Hannah and Ben love living in Oxford.
Getting married at The Bodleian Library couldn’t have been more perfect for them. They were seeking a relaxed ceremony in a beautiful traditional Oxford building and The Bodleian was the perfect match.
This ceremony was followed by a completely unconventional wedding reception at: The Maybush
BRIDAL PREPARATIONS
Hannah got ready at the Old Bank Hotel in central Oxford. The hotel is very stylish and hosts wedding receptions themselves.
She wore a stunning Ellie Sanderson dress and a pair of Rachel Simpson wedding shoes (I’m a massive fan of Rachel’s shoes and have a pair myself – the most comfortable heels).
THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY WEDDING CEREMONY
The Bodleian Library is the largest university library in the UK, and in it’s reading rooms some well important people have studied here (Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and 26 prime ministers just to name a few!). I know how much I’m always seeking out non-traditional venues, and The Bodleian Library is very conventional, but it is so so beautiful, and such a fantastic place to get married.
A few things I love about having a ceremony here are…
- Your guests face each other… I know this doesn’t seem important, but there is something really inclusive about everyone facing the middle of the room.
- The stunning building – You can see for yourselves in the images below, the architecture is simply stunning and creates such a wow factor, and a real Oxford experience
- The relaxed officiants – I’ve worked with many, and these guys really are one of the most relaxed, which is super important on your wedding day
A BODLEIAN LIBRARY CEREMONY
I’ve written all about this over on this blog post: 6 WEDDING CEREMONY IDEAS YOU WOULDN’T HAVE THOUGHT OF, I believe everyone should sing at their wedding ceremony. It’s so much fun for you and your guests and for some reason it’s only done in church… I saw this at another wedding and share the idea with Hannah and Ben, and seeing them sing with all their wedding guests was just magical.
AN OXFORD WEDDING THEME
Due to their love for the city, Hannah and Ben definitely wanted a nod to Oxford and so Ben wore these beautiful buttonhole flowers with little wooden bicycles… they were so simple and super stylish, and definitely just gave that subtle nod. Hannah friend designed the flowers and chose a wonderful bunch of colourful summer flowers as her bouquet. Simple, stylish and stunning.
Part two of this wedding will be blogged about next week where the wedding party head off to an alternative tipi wedding reception… watch this space!
OXFORD WEDDING SUPPLIERS:
CEREMONY – Bodleian Library Oxford
OXFORD WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER – Philippa James Photography
BRIDAL PREPARATIONS: Old Bank Hotel
MAKE UP ARTIST: Jade
WEDDING DRESS: Ellie Sanderson
WEDDING SHOES: Rachel Simpson
FLOWERS: Friend – Kim Scripps