The Tythe Barn: Contempory + Historic Wedding and Events Venue in Oxfordshire

Set outside the beautiful Oxfordshire village of Launton near Bicester, the Tythe Barn is a fusion of new meets old, creating a fabulous backdrop for stylish events and celebrations. With the traditional and historic elements of this 14th century stone and thatch barn beautifully restored and cared for, the venue also boasts all the modern luxuries  required by their 21st century clientele. The Tythe Barn is a gorgeous setting for weddings, being able to host both civil ceremonies & wedding receptions.

We are honoured to be a recommended supplier by the Tythe Barn and we absolutely love photographing weddings at this fabulous venue. We have also been privileged to cover some of the fabulous events hosted by the Tythe Barn, such as one of Jamie Oliver’s companies Christmas bash! This event truly showcased the amazing catering & decor available at the Tythe Barn.

The Tythe Barn is a family owned business and husband and wife team Will and Emma provide a fantastic experience and service to their clients. They run the venue with dedication and passion and are very much part of what makes events at the Tythe Barn so memorable. Please visit their website for more information on having the barn for your wedding or occasion.

Here is a taster of some of the weddings and events we’ve captured here, which we believe capture the essence of this fantastic Oxfordshire venue. To see a recent wedding we photographed at the Tythe Barn please click here.

Featured: Glen Mitchell Photography in British Vogue Magazine

We are thrilled to have been included in the March 2012 issue of British Vogue magazine in their Cotswold Collection feature! To be recommended by such a prestigious and iconic authority on everything stylish and fabulous is such an honour and we are very humbled to be listed amongst other superb businesses in the area. The March edition of British Vogue is out now!

An Oxford Newborn Shoot: John, Debbie & baby Thomas

John & Debbie introduced us to their baby boy Thomas with such pride the afternoon late last year when we arrived for his shoot at their family home in Oxford, and it was no surprise why! Super small but absolutely perfect at just two weeks old, Thomas completely charmed us as he drifted off to sleep and we managed to get some amazing portraits of him. What a special way in which to welcome into the world their first son, and we are delighted that they now have these memories and photographs of Thomas to keep in beautiful heirloom art frames.

Cotswold Wedding Warm-Up Shoot: Delyth & Rob

It was more than a year ago that we met Delyth and she told us all about the beautiful wedding she was planning for this year at Peterstone Court in the heart of the majestic Brecon Beacons in Wales where Delyth grew up. So it was with amazement that we listened to how Rob and Delyth met when we were finally introduced to her fiancé and he greeted us with a warm Scottish accent! Though originally from opposite ends of the United Kingdom they happened to both be placed at the same RAF base in England, and as Rob’s very romantic version of the story goes, one bright and early morning Delyth came running around the corner one day and straight into his heart! We had a great time getting to know them both one Autumnal morning in Burford, a gorgeous Cotswold village, for their wedding warm up shoot.  Being in the RAF Delyth and Rob have had to endure much time being stationed abroad so time  together is precious and made the photographs we captured even more heartfelt and meaningful! We love that they now have these images as reminders of each other whenever they are apart! Here’s to what promises to be an amazing wedding this summer!

Featured: Cotswold Life Pure Weddings Magazine

We believe that every bride & groom we shoot has a unique story, a personal style and an individual wedding. We are delighted to have three gorgeous Cotswolds weddings featured in this months Cotswold Life  Spring 2012 Pure Weddings magazine. All three weddings were completely different and individual to the couples and we think will really inspire brides to be to follow their vision for their perfect day. Your day, your life, your love; so as long as you are true to yourselves the decisions you make for your wedding will be perfect for you! We wish happiness to all our 2011 couples and for all the new brides to be, enjoy every moment of this special time and we look forward to getting to know your story as well over the coming year!

1. The fabulous wedding of James & Shelly at Dormy House in Worcestershire, to see more of their beautiful day please click here.

2. Sarah & Tim’s stunning day at Launton Tythe Barn near Bicester in Oxfordshire, more from their gorgeous wedding can be seen here.

3. Old school Hollywood glamour at Suzi & Ian’s black tie wedding at Bix Manor near Henley on Thames, to see more of their gorgeous day please click here.

To see the full online version of Pure Wedding please click here.

An Oxford Baby Shoot: The Morris Family

In November Glen and I had the pleasure of doing a family photography shoot in Oxford for the Morris family to officially mark the arrival of little Harry to their family. It was wonderful to take some stunning portraits of Harry by himself and with his adoring parents Janeen and Owen! We loved capturing these special moments in photographs and are delighted that the family will be able to treasure them for years to come.

