Hello. I'm Chris, a thirty-something documentary wedding photographer based near Reading, Berkshire.

My passion is wedding photography. I love capturing the preparations, the anticipation, the sheer emotion of the ceremony, the first kiss, the laughter of the speeches and the beautiful first dance.

I've loved photography since I was a child. Back then I had a Kodak Retinette IB which I still have although it stopped working years ago. I bought my first film SLR back in 2001 and today I use Nikon D700 bodies with Nikkor 24-70/f2.8, 50/f1.4, 85/f1.4 and 70-200/f2.8 professional lenses. I also love travel photography and I've had the privilege to see some amazing parts of the world... Australia, Thailand, India and Africa to name a few.

I'm a movie and music lover, both of which seem to go hand in hand with a nice glass of wine. I love good food, my favourite of which has to be either Thai or Mexican.

Ten things... 1) I love walks in the country. 2) Chocolate is A Good Thing (TM). 3) Music needs to be heard and ideally felt. 4) I'm a little OCD at times. 5) Jack Bauer never goes to the toilet or charges his mobile. 6) David Palmer needs to be president for real. 7) Tom Yam Goong is amazing, if I had to choose only one thing to eat from now on, that would be it. 8) BT, Hybrid, Elbow, Angus and Julia Stone - all music gods. 9) I can't stand middle lane hoggers. 10) Life is short, embrace it, live it, and do things.

Sarah and Paul, Northcote House Wedding

Monday, November 1, 2010

You may remember Sarah and Paul from last month’s pre-wedding shoot. This weekend saw them get married at the beautiful Northcote House in Sunningdale. Yet again we were so lucky with the weather! It was a cool, crisp autumn day and the beautiful grounds were bathed in sunlight. I began the day capturing the prep with Sarah and her three bridesmaids. The make-up artist looked really familar to me but I couldn’t place why at the time. My wife recognised her when I got home and showed her the photos. She was the MUA at our own wedding last year!

Anyway…the morning went by quickly as the girls prepared. A few minutes before the ceremony was due to begin, a moment of quiet calm descended on the room. Sarah’s dad came into the room and saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. He looked at her, bursting with pride and said ‘my beautiful daughter’. Quite an emotional moment.

Meanwhile, Paul was downstairs waiting in the ceremony room. Sarah came in with her father. She looked absolutely amazing. The whole room fell quiet as she walked down the aisle to the loveliest violin music played by two of her friends. After the ceremony, the bride and groom retreated upstairs to share a few private moments as husband and wife. Then they entered the amazing central room where everyone was waiting to greet them for the reception. Down the stairs they came to rapturous applause.

It did rain a little during the reception but the shower was short and gave way to more beautiful autumn sunshine. We went outside for some photos. I have to say, the colours and the light. Just incredible. Before long, the breakfast was over and it was speeches time then the first dance. The band played and Sarah and Paul waltzed, which was a complete surprise to most of the guests. They had been secretly rehearsing the routine and even snuck off to a room upstairs to get some last minute practice. Sarah told me that they still hadn’t nailed it and she was really nervous about it. But they danced it absolutely perfectly. Even the judges gave 10s! Although two harsh judges on the end gave 01s. Can’t please them all eh! The night was rounded off with a traditional ceilidh which got everyone on their feet. Huge fun.

Congratulations Sarah and Paul, and thank you for giving me the honour of capturing your day. It was an absolute joy. I hope you are having an awesome honeymoon.

Here are my favourite photos from the day.

Venue: Northcote House
Band: Licence to Ceilidh

Posted in Weddings

by Chris

9 comments

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November 21, 2010 - 01:11 Funmi Omotade-Tan - Such a colourful wedding that you captured beautifully :-)!

November 3, 2010 - 21:28 Sarah & Paul Cleaver - The worst thing about being on honeymoon is that we can't keep looking at these over and over again like we'd like to! Thanks so much for capturing our day so vividly - we love all the photos so far and can't wait to get home and see the rest.

November 2, 2010 - 10:05 Keily G - I don't normally comment on your blog, but this time I have to. You've always had an amazingly natural talent for photography, and seeing you take that journey into weddings over this last year or so has been very exciting. Being able to make someone feel the emotions of the day you've shot without them having been there or knowing the people involved, well I reckon that's something pretty special. The moments you have captured here, particularly between the bride and her parents, are wonderful. Keep doing what you're doing.

November 2, 2010 - 08:31 Dorothy Hodgkinson - These are just amazing and really do reflect what was a wonderful celebration of Sarah and Paul's day.

November 2, 2010 - 08:10 Chris - Thank you all :)

November 2, 2010 - 08:08 Peter Hearl Photography - Great job chris, Lovely set of images. You can just feel the emotion of the day in every image.

November 1, 2010 - 22:50 greg - lovely images chris - you've caught some terrific moments they'll cherish for a lifetime there!

November 1, 2010 - 22:23 Jonathan Yearsley - Lovely images Chris. I especially like the outdoor portraits and your use of the Autumn colours to provide complimentary backdrops to the bride/groom session. Well done

November 1, 2010 - 22:09 Dominique - In a word AMAZING! You have captured so much emotion, incredible.

Chris Geary Photography

Sarah and Paul, Northcote House Wedding