Danielle and David’s sneaky peek of their #wedding @GreatFosters

Earlier in May I had the pleasure of photographing Danielle and David’s big day at Great Fosters, Egham, Surrey.

Having only ever photographed at Great Fosters once before I was really keen to go back as it is a stunning wedding venue.

Great Fosters has a great past with more than four centuries of celebrated history having enriched Great Fosters with a remarkable heritage. Probably built as a royal hunting lodge in 1550 and very much a stately home since then, Great Fosters is now a prestigious 43 bedroom hotel.

Sympathetically converted in the 1930s by the Sutcliffe family, who are still its current custodians, the hotel possesses a plethora of original details and features including mullioned windows, Jacobean fireplaces, a rare oakwell staircase, authentic tapestries and moulded ceilings.

Danielle was lucky to get ready in the Tapestry Room, a stunning large room with tapestries adorning the walls giving a very regal and historic look to the getting ready photographs.

After a lovely civil ceremony in the Orangery guests were able to stroll around the gorgeous grounds of Great Fosters enjoying the formal gardens, lawns, moat, Japanese bridge and more whilst also enjoying the sunshine!

The wedding breakfast was served in the Tythe Barn followed by some hilarious speeches by mother of the bride, groom and then two best men who gave David a good ribbing!

All in all a fantastic day. Congratulations to Danielle and David and here is a sneaky peek of their beautiful wedding day……

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A few kind words gratefully received from Danielle and David this morning

‘Just wanted to say thanks so much to both you and Jack for all your hard work on the day – everyone commented how lovely you both were 🙂 It was such a long day and your energy levels were both amazing all day!! ‘

 

Last Saturday, what a day.

Firstly I awoke to lovely weather. The 1st June – ‘Is this the start of Summer’ I asked myself?

On Saturday Sarah (one of my assistants) and I photographed the wedding of Kathryn and David at Christ Church, Henley on Thames and then onto one of my favourite Buckinghamshire wedding venues, the magnificent Hedsor House. When I initially got an enquiry from Kathryn for wedding photography and was told it was a Hedsor House I was thrilled. You only have to look at the Hedsor House website to realise how fabulous it is with all of the awards and accolades awarded within the wedding industry.

“Vogue’s Dream Wedding Venue”
VOGUE
“Wedding Venue of the Year”
The Wedding Industry Awards Shortlist
“UK’s Prettiest Summer Wedding Venue”
Wedding Day Venues
“Top 100 Wedding Venues in the UK”
Brides Magazine 
“No.2. Royal Wedding Venue in the UK”
The Times
“No.1 Top Venue”
TATLER
“No.1 Wedding Venue in Buckinghamshire”
Brides Magazine
“Marie Claire’s Top Wedding Venue”
MARIE CLAIRE
“Top 10 UK Film Locations”
The Telegraph
“Event Venue of the Year”
Eventia Awards
If you have got this far then you may wish to take a closer look at what Hedsor can offer for your wedding day.
Kathryn got ready at Hotel Du Vin in Henley on Thames with her bridesmaids whilst David travelled up to Henley from Winchester on the morning of the big day. The service was a very special occasion at Christ Church, Henley on Thames as the church was very personal to Kathryn’s family. Her parents got married in the church and her grandfather was very involved in the church and even made the weather vane that adorns the church spire!
After a lovely service, the bride and groom went in a beautiful Bentley supplied by Christophers whilst the guests were all taken to the venue by coach.
On arrival at Hedsor House I heard comments such as ‘Its like something from a fairytale’ as the entrance to Hedsor House is so grand, long sweeping driveway, through the beautiful gardens and parkland before passing the highland cattle and finally seeing this magnificent house in front of you. With a beautiful blue sky it really was like something from a fairytale.
Entertainment was provided for the guests in the form of a Dixieland Jazz band playing in front of the house and a very popular Ice cream trike on the terrace provided by Benecci Ice Cream Bikes The beautiful flowers were all supplied by Hot Flowers and Art at nearby Wooburn Green, and the sensationally delicious catering by Caper and Berry.
The whole operation was meticulously organised by Kathryn with the help of Rachael from Serendipity Wedding Planning who did a fantastic job at keeping proceedings going as well as organising some gigantic balloons!
So without further ado here is Kathryn and David’s sneeky peek. I will be working on their images over the next few weeks and hope to show you all some more soon.
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Ohh…. and the dress…… A beautiful Ian Stewart – one of my favourite wedding dress designers.
What a day – hey?

