Georgie & Maarten – A Sneak Peek

There is nothing better for a photographer than to be booked to photograph a wedding through recommendation & today’s bride & groom found me through word of mouth. Georgie & Maarten were married at Holy Trinity, Penn & their reception was held at the stunning Hedsor House.

Kiti, my assistant, started the day at the beautiful Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Maarten, the groom, stayed there the night before the wedding with his family who had travelled over from Holland for the wedding. The gardens at Le Manoir were a great backdrop for some great family shots & photos of Maarten & his Best-Men.

Meanwhile, I was at the brides family home where she got ready with her family & bridesmaids. I love the shots of Georgie walking down the stairs towards her proud Mum & Dad & bridesmaids.

I then popped into the car with the bridesmaids to travel to the church & found myself on the other side of the camera when Father-of-the-Bride filmed us as we drove away!

After a beautiful service Georgie & Maarten greeted their guests in the churchyard & came out of the church door in a flurry of confetti.

We then travelled to Hedsor House for the reception. Hedsor House is a fantastic venue for a photographer providing some fabulous architecture & gardens for some stylish Bride & Groom shots.

And some great opportunities for some dynamic shots with your bridal party!

Georgie & Maarten had their speeches spaced throughout the wedding breakfast which included a noise off – who could be the noisiest table & the table who won had to do shots or nominate another table and some very interesting videos including the Bride & Groom’s fathers & a slideshow. It was a really fun reception with lots of laughter that shows in the photos.

After the speeches there was a fantastic firework display. Fireworks aren’t always the easiest thing to photograph but I was really pleased with the images I got on the night.

Then it was time for everyone to hit the dancefloor & have fun. I left as they were dancing the night away……

Hope you love your sneaky peek Georgie & Maarten. Wishing you long & happy lives together.

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!

Angie & Simon – A Sneak Peek

A couple of weekends ago I photographed Angie & Simon to celebrate their big day.

Angie & Simon got married in Zante, Greece & decided to throw a party to celebrate on their return. A great idea so family & friends who couldn’t travel to your wedding can celebrate with you.

Angie & Simon held their party at The Jam Factory in Oxford. A great party venue The Jam Factory is a restaurant, bar & arts venue in the heart of the city. The building has a fabulous, industrial history & was the Frank Cooper jam factory between 1903 & the end of WWII. Frank Cooper’s marmalade was especially popular with dons and students in Oxford University. It was taken to Antarctica on Scott’s expedition to the South Pole & a jar was found buried in the ice many years later.

I was really pleased with the images we captured of the party in full people chatting & laughing. I also was able to get some great shots of the couple around & outside the venue. I love the contrast of the bride in her finery against the backdrop of the Victorian brickwork.

Their daughters performed Ho Hey by the Lumineers for Angie & Simon’s first dance. I think the images I took of the girls nervous beforehand to the exhilaration of the performance really captured the moment.

It was a great evening to be part of & I hope Angie & Simon enjoy their sneak peek. Wishing you every happiness for the future.

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.

Deborah & Stephen, The Tythe Barn – Sneak Peek!

Another sunny Saturday & I was off to one of my favourite venues The Tythe Barn, Launton near Bicester.

Deborah & Stephen hail from up north so they & their friends travelled down for a wedding in the Oxfordshire countryside. The Tythe Barn is a great venue with lots of options for all weathers; I shoot weddings there all year come rain & shine. When the sun is shining you can have the ceremony outside as Deborah & Stephen did. What a lovely aisle to walk up, a verdant arbour with your family & friends seated either side.

The flowers were beautiful, the ever-popular gypsophila in generous bouquets worked wonderfully against the bridesmaids dresses from Two Birds. Inside, Charlie from The Flower Fairies had decorated the barn with beautiful greenery highlighting the historical architecture.

Deborah & Stephen had some fantastic styling & details on the day & an important part of a wedding photographers job is to capture these for posterity. I particularly loved their table plan; pots of lavender & the place names were labels on granny smith apples!

The lovely day rolled into a beautiful summers evening & I shot some great photos of the guests mingling & playing croquet. As with most weddings though my evening ended on the dance floor – not dancing you’ll be pleased to know!

I hope you enjoy your sneak peek Deborah & Stephen. Wishing you every happiness for your future life 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.

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!

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!