Lora & James – A Sneak Peek

Kiti & I photographed the wedding of Lora & James at Milton Hill House, Steventon near Oxford. Now, as a wedding photographer it is always lovely when the sun shines & it is even better when the wedding ceremony can be outside.

We arrived at the venue & I popped straight upstairs to find the bride. Lora was preparing for the day with her parents & five bridesmaids. The bridesmaids all looked lovely in navy dresses with small yellow posies of ranunculus & billy balls tied with stripey yellow ribbons. The bride looked lovely in a simple dress with beautiful tapework, delicate sequins & beading. She carried a larger version of her bridesmaids posies this time tied with navy stripey ribbon & adorned with an initial A for her new surname.

Whilst I was with the bridal party Kiti was with the groom to take some portraits with him & his Best Man, Ushers & family….and the all important ring shot!

As the guests gathered on the lawns in front of a lovely brick built pergola Lora accompanied by her bridal party made her way to meet her groom.

It was such a lovely ceremony in the sunshine & the Bride & Groom made their way back down the aisle with beaming sunny, smiles!

Then it was time for group shots in the grounds in the shade of some lovely trees before I took the Bride & Groom off for some couple shots.

Milton Hill House Hotel is a new venue for me but Lora & James were up for an adventure & we found some really varied areas from Italian sunken gardens to some fantastic barns which gave a textured, vintage feel to the images.

After our adventure it was time for Lora & James to join their guests for the traditional wedding breakfast. Lora, James & their friends & families had decorated the room with touches of yellow & navy from pom-poms to some seriously perfect bunting made by the mums on the back of each chair.

There were great speeches from James & his best man ……but I love the look on their faces during Lora’s Dad, Derek’s speech – priceless & very funny!

After the wedding breakfast it was time for the cutting of the cake & the first dance before everyone hit the dancefloor. Kiti & I left everyone dancing the night away

Congratulations Lora & James – wishing you every happiness. Hope you love your sneak peek as much as we do!

Kristina & Craig – A Sneak Peek

Recently I photographed the wedding of Kristina & Craig at Hedsor House. Hedsor is a beautiful venue & has been used as a location in many films & TV programmes such as Quartet & Spooks.

Kristina & Craig both got ready at the venue so once Kiti & I arrived we started taking photographs with the Bride & Groom. I always photograph the bridal preparations & found Kristina in the beautiful bridal dressing suite located on the first floor. It soon will be one of the largest bridal suites in Britain & certainly offered everything that a bridal party should need. It is always wonderful to be part of the day from the start to capture the all-important ‘ceremony’ of the bride & her bridesmaids getting into their finery!

While I was with the bride Kiti found the groom, best man, ushers & dad’s & got some great, stylish shots of the lads on the steps of the main entrance.

Now it was time for Kristina to make the short walk from the bridal suite to meet her groom in The Centre Hall where their guests were waiting in anticipation.

After a lovely service the guests followed the bride & groom to the lawns at the side of the house that has beautiful views across the grounds & countryside beyond.

During the drinks reception Kiti & I used the front of the house as a fantastically stylish backdrop for the group shots.

After the group shots we borrowed Kristina & Craig for a little while to do some stylish shots of the happy couple in the wonderful grounds of Hedsor House. Kristina is a veterinary nurse so loved the shots in the countryside with some four-legged friends.

By now it was time for Kristina & Craig to return to their guests for the wedding breakfast. Craig is a chef so you can imagine that the food was an important part of the day for him. The absolutely delicious dinner was prepared & served by the fantastic Liz & her team from Cavendish Events. They also did a hog roast for the guests to have later in the evening during the dancing. After the beautiful meal, speeches & performance by the flowergirls it was time for cutting the cake, first dance it was time to hit the dancefloor. Wishing you every happiness Kristina & Craig. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek & we will be in touch with your album proof soon!

Ruth and Stephane – A Sneak Peek

Most of my weddings are in Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire so it was with some excitement that Mrs Lord & I travelled to Kent to photograph the recent wedding of Ruth & Stephane in the beautiful late Spring countryside. We travelled down the day before so our day started with collecting my Antipodean assistant Kiti & we made our way to Tenterden.

All of today’s wedding locations were in close proximity so we planned to do a quick reccee of the wedding & first look locations prior to meeting the B&G. Rural Kent is a beautiful & looked wonderful at this time of year with the trees bursting into leaf & the cow parsley out in flower. After familiarising ourselves we made our way to meet our Bride & Groom.