 

#Hedsor House #Wedding tomorrow……

Tomorrow I have a beautiful wedding at Hedsor house, Taplow, Buckinghamshire. The wedding service is in Henley on Thames and then the reception at Hedsor house. I am very excited as Hedsor is such a splendid wedding venue and great for wedding photography. The Bride and Groom are really up for having some pictures taken in the grounds at Hedsor so fingers crossed the sunshine will be out and everyone will have a wonderful time. With some great props supplied by the bride there will be some amazing photograph opportunities.  So keep a look out for the sneaky peek on my blog……. you will not be able to miss these pictures……

 

In the meantime here are a few images from the last wedding I photographed at Hedsor House.

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Charlotte, Robin and Other Animals….

A couple of months ago I met one of my lovely couples, Charlotte and Robin at Wellington Riding near Reading, Berkshire. Charlotte keeps her horse there and wanted to have some pictures with him and their dog Oswald. Pirate the horse and I originate from Cornwall so we had something in common, he is definately more handsome although my nose is smaller!  I love photographing people as well as animals so this session was going to be great fun and possibly challenging as Oswald and Pirate do not always see eye to eye!

It was a great session and I think we all enjoyed it, even Pirate and Oswald! Here are some of the pictures that Charlotte and Robin had in their signing book for their wedding.

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Keep a look out on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com.marklordphotography for a sneaky peek at some of their wedding pictures from last weekend!

 

 

A busy weekend coming up for weddings…..

I’m currently busy designing a lovely album for Danielle and David who’s wedding took place last weekend at Great Fosters, Egham. Keep a look out for a sneaky peek once they are back from their honeymoon – there are lots of great pictures!

Tomorrow I will be photographing a wedding at the wonderful Silchester House in Hampshire and then Sunday I will be at the Compleat Angler Wedding Fair in Marlow.

So if you are looking for a photographer for your wedding day please come along and see me and a wonderful lady photographer called Maria who will also be attending. There will also be an array of other wedding suppliers all recommended by The Compleat Angler.

Doors open 11am until 3pm. Come along and see one of Marlow’s best wedding venues on the river River Thames.

Here are a few images from Gemma and Paul’s wedding from a few years ago at the Compleat Angler.

 

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Wet and windy wedding advice…..

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With the unpredictable weather we have these days who really knows when is the best time of year to get married. I’ve photographed glorious weddings in March and weddings where it’s hammered down in August. Whatever the weather the show must go on and regardless of the weather everyone will still have a great time.

But from experience here are a few tips in case the weather is not quite want you wished for.

1. Hire or buy some white umbrellas. These will be invaluable for you and your guests who need to go outside and being white they will be nice and bright underneath for some photos. Most quality venues should have some but it’s worth checking beforehand.

2. Pack wellies and enjoy the puddles. It’s popular now to pack the Hunter wellies in case of bad weather and are a great look in the photos and a nice contrast to the Jimmy Choos!

3. Give your bridesmaids a small can of hair spray for windy days and a pack of hair clips just in case it’s windy and your hair gets blown around during the group photos.

4. Ask a bridesmaid or close friend to come with you when you are having photographs with your groom. A bridesmaid can be on hand to help with hair adjustments or to rearrange your dress.

5. Have a back up plan. What will you all do if it rains all day long and you were planning an outdoors reception? Speak to your venue so you know where you and your guests can go if it’s wet outside.

6. Speak to your photographer and ask them where they plan to do the group photos if the weather is bad. A good photographer will have some portable flash heads they can set up to do the group photographs indoors.

Regardless of the weather you will have a fab day as you are surrounded by your family and friends and those that love you both.

Finally in my 15 years of photographing weddings I have never photographed one where it has rained ALL day long. Call it the luck of The Lord!

#Weddings at Wasing Park, Berkshire

It’s always one of the most wonderful moments at a wedding when the bride and groom see each other for the first time. This sequence of images was taken at Wasing Park in Berkshire where you can choose from a church service in the grounds or a civil ceremony, either inside or outdoors.

Wasing Park Wedding

To find out more about weddings at Wasing park please click here

I am currently working on my images fro the wedding I photographed on Saturday at Phyllis Court Club, Henley on Thames and hope to put some on my blog soon. The ceremony pictures are really lovely with lots of emotion in front and behind the camera. Old softy huh?

To see more of my work please visit my website http://www.marklordphotography.com