Photography Project – Green & Gorgeous

I have long been a fan of Green & Gorgeous’ beautiful wedding flowers so it was with great excitement that I travelled to visit them at an uncharacteristically (for me!) early hour one Friday morning.Green & Gorgeous are well known for their delightful flowers & arrangements for weddings all grown at their garden at Little Stoke, Oxfordshire. They grow a diverse range of flowers throughout the Spring, Summer & Autumn. These are then arranged in a wonderful garden and hedgerow style by Rachel really showing off the natural beauty of the blooms.

I got there just as dawn had risen when the dew was still on the grass. Being a Friday morning all the team were busy picking & prepping the flowers ready for a busy wedding weekend.

Well, almost all the team…..! I spent a wonderful few hours wandering around the garden capturing shots of the team, the garden & individual blooms. I was amazed how much was still in bloom in September & the dahlias in particular were beautiful. I have grown to love garden photography & am working hard on developing this side of my work. I also love taking pictures of people in their environment so this little project was right up my street. Green & Gorgeous work with the seasons to grow a large variety of beautiful flowers from old English favourites through to the wild and unexpected. Growing with the seasons the flowers they offer change as the months go by. They start in Spring with anemones, tulips & ranunculus, move onto Summer with roses, sweet peas, poppies & scabious before heading into Autumn with an array of dahlia, eucalyptus, fruit & berries. You can choose either DIY where if you want to try your hand at arranging some of the flowers yourself, but are not keen on the stress of making your own bouquet. G&G offer a buckets & bouquet service & you can choose how much or how little you want to do. Brides quite often choose to do the flowers such as table displays & pew ends & then Rachel can give a professional look to the most important elements. Or you can choose the full works where Rachel & her team take care of everything for you from table displays, pew ends, buttonholes & bouquets. They also have a Saturday morning shop selling vegetables, fruit, eggs, seeds and plants, mail order service & they run a variety of courses.

I really enjoyed my time at Green & Gorgeous & hope to return next year to get some more shots throughout the season.

Green and Gorgeous, The Bothy, Little Stoke, Wallingford, OX10 6AX

Sam & Charles – A Sneak Peek!

Kiti & I breathed a sigh of relief as we made our way to Sam & Charles’ wedding in beautiful sunshine after what seemed like 24 hours of rain the day before.

I photographed Sam’s sister Georgie’s wedding last year & for those of you that keep an eye on my facebook page will have seen the shots of Sam catching Georgie’s bouquet that I reposted last week. Sam was one of Georgie’s bridesmaids last year & Georgie was one of Sam’s lovely bridesmaids. It is always lovely to be recommended by couples to their friends & families & even better when the new couple have seen me at work!

Kiti started the day with Charles, his best man, ushers & family at Charles & Sam’s home before boarding an original routemaster bus to make the journey to the church. They picked up a few guests along the way & made a pit stop at the pub!

Meanwhile I was with Sam at her family home getting ready with her bridesmaids & family. Sam’s family are great fun & the preparations even included her dad swinging from a rather high rope swing! Not many fathers would risk life & limb on their daughters wedding day & I must admit my heart was in my mouth!

By now the bus had made its way to the church & it was time for Sam to get to the church to see her groom!

It was a lovely service & Sam’s Dad certainly seemed pleased to get his final daughter of three married!

After the service & a flurry of confetti Kiti & I went back to Sam’s parents house for some shots of the two of them together. Charles decided against having a go on the rope swing!

Not wanting to miss out on the party we made our way back to the wedding reception which was located in Sam & Charles’ beautiful garden. The entered through a lovely floral arch & a tunnel of their friends & family.

Whilst their friends & families mingled in the sunshine to the sounds of a steel band we did the more formal….& not so formal group shots.

Which included this intrepid photographer risking life & limb to climb a ladder to capture the entire wedding party!

Now it was time for the wedding breakfast & speeches, which involved lots of fun & laughter & childhood videos.

After the speeches Sam took to the stage to throw her bouquet this time caught by Charles’ sister & Sam surprised her groom with a song accompanied by her bridesmaids.

It was now time for everyone to hit the dancefloor & we left them dancing the night away!

Wishing you every happiness Sam & Charles. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek – lots more to come!

Beth & Chase – A Sneak Peek!

It’s not everyday you get to photograph a cowboy wedding It was with much excitement that Kiti & I travelled to Montana…..sorry Beckley in Oxfordshire to photograph the wedding of Beth & Chase.

