brilliant Martin from @doggytopiauk as a “Dog Wedding Chaperone” (who knew such a thing existed?!) looking after him for the weekend but popping him in for photos and enthusiastic links, in his “Best Boy” bowtie.
Instead of a florist we used dried flower bouquets/button holes/hairpins from Hidden Botanics. As they are dried, they’ve made beautiful keepsakes. For the rest of the flowers we brought houseplants and a range of lovely pots matching our theme – we kept these and gave some as presents. They looked really good on the tables and we have been able to enjoy them since, not just for one day.
This might not be news to you but did you know you can get personalised Love hearts from Swizzels?! We had a tradition between us about giving each other love hearts so what a great find for favours.
Venue name + review
Wedding – Our Lady and St Edmund’s Church, Abingdon (a family church where Gwen was christened)
Reception – The Perch, Oxford.
Absolutely brilliant wedding venue. Particularly with Emily Clark as an event coordinator, who was amazing from start to finish. We had in person meetings, food and wine tastings and she was there on the big day too – she is one of the most organised people we’ve ever encountered and also friendly, unflappable and accommodating.
The Perch itself was already a favourite pub due to it’s great location by the riverside in Port Meadow, the consistently great service and the delicious food. For weddings they have a private marquee in the garden, which is already decorated well with beautiful fairy lights and quirky details. They let you make it your own – we had bunting and photos, a neon light, games including a football table and a sweet station. As well as decor, we were able to make choices about layout, timings and what to stock the bar with. The whole vibe was very relaxed but high standard and the wedding feast was a real highlight! We had many comments on the great food and drink. Service was really good and the whole set up felt slick. We weren’t even disappointed by the rain as it was a party in the marquee and everyone spilled out into the garden with umbrellas anyway. 5 stars for The Perch!
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Alex – a custom made suit from Moss.
We loved the colour and having the lining embroidered with our names and wedding date. The Best Man and adult usher also had suits made and BM said he might wear it when he gets married as they all fit so well. Alex had a special kingfisher tie to match our theme. Younger ushers had suits in a matching colour from Next.
Gwen left it quite late to try on dresses not realising how early some brides look but then fell in love with the first dress she tried on at Proposals, Witney. It was gorgeous dress from Sincerity Bridal with sequins all over. Gwen also had a full length veil which was a favourite item on the day (a surprise after previously having no opinion on veils!). Gwen’s shoes were white vans embroidered with the date, flowers and “Mrs Mack”. Bridesmaid dresses (adult and child) were from In One Clothing, London and were multiway so they could style them differently but all in a beautiful teal colour. The fabric was great and Gwen got a “emergency spare ” which she can’t wait to wear! Younger bridesmaids and flower girl also rocked Vans – theirs were sparkly!
Dress or suit shop name + review
Moss, Oxford
Great service and really loved the suits. Good range of options and fitting service was good and flexible with appointments. The suits were made quickly and they communicated with the groom well.
Proposals, Witney.
Cannot recommend them enough. Warm, friendly, professional service who were great at listening and making recommendations but also giving space and time to find the perfect dress. They helped arrange alterations and presented the dress and veil beautifully for pickup the day before the wedding.
Florist name + review
Dried flowers, buttonholes and hair pins from Hidden Botanics.
These were a great choice. It was easy to choose online and they arrived in good condition, with the added bonus of being able to sort these well ahead of the day since they last. They are now lovely keepsakes.
Cake maker name + review
The Cake Shop, Oxford
It was a last minute decision to have a cake and we are so glad we did! Super service with the tasting and customisation and they directly communicated with the venue so it was seamless. Our cake topper was us in our wedding outfits sat on a bench with Pickles our puppy and Pippin our hamster. This was one of our favourite details!
Stationery maker’s name + review
Homemade – we included watercolour illustrations by Gwen. We did order some special stamps for invitations (birds) from The Royal Mail, which were were pleased with!
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
- Invitations, including a map
- Bunting
- Signage including the seating plan
- Photo strings
- We put together individual activity packs for each child guest
Wedding readings?
As well as traditional church readings we had an extract from The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
First dance song? Playlist recommendations?
