MENU

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.

Great Fosters driveway sign Great Fosters approach Great Fosters main building Bridesmaids in the Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Newborn at Great Fosters Christie's Gemy Maalouf wedding dress at Great Fosters Detail of Christie's Gemy Maalouf wedding dress Bridesmaids makeup in the Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Bride and bridesmaid black and white documentary photography Bride and bridesmaids in the Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Christie and her bridesmaids descending the staircase at Great Fosters Christie and her bridesmaids having a giggle on the staircase at Great Fosters The garden at Great Fosters viewed through the window Great Fosters from the back and the lodge moat Bride laughing with her bridesmaids Baby on the bridesmaids shoulder Bridal party laughing in the Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Bridesmaid hairdressing at Great Fosters Groom & Best Man arriving at Great Fosters Chris putting his bow tie on Groom Chris in his dinner jacket at Great Fosters Groom getting ready and laughing with his Groomsmen Groom Chris checking his black tie outfit in the bathroom at Great Fosters Groom shoe detail Chris ready to go at Great Fosters Black Tie detail Groom Chris feeling chipper Groom checking his cuffs, black tie outfit at Great Fosters Bridal hair prep at Great Fosters Bridesmaid in the Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Bride Christie having her hair done at Great Fosters Bridal bouquet at Great Fosters Bridal bouquet close up detail Hair spray and the bride The Orangery at Great Fosters prepared for a Christmas Winter Wedding A portrait of Groom Chris and his best man in their tuxedos at Great Fosters Bridal eye makeup at Great Fosters Mother of the Bride in the Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Christie having her makeup done Lip pencil for the bride at Great Fosters The Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Christie's Mum at Great Fosters Bride getting into her Gemy Maalouf wedding dress at Great Fosters Shoes going on Bride in her wedding dress - The Nursery Suite at Great Fosters Christie looking in the mirror Mother of the Bride looks on during Bridal Prep Christie almost ready to go Christie and MOH ready to go! Christie and her sister, MOH Kelly having a special moment Groom and best man arriving in the Orangery Chris looking sharp in his tuxedo Usher and Groom at Great Fosters Father of the Bride just before the wedding ceremony Putting the veil in Great Fosters bride and bridesmaids Christie making her way to the ceremony at Great Fosters Mother of the bride Groom Chris awaiting his Bride in the Orangery at Great Fosters Bridesmaid walking down the aisle in the Great Fosters Orangery Bride and her wheelchair using father Bride and father walking down the aisle at Great Fosters Granny watching the arrival of the bride Bride & Groom first look at Great Fosters Groom's family watching on Bride & Groom during the ceremony Black & white of the Bride and Groom Smiling bride at Great Fosters Time to put the ring on Will it fit! Perhaps the ring won't fit! Best man in black tie at Great Fosters Great Fosters bride in the Orangery Christie laughing during the ceremony Christie's wedding ring A wedding ceremony in the Orangery at Great Fosters The kiss at Great Fosters Sealed the deal Bride's family Signing the register Black and white documentary wedding photography Great Fosters wedding photography - Christie & Chris Groom Chris punches the air Newly married Christie & Chris' at Great Fosters A happy bride and groom at Great Fosters Black and white photograph of the Bride & Groom exiting the ceremony at Great Fosters Black bridesmaids dresses Black Tie groom and groomsmen at Great Fosters Bridesmaids on the bridge at Great Fosters Mr and Mrs K walking in the garden at Great Fosters Black and white of the bride and groom Chris & Christie natural couple portraits at Great Fosters Relaxed natural portraits at Great Fosters Black tie and Gemy Maalouf dress at Great Fosters Chris carries his bride Christie Bride and Groom on the bridge at Great Fosters Christie and her stunning beaded Gemy Maalouf gown on the bridge at Great Fosters Black & white portrait of the Groom at Great Fosters Wedding reception in the Painted Hall at Great FostersFather of the GroomThe Tithe Barn ready for the wedding breakfast Candelabra Jaegermeister wedding favours Wedding cake in the Tithe Barn Wedding guest during the receptionBride Christie during the reception Wedding guests in black tie Groom entering the wedding breakfast Christie during her Dad's wedding speech Father of the bride giving his speech Guests during the wedding breakfast Bride talking to guests during the wedding breakfast in the Tithe Barn Groom Chris chatting to his guests Mother of the bride during the wedding breakfast Granny during the wedding breakfast Christie chatting to her friends in the stunning Tithe Barn at Great Fosters Guests view of the speeches Black and white Groom's speech Top table guests listen to the speeches Black and white of Bride Christie during the speeches Colour photo of the top table Kiss at the end of the speech Father of the Groom listens to the speech Guests laughing at the Best man's speech Bridesmaid during the speeches The Tithe Barn at Great Fosters Christie hearing about the skydive Bride is not impressed What me? Brothers hug Bride and bridesmaids black and white Kisses under the mistletoe at Great Fosters Evening reception black and white Great Fosters A seemingly angry man Cutting the cake Christie & Chris take the dancefloorBride and groom first dance romance Guests watching the first dance at Great Fosters Bride and Groom first dance Black and white of the first dance Groom spinning his bride on the dance floorHugs on the dancefloor Black tie selfies at Great Fosters Documentary wedding photography at Great Fosters Groom chatting to guests in the Painted Hall Dancefloor shennanigans Party starters on the dancefloor Groom and guests dancing Hot guy in tuxedo Guests chatting during the evening reception All go on the dancefloor Hey you! Bride dancing with guests Bride & Groom on the dancefloor Throwing shapes at Great Fosters Dancefloor kiss in the Tithe Barn Amazing end of the night dancing Great Fosters Wedding Photography - Sparkler Send Off Bride and Groom black and white sparkler send off Sparkler departure Last kiss of the wedding Great Fosters illuminated at night

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

SaveSaveSaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Comments

Top sparkler shots, looks like a really good wedding too. Really well shot!

[…] Sophie & Matt’s day at Farnham Castle. Prefer something completely different? How about Christie & Chris’ winter wedding at Great […]

Add Your Comment

CLOSE MENU