Ruth & Stephane planned a day that was personal to them & this started with a first look amongst the vines of the famous vineyard Chapel Down. Normally I do my couple images with the bride & groom after the service during the drinks reception but it made refreshing change to do the photographs before the service & I think it was a special moment for the Bride & Groom to share.

After the first look we made our way to The Great Barn, Rolvenden which was the venue for the day. The service was beautiful & it was lovely that Ruth & Stephane were placed facing their friends & family rather than the audience viewing their backs!

By now what had been a rather overcast day had turned into a beautiful sunshine & Ruth & Stephane mingled with their guests in the orchard. They planned a really individual day after the drinks reception the guests gathered back in the barn at long trestle tables for afternoon tea after which there was beer & wine tastings for the guests.

They decorated the barn in a fabulous rustic way with reclaimed wood signs & strings of fairy lights, the tables decorated with bottles with local hedgerow flowers.

By now the sun had softened into that lovely evening glow & I took the Bride & Groom away for a few more couples shots. I have recently been experimenting with shooting into the sun which offers a soft, ethereal feel to the images.

After a few more shots with the happy couple it was time to let them return to their guests for their very original first dance & as always Kiti & I left everyone hitting the dancefloor.

Wishing you every happiness Ruth & Stephane. Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Happy Anniversary Phoebe & Guy!

I can’t believe it, but it is already a year since I was in Cornwall to photograph the wedding of Phoebe & Guy at Pentillie Castle. As a Cornishman born & bred I love the opportunity to travel back down to my home county. Cornwall offers so many fantastic wedding venues & Pentillie Castle, which is on the River Tamar offers a photographer some beautiful opportunities for some stylish bride & groom photos.

Congratulations Phoebe & Guy on your first anniversary!

Emma & Paul – A Sneak Peek

We’ve had some lovely spring weather recently but we were disappointed to wake up to rain on the morning of Emma & Paul’s wedding. Luckily the rain soon passed & the sun shone on their day. Apparently it is lucky to have rain on your wedding day!

Emma & Paul’s wedding was in the beautiful city of Oxford & our day started by making sure we had the locations & routes for the wedding as we would spend most of the day on foot.

I love a classic military wedding & as Paul is a Navy Pilot he was wearing formal ceremonial uniform. Kiti met Paul at the hotel to get some shots of him getting ready before walking with him & the men to the ceremony. There was, of course, a quick pit stop at a pub for a swift drink or two!

You will notice that a furry friend accompanied the men. Jessie is Paul & Emma’s much loved dog & she played an important part in their day. She was brilliantly behaved throughout & was a credit to them.

I went to Emma’s mums house to meet the bridal party & to capture some getting ready shots of the bride & bridesmaids. It’s always a lovely part of the day to see everyone getting into their finery & starting off the day with a glass or two of champagne!

It was soon time for Emma to make the short journey to meet her groom. Paul & Emma’s wedding was held at Emma’s old school St Edward’s in Oxford & the ceremony held in the beautiful chapel in the grounds.

The quandrant gave me some lovely opportunities for some stylish bride & groom shots & it was really interesting to use the architecture of the old building.

Emma & Paul had decorated the reception room with wonderful blossom trees that looked beautiful. They really added height to the floral decoration & certainly had a wow factor for all the guests entering the room!

After the wedding breakfast & speeches it was time for everyone to hit the dancefloor. As always Kiti & I left them all boogying the night away!

Emma & Paul – hope you love your sneak peek as much as we do! Wishing you every happiness for your future together

Claire & Richard – A Sneak Peek

Last Saturday saw the wedding of Claire & Richard. Their ceremony was in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Somerton in the quaint village church St James.

It was a bright spring morning as the guests gathered in the church decorated with lovely pew ends of spring flowers in glass jars.

Kiti & I took the opportunity before the brides arrival to get some shots of the groom, best man & ushers in the village & churchyard.

Then it was time for the groom to take his place before the bride arrived with her Dad.

Claire arrived at the church in a vintage Rolls Royce clutching a beautiful bouquet by the very talented Flower Fairies. The stunning springtime bouquet made up from whites roses, brunia, eucalyptus, grape hyacinths, pussy willow & wax flowers.

After a lovely service Richard & Claire left in the sunshine to make the short journey to The Tythe Barn, Launton for the wedding reception.

