We’ve had a fantastic Christmas and we are currently sitting in the middle of a well planned month off. Our feet are up, the TV is on and the cat’s asleep next to us.
We’ve had a great year with plenty of amazing weddings, but personally we’ve had a great year too. We finally moved into our dream home and got married ourselves too.
Just like we did last year, here is our 2019 blog showcasing our weddings this year. This blog showcases some of our favourite “couple portrait” images captured throughout the year. So these aren’t natural images. These are photographs captured during couple portrait sessions.
So here the Choc Chip family proudly present to you 2019’s favourite couple images…
Mark and Anna – 9th February 2019 at Blackfriars
Details:
Shazia photographed Mark and Anna’s wedding at Blackfriars in Newcastle. They both got ready at the Hotel Du Vin, so we headed into Ouseburn before the ceremony to take their couple portraits. This image was captured outside The Kiln, close to the Tyne river.
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Jill and Jonny – 16th March 2019 at Middleton Lodge
Details:
Chris and Shazia photographed Jill and Jonny’s wedding at Middleton Lodge in February. The weather was amazing on the day and we were blessed with a fabulous setting for some great images. This image however is one of our favourites. It was taken later at night, with just the light from one festoon bulb highlighting our newlyweds. Creative and fun.
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Kelly and Melissa – 18th February 2019 at Jesmond Dene House
Details:
Shazia photographed Kelly and Melissa’s wedding at Jesmond Dene House in February. There were so many moments through the day that we could have picked from, but we just love this image of the two of them together. Such fun and the bond between them both clearly comes across on camera. Just lovely.
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Danielle and Ethan – 28th February 2019 at Alnwick Treehouse
Details:
Shazia photographed Danielle and Ehtan’s wedding at Alnwick Treehouse back at the end of February. The started by getting ready at The Cookie Jar in Alnwick centre before making their way over to the treehouse in a vintage police car. A genuinely lovely couple with a lovely little family.
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Abbie and Joe – 16th March 2019 at Doxford Barns
Details:
Chris and Shazia photographed Joe and Abbie’s wedding at Doxford Barns back in February. It was a mixed weather day, starting with a little snow and then turning into some beautiful sunshine. Here they both are with their little dog Rubi, who sadly passed away just two weeks after the wedding. So happy we managed to capture plenty of photographs of her.”
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Joanne and Chris – 23rd March 2019 at Lumley Castle Hotel
Details:
Shazia photographed Joanne and Chris’ wedding at Lumley Castle back in March. Such a lovely couple with a lovely son who was very much part of their big day..
Beth and Alex – 6th April 2019 at Middleton Lodge
Details:
Chris photographed Beth and Alex’s wedding at Middleton Lodge in April. When they initially booked with us, we went for a chat over ice cream. We knew from that moment it was meant to be. They made it very clear that they didn’t want lots of couple photographs, so a quick five minutes with their lovely dogs was all that was needed to capture this amazing image of them all together.
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Chris and Sarah – 12th April 2018 at Ramside Hall
Details:
Shazia photographed Chris and Sarah’s wedding at Ramside Hall in April. They’d had a pre shoot with Shazia a few weeks earlier to help them prepare and feel more comfortable, so on the day taking their photographs was a breeze. Just look how amazing they both look..
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Lauren and Bryan – 19th April 2019 at Ramside Hall
Details:
Shazia and Chris photographed Lauren and Bryan’s wedding back in April making it back-to-back weddings at Ramside Hall within a week. While it probably does us a dis-service to pick a super wide image such as this (one where you can’t see their faces), we just couldn’t resist. The water, the reflection, the sunset, the greenery… all of it… just perfect.
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Phil and Danni – 27th April 2019 at Woodhill Hall
Details:
Chris and Shazia photographed Danni and Phil’s wedding and it was such a lovely day. We’ve photographed at Woodhill several times before, but in the spirit of trying to capture something a little different and unconventional, we picked this stand out image which we captured inside the secret bar towards the end of the evening. A lovely, little moment between them both in such a cool setting.
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Rebecca and Tom – 4th May 2019 at High House Farm Brewery
Details:
Chris photographed this beautiful wedding at the start of May this year. In particular, Chris is a big fan of the yellow rapeseed fields but it had been a few years since the opportunity had arisen to photograph the fields at a May time wedding. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect couple to place in this awesome setting.
