Wedding Photography at Oakley Court, Windsor

Oakley Court is a Victorian Gothic mansion dating from 1859, on a private stretch of the River Thames known as Water Oakley, just downriver from Windsor. It now runs as a hotel, and its weddings page describes the offer as "a contemporary take on a country house wedding": exclusive use of the house, the bedrooms and the grounds, with seating for 140 guests in The Big Room (weddings page). The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead lists Oakley Court Hotel among its approved ceremony venues (RBWM approved venues).

Our studio is at 21 Joel St, Northwood Hills HA6 1NU, photographing weddings since 2001 and rated 4.8 out of 5 from 580+ Google reviews. We are glad to photograph at Oakley Court, and coverage starts from £750. Oakley Court publishes less detail for couples than many venues, so below is what its own pages say, and a clear list of what you will need to ask the weddings team.

What an Oakley Court wedding costs: no published prices

Oakley Court does not publish wedding prices, package prices or a minimum spend on its website. The weddings page lists what exclusive use includes, and asks couples to contact weddings@oakleycourt.co.uk or call 01753 609988 (weddings page). Exclusive use covers:

• all of the event spaces;
• all of the bedrooms;
• use of the mansion house lounges;
• use of the Terrace Restaurant;
• use of the grounds and gardens.

The general exclusive use page adds that this means "all 95 Mansion House and Boathouse bedrooms", and that the grounds include bicycles and self-drive boats (exclusive use). It also says the hotel can be yours for "a day, a night, or a whole weekend". The weddings page suggests a pre-wedding dinner the night before and breakfast together the following morning, so ask whether a quote is per day or per night, and how many nights are expected.

Because exclusive use takes in every bedroom, the size of your guest list and how many guests will stay both shape the cost. The hotel's terms note that prices on the website can change without notice and that details should be checked at the time of booking. Ask for a written quote that sets out hire, food, drink and rooms separately, and confirm what happens to rooms your guests do not take.

Our own coverage starts from £750, and travel to Windsor is set out in the written quote.

Ceremonies at Oakley Court and the Windsor and Maidenhead licence

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead lists "Oakley Court Hotel, Windsor Road, Water Oakley, Windsor" (01753 609988) among its approved ceremony venues, and advises couples to check with the venue that the licence will be current at the time of the marriage (RBWM approved venues). Civil ceremonies at Oakley Court are therefore conducted by registrars from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, booked separately from the venue.

Oakley Court's own pages do not name which room or outdoor space holds the ceremony licence, give ceremony times, or state a ceremony capacity. The only published capacity is The Big Room, which seats 140, alongside smaller spaces for a select few (weddings page). The Mansion House room hire page names five rooms: the Green Room, the Conservatory, the Drawing Room (described as the largest room in the Mansion House, with original features and two fireplaces), the Library and the Sitting Room (Mansion House rooms). Ask which of these, if any, can host the ceremony itself.

Oakley Court publishes nothing on religious or cultural ceremonies, a mandap or a nikah, a baraat, dhol, fireworks, outside caterers, or a finish time for music. Ask the weddings team in writing about each one before you book, and ask what the maximum number for an evening reception is, as only the 140 seated figure is published.

Getting ready in the Mansion House or the Boathouse

Oakley Court does not name a bridal suite or getting-ready room. With exclusive use, though, all 95 bedrooms are yours, split between the Mansion House and the Boathouse and Garden wing (exclusive use). The Mansion House bedrooms are recently refurbished, and the hotel says they offer some of the best river views in Windsor; the smaller original rooms keep Victorian features and look over the grounds (Mansion House rooms). The Boathouse and Garden rooms have bold colours, 20th-century furniture and period-style bathrooms, the largest with uninterrupted views of the river, and some interconnect (Boathouse and Garden rooms).

All rooms have baths and most look over the Thames (rooms). For photographs, a river-view room in the Mansion House gives you the house's character and window light in one place. Ask the weddings team which rooms suit two separate getting-ready parties, and how far apart they are.

A suggested outline for an exclusive use day at Oakley Court

An outline for planning, not a schedule. Times are shown only where the venue publishes them; everything else is a stage to time with you and confirm with the venue.

An 1859 Victorian mansion, restored and reinvented

Oakley Court's own history says the Victorian mansion house dates back to 1859, "a time of arts and crafts, exotic textiles, and a mixture of decorative and fine art" (about us). Over the years it has hosted the Prince Imperial of France, President De Gaulle and Queen Elizabeth II, who visited by boat from Windsor Castle.

Today it is a hotel with 95 bedrooms individually designed by Eagle & Hodges, blending traditional English fabric with Modernist furniture (rooms). The estate has its own kitchen garden, tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room, and River House, an outdoor riverside restaurant and bar run in collaboration with Soho House for hotel guests and members (health and wellbeing; River House).

Parking at Oakley Court for wedding guests

The hotel's FAQ says parking is free for hotel guests and for anyone joining for drinks or dining, on a first come first served basis (FAQs). The meetings page mentions "plenty of on-site parking" (meetings). A space count, overnight rules for wedding guests and coach access are not published, so ask the weddings team how parking is managed for an exclusive use wedding.

Oakley Court wedding photography, frequently asked questions

Other wedding venues we cover

• Ditton Manor, Slough
• Cliveden House, Taplow
• Hedsor House, Taplow

Related pages

• Wedding Venues in London: What Each One Publishes
• Best Asian Wedding Venues Near London
• Photography in Iver
• Wedding photographer in Windsor
• Asian wedding photographer in Windsor
• Wedding photography
• Asian wedding photographer in London

The photographer is Kaushik Bathia, a fellow of the BIPP and the MPA with five European Kodak Gold Awards and over a thousand weddings photographed since 2001.