Mark & Aurelija – A Sneak Peek

I recently photographed the wedding of Mark & Aurelija in Marlow. This really was another international wedding, Mark is from New Zealand & Aurelija is from Lithuania

68-MAP-DL-DLOW4541-32 They had their service at the beautiful riverside church in Bisham and I took the opportunity to their group shots with picturesque river winding its way behind them.

After a few photos of Mark & Aurelija using the architecture & textures of the church. The happy couple then took a boat trip along the river Thames to The Compleat Angler in Marlow for their reception.

The weather was a little mixed but was fine enough for them to have their drinks reception on the lawn next to the river & I got a great group photo of the whole wedding party from the bridge.

I then stopped traffic in Marlow again for my favourite photo opportunity at weddings at The Compleat Angler & got some great shots of the two of them & some lovely portraits of Aurelija on the bridge.

I hope you enjoy your sneaky peek, wishing you every happiness!

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.

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.

L & D – Notley Tythe Barn Wedding – Sneak Peek!

Well, we were a happy photographer & assistant recently when we set off for an afternoon wedding in beautiful sunshine.

L & D were married at Notley Tythe Barn near Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire surrounded by their friends & family. The barn is a fantastic backdrop & it looked beautiful adorned with vintage bunting made by The Vintage Bunting Company who are based near Henley-on-Thames.

The barn & surrounding farm lend a photographer a variety of backdrops for cool, personal bride & groom shots & the lawns outside are perfect for an alfresco drinks reception.

I would like to wish L & D every happiness for their future lives together. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

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!

Where has the Summer gone?….

Fed up with all this rain, when is Summer coming back? Can’t believe I only shot this a couple of weekends ago down at the lake at Bowood House in Wiltshire. Let’s hope it’s not long before we can get our frisbees out again!

Waterperry Project – my first few visits

This year I am embarking on a personal project to photograph the gardeners and gardens of Waterperry, Oxfordshire. Historically Waterperry was a very inspiring and interesting garden made famous by Beatrix Havergal who founded the women’s horticultural school there in 1932. I will be visiting the gardens throughout the year and recording the lives of those that work there. There has already been much interest in the project and there is a small gallery of images on my Facebook page

#Crufts Dog Portrait #Photography Offer

To celebrate #Crufts which starts tonight I am offering dog portrait sessions of your beloved canine friends for just £25 for a dog friendly portrait session in the South Oxfordshire countryside.

Vouchers valid for 12 months from date of issue and are available for just £25 until 10th March 2014. I am happy to travel further afield and travel costs would be charged accordingly.

Call now on 01844 351218 to purchase your voucher or email info@marklordphotgraphy.co.uk

See more of my animal portraits on my website http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk

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!

Mark Lord Photography

Oxfordshire based photographer specialising in people and our rich landscape

Buckinghamshire