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Faye and James – 4th May 2019 at Crook Hall
Details:
Shazia photographed this lovely wedding in Durham in May. Faye and James married at a church first before heading over to Crook Hall afterwards. We loved the setting outside, made all the bit more entertaining with Crook Hall’s resident pussy cat trying to photobomb all the photographs.
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Rachel and Chris – 6th May 2019 at Woodhill Hall
Details:
This was our second wedding at Woodhill Hall within a ten day period. This was Rachel and Chris’ big day. We’d photographed their cousin’s wedding a few years earlier as well as another family member’s newborn baby, so we knew many of the guests at the wedding already. They were such a lovely, down to earth couple and we love this photograph of them both together having a laugh before the speeches.
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Verity and Daniel – 9th May 2019 at Le Petit Chateau
Details:
Verity and Daniel are such a cool couple and it fit perfectly that Chris photographed their wedding. There were so many images that we could have chosen, but we picked this photograph due to the beautiful couple standing in the most gorgeous light next to a beautiful lake.
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Rachel and Joshua – 11th May 2019 at the Bannatyne Hotel, Darlington
Details:
“Shazia photographed Rachel and Josh’s wedding in Darlington. We love this image! Off guard, natural and having a laugh. They both look incredible, but putting them against the brick wall just really brings out their outfits. Fabulous.”
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Jenn and Stu – 11th May 2019 at As You Like It
Details:
Chris photographed Jenn and Stu’s wedding at As You Like It in May. They were recommended by one of Chris’ previous couples from a wedding he photographed a few years earlier. We picked this shot because it was one of our favourites. We love the colour of Jenn’s bouquet mixed with the neutral pallete of the surroundings.
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Sophie and Anthony – 30th May 2019 at Doxford Barns
Details:
Shazia and Chris photographed Sophie and Anthony’s wedding at Doxford Barns at the end of May. Sophie and Anthony were guests at a friend’s wedding we’d photographed back in November 2017, so they’d seen us work first hand. Both very laid back, easy to get on with and absolute naturals in front of camera.
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Laura and James – 6th June 2019 at Wylam Brewery
Details:
Chris and Shazia both photographed this amazing wedding at Wylam Brewery. Being June in the North East, it rained all day from start to finish, but with such a great setting, we made great use of it for photographs. We love this one of the newlyweds at the bar. Technically a couple portrait, but very informal given how natural it looks.”
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Kyle and Rachel – 15th June 2019 at Barn on the Bay
Details:
This was one of our favourite weddings of the year. Not just because of the lovely setting or the amazing couple. EVERYTHING was completely DIY. They’d done everything themselves from top to bottom. This was our final photograph of the evening in front of their handmade wig-wam with the full moon above. Incredible.
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Matthew and Philippa – 16th June 2019 at Eden Barn
Details:
This was our first wedding down at Eden Barn. Not strictly in our typical coverage area, it was great for us (as always) to photograph at a new venue. Matthew and Philippa were great. Such a lovely, laid back couple who just wanted a nice day with their family and friends. We love how in love they look in this photograph we managed to capture, just before the rain started to fall.
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Stephen and Dani – 21st June 2019 at Healey Barn
Details:
We love this photograph of Dani and Stephen with their little pooch Meg who came after the ceremony for just a few photographs. Chris photographed their gorgeous day at this fantastic venue near Riding Mill.
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Pete and Laura – 22nd June 2019 at Ellingham Hall
Details:
Shazia and Chris managed to capture such a wide variety of images at this fantastic wedding at Ellingham Hall in June this year. There were many images that we could have chose from, but we decided to go with iconic window shot at Ellingham. Beautiful light and a beautiful couple. You can view their whole wedding here.
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Stacey and Henry – 27th July 2019 at South Causey Inn (Old Barn)
Details:
Shazia photographed Stacey and Henry’s wedding at the South Causey Inn Old Barn. It was a scorching summer’s day and the sun was beaming down. This image was taken in the early evening time and we just loved how the light was falling through the window. Such a lovely couple.
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Craig and Rob – 29th July 2019 at As You Like It
Details:
Chris photographed Craig and Rob’s wedding in June this year. They chose to do their couple photograph session before they went to As You Like It so that they could spend more time with their guests once they were there. There were so many images we could have chose from, but we just love how cool they both look in this image. A nice, simple backdrop and they look absolutely fantastic.
