A Cotswold Wedding….

Emily & Phil had a romantic outside ceremony at Friars Court on one of the loveliest summers days. Friars Court is a privately owned family home & has been in the same family since 1917. Since it is a private venue you have exclusive use, which is lovely – no running into another bride on your wedding day!

Emily & Phil are both creative & had some fantastic touches to the styling of their day. I love the jam jars on the ‘pew’ ends with gypsophila & dhalias & the tissue paper fans hanging from the trees.

Flowers were by the always wonderful Charlie from The Flower Fairies. Charlie specialises in beautiful, stylish & unique flowers & are always immaculate.

Emily arrived with her dad in a vintage Morris Minor driven by one of the ushers, Tris & the happy couple travelled in style in the same car – with a few attachments! – to their reception venue Great Barrington Village Hall in the picturesque Cotswold village of Great Barrington.

Again, Emily & Phil showed their creative sides with a stylish spin on the traditional table plan with bottles & balloons, origami place card holders & a fab BAR sign!

After the wedding breakfast dessert was in the form of ice cream served up from Daisy the vintage ice cream van. I have been at a few weddings with Daisy & would highly recommend having her at your wedding or party. Daisy has a fabulous selection of handmade ice creams in delicious flavours & retro lollies like Fabs, Rockets & Screwballs.

Entertainment, apart from the dancing, came in the form of Sam Strange. I have mentioned Sam on my blog before as I a big fan! Sam is the coolest magican I have come across & am always astounded by his tricks.

It really was a great wedding full of love & happiness & I left them boogying the night away……

Max & Ceci – A Sneak Peek!!

It amazes me that however many weddings I do that each & every one is different. All weddings feature the same core things but each bride & groom brings their own personality to the wedding in their own special way. I am always excited to arrive at the wedding to see what kind of wedding it’s going to be. Nowadays there are so many choices out there from venues, dresses to flowers.

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Max & Ceci in Cheltenham. On the journey there Kiti, my assistant for the day, & Becky, who helped out with transport, & I were remarking on how many multi–cultural weddings we’ve had this year – we’ve had French, Croatian, American & Norwegian to name but a few. Max & Ceci were no exception, Ceci has Mexican heritage & Max has family in Switzerland.

We started the day with them in their family homes to get some getting ready shots. Kiti was with the groom & I with the bride & bridal party.

Transport for the day was a vintage coach such a great idea rather than the traditional fleet of wedding cars & room for all!

It was a beautiful sunny day so Ceci & her dad travelled to the church in Max’s dad’s car Derek The Daimler. It was a beautiful moment for them to share before joining the rest of the wedding party.

After the service we took the short hop in the vintage bus to The Pittville Pump Room for the reception. It’s a great venue that provides beautiful regency architecture & parkland for some fabulous bride & groom shots. Max & Ceci are a young couple who met at school & they were one of the happiest couples I’ve ever seen. I am thrilled with the shots I took of them around their venue.

I took the group shots on the colonnade, which was great, with fabulous light but without the dreaded sun in everyone’s eyes on such a sunny day.

It really was such a fantastic day & it was an honour to photograph Max & Ceci on their wedding day. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek & wish you every happiness in your married lives together.

Laura & Andy – A Sneak Peek

I was at The Compleat Angler in Marlow again recently for the wedding of Laura & Andy. It was a great day & I was pleased the forecasted downpours passed us by.

I started the day at Laura’s parents home to get some coverage of the bride & bridal party getting ready. I always love being part of the day from the very start & this wedding was no exception. There is an almost ceremonial feeling to the process of preparing a bride to meet her groom.

Laura had a lovely lady Carol, who came to help her into her dress. A great idea as Carol was experienced in all the buttons & laces & completed the task calmly in double quick time. I always have a crochet hook in my camera bag which often comes in useful for the uninitiated but no need for it at this wedding!

Laura & Andy were married at St Margaret’s Church in Tylers Green. It’s a great church with fantastic natural light & a lovely vicar Derek. We did the group shots outside the church, which provided a lovely backdrop. We also got some great shots of the couple under a shower of confetti!

We then set off by car to The Compleat Angler & I was really pleased to catch up with the bride & groom in their wedding car. Kiti got a quick shot or two as we overtook them. Great one Kiti!