Home by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros Followed by a band The Junos https://thejunos.co.uk/ which were absolutely brilliant and gave us an eclectic mix including 90s dance hits to keep the dance floor jumping! We had lots of positive feedback from our guests about the band. Before the evening music we had instrumental versions of songs in the background.
Hair + makeup name + review
Rachel Walsmley @rachelwhairandmakeup
Rachel was wonderful! My make up and hair made me feel absolutely at my best and most beautiful on the day and look great in the photos. Rachel was warm, friendly, professional and catered for all the wishes of bride, mother of the bride and four bridesmaids. The timing and organisation was carefully considered and the bride’s trial was a great opportunity to get to know each other and try things out. Highly recommend.
A fairy tale castle for a modern Hindu wedding – Yazmine and Eli are the most gorgeous couple, and their day couldn’t be more perfect. From the tiny details to the heart melting moments, this Hindu-American wedding is utterly stunning and I know you’ll love it too! All of the beautiful photographs are by Nottingham wedding photographer Matt Selby Photography.
A big part of us wanting to get married in England is because of my family (bride’s family). My parents are originally from England, now reside in the United States, and a majority of my family still live in England! Everyone was so excited once they found out the wedding was going to be in England! I consider England my second home and we love visiting and spending time with my family. I’m very grateful my husband also wanted to have our wedding in England and his family supported us on our decision.
We had a blended wedding. Sharing the traditional cultures of a Hindu ceremony while incorporating elements of an American wedding. Typically in Hindu ceremonies rings and vows are not exchanged; however, it was important to us that be incorporated. At the end of the ceremony we exchanged vows and rings and it was a perfect blend to our wedding!
Wedding photographer’s website
Matt Selby – https://www.mattselbyphotography.co.uk/
Wedding photographer review
Shout out to Matt! We signed up with Matt Selby Photography a year ago and don’t regret it! During our initial visit over zoom we knew he was the perfect match for us. We reside in America and he made it easy for us to work with him throughout the year via video calls, Whatsapp or email anytime! During our brief visit to England he fitted us in his schedule it was lovely to meet him in person! Matt, is friendly, helpful organised and great to work with, he would reach out and check-in! On our wedding day Matt and Christian made us feel comfortable and we didn’t even notice they were there. They captured our day with epic photos of our Hindu ceremony. Started the morning with coloured flares and ending beautifully with a display of fireworks! Truly a magical day all captured spectacularly memories we will always treasure! We would absolutely recommend Matt. He made sure our Wedding Day was perfect for us!!
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
We did a condensed version of a traditional Hindu wedding! We kept the wedding festivities to one day and the wedding ceremony to an hour. Our priest translated our ceremony from Sanskrit to English for our friends and family which allowed everyone to understand the meaning behind each symbolic step. Even ourselves! Traditionally Hindu brides wear red during the wedding ceremony. I decided to do a modern take and wear an off-white gown while incorporating red in my bangles and flowers. I then wore a red gown for the reception to honor the tradition of wearing red.
Your best wedding moment or memory
The first look was our favorite moment of the wedding! The anticipation of seeing each other for the first time before becoming Mr. & Mrs. was joyous and long awaited. Of course celebrating with our family and friends is something we will not forget!
Videographer name + review
Ritz Images
Ritz Images was such a pleasure to work with! We were both so nervous being video graphed and how we would look/act on camera. Rutul and his team made us feel so comfortable. There was lots of laughter and smiles that put us to ease, they directed us on how we should pose, and everything ended up feeling so natural! We’re very excited to see how our wedding video turned out!
Venue name + review
Cara and her team did an amazing job coordinating our special day! With ourselves residing in the United States, Cara and Rose were very accommodating with our busy schedules and especially with the time difference. Rose would take the time to meet with us on Saturday mornings, on her day off, and talk through what our plans are. When we made the trip out to the UK to meet with all the vendors, the team was very flexible in fitting us into their busy schedules. Taking the time to walk us through what the day would look like, answering our questions, letting us coordinate to have other vendors join us on the tour so we’re all on the page. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience given the limited time we were in the UK. The team went above and beyond and we couldn’t have asked for a better day!
