A Colourful Tipi Wedding at Rushy Meadows, George & Kerrie – A Sneak Peek

A beautiful late Spring morning saw Kiti & I heading off to the wedding of George & Kerrie in sunny Garsington & Eynsham.I dropped Kiti in Garsington where she was to capture some images of the groom getting ready with a difference – we’ll come back to that later. I headed off to the little village of Thrupp just north of Oxford where Kerrie, the bride, was getting ready. Kerrie’s family are from North Yorkshire so had hired a lovely coach house to stay in which was the perfect place for Kerrie to get ready in. I captured some lovely images of Kerrie & her family getting ready but before long & I had to hop back into the car to get to the church before the bride. Kerrie was travelling by vintage VW camper van so I knew we wouldn’t be travelling at the same speed but the driver made excellent time & Kerrie arrived at the church on time.Meanwhile in George & Kerrie’s lovely cottage in Garsington where there was a houseful & the party had already started! George is originally from Cyprus & there are some important traditions to be celebrated before the service. The Best Man shaves the Groom in the presence of his family & friends. He then dresses the Groom in his shirt, waistcoat, tie & suit while music plays. His friends & family then take turn to wrap a red scarf around the Grooms waist as a symbol of his fertility. The images Kiti captured really show the emotions & celebrations of this part of the day. By now an expectant groom was waiting at the altar for his bride. The Best Man & Ushers were waiting outside as we arrived & they accompanied the bridesmaids up the aisle followed into the church by the Bride & her father. Unusually, at the last minute we found out we would be unable to take any images in the church due to the rules of a visiting vicar. After the service everyone poured out of the church followed by the Bride & Groom who exited to a flurry of confetti! The Bride & Groom, their friends & family mingled in the churchyard with champagne before setting off the venue. The reception was held in a tipi at City Farm, Eynsham. City Farm is a beautiful location & is also know as Rushy Meadows. At Rushy Meadows there are 3 separate huts for glamping which you kind find on Canopy & Stars but they also hold weddings there. It’s a beautiful area with big mowed parts perfect for pitching a tipi in front of the lake & of course, the Bride & Groom can stay in one of the beautifully appointed huts right next door!George & Kerrie arranged a beautiful, relaxed, colourful festival wedding & the sun really shone for them! During the drinks reception Kiti & I took them away for some shots of the two of them with the fab campervan & lake offering perfect backdrops.
George & Kerrie were announced into the tipi with a round of applause & it was time for the speeches.

I love the emotions, the fun & the laughter in the images & just what was the Best Man telling Kerrie for the Groom to react like this!

It was a lovely relaxed wedding & the large tipi was fantastic with firepits where guests could toast marshmallows. The whole day was a lovely celebration but before too long it was time for the Bride & Groom to cut the cake & then hit the dancefloor for their first dance.

As always we left everyone dancing the night away under the stars……

We hope you enjoy your sneak peek George & Kerrie, there are lots more to come!

A Wedding at The Tythe Barn, Tegwen & Tim A Sneak Peek

So pleased as a wedding photographer when the summer finally arrives & the sun comes out. Kiti & I wound our way to the The Tythe Barn with sunglasses as well as smiles on our faces.We were there to photograph the wedding of Tegwen & Tim. Kiti started at the barn capturing the flowers, the outside space where the ceremony was to be held & the guests arriving. I made my way to The Nook where Tegwen, her family & bridesmaids were getting ready. The Nook is a wonderful secluded spot where the bridal party can get ready together in comfort & close proximity to the barn. The Nook is divided in to two main rooms – one side caters solely for the bride whilst the other room has been created to offer a large space for the bridesmaids, mother of the bride, flower girl, page boy and so on. Both rooms have been carefully thought out and the needs of the bride and her attendants have been considered at every stage.

Emotions on a wedding day run high & I love the moment when the Father of the Bride sees his daughter for the first time. It’s a really touching moment & I love the images I captured of Tegwen & her Dad. By now the guests had gathered in front of the large oak doors in the sunshine & the expectant groom stood with his best man awaiting the arrival of his bride.Preceded by her bridesmaids Tegwen & Her Dad made their way through the wisteria arbour to meet her groom.
An outside ceremony is lovely, when the weather allows & added to the celebratory, relaxed feel of Tegwen & Tim’s wedding. After the lovely service the Bride & Groom made their way back through the arbour to a flurry of lavender & then joined their guests for a drinks reception in the garden. We did the group shots there with the barn as a backdrop before taking Tim & Tegwen away to do some shots of the two of them. There are some great places around the barn for shots, the folly, shepherds hut & tree lined driveway to name but a few. They even have this new vintage landcover that can be used as a drink station but is also a fab backdrop for your photos!We then made our way back to the barn to join their guests for the wedding breakfast in the wonderful vaulted space. After the speeches & cake cutting the guests spilled out onto the lawns with tea & coffee before they made their way inside to the dance floor. After Tegwen & Tim had their dance everyone joined them on the dance floor & they boogied the night away…… Wishing you all the best Tegwen & Tim, we hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Photography Shoot with a Master Thatcher

