Getting Married in Chichester? A Local Photographer’s Guide to Beautiful, Natural Wedding Photos

There’s something pretty special about getting married in and around Chichester.

Within a relatively small area you have the history and architecture of Chichester itself, the rolling countryside of the South Downs, beautiful country estates and barns, vineyards, woodland and the coast only a short drive away.

For a photographer, that gives us an incredible amount to work with.

But beautiful wedding photography isn’t simply about finding an impressive backdrop.

For me, the photographs that really matter are usually the ones that remind you how your wedding actually felt.

The nerves before the ceremony. Someone trying not to cry. Your best man saying something he probably shouldn’t during the speech. Children doing their own thing. Your parents watching quietly from across the room.

Those moments can’t really be staged — and that’s exactly why they’re worth capturing.

Natural Wedding Photography Is Becoming More Natural

Wedding photography has changed considerably.

There will always be a place for the beautifully composed photograph of the two of you, but increasingly couples tell me they don’t want to disappear from their own wedding for hours while endless photographs are taken.

And I completely understand that.

You’ve spent months — sometimes years — planning this day and bringing all of your favourite people together. You should actually be there to enjoy it.

My approach is therefore a mixture.

For much of the day I’ll work quietly around what’s happening, watching for those little moments between people and capturing the story as it naturally unfolds.

There are times when I’ll offer some gentle direction — particularly for couple portraits or family photographs — but I’m not interested in turning your wedding into a photoshoot.

I’d much rather give you a little guidance, find some beautiful light and then allow you to be yourselves.

The result is hopefully something that sits somewhere between documentary wedding photography and beautifully considered portraits.

Real moments — but photographed well.

You Don’t Have to Be Comfortable in Front of a Camera

This is probably one of the most common things people tell photographers:

“We’re terrible in photographs.”

Or:

“Neither of us likes having our picture taken.”

That’s absolutely fine.

Most people aren’t models and shouldn’t be expected to suddenly know what to do because somebody has pointed a camera at them.

In fact, some of my favourite photographs happen when people have almost forgotten I’m there.

Rather than constantly asking you to look at the camera, I’d much rather get you walking, talking, laughing or simply having a few minutes together away from everybody else.

A good wedding photographer should help you feel comfortable — not make you feel like you’re performing.

Wedding Photography in Chichester

One of the things I love about photographing weddings around Chichester and West Sussex is the variety.

You can have an elegant ceremony surrounded by historic architecture in Chichester and, within a short drive, find yourself surrounded by open countryside, vineyards or the South Downs.

I’ve photographed weddings at Edes House in Chichester, for example, which is a completely different photographic environment to a countryside wedding.

Its Georgian architecture and beautiful interiors give photographs a classic feel, while being right in the centre of Chichester creates opportunities for something slightly different outside too.

And that’s something I think is important when choosing a photographer.

The location matters — but being able to adapt to it matters more.

Don’t Worry Too Much About the Weather

We’re in England.

At some point, somebody has to mention rain.

Couples understandably worry about what happens if the weather isn’t perfect, but some of the most atmospheric wedding photographs can actually happen when conditions aren’t.

Cloudy skies can create wonderfully soft light.

Rain can produce reflections and dramatic evening photographs.

And occasionally a break in the weather produces an incredible sunset that simply wouldn’t have happened on a completely clear day.

A photographer should arrive prepared to adapt.

If it rains, we change the plan.

The wedding doesn’t stop — and neither does the photography.

The Ten-Minute Escape

One thing I particularly like doing during a wedding is finding a small window where the couple can escape together.

Not an hour.

Sometimes just ten or fifteen minutes.

The light later in the day can be completely different from the middle of the afternoon, particularly around the South Downs and West Sussex countryside.

It also gives you something surprisingly valuable:

a moment together.

Wedding days move incredibly quickly. Suddenly you’re married, everyone wants to speak to you, dinner arrives, speeches begin and the evening celebrations start.

Taking ten minutes away from everything can give you a chance to actually look at each other and realise:

We just got married.

I’ll happen to be nearby with a camera.

The Photographs You Didn’t Know Happened

These are probably my favourite.

While you’re talking to somebody on one side of the room, your dad might be laughing with an old friend on the other.

A grandparent might be watching the dance floor.

Children might be underneath a table.

Your best friends might be having a completely ridiculous conversation.

You won’t see everything that happens at your wedding.

Your photographs can.

That’s why I think wedding photography should be about much more than producing a collection of beautiful pictures of the bride and groom.

It should preserve the people who were there with you.

Years later, those photographs may become some of the most important ones in the entire gallery.

What About Family Photographs?

Natural photography doesn’t mean abandoning the traditional photographs altogether.

Quite the opposite.

Parents and grandparents often treasure those family pictures and I think they’re important.

The trick is being organised.

Before a wedding I like to understand which photographs really matter to you. Then, with a little help from somebody who knows the families, we can gather everyone together and work through them efficiently.

Five or ten organised photographs?

Absolutely.

Forty combinations while everybody else is enjoying the drinks reception?

Probably not.

Photography, Video and a Different View of Your Wedding

Photography will always be at the heart of what I do, but there are other ways of telling the story too.

Where appropriate I can incorporate elements of video alongside photography, capturing small pieces of movement and sound from the day.

There may also be opportunities to use a drone, subject to the location, permissions, weather and safe flying conditions.

Around the countryside surrounding Chichester and the South Downs, seeing a venue and its landscape from above can provide an incredible sense of place.

I don’t think these things should take over the wedding.

They’re simply additional tools for telling the story.

Choose a Photographer Whose Approach Fits Your Wedding

There are some incredibly talented wedding photographers across Chichester and West Sussex, all with slightly different styles.

When you’re choosing yours, don’t just look at one beautiful Instagram photograph.

Look through complete wedding galleries.

Look at photographs taken indoors.

Look at ceremonies.

Look at rainy days.

Look at speeches and evening receptions.

Most importantly, speak to the photographer.

You’re going to have this person around you during some incredibly personal moments. Feeling comfortable with them matters.

Your Wedding Doesn’t Need to Look Like Everybody Else’s

This is probably the most important thing.

There are always going to be wedding trends.

Certain editing styles become popular. Particular poses appear everywhere on Instagram. Social media inevitably influences what people think a wedding is supposed to look like.

But trends change.

Your people don’t.

Twenty years from now, I don’t think you’ll care whether your wedding photographs perfectly matched what was fashionable in 2026.

You’ll care about seeing the people you love.

You’ll remember what somebody said.

You’ll notice people who perhaps aren’t around anymore.

You’ll remember exactly how that moment felt.

That’s what I want wedding photography to do.

Not manufacture the perfect wedding.

Just capture your wedding, beautifully.

Looking for a Wedding Photographer in Chichester or West Sussex?

I’m Simon, a photographer based near Chichester covering weddings across Chichester, West Sussex, Hampshire and the surrounding South Coast.

My approach is relaxed and people-focused — capturing the genuine moments happening throughout your day alongside beautiful portraits, family photographs and the details you’ve spent so much time putting together.

I also offer options incorporating video and drone photography where appropriate.

If you’re planning a wedding in Chichester or elsewhere in West Sussex and you’d like to talk through your plans, you’re very welcome to get in touch.

No hard sell.

Tell me about your wedding, what matters to you and what you’d love to remember from the day.

Simon Webster Photography
Wedding • Event • Commercial • Photography & Video