Weddings aren’t just in the Summer! I love a Winter wedding they can provide some fantastic photo opportunities, think bridesmaids wrapped up in faux fur, roaring log fires & twinkling fairy lights
Natural
A Cotswold Wedding….
Emily & Phil had a romantic outside ceremony at Friars Court on one of the loveliest summers days. Friars Court is a privately owned family home & has been in the same family since 1917. Since it is a private venue you have exclusive use, which is lovely – no running into another bride on your wedding day!
Emily & Phil are both creative & had some fantastic touches to the styling of their day. I love the jam jars on the ‘pew’ ends with gypsophila & dhalias & the tissue paper fans hanging from the trees.
Flowers were by the always wonderful Charlie from The Flower Fairies. Charlie specialises in beautiful, stylish & unique flowers & are always immaculate.
Emily arrived with her dad in a vintage Morris Minor driven by one of the ushers, Tris & the happy couple travelled in style in the same car – with a few attachments! – to their reception venue Great Barrington Village Hall in the picturesque Cotswold village of Great Barrington.
Again, Emily & Phil showed their creative sides with a stylish spin on the traditional table plan with bottles & balloons, origami place card holders & a fab BAR sign!
After the wedding breakfast dessert was in the form of ice cream served up from Daisy the vintage ice cream van. I have been at a few weddings with Daisy & would highly recommend having her at your wedding or party. Daisy has a fabulous selection of handmade ice creams in delicious flavours & retro lollies like Fabs, Rockets & Screwballs.
Entertainment, apart from the dancing, came in the form of Sam Strange. I have mentioned Sam on my blog before as I a big fan! Sam is the coolest magican I have come across & am always astounded by his tricks.
It really was a great wedding full of love & happiness & I left them boogying the night away……
Sara & Colin – A Sneak Peek
Sarah & Colin’s wedding took place in Didcot & Wittenham Clumps & involved a surprise. I love a wedding when I am in on the secret!
Now, this was a surprise for the bride from her groom & was weather dependant so it was very disappointing when we set off for the wedding in heavy rain. One thing you can count on is the British weather being changeable so we still held out hope…..
It was really raining by the time Sarah arrived at the church but on their happiest of days a bit of the wet stuff didn’t dampen their smiles.
That being said we were all thrilled when we came out of the church to blue skies & sunshine.
After the service in Didcot, we travelled the short distance to Fison Barn at Wittenham Clumps a great barn venue that I hadn’t photographed a wedding at before.
Now for that surprise, by the time the speeches were over the weather had really cleared up so we all made our way outside. Colin, the groom, had arranged a special fly past for Sarah of a 1940’s Spitfire. I concentrated on the shots of the plane whilst Kiti kept her lense trained on the Bride, Groom & wedding guests for the all important reactions shots. I love the expression on Colin’s face of pure relief & exhilaration – a man who has organised a surprise that worked out & his lady loved it!!
After the flight we walked up to Wittenham Clumps, a place very special to Sarah & Colin. I am really pleased with the shots of them with Oxfordshire countryside stretching off to the distance.
Congratulations Sarah & Colin. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek, wishing you every happiness.
Max & Ceci – A Sneak Peek!!
It amazes me that however many weddings I do that each & every one is different. All weddings feature the same core things but each bride & groom brings their own personality to the wedding in their own special way. I am always excited to arrive at the wedding to see what kind of wedding it’s going to be. Nowadays there are so many choices out there from venues, dresses to flowers.
A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Max & Ceci in Cheltenham. On the journey there Kiti, my assistant for the day, & Becky, who helped out with transport, & I were remarking on how many multi–cultural weddings we’ve had this year – we’ve had French, Croatian, American & Norwegian to name but a few. Max & Ceci were no exception, Ceci has Mexican heritage & Max has family in Switzerland.
We started the day with them in their family homes to get some getting ready shots. Kiti was with the groom & I with the bride & bridal party.
Transport for the day was a vintage coach such a great idea rather than the traditional fleet of wedding cars & room for all!
It was a beautiful sunny day so Ceci & her dad travelled to the church in Max’s dad’s car Derek The Daimler. It was a beautiful moment for them to share before joining the rest of the wedding party.
After the service we took the short hop in the vintage bus to The Pittville Pump Room for the reception. It’s a great venue that provides beautiful regency architecture & parkland for some fabulous bride & groom shots. Max & Ceci are a young couple who met at school & they were one of the happiest couples I’ve ever seen. I am thrilled with the shots I took of them around their venue.
I took the group shots on the colonnade, which was great, with fabulous light but without the dreaded sun in everyone’s eyes on such a sunny day.
It really was such a fantastic day & it was an honour to photograph Max & Ceci on their wedding day. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek & wish you every happiness in your married lives together.
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.
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….
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!
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.
#Baby #Portrait #Photography Offer #Oxfordshire
Since my time at Venture I have photographed hundreds, probably thousands of babies over the years but there is nothing more adorable than a baby portrait shoot. For baby portrait shoots it is often best if I come to your home where we can do a few changes of clothes, some semi naked pics of your baby (with a towel strategically positioned!) Often all we need is some good window light, a warm floor or a bed. Sessions can last up to 2 hours so if your baby gets upset or needs feeding etc then there is plenty of time and nobody feels rushed or gets stressed!
Portrait session in your home in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Berkshire are from £50 depending on your location. Portrait vouchers make great gifts for new Mums and Dads so if you know of someone who has just had a baby then why not treat them to a portrait session?
More portrait photography of mine can be found here
http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk/family-portrait-gallery.php
Mark Lord Photography 