The Perch Inn Oxford is a riverside pub just outside the centre. You can walk there from the city, but once you arrive it feels completely removed – surrounded by fields, the Thames, and long stretches of open sky.
I’ve photographed several weddings here over the years and it’s still one of the most relaxed venues I work at. The atmosphere is informal, guests hangout by the river, the food is insanely good, staff super friendly and no matter the weather – it’s always cosy.
In this blog post I’ll walk you through what it’s like to get married here at The Perch Inn Oxford and what you can expect if you choose it as your wedding venue. To see a gallery of a recent wedding, take a look at this Relaxed Wedding at The Perch.
A Wedding Ceremony under the Willow Tree
The Perch Inn isn’t licensed for civil weddings. Couples who would still want a ceremony under the famous willow tree usually complete the legal paper work at a registry office beforehand. This lets them create a ceremony exactly as they want, often led by a friend, family member, or celebrant.
Travelling to The Perch by Boat
For couples who have a legal ceremony in the city first, arriving at The Perch by boat is one of the perks of having your reception here. Cruising along the river with your loved ones, while sipping champagne, is simply the best!!
Arriving at The Perch Inn Oxford
When you arrive at The Perch by boat, your guests’ boat usually docks before yours, giving you a chance to be greeted by confetti as you step off. Other confetti options include further down the river, along the woodland path to the pub or once you’ve reached the pub itself.
“The beauty of our location. We are based right on the river, so if you are getting married in the city you can give your guests the most wonderful experience by travelling here by boat. You can then lead your guests through the magical fairy-lit woodland path and straight into our stunning back garden.”
To see more boat arrivals, take a peek here at Maisy and James wedding from The Bodleian to The Perch.
Drinks Reception
After your ceremony and confetti celebration, it’s time to catch up with your guests during the drinks reception. Drinks and canapés here never disappoint! The team suggest three canapés per guest, with plenty of options from meat to vegan, they can cater for any dietary requirement.
This is also the time garden games might be played, or listening to a fortune teller – see here at Jo and Adams wedding.
The Marquee
The heated marquee can host 120 guests for a seated meal, and up to 180 for evening reception. The space is large yet it retains a cosy atmosphere.
It includes a rustic bar serving a range of drinks, and the teams an even arrange a barrel of real ale if you wish. A cosy indoor seating area, an old piano for decoration, as well as a rear courtyard is great for mingling and garden games.
The dining area comes equipped with everything you need and transformed into a dance floor in the evening. There are a variety of ways to design the tables for your meal, here are a few examples.
Portraits and Group Shots
I aim to capture family group shots and portraits of you both before dinner. This will either happen immediately after stepping off the boat, or after you’ve spent time mingling. We’ll discuss the timings in advanced, but you can always expect a mix of formal and informal family photos as well as some portraits of just the two of you.
The Country Feast
The Perch is most famous for their sociable country feast, served on the table to share, so everyone’s encouraged to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. Each meal includes three courses, offering a hearty, mingling dining experience.
Speeches
Who speaks and when they speak is entirely up to you. I’ve seen weddings where all the speeches happen before the meal, others where a speech is given between each course, and the more traditional approach of leaving speeches at the end of dinner.
Group Shot of all your guests
After dinner and speeches the team at The Perch need to clear away tables and turn the marquee into the evening event. This is when your DJ or band will some and set up. A swift way to get everyone out of the tent, and for me to gain a group shot of everyone, this is a perfect time to take everyone down to the river to capture a group shot of all your wedding guests. . Once everyone heads back up to the pub, I will use this opportunity to make a few more portraits of just the two of you.
Before the dancing begins
While everyone is taking a breather before the evening dancing begins, I take this opportunity to document informalities, such as guests hanging out, the bouquet being tossed, hats and flowers removed and cutting of the cake.
Pippa and George hired punts for this part of the day, take a look at their wedding blog post here.
The Dance Floor
The team at The Perch swiftly clear away all the tables and chairs and create an area for your dj or band, and ample space for a boogie. Who doesn’t love a good boogie!
Final Thoughts
I really do rate The Perch Inn Oxford as a wedding venue. It has a relaxed atmosphere, stunning riverside surroundings, and a team who genuinely care about creating a great experience for couples and their guests.
When I asked the team what their secret was, they said:
“Our secret is our happy and really friendly staff. It’s important to us to be relaxed and fit into the wedding day, so our whole team are warm and welcoming. Behind the scenes we are very organised and efficient, which means on the day we can be professional while still having a good time.”
To see how a full wedding day flows here, take a look at these examples:
Pedro and Joe’s Wedding at The Perch
Pippa and George Relaxed wedding at The Perch
James and Maisy Wedding at The Perch
The Perch Contact Details
- WEBSITE
- The Perch Inn, Binsey, Oxford, OX2 0NG
- 01866728891