Unbeknown to their guests Laura & Andy took a slight detour on their way & rocked up at the venue by…..boat. I love the shot of Laura disembarking with the crowd of quests all taking their own shots. She looks like a film star arriving at a premiere!

It really was a great day. As Kiti & I left them on the dance floor I thought how lucky I was to be part of their special day, to capture the laughs, the tears & the love. Hope you like your sneak peek Laura & Andy. Wishing you every happiness in your lives together.

The best bouquet toss….ever

Sometimes, as a photographer, something amazing happens before your eyes in a blink & you’ll miss it kind of way. I stand there, heart in mouth, snapping away hoping the technology can keep up with my trigger finger. One of these moments happened at the recent wedding of Alex & Charlotte. Now, I’ve photographed a fair few bouquet tosses but this one was simply the best! Charlotte had a fab group of bridesmaids including her sisters Georgia & Natalie, her friend Ruth & her husband-to-be’s sisters Annie & Hollie. They all lined up along with quite a number of single ladies ready for Charlotte to throw the bouquet.

You may notice that Georgia & Ruth had a certain glint in their eyes not quite matched by the others.

What happened next was a display of fine acrobatics, determination & perhaps a hint of a rugby tackle. A flailing of arms & Georgia threw her arm up in triumph.

The following celebrations with her boyfriend & mum & the sympathetic handshake for her dad (& Father-of-the-Bride) were just fantastic.

Will the family soon be celebrating another wedding? Well, if you need a photographer…..

Charlotte & Alex – A Sneak Peek!

Recently I was thrilled to be asked to photograph Alex & Charlotte’s wedding in Weybridge, Surrey. To me the best testimonial of my work is to be recommended by my brides & grooms to their friends & families. About 4 or so years ago I photographed Alex’s sister’s wedding & I must have impressed to be asked again!

Alex & Charlotte’s day dawned bright & clear but the forecasted weather did make an appearance as Charlotte travelled to the church. Part of my skill as a photographer is to use the weather conditions to add something to the photographs rather than detract. As an example one of my favourite shots of the day is the bride photographed through the raindrops on the car window.

That being said, we were all pleased when the sun did shine & I got some really great shots of the bride & groom in the beautiful gardens of their venue Cherkley Court.

One of the joys of being a wedding photographer is the variation whether it is wedding to wedding or the moments you capture on the day. From the nervous reflection of the bride & groom before the wedding, the excited smiles of the bridesmaids to the laughter of the speeches & the fun of the dance floor. I am used to the traditional disco or band but Alex & Charlotte also had, due to Alex’s Greek heritage, traditional Greek dancing accompanied by Alex’s grandfather Bambos playing a bouzouki which is a traditional long necked stringed instrument a little like a mandolin. The moves on the dance floor were certainly very impressive & I was pleased with the images I captured.

The day also included one of the best bouquet tosses I’ve ever seen. It was so impressive it’s going to have its own blog post – keep your eyes peeled!

So, Alex & Charlotte here are your sneak peeks, I really hope you love them. Wishing you every happiness for your future lives together.

Deborah & Stephen, The Tythe Barn – Sneak Peek!

Another sunny Saturday & I was off to one of my favourite venues The Tythe Barn, Launton near Bicester.

Deborah & Stephen hail from up north so they & their friends travelled down for a wedding in the Oxfordshire countryside. The Tythe Barn is a great venue with lots of options for all weathers; I shoot weddings there all year come rain & shine. When the sun is shining you can have the ceremony outside as Deborah & Stephen did. What a lovely aisle to walk up, a verdant arbour with your family & friends seated either side.

The flowers were beautiful, the ever-popular gypsophila in generous bouquets worked wonderfully against the bridesmaids dresses from Two Birds. Inside, Charlie from The Flower Fairies had decorated the barn with beautiful greenery highlighting the historical architecture.

Deborah & Stephen had some fantastic styling & details on the day & an important part of a wedding photographers job is to capture these for posterity. I particularly loved their table plan; pots of lavender & the place names were labels on granny smith apples!

The lovely day rolled into a beautiful summers evening & I shot some great photos of the guests mingling & playing croquet. As with most weddings though my evening ended on the dance floor – not dancing you’ll be pleased to know!