To continue with our series of shoots with artisan food producers & craftsmen we thought we would share a recent shoot that Mark did with a Thatcher down in rural Wiltshire.
Whilst we have been searching for suitable projects for Mark so much has been through word-of-mouth, twitter & chance meetings with people. Recently Mark spent a day teaching photography to small businesses in Wiltshire for use on their websites etc. On the day he chatted to a lady who mentioned that her husband was a thatcher & may be looking for new images for his website. Now, never one to rest on his laurels the next day when he was back at his desk Mark called Adam & later the same week he found himself atop a thatched roof! Mark spent the day with them whilst they thatched the beautiful thatched cottage. He captured images of them using the traditional tools such as the legget which is used to force the blunt ends of the reeds inwards to bring them into line & shearing hook which looks like a left-handed scythe, except it’s right-handed and is used to shear the ears off the reeds. Mark got some fantastic shots of the tools, the skills & the craftsmen themselves. Thatching truly is an ancient craft; the first thatch was in the Bronze age – 4,500 years ago. Thatched cottages and farm buildings were the norm in rural Britain for a millennium or more. Adam Nash, who Mark spent the day with, is a Master Thatcher & is based in Crockerton, Wiltshire and thatches in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset. You will see examples of his thatching scattered around the counties including Salisbury, Amesbury, Andover, Heytesbury, Tisbury, Shaftesbury & Warminster www.adamnashthatcher.co.uk

Photography Shoot with Chiltern Charcuterie

As we promised earlier in the week, a blog about Mark’s recent visit to a charcuterie producer. When we were looking for local artisan food producers we thought a charcuterier would be an interesting project so put our snouts to the ground & found a fabulous local company producing wonderful air dried ham, pancetta, salami & chorizo. Chiltern Charcuterie was born in the summer of 2014, by two amateur cooks; Ross and Catherine, who both have a passion for good food. Their current products include: Air-dried Beef (Bresaola) and Lamb, Pancetta, Salami and Chorizo. All their produce is handmade, and hangs for a minimum of 28 days to develop flavour. You can purchase online here or there are lots of local places you can purchase such as Just Cooking in Thame. Last week Mark visited them to capture some shots of them making their fine produce & some images of the finished product.

Photography Shoot with Hobbs House Bakery

This year Mark has been photographing lots of projects for a British stock library who sell worldwide. They are all about capturing images about living healthily, well and sustainably. Their images reflect artisan & small business. As you can imagine this type of photography is right up Mark’s street. He has had a great time photographing some really interesting projects & some really talented artisans; from fine furniture makers & thatchers to a traditional sign writer & a local charcuterie producer. I even took part in a shoot myself with Mark’s Mum & Dad cocklepicking on the Helford in Cornwall. I’m sure that we will be posting some more projects in the next few months but last week Mark had a rather exciting photo shoot.Hobbs House Bakery was established in the Cotswolds in the 1920’s and they are a true family business with five generations of baking experience. Mark has met them previously at the fabulous Gloucester Services & contacted them in the hope of organising a shoot. Born with flour on their fingers, 5^th generation bakers Tom & Henry, known to many as The Fabulous Baker Brothers, were so generous in giving Mark their time & the results were fab!Mark visited them at The Hobbs House Cookery School in Chipping Sodbury near Bristol & photographed them doing all things bread. The combination of the neutral light-filled room, a couple of handsome chaps & a fantastic photographer has resulted in some great images.

Hobbs House Bakery’s beautiful sourdough & artisan loaves, cakes & baked loveliness, baking equipment including your own sourdough starter can be purchased from their website. They also have a selection of Bakeries where you can purchase the old fashioned way in person in Chipping Sodbury, Nailsworth, Tetbury & Malmesbury. You can even learn how to bake yourself at Hobbs House Cookery School.

A Wedding at Henley & Hedsor House – Camilla & Rob’s Sneak Peek!

Camilla & Rob were recently married at St Mary’s Church, Henley-on-Thames & Hedsor House. It was a beautiful, sunny Spring morning as Kiti, Becky & I set off to Hedsor House.I was to photograph Camilla getting ready in the beautiful surroundings of the Bridal Suite so I was dropped off & Becky & Kiti made the journey to Henley for the first time of the day.