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Bride – I wanted to do a modern take on the traditional red wedding lengha, so I wore an off white lengha! Heavily embroidered with beads, jewels, and sequins. I wore sparkly bangles with red and gold, and a beautiful dark gold coloured necklace! I had the traditional bridal henna done, which took 9 hours! The henna was beautiful and definitely added to my outfit! In the evening I switched into a beautiful sequined red outfit!
Groom – Wore a traditional Indian outfit. It was an off-white to compliment my (bride) outfit! In the evening he switched into a tuxedo and looked so handsome!
First dance song? Playlist recommendations?
Lovesong by Adele! We wanted to pick a song that both of us loved and more importantly picked an artist both of us enjoy listening to. It definitely helps both of us have very similar interests in genres: EDM, alternative, indie, and pop! MK Roadshow, our DJ, did an amazing job curating the type of songs we like! They asked what our favourite songs are, what songs not to play, how much English music we’d like vs. Indian music, and they gave us the perfect balance! We were able to tell Kunal and his team what we were thinking and they ran with it!
Wedding planner name + review
The brides mum, Kalpana Patel, was our wedding planner! I couldn’t have asked for a better wedding planner! She worked day and night meeting with various vendors, coordinating our wedding outfits being made in India, and making sure our vision came to life. Working across three different time zones was not an easy task and we are so grateful she was willing to do this for us. She flew out to England 6 weeks before our wedding to make sure everything was going smoothly, meeting with vendors about final details, and the final food tasting. Our special day would not have been the day it was if it wasn’t for our mum!
Hair + makeup name + review
Makeup by Chandni
Chandni absolutely smashed my hair and makeup! She is such a bubbly person and it was such a joy to work with her. Chandni had me smiling the entire time on my wedding day! Chandni was very accommodating when trying to schedule me in for a hair and makeup trial while I was in town. She has such a busy schedule, so I was very grateful she was able to fit me in! On the day of the wedding, Chandni and her team were such a joy to have around while we were all getting ready! The team did an amazing job doing my mum’s, mother in law’s, and my sister’s hair and makeup! Everyone looked amazing, and I can’t thank them enough!
A classic and traditional wedding in the Peak District, with a handful of unique touches to make the day really special. Tasmin looks incredible in her ‘wildcard’ wedding dress, picked out by her mum! Her favourite memory from the day was “sat at the front of the beautiful Bakewell church having just married my soulmate, looking around at our closest family and friends in the congregation”.
You know what? I think that’s what a perfect wedding is: having that one moment where everything is just overwhelmingly perfect!
Wedding photographer’s website
John Mottershaw (https://www.johnmottershaw.com/)
Wedding photographer review
John captured our day perfectly, present at all key moments but never feeling intrusive.
We wanted to stop off at a couple of locations on the journey to the reception venue, John showed excellent local knowledge by recommending some beautiful, easy to reach spots, whilst also happily working with our own requests.
John had a lot of experience at taking wedding photos in our reception venue, this meant he knew all of the best spots, some of which may have been missed by someone with less knowledge.
Included within the photography package was an engagement shoot, this provided us with a great opportunity to get to know John and vice versa, also giving my then future husband an opportunity to practice his smile (you can be the judge of whether this was successful or not!).
Tell us anything you did differently – we love hearing about NEW traditions (or none at all!)
Although we tried to add personal touches to the wedding where we could, there was a very personal aspect of tradition to the day, as my parents and grandparents also got married in the same church.
One of our favourite additions to the day was our saxophonist, Matt Stacey (https://mattstaceysax.co.uk/). Matt played at our reception venue during our drinks reception and our wedding breakfast. He is an incredible sax player, giving a unique twist to well known songs.
Venue name + review
The Maynard, Grindleford (https://the-maynard.com/).
The Maynard is situated in stunning surroundings, providing you with a panoramic view of the picturesque Peak District from the garden.
The reception room itself is beautiful with a lovely ornate ceiling. A private garden adjoins the main room providing a great space for a drinks reception if the weather is good, we also set up some garden games to help keep our guests entertained.