Crazy Bear Oxfordshire Wedding: Becci & Ben

They say wine is the nectar of the gods, and the Crazy Bear in Stadhampton, Oxfordshire was certainly a celestial setting for Becci & Ben’s wine inspired wedding. Becci and Ben are just as crazy about this legendary drink as they are for each other. It is not surprising then that they met whilst both working for Majestic Wine co. They hit it off on a works night out and now years later are still working in the industry but in the slightly more glamorous setting of Dubai.

Becci brought the Dubai glamour with her for her wedding, choosing dazzling gold and black for the event’s colour scheme, which perfectly suited the decadence of the Crazy Bear Hotel with its glitzy mirrors and opulent decor.

What really made this celebration unforgettable was the evident adoration between this couple. Becci and Ben shared so many laughs throughout the day and at the same time their relationship had such a warmth about it which showed at the most poignant moments. Thank you so much for letting us share in your wedding, being able to witness such affection between two people is truely special.

Becci radiated and rocked in her exquisite bridal gown which was adorned with the most beautiful rose gold beading and Swarovski crystals.  Becci’s  “Champagne” satin and silk dress was designed and made by Lebanese mother/daughter team Ekaterina & Maria Bridal Boutique in Dubai.  The veil was just as fabulous, as Becci told us, “My ivory veil was handmade in Dubai by an Egyptian lady with the beads and crystals hand selected to match those on the dress, from the Gold Souk in Dubai.  It took her a week to hand stitch  all the patterns on the veil to match the beading pattern on the dress!” And the results were totally worth it!  Her glamorous look was completed with her gorgeous Italian leather stilettos with gold beading and a gold clutch with Swarovski crystals, both by Mario Rossini, the most understated of bling by Dubai standards I was told! ❤ ❤ ❤

Hair and make-up were expertly done by Claire Nicole who got the looks they wanted spot on: “I wanted a gold, smoky eye and natural lip, Mel (Becci’s best friend and maid of honour) wanted red lips for Hollywood glamour and mum went for a natural look to complement her custom made pale pink outfit.”

Becci chose her mum’s gold and diamond solitaire necklace as her “something borrowed” a perfect companion for her  gold and Swarovski crystal “something new”  tiara, earrings and matching wrist cuffs from Al Washia, Dubai. Her platinum and diamond  wedding band was exquisite and a complete reflection of Becci’s taste as it was custom made for her by Cartier in Paris, “We were the first ever couple in the Middle East to use the “Set For You” service by Cartier.  We selected the perfect union of the diamond of our choice and chose the 1895 Cartier setting so the ring we created is mine alone, crafted to the exacting standards of Cartier.” This is the most romantic experience of selecting a wedding band I’ve come across and I just adore how this ring resonates with the love shared between Becci and Ben as it is completely unique to them.

Ben’s wedding band was also personalised to him, in fact he designed it himself and it was then custom made for him by friend and jeweller Paul Townsend in Dubai. Together Becci and Ben designed his suit, shirt and waistcoat which was then hand made by a man mysteriously referred to only as “The  Master”, Ben’s Indian tailor in Dubai! They selected a charcoal cashmere/silk blend of fabric for the suit and the waistcoat and the shirt was pure white Egyptian cotton.  The suit lining, waistcoat back, cravat, and handkerchief were gold silk to pick up on the colour scheme of wedding.  Ben also added his own personal touch to the colour theme by choosing Jasper Conran leather shoes sporting purple laces! I just love how all the details of the day were thoughtfully chosen and individual to the couple and they did what they felt was right for them, rules are for breaking right?!

Becci’s elegant white Orchid and Sweat Pea bouquet was by La Belle Floral Designs who also did the table and ceremony arrangements. Becci’s mum Sheila is passionate about floral design and together worked closely with La Belle Floral Designs, who provide a very personal service to make sure they understand and deliver on their client’s vision. Becci explains, “My mum has a great knowledge of flowers including all their complicated Latin names! My bouquet was inspired by a stunning trailing design my mum saw in one of her floristry books.” The Sweat Peas in Becci’s bouquet were also very meaningful as they were Ben’s late Grandmother’s favourite flower, a beautiful tribute to her memory.

Becci also paid homage to her Scottish heritage by including a traditional Scottish poem in the place settings and having Pipe Major Steven Duffy, who also played at her brother’s wedding, play the bagpipes and lead the couple into the wedding breakfast.