The Bridal Suite at Hedsor is such a wonderful place to prepare for your wedding day. It is one of the largest Bridal Suites in Europe & provides the ultimate space to enjoy your most special day together with your bridesmaids & close family.

It was just lovely on this sunny morning with the large windows filling the space with warmth and natural light. It has been decorated in soft ivory tones & plush furnishings so is a photographers dream! Meanwhile Kiti had arrived in Henley to meet with the Groom, Rob, his Best Man & Usher. They had met for a drink at The Bull & Kiti got some lovely shots of Rob & the lads there before making their way via the River Thames to the church.

Back at Hedsor House, Camilla was making her final preparations in the bridal suite before gliding down the stunning staircase & into the awaiting Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.

By now Becky had popped back to Hedsor House to collect me so we whizzed off to Henley. The traffic into Henley over the bridge was chock-a-block. Once we got within striking distance I jumped out the car, made a run for it over the bridge & got there just in time!

The service was just lovely, Camilla is a teacher at a Henley school & some girls from the school sang beautifully at the wedding. It was wonderful to see what an exciting day it was for them.We gathered everyone either side of the church path & Camilla & Rob made their way through a confetti tunnel & the congratulations of their friends & family.Meanwhile, Becky was waiting just around the corner to pick us up & run us back to Hedsor so we were in place to capture the Bride & Grooms arrival.

They were soon joined by their guests who arrived back in two fabulous double decker London busses. The vehicles all looked fantastic lined up outside the impressive frontage of the house.The guests made their way into the galleried centre hall of the house & we took a moment to do the group shots outside the house. It’s such a wonderful backdrop & really adds to the splendor of the day. We then took Camilla & Rob to do some stylish shots of the two of the in the grounds. Hedsor House is perched high above the River Thames and set in over 100 acres of historic parkland. We got some lovely shots of them in the parkland & outside the house.

Before long, it was time for them to join their friends & family for a balloon release! This was really good fun & an unusual way of doing a photo of everyone!After this, the guests made their way into the Grand Ballroom for the wedding breakfast & speeches. When you book Hedsor House it is as a dry hire so your wedding planner or caterers run the day. Camilla & Rob used a fantastic company called Caper & Berry who I have worked with before. They were amazing on the day & the food was delicious! After a wonderful meal & much laughter it was time for Camilla & Rob to cut their cake & then have their first dance. We positioned Kiti up on the gallery & I love the shots she captured of them alone on the dancefloor before being joined by their wedding guests! As always Kiti & I left everyone dancing the night away. Hedsor House has 10 gorgeous guest bedrooms for the Bride, Groom & closest guests so when the day was over all they had to do was wind their way up the sweeping staircase.

We hope you enjoy your sneak peek Camilla & Rob, wishing you every happiness

Traditional Signwriter Shoot

A few years back before I worked with Mark Lord Photography, I worked as a Picture Framer – it’s actually where I met Mark! Whilst there I worked with a really lovely chap called Paul & we have stayed in touch on Facebook.

Mark is working with a renowned picture library photographing projects that appeal to him featuring real, organic & authentic projects. Mark will be concentrating on small artisan businesses & anything that reflects his love of the British countryside & rural crafts.

So, back to the lovely Paul. He was always super-talented & in the years since we worked together he has really developed his skills & is now a traditional signwriter. In demand across the country he works from his studio in the Wiltshire countryside when he’s not on location.We contacted him to see if he was interested in being photographed by Mark & being the lovely guy he is he was up for the idea. So we travelled back down the A34 to my old stomping ground & spent a lovely day of painting, printing & drinking tea in Paul’s fab workshop.

We also went with him to Hungerford where he put the finishing touches to his most recent project.

Mark is looking to photograph lots more projects this year so if you are, or know of someone who is, running a small, artisan business or food producer please contact us & we can discuss the possibilities.

We have some exciting project in the pipeline but special thanks to those who have already helped us Shona, Tris, Paul, Andy, Eidlih, Noel & Pauline Lord

Becky

Paul Hetherton, Traditional Signwriter – www.traditionalsignwriters.com

Leanne & Tim, Pre Wedding Shoot – A Sneak Peek

We recently made a quick pre wedding season visit to Cornwall & whilst we were there Mark photographed Leanne & Tim for their pre-wedding shoot. Leanne & Tim are getting married in Cornwall in the Summer & Mark will be photographing the big day.Mark is a proud Cornishman & has lots of family there. Leanne is a cousin on his Dad’s side & Mark was thrilled when she asked him to photograph her wedding day. When Mark was at college studying photography he often roped in family to pose for him. Leanne & her sister Sarah didn’t manage to escape the lens. Mark did some lovely black & white portraits of them & other cousins growing up.They had a fab time at the pre wedding shoot & went to the beach at Swanpool, Falmouth & their wedding venue Penmorvah Manor Hotel outside the village where Mark grew up, Budock Water. Not often that a wedding photographer based in Oxfordshire gets to shoot on a beach!Hope you enjoy your sneak peek Leanne & Tim. We will be in touch soon with the full gallery!

