Gemma & Sam – A Wedding at Wormsley – A Sneak Peek

Recently Kiti & I were very excited to do a wedding very close to Mark Lord Photography HQ. Gemma & Sam were married at the lovely village church in Aston Rowant & held their reception on the beautiful Wormsley estate nearby.Wormsley Estate is a 2,500 estate & covers the most beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. It is very well known for its cricket pitch which has hosted the South-African, Australian & West-Indian teams. I was particularly looking forward to photographing Gemma & Sam in the wonderful walled garden with was restored by Sir Paul & Lady Getty.I started the day with Gemma & her bridesmaids at a cottage on the estate. It was a beautiful, sunny September day as they got ready in the lovely, sunshine-filled conservatory.Whilst I was with Gemma, Kiti made the short walk to the church to meet Sam & get some shots of him & his Best-Man & Ushers before the guests arrived. The cars arrived & I hopped in to make the 5-minute journey to Aston Rowant from Wormsley Estate.We gathered outside the church as Gemma’s bridesmaids straightened her dress & made sure she was ready to meet her groom.The church was quite strict in their allowance of photography during the service but we were allowed to take shots of Gemma’s arrival & she looked beautiful as she made our way up the aisle.We weren’t allowed to take any shots from the front but we got some lovely shots from the back of the church during the service. Often, unless the position at the front is perfect, a position at the back can provide a fantastic vantage point for some great shots.After a lovely service Gemma & Sam made their way out into the sunshine with their friends & family before their guests boarded a fabulous vintage bus from The Vintage Bunting Company. I got a lift from one of the guests & with a little encouragement I persuaded the guest to zoom past the wedding car as I grabbed some shots out the window!As we arrived at Wormsley Kiti & took the bride & groom to the beautiful walled gardens. I had already been there with Gemma & Sam as we did their pre wedding shoot there a month or so ago. It’s a wonderful space with paths leading through wonderful planting. It is a large space & has endless options for some stylish bride & groom shots. When we returned to the reception it was time for the more formal group shots with their friends & families. It was now time for everyone to make their way into the marquee. Rather than the normal escort cards or table plan Gemma & Sam had a tree in the centre of their marquee which was festooned with golden apples. On each apple was written a name & table number. After welcoming Gemma & Sam into the wedding breakfast it was time for Sam’s speech.

We offer lots of different time packages for weddings anywhere between 4 & 10 hours to cover all aspects of your wedding from getting ready coverage to your guests hitting the dancefloor. Gemma & Sam booked us for 6 hours so after Sam’s speech it was time for us to make our way home & leave them to continue celebrating.Congratulations Gemma & Sam – Hope you enjoy your sneak peek.

Wishing you every happiness!!

Helen & Will – A Sneak Peek

Last Saturday we woke to sunshine for Helen & Will’s wedding in Ewelme & Roke near Wallingford.

Kiti was taken to catch up with Will & the guys at The White Hart in Nettlebed whilst I photographed Helen & her bridesmaids getting ready at her family home in Ewelme.

The wedding was held in the historic church of St Mary the Virgin in Ewelme so I was able to make the short walk to the church from Helen’s family home in readiness to photograph the brides arrival. She had the most beautiful car, I see a lot of wedding cars but this really was something different. A vintage Rolls Royce in silver apparently it was never painted, this was the original finish. The way it reflected the light was beautiful. It was now time for Will to see his bride & for a beautiful service in the church.

They walked out to a flurry of confetti & the smiles of their friends & families.

Just next to the church was a lovely cloisters with beautiful gardens. It was a fantastic place for some lovely shots of the two of them together. We also stopped off a couple of times in the lovely village of Ewelme for some more shots.

Helen & Will’s reception was held in a marquee at a fantastic pub called The Home Sweet Home in the nearby village of Roke. Everyone mingled outside in the sunshine before it was time for everyone to join Helen & Will for the wedding breakfast.

After a lovely meal & some great speeches we took Helen & Will off for a few more shots down a country lane.

Then it was time for their first dance & for every to hit the dancefloor!

Congratulations Helen & Will. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek! Wishing you eery happiness.

Ruth and Stephane – A Sneak Peek

Most of my weddings are in Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire so it was with some excitement that Mrs Lord & I travelled to Kent to photograph the recent wedding of Ruth & Stephane in the beautiful late Spring countryside. We travelled down the day before so our day started with collecting my Antipodean assistant Kiti & we made our way to Tenterden.

All of today’s wedding locations were in close proximity so we planned to do a quick reccee of the wedding & first look locations prior to meeting the B&G. Rural Kent is a beautiful & looked wonderful at this time of year with the trees bursting into leaf & the cow parsley out in flower. After familiarising ourselves we made our way to meet our Bride & Groom.

Ruth & Stephane planned a day that was personal to them & this started with a first look amongst the vines of the famous vineyard Chapel Down. Normally I do my couple images with the bride & groom after the service during the drinks reception but it made refreshing change to do the photographs before the service & I think it was a special moment for the Bride & Groom to share.