As always, I took the opportunity to take the bride & groom away from their guests for a little while to take some shots of the couple around the grounds of the barn.

The Tythe Barn have recently installed a crash pad for the bride & groom, a shepherds hut with, of course, one or two touches of luxury! Decorated in their normal chic style it really is a fabulous place for the bride & groom to stay after the party is over. Claire & Richard are my first couple to stay there so we made sure to get some shots of them outside the hut.

After we returned the couple to their guests it was time for the wedding breakfast, banquet style. It looks so beautiful all laid up & really adds to the celebratory atmosphere.

Music was supplied by Gigz Management who are suppliers of fantastic bands, dj’s, string quartets & much more. The band called Bring the Party were just fabulous & soon got everyone up on the dance floor. We left them boogying the night away with their guests very envious of their night of luxury in the shepherds hut!

We hope you love you sneak peek, Claire & Richard – lots more to follow soon! Wishing you every happiness for your future lives 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.

Helen & Louis – A Sneak Peek

Between Christmas & New Year I photographed the wedding of Helen & Louis.

We were greeted by another lovely wintery sunny day as we made our way to The Cotswold Plough in the quaint village of Clanfield, Oxfordshire. The Plough is a traditional 16^th century Cotswold stone hotel & was a wonderfully cosy yet stylish location for a winter wedding.

Helen & Louis’ day was a wonderful family affair with lots of stylish design ideas. I thought the bride looked beautiful in her fur stole & pheasant feather headpiece that she made herself. The use of gypsophila en masse in the bouquet & cake topper was stunning. So interesting to use these delicate little flowers so often used as incidental filler on its own & it looked beautiful – like floral clouds!

They also had illuminated letters on their dancefloor from Vowed & Amazed. Vowed & Amazed specialise in hiring theatrical props for weddings & particularly illuminated letters. They had a great, stylish backdrop for your dance floor & for some fun photos too

It really was a lovely day & I think my images reflect this. As always I left everyone dancing the night away.

Hope you enjoy your sneak peek Helen & Louis. Wishing you every happiness!

Sam & Darren – A Sneak Peek!

Shortly before Christmas I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Sam & Darren in the Cotswolds.

It was a beautiful sunny winters day as Kiti & I headed to the picturesque village of Broadway. The wedding was held in the historical hotel The Lygon Arms. It is a beautiful building in honey-coloured Cotswold stone & looked wonderful in the sunshine.

The first hotel on the site was documented in 1532. Their service was held in the wonderful Great Hall with the sunlight streaming through the windows & Sam was accompanied up the aisle by her very proud Dad. I love this image of Darren seeing his bride, I think his smile says it all….

It was a lovely wedding with inspiration from the season. Darren & his groomsmen had stylish tweed suits accented by ruby red ties & pocket squares.

Sam wore a gorgeous short dress with lace overlay & carried a beautiful bouquet of dark crimson roses. She also wore a fantastic pair of Jimmy Choos!

The Lygon Arms provided a stunning backdrop for the bride & groom photographs with the warm Cotswold stone frontage, Tudor timbers & a lovely garden.

After a delicious dinner in the Great Hall Sam, Darren & their guests hit the dance floor. Its been a while since I saw such enthusiastic dancing!

Congratulations Sam & Darren, wishing you every happiness for married life together

Clare & Conor – A Sneaky Peek

Recently I photographed the winter wedding of Clare & Conor on a seasonably wintry Friday afternoon.

My day started with Clare at the beautiful Long Crendon Manor to capture some shots of her, her Mum & bridesmaids getting ready. The manor is a luxury bed & breakfast in a beautiful historical house. The house provided a picturesque setting for some stylish shots with the bride before she made the brief journey with her Dad to meet her groom….

Clare & Conor held their wedding & reception at another historical building in Long Crendon; Notley Tythe Barn. Last time I was at the barn it was in the middle of the summer & it was lovely to see the barn decorated for the season.

After the service I always take my bride & groom away for some shots of the two of them. I always strive for relaxed, stylish portraits of the happy couple that really capture the personality of the bride & groom. Clare & Conor are country lovers & were happy to pull on the wellies. So off we went into the countryside surrounding the barn & got some great images of the two of them….and a horse or two!

Not sure the horse was as happy to have his photograph taken as Clare & Conor!

Here is your sneaky peek Clare & Conor, many more great shots to come! Hope you enjoy your sneaky peek, it really was a pleasure to photograph your happy day. Wishing you all the best for a wonderful life together.