Christie & Chris - Great Fosters Wedding Photography

This was my final wedding of 2017 and what an incredible day it was! I always enjoy Great Fosters wedding photography but Christie & Chris’ black tie winter wedding was so filled with class and style and love and laughter that I drove home at the end of the night in a state of barely concealed euphoria. It was frickin’ ace! I first met Chris & Christie at Katie & Nick’s amazing wedding a few years back; Christie was one of Katie’s bridesmaids and I was really excited to hear from them when they got in touch about their own day.

Christie wore an amazing Gemy Maalouf dress with a stunning beaded back while Chris and the gents opted for classic black tie. A good tux is hard to beat and when it’s standard attire across all the guests it provides a seriously suave backdrop to the aesthetic of a wedding. Great Fosters wedding photography is always interesting because the venue is so richly varied The building is filled with dark corners and interesting window light – it was originally a Tudor hunting lodge – and it made for a perfect setting for such a gorgeously styled day. Christie got ready in the beautiful Nursery suite, one of the most fantastic bridal prep rooms I can think of, while Chris and his ushers got suited a few doors down.

One of the interesting things about wedding photography is there’s inevitably much more to the job than simply photographing the day. Over the years I’ve sewn up seams on dresses, delivered forgotten Orders of Service and lit the odd fire pit. No wedding goes off without a single hitch and though it’s nerve wracking in the moment, the hitches often make for great stories, great memories and great pictures. On Christie and Chris’ day, there was a minor hitch with getting the veil into place. I’m not going to lie, despite a decade of shooting weddings, placing a veil into the perfect up-do at the request of Christie and her bridesmaids felt like something I wasn’t sufficiently trained for! Thankfully I didn’t balls it up and it stayed put throughout the ceremony! The marriage itself took place in the Orangery which, bedecked in Christmas finery, looked exceptionally festive. Christie’s bridesmaids came down the aisle first, wearing stunning black gowns, before Christie and her Dad made their entrance and took everyone’s collective breath away.

Once the formalities were complete and these two were mazzled, the new Mr and Mrs K stepped into the Painted Hall for drinks & canapés and shortly afterwards we slipped away for a few group photographs and portraits before we lost the light. It was wet underfoot and very cold, but the sky was clear and Chris & Christie were proper troopers. I take my hat off to them for their resolve and willing in the exceptionally frigid December air! Their look was so wonderfully classic that I tried to mirror it in the portraits with something fairly timeless. My job was made much easier because these guys just know how to hold themselves. Good posture for the win!

Regular readers of my blog know that I love the speeches. There was plenty of excellent humour during Chris & Christie’s toasts, including the story about Christie ordering a round of Jaegermeister while on the Hen in Dubai only to find that a round of Jager for a group of mates runs to in excess of £200 in the UAE! Also, the look on Christie’s face when Chris’ brother Jamie explained that she was going sky diving in January was photographic gold. The evening party was bound to be good; I’ve seen this crowd throw down before and once again they didn’t disappoint. The Tithe Barn at Great Fosters is one of my favourite places to shoot dancing and once the evening got underway the black tie theme looked cooler than ever. The night closed with my favourite sparkler send off of all time. Everyone braved the cold and went properly nuts as Chris & Christie, grinning like cheshire cats, made good their getaway. SO DAMN FUN!

A few things to note for those of you interested in photography. This was my first wedding shooting with my new camera setup based around the Nikon D850. I shot the D850 during the speeches and evening reception, alongside my existing Canon 5D Mark III’s. I didn’t want to switch entirely until I’d used the new camera in the field and although there’s still loads to adjust to, the first professional outing went very smoothly. I also rented a Canon 50mm f/1.2L which was an interesting proposition. Super low depth of field, beautiful bokeh and an incredible tool for low light photography. Anyway, enough waffle from me. Time for some photographs. Here’s a selection of some of my favourites from the day. There’s quite a few as I really really loved this wedding! As usual, supplier details are at the foot of the post.

My congratulations to Christie & Chris and many thanks for having me! I hope to be back shooting Great Fosters wedding photography again in the not too distant future.

• Photography: Tony Hart Photo
• Venue: Great Fosters
• Wedding Dress: Gemy Maalouf
• Shoes: TBC
• Groomswear: TBC
• Florist: TBC
• DJ: Firebird Events
• Videographer: Foster Filming
• Cake: TBC

Looking for relaxed Great Fosters Wedding Photography for your own wedding please drop me a line.

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