Rhiannon & Gareth – A Sneak Peek

Recently I enjoyed photographing a sunny September wedding in Oxfordshire. Rhiannon & Gareth held their wedding in the gardens & barns at Friars Court, Clanfield near Oxford.

Rhiannon & Gareth actually did the ‘official’ part of getting married the afternoon before the big day. This meant they could have a friend officiate at the service & really added to the fun, relaxed feel to their day. I love the pictures of them laughing during the service as their ‘registrar’ married them.

You don’t assume that you are going to have great weather at anytime of the year but particularly outside of the summer months but Rhiannon & Gareth’s day was lovely which meant they could hold their service in the beautiful gardens under the rose arbour.

The bride arrived by car & then walked through the gardens with her dad on her arm accompanied by her bridesmaids, flowergirl & page boys walking hand in hand.

Whilst their guests enjoyed drinks & canapés I took the opportunity to take the bride & groom away to get some photos of the two of them using the backdrop of the Cotswold stone house & gardens.

Non-traditional Best Man’s speeches are becoming more popular & in my time I have seen slide shows, videos & many a costume but I wasn’t expecting Gareth to be placed in a set of stocks & pelted with wet sponges!!

After the speeches it was time to hit the dance floor & I left Rhiannon & Gareth dancing the night away with their friends & family.

It was a pleasure to photograph your wedding Rhiannon & Gareth & I wish you every happiness for your futures together. I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Mark & Aurelija – A Sneak Peek

I recently photographed the wedding of Mark & Aurelija in Marlow. This really was another international wedding, Mark is from New Zealand & Aurelija is from Lithuania

68-MAP-DL-DLOW4541-32 They had their service at the beautiful riverside church in Bisham and I took the opportunity to their group shots with picturesque river winding its way behind them.

After a few photos of Mark & Aurelija using the architecture & textures of the church. The happy couple then took a boat trip along the river Thames to The Compleat Angler in Marlow for their reception.

The weather was a little mixed but was fine enough for them to have their drinks reception on the lawn next to the river & I got a great group photo of the whole wedding party from the bridge.

I then stopped traffic in Marlow again for my favourite photo opportunity at weddings at The Compleat Angler & got some great shots of the two of them & some lovely portraits of Aurelija on the bridge.

I hope you enjoy your sneaky peek, wishing you every happiness!

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……

Angie & Simon – A Sneak Peek

A couple of weekends ago I photographed Angie & Simon to celebrate their big day.

Angie & Simon got married in Zante, Greece & decided to throw a party to celebrate on their return. A great idea so family & friends who couldn’t travel to your wedding can celebrate with you.

Angie & Simon held their party at The Jam Factory in Oxford. A great party venue The Jam Factory is a restaurant, bar & arts venue in the heart of the city. The building has a fabulous, industrial history & was the Frank Cooper jam factory between 1903 & the end of WWII. Frank Cooper’s marmalade was especially popular with dons and students in Oxford University. It was taken to Antarctica on Scott’s expedition to the South Pole & a jar was found buried in the ice many years later.

I was really pleased with the images we captured of the party in full people chatting & laughing. I also was able to get some great shots of the couple around & outside the venue. I love the contrast of the bride in her finery against the backdrop of the Victorian brickwork.

Their daughters performed Ho Hey by the Lumineers for Angie & Simon’s first dance. I think the images I took of the girls nervous beforehand to the exhilaration of the performance really captured the moment.

It was a great evening to be part of & I hope Angie & Simon enjoy their sneak peek. Wishing you every happiness for the future.

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.

Louise & Lars – The Compleat Angler – Sneaky Peek

A couple of weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Louise & Lars at The Compleat Angler in Marlow.

Now, over the years I’ve done a fair few weddings there but it did look lovely in the sunshine with the river flowing past. Louise & Lars’ wedding was a small but perfectly formed family affair which is always lovely as you mingle with everybody at the wedding. I often try & do a group shot of the whole wedding when there aren’t too many people to fit in the frame! Large group shots often test my physical fitness though as in my time I have climbed a church tower & hung out of many a window to capture the shot. At The Compleat Angler, with weather permitting, I gather the guests on the lawn by the river & make a quick dash around & up onto the bridge to get the shot from a vantage point.

The river & bridge always seems to play an important part in a Compleat Angler wedding. I try to do some stylish bride & groom shots as they walk across the bridge. This is when I employ the skills of the Best Man, Ushers & my assistant to stop traffic. The boys at Louise & Lars’s wedding did a sterling job & everyone smiled & waved as they drove past!

Louise & Lars also fitted a boat trip into their day which was lovely in the sunshine & I got some great photos of them onboard from the same vantage point of the bridge!

Louise & Lars also had one of my favourite wedding suppliers, Sam Strange, who is an amazing magician. I am always in wonder at his magic & can never work out he does it! If you are thinking of a magician & are looking for someone a bit cooler than the average Sam is your man!

Here is your sneaky peek Louise & Lars. I wish you every happiness for your future lives together.

The best bouquet toss….ever

Sometimes, as a photographer, something amazing happens before your eyes in a blink & you’ll miss it kind of way. I stand there, heart in mouth, snapping away hoping the technology can keep up with my trigger finger. One of these moments happened at the recent wedding of Alex & Charlotte. Now, I’ve photographed a fair few bouquet tosses but this one was simply the best! Charlotte had a fab group of bridesmaids including her sisters Georgia & Natalie, her friend Ruth & her husband-to-be’s sisters Annie & Hollie. They all lined up along with quite a number of single ladies ready for Charlotte to throw the bouquet.

You may notice that Georgia & Ruth had a certain glint in their eyes not quite matched by the others.

What happened next was a display of fine acrobatics, determination & perhaps a hint of a rugby tackle. A flailing of arms & Georgia threw her arm up in triumph.

The following celebrations with her boyfriend & mum & the sympathetic handshake for her dad (& Father-of-the-Bride) were just fantastic.

Will the family soon be celebrating another wedding? Well, if you need a photographer…..

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.

#BVCC Benson Veteran Cycling Club 2014 Photographs Available Soon!

Today I went to see a friend who was taking part in the Benson Veteran Cycle Club annual ride in South Oxfordshire. Naturally I took my camera to do a few pictures but as I was there thought I would photograph the events and try and get a nice picture of each participant whilst they were riding their trusted stead. Well it was great fun, there are some great pictures and they will soon be ready on my client area of my website.

Please go to the client area of my website where you will see the gallery

http://www.marklordphotography-clientarea.com

The access code is bvcc2014

Please sign up to the gallery and the images will be ready to view or purchase by the 8th July.

Thank you.

Mark

Mark Lord Photography

Oxfordshire based photographer specialising in people and our rich landscape

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