I hope you enjoy your sneak peek Deborah & Stephen. Wishing you every happiness for your future life together….

Ruth & Matt – The Forbury & The Plowden Arms – Sneak Peek

Another sunny day another sunny wedding. Despite overnight thunderstorms the morning of Ruth & Matt’s wedding was bright & clear. Ruth got ready at The Forbury Hotel in Reading & they had a civil service with a few chosen guests in the Eden room followed by drinks reception in the library.

Ruth & Matt are Landlord & Lady of The Plowden Arms in Shiplake near Henley on Thames so after a few bride & groom & group photos by the river in Shiplake we headed back to the pub for a knees up.

There was a traditional marquee with afternoon tea whilst guests mingled playing quoits, chatting & taking polaroid photos in their homemade photobooth.

Music during the afternoon was supplied by Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra all played from a fantastic stage, a converted airstream trailer.

Ruth & Matt laid on an amazing spread that mirrored the quality of the food on offer in the pub. They were then entertained by another group The Bellinis who sing modern day songs with a vintage twist. I left everyone dancing away with lights twinkling.

Hope you enjoy your sneak peek Ruth & Matt. Wishing you every happiness. I’ll be in for a pint of your best soon.

Stéphanie & Tim – Henley On Thames – Sneak Peek!

There are some days as a wedding photographer that you particularly hope for great weather due to something on the day that depends on sunshine or at least no rain. My own wedding included a boat trip & walk up from the quayside, which wouldn’t have been possible in gale force 9!

Tim & Stéphanie’s wedding included a planned walk across the bridge in Henley from ceremony to reception venue so it was disappointing to wake to heavy rain on the morning of their wedding. But one thing for the British weather is that it is pretty changeable! By the time Stéphanie left the house to travel to Henley the sun had come out & the weather just got better & better as the day went by. And yes, we even made the walk across the bridge!

Stéphanie & Tim’s wedding was at St Mary’s the Virgin in Henley on Thames followed by a marquee reception in a friends garden on the banks of the river Thames. It really was a beautiful day & the gardens, house & bridge provided a great variety of backdrops for some fantastic shots. Guest of honour was Stéphanie & Tim’s dog, Hugo, who even made an appearance at the church!

Hope you love your sneak peek Stéphanie & Tim. Wishing you every happiness in your future lives together.

Sarah & Ben #sneekypeek #Bisham #Danesfield

Before any wedding I always ‘recce’ the venues to run through the journey for the day & check for any ‘issues’ that may arise; such a parking at the church etc. I went to Bisham Church, near Marlow for my usual look around a week prior to Sarah & Ben’s wedding & my wife Becky was baffled to see a No Fishing sign on the lychgate on entering the churchyard. All became clear to her a few moments later as we walked round the church to be welcomed by the sight of the River Thames in all its glory meandering its way past the churchyard.

The River Thames played a part throughout Sarah & Ben’s day. Sarah prepared for the wedding at the famous Marlow hotel The Compleat Angler where I have photographed many a wedding before she travelled the short distance to Bisham Church to meet her groom. After the service the bride, groom & guests (plus photographer & his assistant Kiti!) travelled to the renowned hotel Danesfield House for a drinks reception & dinner.

This wedding was truly to the adage ‘small but perfectly formed’ with only 14 guests but with all the lovely trimmings of a larger wedding.

Sarah looked absolutely beautiful in her lace dress & her ‘look’ inspired me with some new image styles. Inspired by everything vintage it gives the images an almost ‘milky’ quality rather than the standard black & white. These are applied post-production & whilst they will never be applied to every image add another variety to the styles that I offer. I am really pleased with the range of images in their sneaky peek, I hope Sarah & Ben love them as much I do!

#Wedding featured on Conde Nast #BRIDES website as ‘wedding of the week’

One of my brides from March has just emailed me to tell me their wedding has been featured as wedding of the week on Brides Online! I have already showed you several of their images in previous posts but it was a stunningly colourful wedding. Here is the link to see the feature and some of the images again!

http://www.bridesmagazine.co.uk/community/weddings/story/233924-Explosion-Of-Colour/

Mark Lord Photography

Oxfordshire based photographer specialising in people and our rich landscape

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