Charlotte & Alex – A Sneak Peek!

Recently I was thrilled to be asked to photograph Alex & Charlotte’s wedding in Weybridge, Surrey. To me the best testimonial of my work is to be recommended by my brides & grooms to their friends & families. About 4 or so years ago I photographed Alex’s sister’s wedding & I must have impressed to be asked again!

Alex & Charlotte’s day dawned bright & clear but the forecasted weather did make an appearance as Charlotte travelled to the church. Part of my skill as a photographer is to use the weather conditions to add something to the photographs rather than detract. As an example one of my favourite shots of the day is the bride photographed through the raindrops on the car window.

That being said, we were all pleased when the sun did shine & I got some really great shots of the bride & groom in the beautiful gardens of their venue Cherkley Court.

One of the joys of being a wedding photographer is the variation whether it is wedding to wedding or the moments you capture on the day. From the nervous reflection of the bride & groom before the wedding, the excited smiles of the bridesmaids to the laughter of the speeches & the fun of the dance floor. I am used to the traditional disco or band but Alex & Charlotte also had, due to Alex’s Greek heritage, traditional Greek dancing accompanied by Alex’s grandfather Bambos playing a bouzouki which is a traditional long necked stringed instrument a little like a mandolin. The moves on the dance floor were certainly very impressive & I was pleased with the images I captured.

The day also included one of the best bouquet tosses I’ve ever seen. It was so impressive it’s going to have its own blog post – keep your eyes peeled!

So, Alex & Charlotte here are your sneak peeks, I really hope you love them. Wishing you every happiness for your future 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….

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!

Le Manoir Wedding Photography

Le Manoir is a stunning Oxfordshire wedding venue and I’m very lucky to live so close to it in the glorious Oxfordshire countryside. It is the perfect wedding venue for an intimate wedding ceremony and reception for you and your guests. The grounds are fabulous for your wedding photography and I hear the food is pretty good too!

See more images from Le Manoir weddings on my website http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk

Another 5 star review for my #wedding #photography services

It’s always lovely to receive a review from brides and grooms on the Guides for Brides website. Paula and Daniel got married in March and received their images last week. Here is there review!

‘Mark and his assistant Jack were truly amazing on the day – always in the background – but always there for the perfect shot – and always willing to listen to all manner of little requests. The photography results are stunning – and we are truly amazed all that they managed to capture. I would highly recommend Mark Lord – worth every single penny as we will treasure his amazing photos throughout the (hopefully!) many married years yet to come’

If you missed their sneaky peek posted last month on my blog then here are a few of their wedding pictures from their wedding at the Tythe Barn.

Wedding Photography at The Tythe Barn – Paula and Daniel

Last Friday I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Paula and Daniel at The Tythe Barn; this was my 4th wedding at the barn in a row, two around Christmas time and two since the New Year. It was yet another fabulous wedding day and the weather was just amazing with clear blue skies and quite warm for this time of year.

Paula and Dan told me their wedding was to be inspired by the film ‘UP’ a lovely film you should all try and watch. It’s a very colourful film so most of the inspiration was based on bright colours. WOW, I was not disappointed, this wedding had a lot of colour and thought put into the details.

Dan got ready on the outskirts of Brackley with his best men and ushers. He thought he was heading to the barn by taxi, however, Paula arranged a flash car to pick Dan up and take him to the barn. It was a great surprise that my assistant Jack captured and you can see Dan’s reaction in the images below.

Meanwhile, Paula was getting ready at their home with a cool orange VW Camper parked outside to take her, her parents and the bridesmaids to the barn. They could not have picked a better colour vehicle to be photographed against the blue sky and the backdrop of the barn as Paula and Co. arrived. It looked……… well……. wicked!

The ceremony went off in true, flawless Tythe Barn style with a reading and a poem written by Paula which was most funny. Then followed the champagne reception in the courtyard with a handful of group shots and some inspired by Paula….

I had my usual 20-30 minutes with the bride and groom to get some lovely pictures of the two of them. Paula and Dan particularly liked my vintage style that I applied to some of their pre wedding shoot pictures and ask for me to apply these effects to some of their wedding pictures.

They had some really lovely ideas at their wedding and they both looked fantastic in their outfits. It was another wonderful Tythe Barn wedding and I look forward to my next one there in June.

There was a very special man there too, Paula’s grandad who is 99 soon and as bright as a button!

Paula and Dan have been on a mini moon (small honeymoon!) for a few days and I have promised them some teasers soon. Here’s a sneaky peek guys – there are a lot more images to show you soon…..

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!

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!

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