Lucy and Danny now live in Switzerland but there was only one place they would go to get married in the UK – Oxford, where they first met during their PhDs. I adore capturing small and intimate weddings, so it was a real joy to photograph their Oxford Registry Office wedding, a beautiful and intimate city celebration, before their bigger Davenport House wedding later in the week.
Why an Oxford Registry Office wedding?
Lucy and Danny’s Oxford Registry Office wedding was actually the first of two celebrations they had in one week (to each other both times!) Their legal ceremony at Oxford Registry Office was on the Tuesday, with their larger Davenport House wedding on the Saturday (you can see how that went down here.)
They wanted a celebrant-led ceremony for their big wedding day, and these aren’t currently legal in England. They kept their legal ceremony a low-key, intimate affair with just their parents present.
A Low-Key City Elopement
When I say Lucy and Danny’s Oxford elopement was small, I mean truly small – the guest list was 4 people: both of their parents.
After making it official, they celebrated with bubbles in The Williams Room at Lincoln College. As the coupe live in Switzerland, moments like this – when all 6 of them are together in a room – is quite rare and special. Capturing this intimate gathering felt moving, and was the perfect start to their wedding week.
Oxford University Wedding Portraits
Afterwards, we explored the grounds of Oxford University for their wedding portraits, beginning at Lincoln College, where Lucy and Danny first met. Nestled in the heart of the city, the college’s ivy-clad walls and grand architecture made a stunning backdrop for their portraits.
We started with a few family photos in the courtyard before continuing into the iconic quad, using the stunning arches and covered walkways for some elegant, light filled portraits. We were also lucky enough to bump into one of the members of staff who remembered Lucy and Danny from their PhD days – which was a lovely, serendipitous touch that added even more warmth to the day.
Incredible Nadine Merabi wedding suit
Ok, I know you’ve been itching to know more about it – and every single day since I photographed this back in May, I’ve wanted to talk to someone about it. So let’s get into it: Lucy’s incredible Nadine Merabi suit.
With a gorgeous wedding dress, cape and personalised embroidered veil planned for their Davenport House wedding, Lucy opted for something strikingly different for the Oxford Registry Office ceremony – a sleek, chic city white blazer with satin lapels, pearl detailing and tailored flared trousers. It was a real statement bridal outfit for a city elopement – modern, confident, elegant – perfect for walking around Oxford’s cobbled streets in style.
Intimate Oxford Wedding Portraits
After our time at Lincoln College, we wandered through Oxford’s historic streets for a final set of portraits. The city is filled with so many beautiful buildings, we could have spent all day walking around!
A small city wedding is the perfect opportunity to spend some time as just the two of you, focusing on the reason you’re getting married: because you’re madly in love. Without any peer pressure, logistical stress or timing constraints, you can fully lean in to loving each other with wild abandon.
In particular what I love about these intimate Oxford wedding portraits is that we got a mix of everything that makes the city so unique: historic architecture, gorgeous manicured gardens, and the buzz and vibrancy of the other Oxonians going about their days.
Considering a Small City wedding?
Being asked to photograph any weddings is a privilege I will never take for granted, but photographing a small city wedding is extra special because it’s so intimate. A small wedding in Oxford – or any city – is always bursting full of charm and character, but without some of the stress that can come with a bigger one. It allows a total focus on romance, and gives you free reign to do exactly what you want.
Real Weddings
If you’d like to see how a full celebration comes together, head to Real Small Weddings galleries. Every photograph across my website was taken at a real wedding. On the rare occasion I share a styled shoot, I’ll say so. Styled shoots set the scene; weddings unfold, so expectations (and timings) are vastly different.
Contact me
If you’re planning a small or intimate wedding and want timeless, relaxed photography that captures how it all felt, I’d love to chat. If you can both picture yourselves within my work, get in touch.
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