Cookham Dean Wedding, Becky & Darran – A Sneak Peek

Recently Kiti & I photographed the wedding of Becky & Darran in Cookham Dean.Mrs Lord helped with driving & we dropped Kiti off in Cookham Dean to capture some establishing shots of the church & guests arriving whilst Mrs Lord took me to Becky & Darran’s home to cover the bride & her bridesmaids getting ready. It’s always a lovely part of the day when the bride gets ready to meet her groom, a flurry of activity with hair & make up with everyone rushing to get ready. It’s important to get the images & keep out of the way! I have been known to assist with buttonholes & find a crochet hook in my camera bag to hand over to the bridesmaids to use to do up all the tiny buttons on the dress! Soon it was time for the Bridesmaids & Mother of the Bride to make the journey to the church leaving me to do some lovely shots of Becky & her Dad in the garden. Meanwhile Kiti was at the pub near the church capturing Darren’s arrival & the guests arriving in the sunshine.

We then whizzed our way back to the church to be there ready for Becky’s arrival & were in the right place at the right time to get some lovely shots of Becky’s arrival at the church. The groom was expectantly waiting for the arrival of his bride & a beaming Becky made her way into the church to marry her man! It was a lovely service & Becky & Darran made their way down the aisle Husband & Wife & were congratulated by their friends & family as they made their way out of the church.

As they came out of the Lych gate there was a flurry of confetti & everyone made their way down the country lane to the reception venue. We stopped with the bride & groom on the way to get some lovely shots of the two of them on the green in the beautiful summer sunshine. We tried not to keep them away for too long & so before long they joined their guests around the pool at Sanctum on the Green for their drinks reception. Everyone then made their way into the marquee for the wedding breakfast followed by some very funny speeches.

After the speeches guests moved their way outside & happily mingled in the evening sunshine before it was time for Becky & Darran to cut their cake & have their first dance.

As always we left everyone dancing the night away, wonder if anyone ended up in the swimming pool?

Wishing you every happiness Becky & Darran, we hope you enjoy your sneak peek – there are lots more to come!

A Wedding at Henley & Hedsor House – Camilla & Rob’s Sneak Peek!

Camilla & Rob were recently married at St Mary’s Church, Henley-on-Thames & Hedsor House. It was a beautiful, sunny Spring morning as Kiti, Becky & I set off to Hedsor House.I was to photograph Camilla getting ready in the beautiful surroundings of the Bridal Suite so I was dropped off & Becky & Kiti made the journey to Henley for the first time of the day.

The Bridal Suite at Hedsor is such a wonderful place to prepare for your wedding day. It is one of the largest Bridal Suites in Europe & provides the ultimate space to enjoy your most special day together with your bridesmaids & close family.

It was just lovely on this sunny morning with the large windows filling the space with warmth and natural light. It has been decorated in soft ivory tones & plush furnishings so is a photographers dream! Meanwhile Kiti had arrived in Henley to meet with the Groom, Rob, his Best Man & Usher. They had met for a drink at The Bull & Kiti got some lovely shots of Rob & the lads there before making their way via the River Thames to the church.

Back at Hedsor House, Camilla was making her final preparations in the bridal suite before gliding down the stunning staircase & into the awaiting Rolls Royce Silver Cloud.

By now Becky had popped back to Hedsor House to collect me so we whizzed off to Henley. The traffic into Henley over the bridge was chock-a-block. Once we got within striking distance I jumped out the car, made a run for it over the bridge & got there just in time!

The service was just lovely, Camilla is a teacher at a Henley school & some girls from the school sang beautifully at the wedding. It was wonderful to see what an exciting day it was for them.We gathered everyone either side of the church path & Camilla & Rob made their way through a confetti tunnel & the congratulations of their friends & family.Meanwhile, Becky was waiting just around the corner to pick us up & run us back to Hedsor so we were in place to capture the Bride & Grooms arrival.

They were soon joined by their guests who arrived back in two fabulous double decker London busses. The vehicles all looked fantastic lined up outside the impressive frontage of the house.The guests made their way into the galleried centre hall of the house & we took a moment to do the group shots outside the house. It’s such a wonderful backdrop & really adds to the splendor of the day. We then took Camilla & Rob to do some stylish shots of the two of the in the grounds. Hedsor House is perched high above the River Thames and set in over 100 acres of historic parkland. We got some lovely shots of them in the parkland & outside the house.

Before long, it was time for them to join their friends & family for a balloon release! This was really good fun & an unusual way of doing a photo of everyone!After this, the guests made their way into the Grand Ballroom for the wedding breakfast & speeches. When you book Hedsor House it is as a dry hire so your wedding planner or caterers run the day. Camilla & Rob used a fantastic company called Caper & Berry who I have worked with before. They were amazing on the day & the food was delicious! After a wonderful meal & much laughter it was time for Camilla & Rob to cut their cake & then have their first dance. We positioned Kiti up on the gallery & I love the shots she captured of them alone on the dancefloor before being joined by their wedding guests! As always Kiti & I left everyone dancing the night away. Hedsor House has 10 gorgeous guest bedrooms for the Bride, Groom & closest guests so when the day was over all they had to do was wind their way up the sweeping staircase.

We hope you enjoy your sneak peek Camilla & Rob, wishing you every happiness

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.

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.

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.

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!