I dropped Kiti off with Chase & family at a lovely cottage they had rented for the duration of their stay from Oxford Country Cottages in the nearby village of Noke. She got some great shots of Chase & his groomsmen in their all-American outfits of cowboy boots, wrangler jeans & tweed waistcoats all topped off with big shiny belt buckles & stetsons. I love the timeless, Butch Cassidy feel of the black & white & de-saturated shots that Kiti took.

Meanwhile I was at Beth’s childhood home which was a buzz of activity with 2 x bridesmaids, 7 flower girls & family. I love this moment of the day where I photograph the bride preparing to meet her groom.

I also take the opportunity to photograph the flowers in detail whilst they are fresh. Beth’s flowers had been arranged by the wonderful Green & Gorgeous near Wallingford. They grow a stunning range of flowers for weddings which they arrange in a wildly wonderful garden and hedgerow style. I thought the flowers they did for Beth were beautiful, a wonderful arrangement with some lovely, unusual flowers. They fitted with her day perfectly.

Beth & Chase’s was slightly different to the standard wedding day & everything was expertly organised by the fantastic Jeni from Vanilla Rose Weddings. They were already legally wed in Montana so they would be having a blessing in Beckley church. So before the blessing, with no bad luck to worry about, they met in Beth’s parents garden next to the church & I was there to capture their ‘First Look’. We also took the formal, group shots in the garden & then together we all made the short walk to the church.

As it was a blessing Chase walked Beth up the aisle to take part in the service together. After the service Beth & Chase walked down the church path to a flurry of confetti & along with their guests walked to the marquee for afternoon tea.

The marquee was positioned in a field looking over beautiful countryside & was decorated in a quintessentially British way with bunting & mismatched china.

The afternoon tea was supplied by the wonderful Chipping Norton Tea Set. They specialise in vintage weddings & not only do they supply beautiful vintage china & table linens but they also do the catering too! They had a beautiful ‘naked’ wedding cake adorned with fresh fruit & flowers by Cake by Rachel.

After the afternoon tea it was time for Kiti & I to take Beth & Chase off for their bride & groom shots. Beckley is a picturesque Oxfordshire village with lovely honey coloured Cotswold stone cottages & provided lots of lovely backgrounds. The sun was even shining in that lovely soft late afternoon way…..& a horse even came along to join in with the shoot!

It was now time for Beth & Chase to rejoin their guests for their first dance.

Rather than the usual disco or band Beth & Chase had a live band performing country dancing with a caller shouting out the moves. It was great fun & everyone joined in.

Hope you enjoy your sneak peek Beth & Chase back in Montana. Lots of memories of a very British summers day….& lots more to come!

Wishing you every happiness for your future together. Should we ever find ourselves in Montana perhaps you could teach this Cornish photographer how to be a cowboy?

Sofia & Phil – A Sneak Peek

Sofia & Phil were married in Marlow recently on a lovely June day. We started the day by dropping Kiti off at Crowne Plaza to meet up with Phil, his Best man & Ushers. We then made the short journey to Sofia’s parents house where she was getting ready with her parents & bridesmaids.

Phil’s mates all took their duties very seriously & were all a great help to him getting into his wedding suit. Cufflinks & cravats aren’t the easiest things to work out when you are feeling a little nervous. When Phil was ready Kiti did some great shots in the modern interior of the hotel before travelling to the church & getting some shots of the lads & the guests arriving.

Meanwhile, with the bridal party it was time for Sofia to get into her dress & make her entrance down the stairs that her Mum reminded her she had fallen down as a child!

Luckily she made it down the stairs safely & I love the emotion of the moment when everyone sees the bride.

Suddenly, it was time to leave & with help from my driver (Mrs Lord!) I got some shots of the bridal car as we whizzed past on our way up the A404.

The Catholic Church was quite restrictive on where we could stand but I feel that is important that we don’t interfere with what is a religious service. We still captured some lovely emotion & it was a beautiful service.

As they left the church as man & wife Phil & Sofia cut a ribbon held by Sofia’s godparents – an Italian custom signifying the start of their new life together.

They then made the short walk to the River Thames where they took a boat trip before arriving on the other side of the river at The Compleat Angler to meet their guests.

The weather so was so lovely they were able to have their drinks reception on the lawns over looking the river. During the drinks I took the Bride & Groom onto the bridge, to stop traffic – apologies to anyone we delayed! – to get some couples shots.

Phil & Sofia then returned to their guests for the wedding breakfast & speeches.

I love the golden evening summer sun so we took the opportunity before the cake cutting & first dance to take the couple off for a few more shots on the bridge & gardens.

By the time we returned it was time for cutting the cake & their first dance. As always Kiti & I left them all boogying the night away…..

Hope you love your sneak peek as much as we do. Wishing you all the happiness in the world for your future together.

