One of the things we love about photographing weddings is experiencing new cultures and traditions. When Fei and Changlei told us that for their intimate Oxford University wedding many of their guests would be traveling all the way from China to celebrate with them we shared their excitement. The rest of the wedding party would be made up of the amazing friends they had made whilst living in England. While there was an array of nationalities and half the guests were not English speaking this did not get in the way of everyone bonding and sharing in the happiness of Fei & Changlei’s big day. This wedding was not only an occasion where two families would unite but where individuals of different cultures were being brought together as well.
The day’s proceedings started with the most beautiful Chinese tradition of the tea ceremony, where the Bride and Groom serve their new parents tea. The drinking of this tea symbolizes acceptance into the family. Following this and an emotion filled ceremony all the guests were invited onto an Oxford red bus for a private tour around the city. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to see this historic setting that Fei and Changlei now call home. From Broad Street, the Bodleian Library to Christ Church and even a stop at Keble College; the ancient streets and buildings were spectacular to see and simply stunning for our couple’s photographs. Fei’s gorgeous wedding dress made of hundreds of meters of material and brought all the way from China really was a show stopper, with tourists and graduating students alike making way for us to photograph our beautiful Bride and her dashing Groom.
The wedding reception was held at the lovely Kellogg College where Fei had just completed her studies. Here we had another opportunity for portraits in the beautiful University grounds. For this second portrait session Fei had changed into her second dress for the wedding, which would be more suited for the festivities that would follow. After some heartfelt & entertaining speeches all the guests took part in a traditional Ceilidh dance, a lovely way for every guest to not only join in the celebrations but partake in a new cultural experience too. We wish Fei & Changlei all the happiness for their future and thank them for allowing us to document their wonderful wedding day.
To see more of Fei & Changlei’s Oxford University wedding please feel free to view their wedding slideshow below.