After the first look we made our way to The Great Barn, Rolvenden which was the venue for the day. The service was beautiful & it was lovely that Ruth & Stephane were placed facing their friends & family rather than the audience viewing their backs!

By now what had been a rather overcast day had turned into a beautiful sunshine & Ruth & Stephane mingled with their guests in the orchard. They planned a really individual day after the drinks reception the guests gathered back in the barn at long trestle tables for afternoon tea after which there was beer & wine tastings for the guests.

They decorated the barn in a fabulous rustic way with reclaimed wood signs & strings of fairy lights, the tables decorated with bottles with local hedgerow flowers.

By now the sun had softened into that lovely evening glow & I took the Bride & Groom away for a few more couples shots. I have recently been experimenting with shooting into the sun which offers a soft, ethereal feel to the images.

After a few more shots with the happy couple it was time to let them return to their guests for their very original first dance & as always Kiti & I left everyone hitting the dancefloor.

Wishing you every happiness Ruth & Stephane. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Happy Anniversary Phoebe & Guy!

I can’t believe it, but it is already a year since I was in Cornwall to photograph the wedding of Phoebe & Guy at Pentillie Castle. As a Cornishman born & bred I love the opportunity to travel back down to my home county. Cornwall offers so many fantastic wedding venues & Pentillie Castle, which is on the River Tamar offers a photographer some beautiful opportunities for some stylish bride & groom photos.

Congratulations Phoebe & Guy on your first anniversary!

Kind words…..

Its always lovely to hear from happy Brides & Grooms & recently we heard from one of our couples who were married earlier in the year. We always send our couples a feedback form after the wedding as we are always looking to improve our service & their feedback is invaluable.

Claire & Richard were married at Somerton followed by a reception at The Tythe Barn, Launton.

‘Very friendly & professional, excellent communication, very unobtrusive on wedding day & stunning photos!…’

‘…Thank you so much for our beautiful wedding photos – we were very impressed by the professional service & unobtrusive style & would definitely recommend you to others!’

Keep an eye out on our website for the new added testimonials page coming soon!

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.

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.

Just get me to the church on time…… #weddings

The wedding car can be a big part of the day. Don’t panic if you struggle to get into the car in your dress, most brides do and will get in with a little help from their Dad or bridesmaids. If the car has a stereo ask if you can play some music on the way to the church or venue. Record a CD that’s ready to play on the day, some stereos may even accept an iPod! 186-IMG_3814-KSH But don’t be disappointed if there is no stereo after all many wedding cars are vintage, so long as the wedding car can get you to the church on time!These old cars are not wedding cars you will be pleased to hear! They just happen to be ‘parked’ in the grounds of the fabulous country pub and wedding venue The Crooked Billet. If you are looking for a quiet country pub for your wedding venue that serves the most incredible food then look no further. Kate Winslet even had her wedding reception here!

It’s raining….. So what? #wedding #photography

With the current British weather I’m sure several brides will be worrying about it raining on their wedding day.

Unfortunately this is not something any of us can change and what will be will be. However, a rainy day can make for some stunning photography if everyone is prepared for it. Check with your venue to see what their wet weather plan is, see if they have a load of umbrellas or whether you need to buy some for the bridal party. We bought a job lot of clear umbrellas for our wedding day which thankfully we didn’t really need but it’s one less thing to worry about if you have some. Also, remember the grounds of the reception venue may be waterlogged if there has been flooding or a lot of rainfall. I would suggest getting yourself a couple of pairs of wellies, Hunter do some very trendy ones now so treat yourself to a pair, if you don’t use them on the wedding day then I’m sure they will come in handy another day!

But most of all, don’t let it get you down. Just smile and remember it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day!

Pre-wedding shoot with a twist…

Since Christmas I have been very busy booking weddings for 2014 and 2015, meeting couples and shooting pre wedding shoots. Although the weather has been pretty shocking we have been very lucky on the days the shoots are booked for, with some nice winter light and some lovely wintery colours. All of my clients who book a pre wedding shoot near to my home are advised to bring wellies this time of the year. We can get away without going off road too much but some industrial rubber on the soles of our feet will mean we can venture further.

This is a picture of a footpath where I regularly take my clients for photographs so you can see suitable footwear is advisable!

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Just over a week ago I had the pleasure of photographing one of my couples who’s wedding will be at The Tythe Barn later this year. Paula and Dan booked my services over the internet and then came to see me to discuss their wedding day and for their pre wedding shoot. Paula had given me the ‘heads up’ that they had a bit of a theme to their wedding and would be bringing a balloon to the shoot. How cool I thought! I am not going to give the game away before the big day but all will become clear when you see the wedding pictures I post later in the year. We were blessed with a beautiful morning for the pre wedding shoot and got some wonderful images.

Here are a few of my favourites from the shoot.

The vintage look I apply to some of my pictures worked really well at this shoot and the most important thing to me is Paula and Dan loved them. I am really looking forward to their big day!

See more of wedding photography and family portrait photography for Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire on my website http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk

Mark Lord Photography

Oxfordshire based photographer specialising in people and our rich landscape

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