Lora & James – A Sneak Peek

Kiti & I photographed the wedding of Lora & James at Milton Hill House, Steventon near Oxford. Now, as a wedding photographer it is always lovely when the sun shines & it is even better when the wedding ceremony can be outside.

We arrived at the venue & I popped straight upstairs to find the bride. Lora was preparing for the day with her parents & five bridesmaids. The bridesmaids all looked lovely in navy dresses with small yellow posies of ranunculus & billy balls tied with stripey yellow ribbons. The bride looked lovely in a simple dress with beautiful tapework, delicate sequins & beading. She carried a larger version of her bridesmaids posies this time tied with navy stripey ribbon & adorned with an initial A for her new surname.

Whilst I was with the bridal party Kiti was with the groom to take some portraits with him & his Best Man, Ushers & family….and the all important ring shot!

As the guests gathered on the lawns in front of a lovely brick built pergola Lora accompanied by her bridal party made her way to meet her groom.

It was such a lovely ceremony in the sunshine & the Bride & Groom made their way back down the aisle with beaming sunny, smiles!

Then it was time for group shots in the grounds in the shade of some lovely trees before I took the Bride & Groom off for some couple shots.

Milton Hill House Hotel is a new venue for me but Lora & James were up for an adventure & we found some really varied areas from Italian sunken gardens to some fantastic barns which gave a textured, vintage feel to the images.

After our adventure it was time for Lora & James to join their guests for the traditional wedding breakfast. Lora, James & their friends & families had decorated the room with touches of yellow & navy from pom-poms to some seriously perfect bunting made by the mums on the back of each chair.

There were great speeches from James & his best man ……but I love the look on their faces during Lora’s Dad, Derek’s speech – priceless & very funny!

After the wedding breakfast it was time for the cutting of the cake & the first dance before everyone hit the dancefloor. Kiti & I left everyone dancing the night away

Congratulations Lora & James – wishing you every happiness. Hope you love your sneak peek as much as we do!

Alex and Marie – A Sneak Peek

The day shone bright & clear the morning of Alex & Marie’s wedding as Kiti & I headed up the M40 to The Tythe Barn, Launton near Bicester.

The Tythe Barn is one of my favourite venues whatever the weather but it really comes into its own when the sun is shining & people can use the outside space.

I met with Marie at The Nook to get some shots of her, her closest girlfriends & her Dad & Brother. I took the opportunity to get out in the sunshine & took some lovely photos in the hidden courtyard.

The light was lovely & Marie looked beautiful with her short style dress with lace overlay. I love the shock of colour from her bouquet which contained freesia, ranunculus, anemones & one of the funkiest of flowers craspedia otherwise know as billy balls or billy buttons.

After the short walk through the garden to the barn it was time for Alex & Marie become husband & wife.

They left the barn in a flurry of confetti.

These are one of those moments as a photographer that you only have one chance to nail it. You can’t really say just as everyone has thrown their fistful of confetti ‘Excuse me can we try that again!’ I am really pleased with this shot, great expressions, fantastic flurry of confetti & I love the sun flare across the lens.

After the ceremony Kiti & I took the bride & groom off for a few shots around the grounds – always a nice time for the bride & groom to take a moment from the madness of the day.

Once the lovely couple returned to the barn it was time for them to re-join their guests as the celebrations continued…….including a drum solo from the groom!

We hope you enjoy your sneak peek Alex & Marie. Wishing you every happiness!

Emma & Paul – A Sneak Peek

We’ve had some lovely spring weather recently but we were disappointed to wake up to rain on the morning of Emma & Paul’s wedding. Luckily the rain soon passed & the sun shone on their day. Apparently it is lucky to have rain on your wedding day!

Emma & Paul’s wedding was in the beautiful city of Oxford & our day started by making sure we had the locations & routes for the wedding as we would spend most of the day on foot.

I love a classic military wedding & as Paul is a Navy Pilot he was wearing formal ceremonial uniform. Kiti met Paul at the hotel to get some shots of him getting ready before walking with him & the men to the ceremony. There was, of course, a quick pit stop at a pub for a swift drink or two!

You will notice that a furry friend accompanied the men. Jessie is Paul & Emma’s much loved dog & she played an important part in their day. She was brilliantly behaved throughout & was a credit to them.

I went to Emma’s mums house to meet the bridal party & to capture some getting ready shots of the bride & bridesmaids. It’s always a lovely part of the day to see everyone getting into their finery & starting off the day with a glass or two of champagne!

It was soon time for Emma to make the short journey to meet her groom. Paul & Emma’s wedding was held at Emma’s old school St Edward’s in Oxford & the ceremony held in the beautiful chapel in the grounds.