Wedding at The Compleat Angler – Alex & Steph, A Sneak Peek

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Alex & Steph at The Compleat Angler in Marlow. Now, over the years I’ve done a fair few weddings there but it did look lovely in the low September sunlight with the river flowing past.Both Alex & Steph got ready at The Compleat Angler so, as always, Kiti & I went our separate ways – Kiti with the groom & I with the bridal party to capture them both getting their glad rags on.After getting ready Alex & his Best Man made the short journey from the hotel in a bright red MG to the church at Bisham.

It was then time for me to hot foot it to the church ready to get some shots of Steph, her Dad & the bridesmaids arriving & making their way into the church.

After a lovely service Alex & Steph made their way out of the church to be greeted by a flurry of bubbles.

We did some shots with their friends & family before they departed in style to make their way back to The Compleat Angler. I dashed back & ran back to the bridge so I could get a shot of them on the iconic bridge! It was now time for the group shot of everyone at the wedding testing my physical fitness as in my time I have climbed a church tower & hung out of many a window to capture the shot. At The Compleat Angler, with weather permitting, I gather the guests on the lawn by the river & make a quick dash around & up onto the bridge to get the shot from a vantage point.The river & bridge always seems to play an important part in a Compleat Angler wedding. I try to do some stylish bride & groom shots as they walk across the bridge. This is when I employ the skills of the Best Man or bridesmaids, Ushers & my assistant to stop traffic. The guys at Alex & Steph’s wedding did a sterling job & everyone smiled & waved as they drove past!

Alex & Steph also fitted a boat trip into their day & I got some great photos of them onboard as they sailed away into the sunshine! This is a lovely part of a wedding at The Compleat Angler giving the happy couple time to reflect on their special day.After they returned to a flurry of confetti it was time for guests to make their way to the wedding breakfast. Alex & Steph’s Toastmaster did a fabulous job throughout the day & announced them into the room. Toastmasters can be a great addition to your wedding helping with all the details of your day & keeping things on time!After some great speeches it was time for Alex & Steph to cut the cake & hit the dancefloor for their first dance as husband & wife.It was then time for everyone to hit the dancefloor & we left them all dancing the night away!

Wishing you both every happiness. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Photography Project – Green & Gorgeous

I have long been a fan of Green & Gorgeous’ beautiful wedding flowers so it was with great excitement that I travelled to visit them at an uncharacteristically (for me!) early hour one Friday morning.Green & Gorgeous are well known for their delightful flowers & arrangements for weddings all grown at their garden at Little Stoke, Oxfordshire. They grow a diverse range of flowers throughout the Spring, Summer & Autumn. These are then arranged in a wonderful garden and hedgerow style by Rachel really showing off the natural beauty of the blooms.

I got there just as dawn had risen when the dew was still on the grass. Being a Friday morning all the team were busy picking & prepping the flowers ready for a busy wedding weekend.

Well, almost all the team…..! I spent a wonderful few hours wandering around the garden capturing shots of the team, the garden & individual blooms. I was amazed how much was still in bloom in September & the dahlias in particular were beautiful. I have grown to love garden photography & am working hard on developing this side of my work. I also love taking pictures of people in their environment so this little project was right up my street. Green & Gorgeous work with the seasons to grow a large variety of beautiful flowers from old English favourites through to the wild and unexpected. Growing with the seasons the flowers they offer change as the months go by. They start in Spring with anemones, tulips & ranunculus, move onto Summer with roses, sweet peas, poppies & scabious before heading into Autumn with an array of dahlia, eucalyptus, fruit & berries. You can choose either DIY where if you want to try your hand at arranging some of the flowers yourself, but are not keen on the stress of making your own bouquet. G&G offer a buckets & bouquet service & you can choose how much or how little you want to do. Brides quite often choose to do the flowers such as table displays & pew ends & then Rachel can give a professional look to the most important elements. Or you can choose the full works where Rachel & her team take care of everything for you from table displays, pew ends, buttonholes & bouquets. They also have a Saturday morning shop selling vegetables, fruit, eggs, seeds and plants, mail order service & they run a variety of courses.