Grapes and gold featured and dazzled throughout the many reception details as the theme for the wedding was wine, in honour of how Becci and Ben met each other! All the tables were romantically named after the wineries the couple were going to visit on their honeymoon to California’s famous wine region…bliss! All the table names, table name holders, place settings, blessing cards and order of the day leaflets were painstakingly designed, made and brought over in hand luggage by Becci. Becci explains how she made them: “The table name holders were wine bottles spray painted in my parent’s garden then we glued on the wine labels I’d made here in Dubai onto the bottle with the quote ‘In wine, one beholds the heart of another’.   We filled them with water and used the corks cut with a slit to hold the actual table names.”

Ivy on the tables and table plan were reminiscent of vines from grapes and worked well with the white orchids to have impact and contrast against the grandeur of the venue’s decor. Black beaded heart shaped coasters were decorated with sprigs of white flowers and crystals by Becci’s mum and beautifully tied to the backs of chairs using black and gold ribbon. The tables were also decorated with gold and black fans and scattered with gold love heart confetti and clear crystals. The look was ultra glamorous! 

The magnificent three cakes, which were creatively tiered on a very contemporary ivy adorned stand, was lovingly made by Becci’s mum Sheila who I think you will agree did a fabulous job! Each cake had a different flavour which Becci explains, “Lemon cake (for Ben) decorated with white fondant icing with a white flower, and tied in a gold ribbon with a string of diamontés around it.  The chocolate ganache cake (for me) decorated with gold lead and tiny gold balls and a gold ribbon and fruit cake (for tradition)”. I especially love how Becci’s mum tied the wine theme into the design be creating bunches of grapes and wine bottles interlaced with foliage and hearts from the royal icing she used to decorate the fruitcake. Becci also injected some bling and Dubai glamour with the gold bejewelled cake slide she bought from Candylicious!

The kids simply adored the vintage Beano books Ben gave them from his own personal collection at the end of his speech. This plus the goodie bags and treasure hunt made and organised by the couple meant all the children who attended were completely in their element on the day who along with Becci and Ben wanted to do it all again afterwards: “My nephew loved it so much he wanted to do it again!  In fact, so do me and Ben – every year – we totally enjoyed ourselves! ” That’s what I loved about this wedding the most, the love and happiness that exuded from Becci and Ben and the entire day!

As individual, personal and meaningful as every detail of their wedding was, so was Becci and Ben’s song choice for their first dance, Guns n Roses’ “So Fine”. Becci mentioned that her and Ben had really bonded when they first met over their mutual adoration for this band, so how perfect that it should be their song for the first dance! They looked so in love and completely happy as they rocked their first dance, which was brilliantly rendered by their wedding band The Venue.

The perfect and epic ending to a magnificent day, thank you again Becci and Ben for letting us capture it for you! If you would like to see the full gallery of images from the day please click here and ask the bride and groom for the password and if you would like to see the couple’s pre-wedding shoot at The Crazy Bear, Oxfordshire please click here. And finally please feel free to leave Becci & Ben some fab comments on the blog and keep in touch by joining our Facebook Page!

A Dormy House, Worcestershire Wedding: James & Shelly

When James went on a night out with best friend Ben he was not expecting to find romance and certainly not that he would be meeting the girl of his dreams! But it was James’ night when he met Shelly and they instantly hit it off! Now years later they share a life together, a house together, a cat together and most importantly a family together. James and Shelly love each other, that is so apparent. It is the shared adoration they have for their little girl Fliss however that makes you realise their love is even stronger than the power of two, it is that of a family. And thus it was no surprise that family was there in abundance on their wedding day! Parents, siblings, aunties, uncles and cousins! It was a joy to witness such an extensive and tight knit family come together and celebrate the wedding of two people they love dearly. Thank you very much for letting us share in this, it was amazing to be a part of.

Shelly was the most radiant bride on her wedding day. She looked absolutely gorgeous when we met her at the Four Pillars Hotel in Witney where she and her five beautiful bridesmaids were getting ready for the day’s celebrations.

One of the hair artists from Segais Hair Design in Wantage styled Shelly’s hair and her fabulous headpiece beautifully in the morning. Shelly also chose really elegant jewellery to wear, which complimented her fine bone structure and really emphasised her flawless skin.

Shelly’s stunning Justin Alexander bridal gown from Lucille’s bridal boutique of Macclesfield was romantic and elegant. Her gorgeous Marc Jacob pumps from Selfridges were a fabulously quirky and fun twist that really worked with the dress and gave the look something different.

