Oakley Hall Wedding Photographer

3 days ago
5 min read

Hannah & Jamie’s Summer Wedding

1st August 2026 | Oakley Hall Hotel, Basingstoke

There are some wedding days that just feel effortlessly beautiful from beginning to end, and Hannah and Jamie’s summer wedding at Oakley Hall Hotel was exactly that.

Set in the Hampshire countryside just outside Basingstoke, Oakley Hall was the perfect backdrop for their August wedding. With space for larger guest numbers, accommodation on site and plenty of beautiful grounds to explore, it’s a really practical choice for couples who want to bring everyone together for the whole celebration. Although Oakley Hall isn’t an exclusive-use wedding venue, the fact that they host just one wedding per day meant Hannah and Jamie’s day still felt wonderfully private, relaxed and intimate.

And, of course, we were very lucky with the weather. 1st August brought us bright blue skies and plenty of sunshine, beautiful for an outdoor ceremony and absolutely perfect for some golden hour portraits later in the day.

Bride in white dress laughing as groom hugs her from behind in a sunny park with blurred trees.

A soft sage green summer wedding - Oakley Hall Wedding Photographer

Hannah and Jamie chose a beautiful palette of sage green, soft pink and white, which worked so well with the summer setting at Oakley Hall.

The sage green appeared throughout the day in all the little details, from the invitations and stationery to the bridesmaids’ dresses and the ties worn by Jamie and his groomsmen. It gave everything a really cohesive feel without being overly coordinated.

The flowers by Penny Lane Flowers brought in the softer pinks and whites, with roses, hydrangeas and delicate clouds of baby's breath creating arrangements that felt romantic and summery.

There were lots of thoughtful details throughout the day too, from the stationery and table styling to the lanterns, table numbers, all of which came together beautifully.

Hannah’s Oakley Hall wedding dress

Hannah looked incredible in a strapless sweetheart-neck wedding dress, with a dramatic full-length train that made such an impact during the ceremony.

The bodice featured beautiful sparkly detailing which caught the light throughout the day, particularly when we were outside in the sunshine.

Later in the evening, the train was bustled up ready for dancing, transforming the dress into something much more practical for the second half of the celebrations while still looking every bit as beautiful.

Laughing bride in white gown embraced by groom in gray vest, standing in a sunny field with trees behind them, Oakley Hall

An Oakley Hall outdoor Wedding ceremony with a string quartet

Hannah and Jamie chose to get married outside at Oakley Hall, with a string quartet providing the soundtrack to the ceremony.

There was something particularly lovely about having the ceremony outside on such a bright summer day. With the grounds around them and the music playing as guests arrived, it felt relaxed, romantic and very much like a celebration of the season. Top tip for future couples planning a summer wedding outdoors, providing fans helped guests keep cool and keep the sun off thier faces!

After the ceremony came one of my favourite parts of any wedding day confetti!

Once we'd made the most of the confetti tunnel, we moved straight into the group photographs while everyone was already together.

Because Hannah and Jamie had booked an engagement shoot with me at Oakley Hall before their wedding, we already had a really good idea of the areas we wanted to use for their couple portraits. It meant we could spend less time wandering around looking for locations and more time actually making photographs.

Grooms reaction as bride enters an outdoor ceremony at Oakley Hall

Exploring the grounds

After the formal photographs, we took some time for Hannah and Jamie's newlywed portraits around the grounds of Oakley Hall.

The sunshine meant we had to work with some fairly strong light during the afternoon, but that's something I actually really enjoy. Rather than trying to fight the sun, we used it to create bright, clean and summery images, looking for pockets of shade as well as embracing the light when it worked for us.

Having already photographed their engagement session at the venue was a real advantage here too. Hannah and Jamie knew what to expect from the portraits, and we already had a few favourite locations in mind.

The result was a mixture of relaxed documentary moments and a little more direction when we wanted to create something with a more editorial feel.

Into the wedding breakfast

When it was time for the wedding breakfast, Hannah and Jamie made their entrance to rapturous applause and a saxophone performance, which was a brilliant way to kick off the reception.

After dinner came the speeches, followed by a short break and this was when we snuck outside once again for some golden hour photographs.

The evening light was absolutely worth making the most of. Just a few minutes away from the reception gave us the opportunity to create something completely different from the brighter daytime portraits, with warm, glowing light and a much more romantic atmosphere.

Cake, dancing and Mr & Mrs

Back inside, it was time for the cake cutting before Hannah and Jamie took to the dance floor for their first dance.

One of my favourite details from the evening was the huge illuminated MR & MRS letters behind them. They created such a great backdrop for the first dance photographs and continued to look fantastic as the dance floor filled up around them.

From there, things got properly lively.

The evening photographs were a mixture of bounced and direct flash, along with some slower shutter speeds and shutter-drag techniques to bring movement and atmosphere into the images. I love this combination for evening wedding photography because it gives you a mixture of crisp, energetic moments alongside photographs that feel a little more chaotic and atmospheric.

And Hannah and Jamie's guests certainly gave us plenty to work with.

Sunglasses, dancing and the evening celebrations

We also couldn't resist the sunglasses trend again, so I spent some time making my way around the dance floor photographing guests in their sunglasses.

There was also plenty of evening food to keep everyone fuelled, more photographs with guests who had arrived later in the day, and an evening flat lay capturing some of the smaller details that can otherwise get forgotten once the celebrations are in full swing.

And, of course, there was plenty of dancing.

A few words on Oakley Hall Hotel

Oakley Hall is a particularly good option for couples looking for a Hampshire wedding venue that can accommodate a larger guest list without feeling like a huge, impersonal wedding factory.

The staff provided a master of ceremonies style caller who I loved, not all venues do this and I thought it was a lovely touch.

The on-site accommodation is a big bonus if you have guests travelling from further afield, allowing more of your friends and family to stay together and continue the celebrations beyond the wedding itself.

And while the venue isn't exclusively used by one couple at a time, only one wedding takes place each day, which made a noticeable difference to the atmosphere. Hannah and Jamie's wedding felt calm, private and very much like their own celebration.

The combination of the beautiful grounds, outdoor ceremony option, accommodation and spaces for both daytime and evening celebrations makes it a really versatile choice for a Hampshire wedding.

A beautiful August wedding

Hannah and Jamie's wedding was the perfect example of how all the little decisions can come together to create a day that feels completely cohesive.

The soft sage green stationery and bridesmaids' dresses, the pink and white florals, the sunshine, the outdoor ceremony, the saxophone, the golden hour portraits, the huge illuminated letters and, eventually, a packed dance floor, every part of the day had its own atmosphere.

Hannah and Jamie, thank you for trusting me to document it all. It was an absolute pleasure.

I'm so pleased be back as an Oakley Hall Wedding Photographer in early 2027 with another lovely couple, this is a gorgeous venue I could never get bored of!