The quandrant gave me some lovely opportunities for some stylish bride & groom shots & it was really interesting to use the architecture of the old building.

Emma & Paul had decorated the reception room with wonderful blossom trees that looked beautiful. They really added height to the floral decoration & certainly had a wow factor for all the guests entering the room!

After the wedding breakfast & speeches it was time for everyone to hit the dancefloor. As always Kiti & I left them all boogying the night away!

Emma & Paul – hope you love your sneak peek as much as we do! Wishing you every happiness for your future together

Nichola & Matthew – A Sneak Peek

Recently I photographed the wedding of Nichola & Matthew at Oakley Court.

Its always lovely to be booked through recommendation & even better when its by one of my previous brides & grooms. Several years ago I photographed the wedding of Matthew’s sister Suzanne & it was lovely to see her & her husband Kirk with their family celebrating her brother’s wedding.

Now back to Nichola & Matthew’s day. It was a really lovely family day & they had some very important people in their wedding party. Matthew was ably assisted by his pageboy, their son Chase & Nichola was attended to by their daughter Daisy as bridesmaid. Having their children take part in their day was lovely & offered some fantastic photo opportunities. I particularly love this shot of Matthew & Chase looking cool in their special socks taken by Kiti.

The whole wedding party got ready at Oakley Court, near Windsor before taking the short stroll to The Windsor Suite for the ceremony.

Oakley Court is a magnificent Victorian Gothic mansion, which is set amidst 33 acres of landscaped gardens, which go down to the banks of the River Thames. So after the ceremony & formal, & not so formal, group shots I took the bride & groom away to get some shots of the two of them together. I love the stylish shots of them on the pontoon.

We then left the river & we used the architecture of the historic building. I loved it when the Bride offered to climb into a trolley basket!

It was then time for the bride & groom to return to their guests for the wedding breakfast & speeches.

When photographing little ones it is always good to catch them when they are in the mood & during dinner I got some lovely shots of them as pageboy & bridesmaid.

After dinner, it was time for the evening guests to arrive & as always Kiti & l Ieft everyone on the dancefloor.

Nichola, Matthew, Daisy & Chase – we hope you love your sneak peek. Wishing you all a very happy future together…

Claire & Richard – A Sneak Peek

Last Saturday saw the wedding of Claire & Richard. Their ceremony was in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Somerton in the quaint village church St James.

It was a bright spring morning as the guests gathered in the church decorated with lovely pew ends of spring flowers in glass jars.

Kiti & I took the opportunity before the brides arrival to get some shots of the groom, best man & ushers in the village & churchyard.

Then it was time for the groom to take his place before the bride arrived with her Dad.

Claire arrived at the church in a vintage Rolls Royce clutching a beautiful bouquet by the very talented Flower Fairies. The stunning springtime bouquet made up from whites roses, brunia, eucalyptus, grape hyacinths, pussy willow & wax flowers.

After a lovely service Richard & Claire left in the sunshine to make the short journey to The Tythe Barn, Launton for the wedding reception.

As always, I took the opportunity to take the bride & groom away from their guests for a little while to take some shots of the couple around the grounds of the barn.

The Tythe Barn have recently installed a crash pad for the bride & groom, a shepherds hut with, of course, one or two touches of luxury! Decorated in their normal chic style it really is a fabulous place for the bride & groom to stay after the party is over. Claire & Richard are my first couple to stay there so we made sure to get some shots of them outside the hut.

After we returned the couple to their guests it was time for the wedding breakfast, banquet style. It looks so beautiful all laid up & really adds to the celebratory atmosphere.

Music was supplied by Gigz Management who are suppliers of fantastic bands, dj’s, string quartets & much more. The band called Bring the Party were just fabulous & soon got everyone up on the dance floor. We left them boogying the night away with their guests very envious of their night of luxury in the shepherds hut!

We hope you love you sneak peek, Claire & Richard – lots more to follow soon! Wishing you every happiness for your future lives together….

Amy & Tom – A Sneak Peek

Wedding season is truly underway at Mark Lord Photography & last weekend Kiti & I travelled to the lovely village of Evenley in Northamptonshire for the wedding of Amy & Tom.

Kiti started her day with the groom at his family home in Evenley & I was with the bridal party getting some preparation shots before making the journey to the church. Its always an exciting part of the day & I always love the moment that Mum & Dad see their daughter in her wedding dress.

I love this shot of Amy & her Mum enjoying a moment before she walks into church on the arm of her dad.

After a lovely service we made our way to Notley Tythe Barn, Long Crendon near the border of Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire. The barn is in lovely countryside & offers some rural backdrops for some great couple shots.