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.

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!

Last minute #MothersDay offer #MotheringSunday

Looking for a last minute Mothers day present for you Mum? Why not treat her to a family portrait session? Portrait sessions are just £25 for a shoot in Aston Rowant OX49, £50 for up to 10 miles ( Marlow, Henley, High Wycombe, Oxford and Thame areas) and £75 for up to 25 miles of OX49.

Just click on the link below and you can enter any value you wish to give your Mum from £25. She will then receive an email from you showing the value of the session. Prints and digital files also start at £25.00

http://www.marklordphotography-clientarea.com/index.php?do=giftCertificates

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Please contact me letting me know you have sent your Mum an e-voucher and we can log your details. The voucher will be valid for the rest of 2014. Thank you

http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk info@marklordphotography.co.uk 01844 351218

A wedding fair with a twist….

Following on from my twisty theme of the unpredictable today I was in Marlow for a wedding fair at The Compleat Angler. Thank you to those that came along to see me and the other suppliers and it was good to discuss your wedding day plans.

I went for a stroll with a new compact camera I have to do some test shots in low light hotel situations. Because of it’s size it will be a great camera for candids in amongst wedding guests. However, more of that to follow in future posts.

There I was loitering outside and I could see some commotion going on and a lady in a track suit with Sochi 2014 written on it. It was Katherine Grainger, one of our rowing Olympians no less. It all soon became clear what was going on when I saw a man carrying a flame in a miners lamp, taking an unlit winter Olympic torch from her, going inside and lighting the torch. Katherine soon appeared with the torch alight and headed to the river to pass the flame to fellow rower and paralympian Naomi Riches! This is part of the flames journey in preparation for the Sochi Paralympics and the flame will now be heading to Russia for the next stage.

So here it is, certainly a picture I would never have thought I would’ve taken today!

Many thanks to the media and press photographers there for allowing me to take this image.

Compleat Angler #Wedding Fair tomorrow 11-3

Looking for a wedding venue along the river Thames? Why not come along to the Compleat Angler in Marlow for their wedding fair tomorrow 11-3 to see what the venue has to offer and to meet some fabulous wedding suppliers.

Travel by car or boat, the choice is yours……

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

#Wedding #Flowers

Your wedding flowers are such a beautiful part of your wedding day, take time to smell your flowers before the wedding service or ceremony, they will help you relax as you will have chosen some of your favourites and maybe they will even remind you of your childhood, parents or grandparents gardens.

Find a few minutes to take in all of the wonderful flowers at your venue and see how spectacular they look. Often the church or venue will smell of the flowers you have chosen. Speak to your florist about your favourite flowers, what is in season and what they are able to get as you plan your big day. Choose flowers that remind you of your loved ones who are perhaps no longer with us.

Some of my favourite florists in the south Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire area are listed below. Check out there websites for more information.

http://www.theflowerfairies.com

http://www.hotflowersandart.co.uk

http://www.thedaisychainprincesrisborough.co.uk

Here are some ideas to help you with your wedding flowers

See more wedding flowers and more of my work on my website http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk

Group photos #photography at #Hedsor House

Hedsor house is a stunning backdrop for your wedding photography. The house is magnificent and the parkland breathtaking, both give a great deal of opportunity for some unique wedding photography. I prefer to do the group photographs in front of the house as the light is generally at it’s best there and the backdrop of the house looks very regal in the wedding pictures! Here is a stylish shot of the bridal party in front of Hedsor house.

#Bridal #Wedding #Photography at Le Manoir

Living very close to Le Manoir in Oxfordshire I am very lucky to be able to offer wedding photography coverage at Le Manoir. It is a fabulous wedding venue in Oxfordshire and the perfect venue for a smaller wedding. As I am so local I often get enquiries for wedding at Le Manoir and photographed a lovely wedding at Le Manoir last year and will add some images soon to my wedding photography blog. In the meantime here is a bridal photography photograph from Le Manoir that I took a couple of years ago. I love the colour of the brides hair against the wisteria and look forward to working there again soon.

To see more of my wedding photography from Le Manoir and from wedding venues around Thame, Oxford, High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Marlow and Henley on Thames please visit my wedding photography gallery on my website.

http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk

Mark Lord Photography

Oxfordshire based photographer specialising in people and our rich landscape

Marlow