James and his ushers also had some quirky footwear thanks to the multicoloured socks expertly chosen for them by Fliss! How cute!? On a more formal note, James’s suit was from Henry’s of Bicester and chosen by James!

James is very into his cars to say the least, so it was no surprise that he had chosen a very luxurious and impressive silver Bentley from JD Prestige Cars in London for their wedding car.

Shelly’s bridesmaids looked positively regal in their royal blue dresses and they were so much fun to have in the bridal party!

We weren’t allowed to photograph during the ceremony but we still captured some great moments before and after the service to remember this special moment by.

The reception was held at Dormy House near Broadway Worcestershire, a stunning 17th century converted farmhouse in the gorgeous Cotswold countryside. The grounds and surrounding countryside made for some amazing signature images of the bride & groom and was an immensely rewarding landscape to shoot in.

The below images just exemplifies that our couples love photography as much as we do and trust us to do things a bit differently at times to capture those wow signature images. We spotted this golden grass near the grounds and James & Shelly knowing us quite well at this stage were more than up for using this dramatic setting to get these beautiful and artistic shots. This is what our couples love and book us for!

Not only is James into his cars, but in particular he is mad about Mini Coopers. And how better can this love be represented on the day than through these ultra cool and quintessentially British Paul Smith Mini Cooper cufflinks!

Inside, Dormy House was just as fabulous to shoot as out; vintage leather chairs, big romantic hearths and very moody lighting – we  loved it! Shelly looked oh so glamorous in this photo below and we loved photographing her and James.

Another endearing part of this wedding was the presence of all the kids who attended, they really added a lot of charm and special moments to proceedings on the day.

This stunning cake by Tina Noble in North Leigh picked up the beautiful navy blue colour scheme and was truly representative of James & Shelly as Fliss was included in the cake topper as well! Katie and the team at Dormy House did an excellent job at putting together the beautiful reception room Shelly had planned and making sure everything ran smoothly and we must thank them for looking after us so wonderfully on the day.

This image below won Glen an awesome Bronze award in the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographer’s prestigious monthly competition and fingers crossed their will be another award winner from James and Shelly’s wedding in next month’s entries!

These images at the cosy Dormy House fireplace were a fabulous end to their wedding day in photographs, the party itself I am told lasted a bit longer! Thank you again James and Shelly for having us capture your memories on the day, it was a real privilege. If you would like to see James & Shelly’s wedding warm-up shoot we did at Blenheim Palace and see some more photos of Fliss looking very cute, please click here. If you would like to see the full wedding gallery please click here, ask the bride and groom for their password!  Finally if we met you on the day please keep in touch on our Facebook page and we would love to hear any lovely comments you leave on the blog!

An Oxfordshire Family Shoot – The Daniels

In the summer we had the pleasure of doing a lifestyle shoot with 3 generations of the Daniels’ family. Kingsley had bought the shoot as a birthday present for his mother, as he knew she would appreciate the memories of the family captured as a gift. The shoot was a very relaxed affair that took place one Sunday morning at their home. We started the shoot taking some portraits in their lovely garden just outside Watlington in Oxfordshire. Being a family shoot everyone had to be involved and naturally that included the two dogs! They were even more chuffed when to finish off the shoot we all went on walk to the family’s vineyard, which enabled us to get some great shots of the family in an environment which clearly means a lot to them. The family photography shoot  was also a great way of welcoming the newest addition to the family and first grandchild!  As we always shoot on location we also get a real sense of place captured in the images, which make them all the more authentic. This environment also ensures we capture people at their most comfortable and relaxed, which always shows in the results! We love family shoots as the memories captured are priceless and families get to treasure them for years after. It was great getting to know the Daniels family and we look forward to showing them the beautiful wall art of their family that has resulted from the shoot!

Fashion Portfolio Photography in Oxfordshire for M.A.C.H

The team at M.A.C.H are training and inspiring make-up and hair artists throughout the UK to be the best in their field. Led by Claire Hanson they offer a comprehensive range of courses for all levels of Make-up and hair artists. From those looking to start with the basics through to already experienced and established Make-up & hair artists who may just be looking for some inspiration or insight into the latest trends.

Part of any successful course is the ability to receive top quality images for use in your portfolio as it is the quality of the images to really show off your work that will get you hired. We are delighted that this is the service we are providing for the M.A.C.H team. Some images from the most recent shoot with Claire and the team are below.