The Maynard team have a lot of experience at hosting weddings, providing some much needed insight during the planning stages. On the day itself, the staff made everything run seamlessly, setting up the room perfectly.
A special shout out to the wedding and events manager at the Maynard, she provided a lot of help in the run up to the wedding. Also, upon visiting the venue over a year after our special day, she remembered our names straight away and recalled the exact day that we tied the knot, which given the number of weddings hosted here is an impressive feat, demonstrating the effort that she puts into her job.
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
George wore a three piece morning suit, the grey suit teamed perfectly with our purple colour scheme.
My dress was a ‘Fit & Flare’ halterneck lace design by Ronald Joyce, with an exposed back. When I started my hunt for a wedding dress I was convinced that I wanted an A-line style with a fairly large skirt, however my mum picked out what ended up being my dress as a wildcard option and I loved it from the moment I put it on.
My bridesmaids wore infinity dresses, these can be worn in a variety of different ways giving the girls flexibility. The colour scheme was purple in honour of my gran’s obsession with the colour, she sadly could not attend the day herself so I wanted to make sure she was represented in some way.
As there are so many lovely shades of purple, I decided to have 3 different shades of bridesmaids dresses.
Dress or suit shop name + review
My dress and George’s suit came from Gracie Bleu Bridal in Matlock, Derbyshire.
Jess was absolutely amazing during all of my appointments, she has a vast range of dresses and accessories in store and provides lots of helpful advice during the process.
Hair + makeup name + review
My hair and makeup were done by Tansy Hair & Beauty in Bakewell, Derbyshire.
Florist name + review
Our florist was Arbutus and Ivy, based in Derbyshire.
This florist seems to cater more for natural, less manicured floral arrangements, so are great if this is what you are looking for. They also provided a lovely hairpiece consisting of dried flowers.
One thing to consider for summer weddings is if you’re lucky enough to have sunny weather during your day, it’s important to make sure your bouquet is robust enough not to wilt too much.
Cake maker name + review
My mum! It was a privilege to have my mum (with assistance from my Aunty) make our wedding cake.
She made a tasty 3 tier sponge cake with royal icing, decorated with purple fondant flowers and ribbon. Every tier consisted of three layers of sponge, each tinted a different shade of purple to tie in with my bridesmaid’s dresses.
Stationery maker’s name + review
I produced all of the wedding stationary myself, including the order of service’s, invites, table plan and place names.
There’s lots of resources online for designing your own stationary, it’s very easy to do even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body… I can testify for that! ‘Canva’ was particularly useful and was available with a free trial.
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
Me and George met whilst studying for a Materials Engineering degree, therefore our tables were named after different materials, and we managed to get plaques made from each material as table signage.
First dance song? Playlist recommendations?
Our first dance song was the Carpenters – Close to You, this was followed by ABBA – Dancing Queen to try and get everyone up dancing!
This salon has lots of experience of doing bridal hair and makeup so were a great choice. The package also included a hair and makeup trial to help refine the style that I wanted on the big day.
It’s really important to us at English Wedding that we feature REAL couples, REAL celebrations and achievable, real-life wedding inspiration. We like to balance all the out-there ideas and alternative, opulent inspiration with a reassurance that EVERY wedding is beautiful. Sophie and George chose a very traditional day with classic styling touches, and celebrated with a reception at Batemans Brewery. They chose Lincolnshire wedding photographer Carl at 166 Photography to capture their day, and it’s all kinds of wonderful.
Wedding photographer’s website
Wedding photographer review
Carl and Lisa were absolutely brilliant. We are so pleased with all of our photos. I can’t recommend them enough.
Your best moment or memory
It’s got to be our first dance- it was just amazing! No one left the dance floor after that.
Venue name + review
All Saints Church, Friskney Reception was Batemans Brewery, Wainfleet All Saints in a marquee. Jacqui and her team made the day run so smoothly from start to finish. The venue is perfect for weddings or for any celebration. The gardens are perfect for wedding photos!
Tell us a little about your outfits – both of you!