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Jurgen and Linzi – 6th July 2019 at Woodhill Hall
Details:
Riding on the back of a mini heatwave, these two awesome cats married at Woodhill Hall in early July. Their day had everything. A beautiful outdoor ceremony, a open sided tipee, an ice cream van… you name it. We just love this shot though. They’d recently installed the neon sign at the venue, so a nice simple pose from the newlyweds and voila!!
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Rebecca and Tom – 13th July 2019 at Cockburnspath, Scotland
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Rebecca and Tom married at their parent’s house in July this year. Just over the boarded into Scotland, Chris travelled up to capture their amazing day. They had a huge marquee set up in the back garden of their house, with a beautiful outdoor ceremony area too. We just love this photograph of them both together. nice and relaxed and the colours are just fantastic.
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Jessica and Liam – 20th July 2019 at Le Petit Chateau
Details:
Shazia and Chris photographed this beautiful wedding up at Le Petit Chateau. Jess and Liam made the awesome choice of bring their dog Enzo to the wedding for the whole day. There were so many photographs that we could have chosen from but we just loved this one of the three of them together. Kisses anyone?
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Aiman and Sarah – 1st August 2019 at Bowburn Hall
Details:
As with every wedding in the North East of England, you never know exactly what you’re going to get with the weather. Moment after we took this photograph, it started to rain, but we’re so happy they gave us the ten seconds we need to take it. We love our couple, but also the beautiful colours of the flowers behind them.
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Darren and Charlotte – 3rd August 2019 at Gisborough Hall
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These two fun loving criminals married on August 3rd this year. Shazia photographed their wedding and they were both so lovely and so much fun. We love this photograph of them both fooling around in front of the photobooth caravan that they booked. Them all over this one.
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Jen and Calum – 9th August 2019 at Slaley Hall
Details:
There are actually other images that I prefer, but we just had to include this one simply down to the pure luck that will likely never happen to us again. I mean, what are the chances of capturing a lightning strike with a kiss?
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Simon and Megan – 18th August 2019 at Le Petit Chateau
Details:
Chris returned to Le Petit Chateau to photograph Simon and Megan’s wedding day. We just love the chemistry that these guys had and it really comes across on camera. Throw some August showers into the mix along with Megan’s awesome head crown and you’ve got a beautiful, natural moment between them both.
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Jess and Dan – 23rd August 2019 at their farm near Consett
Details:
Again, this was another one of those weddings where we had so many images to choose from, but we felt this photograph gave off the best vibe of the day. Such a lovely, laid back couple sat amongst the setting for their big day. Hay bales, festoon lights and pizza vans. One of our favourite weddings of the year without a doubt.
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Paul and Angie – 27th August 2019 at South Causey Inn Old Barn
Details:
Shazia photographed Paul and Angie’s wedding at the South Causey Inn Old Barn at the end of August. We absolutely love this standout image of them both from their couple session at the lake. They look amazing but also look at that sky. We joke that blue skies are overrated but when you see an image like this, you can see why. Fantastic.
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Sophie and James – 28th August 2019 at South Causey Inn Old Barn
Details:
Day two of our back-to-back weddings at the South Causey Old Barn saw Chris photographing Sophie and James’ big day. Although not as striking as the day before, the sky was still very dramatic on the afternoon so when we headed out for some couple portraits, it provided us with a great backdrop. We just love this image of them both joking around. So natural and just a really nice moment.
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Natalie and Adam – 31st August 2019 at The Vermont Hotel
Details:
For our first wedding at the Vermont since 2015, Chris returned to photograph Natalie and Adam’s big day. We really should have picked an image captured at the Vermont which showed off the venue, but we just loved the light on the high level bridge when we captured these images. We played around with the metal from the meshing to create some cool effects and we just love this moment between them both. Beautiful.
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Ashleigh and Andrew – 1st September 2019 at Healey Barn
Details:
In all the time we’ve been photographing weddings, we’d be hard pressed to think of another couple of were as naturally comfortable in front of camera as these guys were. Minimal direction is always a good sign but these guys were pro’s straight from the word go. Just plenty of lovely, natural moments between them both and we just loved the way that Ashleigh’s looking at us and how Andrew is looking at her.
