Merton College Wedding Photography – Xianshu & Kenan

Wedding Day at Merton College, Oxford

Oxford has to one of the most perfect places to hold your wedding. With all the great architecture and atmosphere, it’s also brilliant for photographers. On a beautiful day in September, I was here to do the wedding pictures for couple Xianshu and Kenan.
Merton College was founded way back in the 13th century, so you can imagine what an awe inspiring location it was for the wedding celebration.
As usual, I turned up on time with all my equipment and was met by the groom’s father who took me to hook up with Kenan. They were just finishing off breakfast so, after some brief chat, we got round to taking pictures of both him, his best man and the family.
Next it was off to meet Xianshu who was getting ready at the MacDonald Randolph Hotel. This is always one part of the day that married couples appreciate more after they see the photographs. A wide angle lens always gives a sense of dynamism and it can help produce images that begin to tell the story of the day.
At the location for the ceremony, there’s thankfully plenty of great light and some superb architecture courtesy of Merton College. As a wedding photographer, I look for any opportunity to use stunning locations to tell the couples’ story. On occasion it can turn an average image it something memorable and timeless.

The Wedding Ceremony and Celebrations

Merton College has a small but beautiful chapel. This is where you have to step back from the crowds while taking photos and it’s when a short telephoto lens comes in pretty handy. It means I can take those intimate photographs without getting in the way of the newlyweds or their friends and family.
Once the ceremony is over, there’s a wedding breakfast in the gardens to cover. This is a great time to snap those natural, relaxed images that really say something about the occasion. We get the traditional group photos of the day done first, of course – these are still highly popular and are rarely omitted. Documenting the celebrations afterwards, however, brings a more intimate feel to the day’s celebrations when you view the finished images.

Hire a Wedding Photographer

I hope you enjoy the images from Xianshu’s and Kenan’s wedding below – it was certainly a day to remember. If you’d like to hire me for the day, fill in the form on my contact page.