Countryside Weddings with Mark Lord Photography

Mark is based in rural Oxfordshire & specialises in country weddings. He works regularly across the Chilterns, beautiful Berkshire downs & into the Cotswold countryside.

This area offers so many quintessentially English landscapes & Mark has a few favourite rural venues across his region that offer fantastic & fabulous country wedding locations for those who love the countryside.

Mark has always worked very closely with The Tythe Barn, Launton & would highly recommend it as a venue for your country wedding. Will & Emma have lovingly restored the barn to a very high standard & they put this same level of dedication into every wedding. The barn is beautifully rustic with some wonderful design touches. Mark has photographed weddings in Summer when the bride walks up an aisle which is an arbour of Wisteria in flower & Winter weddings when the barn is decked with twinkling white fairy lights. Other barns of note that Mark loves photographing weddings at are Luxters, Lains Barn, Notley Tythe Barn & Ufton Court Tythe Barn.

Early last summer Mark took part in a wedding photo shoot at the stunning Merriscourt between Burford & Chipping Norton. Merriscourt is a fantastic venue in a beautiful rural setting. It combines traditional Cotswold stone with bright stylish interiors. There are two fantastic barns that can be decorated completely to your taste, you can go for full blown vintage with bunting & floral china ware, shabby chic or go modern vintage with art deco glass & illuminated letters from Vowed & Amazed.

If you are looking for a rural venue you can, of course, choose a stately home across this beautiful region & one of Mark’s favourites is the beautiful Hedsor House. Hedsor House is set within its own parkland above the river Thames & is only 25 miles from London. With beautiful, opulent décor it enables you to style your wedding your way. You can have your drinks reception in the stunning Centre Hall with its glazed dome & your reception in the oak panelled ballroom with beautiful views across the parkland. Hedsor House gives Mark an endless array of backdrops for stylish Bride & Groom images. In particular he loves photographing the Bride & Groom with their wedding party on the steps.

There are now so many beautiful country venues & wherever you choose to hold your country wedding Mark is simply the best photographer you could choose.

Another happy customer…..

Lovely Sunday morning despite the rain, just had a visit from one of my bride & grooms from earlier in the summer when they came to collect their wedding album. They gave me a lovely card which I’m sure they won’t mind sharing with my Facebook friends ‘Dear Mark, Just a little note to say a BIG Thank You to you for helping to make our wedding day such a special day. You have managed to capture the most wonderful moments & memories that we will cherish forever. We hope to keep in touch & hopefully use you for many more shoots to come. With lots of love Steph, Tim & Hugo’
Here’s a few of shots with the gorgeous Hugo, the cutest Parson Terrier ever & a lovely photo of Steph & Tim on Henley bridge.

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.

Louise & Lars – The Compleat Angler – Sneaky Peek

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Louise & Lars 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 sunshine with the river flowing past. Louise & Lars’ wedding was a small but perfectly formed family affair which is always lovely as you mingle with everybody at the wedding. I often try & do a group shot of the whole wedding when there aren’t too many people to fit in the frame! Large group shots often test my physical fitness though 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, Ushers & my assistant to stop traffic. The boys at Louise & Lars’s wedding did a sterling job & everyone smiled & waved as they drove past!

Louise & Lars also fitted a boat trip into their day which was lovely in the sunshine & I got some great photos of them onboard from the same vantage point of the bridge!

Louise & Lars also had one of my favourite wedding suppliers, Sam Strange, who is an amazing magician. I am always in wonder at his magic & can never work out he does it! If you are thinking of a magician & are looking for someone a bit cooler than the average Sam is your man!

Here is your sneaky peek Louise & Lars. I wish you every happiness for your future lives 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.

Pinterest – A Recent Project…..

A recent project at Mark Lord Photography has been to start a Pinterest page. For any of you who are not yet aware of it Pinterest is a social media site used for the collating of images. Loved by anyone who loves the visual, it’s a great way of gathering ideas. As you drift around the web you can ‘pin’ images of the things, everything from wedding flowers to dresses, you see to one central place onto the ‘boards’ you have set up. You can also ‘repin’ images from Pinterest & follow people you admire & their boards. Pinterest can be used to collect images of anything you love or are interested in but has won the heart of many a bride casting their eye around for inspiration. Searching for vintage wedding ideas? All you need to do is type vintage into the task bar & a huge array of images will appear. Another great idea is to type in your venue name, it is always interesting to see how others have decorated the same venue. It’s really simple to use & saves purchasing lots of bridal magazines only to cut them up!

We have set up a few boards & will keep adding more so please take a look at the page here. It’s a really eclectic mix of weddings, my favourite venues, some beautiful dresses & lots more…. Feel free to repin any of my images that inspire you!

If you are already on Pinterest please follow me & my boards, thank you!

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!

Pre-Wedding shoot with a bigger twist… #weddings #dogs

Recently Clare and Conor booked me for their wedding photography at Notley Tythe Barn. I love a rustic wedding at a tythe barn so if you are getting married at one of the Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Wiltshire tythe barns please do get in touch!

I was at a wedding fair at Notley Tythe Barn, Long Crendon, near Thame and Clare and her Mum came by to see me and introduce themselves. We had a chat and before Clare left she mentioned bringing their dog to the pre wedding shoot. I really enjoy photographing dogs, I could photograph dogs all day long and in my time have photographed all sorts from terriers to Newfoundlands. It’s been a while since I have photographed an Old English Sheep dog but Clare and Conor brought their 8 month old ‘Old English’ with them to the shoot, called Eddie! I was a little taken back when I opened the door but not quite so as our cat who sensed something large and hairy at the door and legged it upstairs.

We headed off into the nearby South Oxfordshire fields with Eddie and we all had a blast. I am very much looking forward to their wedding later in the year at Notley Tythe Barn

Here are a few of my favourite images from the shoot. Portrait Photographer Thame-CCB-ML-IMG_7947_011_004

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!

2014-02-15 15.30.31

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

Wedding Photographer Henley On Thames