Both very traditional. George wore a navy 3 piece suit and I wore a classic A -Line gown with a bit of sparkle of course!
Dress or suit shop name + review
Jayne’s Bridalwear, Lincoln and Coney’s Designer Wear, Boston
Florist name + review
Sarah’s the Florist, Skegness
Cake maker name + review
Sharon’s Novelty Cakes, Hogsthorpe, Skegness. We loved our cake! We had a 3 tier cake, all different flavours and a separate fruit cake. It was all delicious.
Any crafty projects or homemade styling touches?
I (Sophie) made all of the invites by hand while I recovered from a broken ankle! We decorated the marquee ourselves.
First dance song? Playlist recommendations?
Can’t take my eyes off you- Frankie Valli
Hair + makeup name + review
Mavericks Hair Salon, Skegness. The team at Mavericks are always so welcoming. Myself and all of my bridesmaids can agree that they were all very organised while we had our hair done. They did everything we asked for and we couldn’t have been happier.
Confessions first: I’m not here. I’m off grid, somewhere in Pembrokeshire, hiking the coastal paths with my man and sleeping in a gypsy caravan. But last week I wrote this gorgeous blog for you, and I’ve been SO excited to share it with you all!
As some of you lovely readers will know, I live on the edge of the Lake District, on the beautiful coast of Cumbria. When photographers send me weddings which are close to home it makes me very, very happy – and Broadoaks Country House is one of those charming Lakeland wedding venues I have quite a soft spot for.
Beautiful Lara and handsome hubby Jake were married here and chose Lake District wedding photographer Jaye Peg Photography to capture their day. They’re such a cute couple, and their micro wedding is romantic, charming and full of the unique magic of the Lakes. I hope you love it!
Wedding photographer’s website
How did you choose your photographer?
Her pictures were absolutely beautiful and we could envisage our own moments through her work.
Were you pleased with your wedding photographer? Do tell… we love a brilliant review!
Jaye was absolutely amazing. Her humour made us smile and she captured the most incredible shots – we wanted the best photographs we could get (we had an extremely small wedding party and wanted to share with those back home). Jaye’s communication was excellent throughout the entire wedding process and we would highly recommend her to anyone escaping to the Lakes for their own special day.
What’s your fondest memory of your wedding?
Without sounding ‘cheesy’ the entire day was so special. Despite being caught between two storms everything was so amazing. Even though we were frozen by the lakeside picture session, the photographs are some of our favourites on the wedding album.
Tell us about your venue – what made this place special for you?
Broadoaks Country House was extremely accommodating, luxurious and dog friendly (which was essential for us). It is stunning and we will absolutely be visiting again with our dogs in the future. Something that made the stay extra special was receiving a personalised photograph frame with our date and an extremely sweet (hand painted) image of the venue. This is a moment that just made leaving that little bit harder.
Did you love wearing your outfits? How was your shopping experience, was it fun to find your wedding gear?
Dress shopping was a simpler process than expected. I went for the complete opposite style than what I initially wanted – I am extremely grateful to my mum and sister for their help. Jake had the support of his friend and already had an idea of what he wanted. Again, he found the process quick and easy – we seemed to be quite lucky.
Did you hire a florist? Tell us about any floral amazingness 🙂
Sadly, many florists ignored us or were unavailable on the day we needed. My mum and I went to a supermarket and she made the bouquet for £20. I think it looked beautiful…
As cake lovers here at English Wedding we’d LOVE to know who made your cake, and how delicious it was?
We opted not to have a cake as we had a stunning 4 course meal. We also went to an amazing gingerbread shop before we left to buy little thank you tokens!
Tell us about any special personal touches, or creative projects you made yourselves (we love that stuff!)
I crocheted my own shawl as I wanted to make something special for the big day. We also had Purple Swans decorate the room using Japanese influences (our favourite holiday) which made the day even more special. We didn’t have any wedding readings, but we did make our own vows.
What was your first dance song? Why did you choose it?
Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra. The song has fond memories and my husband loves my smile when it plays.
Favourite wedding suppliers
Photographer – https://jayepeg.co.uk/ Decorations – https://www.purpleswanhire.co.uk/