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Marc and Rheanneon – 7th September 2019 at Wylam Brewery
Details:
Our last wedding three weeks before our own wedding (at Wylam Brewery at the end of September) was also at Wylam Brewery. The couple in question were Marc and Rheanneon who were just such an awesome couple. Really cool and laid back, they were very much like ourselves and up for joking around and it shows in most of their photographs. However, when at the brewery, you need beer, so we had to pick this one of them both holding a pint of Wylam’s finest.
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Donna and Scott – 5th October 2019 at The Biscuit Factory
Details:
After a month off work, tying the knot ourselves and having time to rest, we came back to work renewed and re-charged with creativity. Chris photographed Donna and Scott’s big day at the Biscuit Factory and while there were plenty of images just choose from, we had to go with this really cool double exposure (where two photographs are blended together in camera). We mixed one of their fantastic couple portraits with this cool neon sign that they had in their reception room. Very cool.
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Natalie and Ryan – 11th October 2019 at The Vermont Hotel
Details:
There are sunsets and there are sunsets, but Shazia and Chris managed to capture the latter here on this lovely October evening. Natalie and Ryan had managed to knock back a fair bit of liquid courage by this point, which likely helped settle the nerves. Just a lovely, natural moment between them both with a gorgeous sunset and the fantastic Newcastle Upon Tyne in the background.
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Heather and Robyn – 20th October 2019 at The Six Restaurant at The Baltic
Details:
There is absolutely nothing in the wedding rule book to say that any bride has to wear any kind of white dress. In fact, thrown that rule book out of the window right now. Heather and Robyn both looked fantastic and very colourful with their outfit choices and Chris was over the moon when they both arrived. They wanted something nice and natural and we love this image of them both together. We love the interaction between them both, but the colour pop in this image is just fantastic.
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Josh and Rhiannon – 26th October 2019 at Ellingham Hall
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Yes, we know you can’t see their faces, but trust us… they’re both there. We just love this image that Shazia photographed of them both. The stag cushions, the suit, the dress, the greenery. It all just works.
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Chelsea and Anthony – 31st October 2019 at Sandburn Hall
Details:
Halloween is the time of year for pumpkins and scary costumes, but on this halloween Chris and Shazia headed down to York to capture Chelsea and Anthony’s big day. As the night’s were getting shorter, we took the opportunity to play around with some light painting and we just love this image of them both with the light painting stick.
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Jamie and Margaret – 2nd November 2019 at Eslington Villa
Details:
This was the first day of autumn where the colours were really singing on the trees. It was incredible, but while we have so many images to pick from this wedding that Shazia and Chris photographed, we just love this one of them both. The light from the window was fantastic and they both look incredible against the red wall. Fantastic.
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Mark and Jenny – 8th November 2019 at As You Like It
Details:
Chris photographed this amazing wedding at As You Like It in Newcastle at the start of November. Most of the guests had travelled over from Ireland, so it was a very lively occasion which made from some fantastic images. The newlyweds didn’t want to spend a long time on couple portraits, so a quick 10 minutes outside and we managed to capture all the couple photographs that we needed.
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Gavin and Johanna – 17th November 2019 at Le Petit Chateau
Details:
Shazia and Chris photographed Gavin and Johanna’s wedding at Le Petit Chateau in mid-November. This was our fourth wedding of the year at the Chateau, but what we managed to capture with them both is just complete different than what we’ve capture before and they are the reason why. We just love this image of them both. Such a fantastic couple.
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Sara and James – 30th November 2019 at Healey Barn
Details:
Our penultimate wedding of the year saw Shazia and Chris return to Healey Barn for Sara and James’ big day. We condensed their couple portrait session down into one fifteen minute window so didn’t have long. Fortunately for us, there was a lingering fog that had been hanging around all day and it was still there when we made it outside. This image was our favourite. Not so much a natural moment, just a really nice portrait of them both together. Not too posed, just an ear snuggle and a smile.
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Rob and Susan – 7th December 2019 at Lumley Castle
Details:
Our final wedding of the year saw Chris return to Lumley Castle for his first wedding there in over a year. The happy couple were Rob and Sue who married at the start of December. There was so much going on on the day so we didn’t get a huge amount of time with them outside, but we didn’t need long and we just love this image of them both together, captured with the last moment of daylight left before the sun set on our fantastic year of weddings.
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