Margate Wedding Photographer
Margate has changed. In the best way. The Turner Contemporary. The Old Town. The seafront that looks completely different at golden hour than it did twenty years ago. The general sense that this is a place with real energy again — and that if you get married here, your day will have that energy in it too.
I’m James, a Kent wedding photographer based in Ramsgate, just along the coast. I photograph weddings across Thanet and Kent in a documentary, natural style — capturing what’s actually happening rather than stopping the day to pose everyone. I actually photographed my first ever wedding in Margate, this photo was taken on that day and it firmly cemented my love for what I do.
Why book a local photographer?
I live in Ramsgate. I know this coastline. I know where the light is good at 5pm in July, which Old Town backstreets are quiet on a Saturday, which beach spots you can actually get to yourselves. Booking a local photographer isn’t just about saving on travel costs — it’s about working with someone who knows the landscape intuitively. If you’re still looking at venues, my Kent wedding venues guide is a useful starting point.
1. Turner Contemporary
Margate’s own contemporary art gallery sits right on the seafront — designed by David Chipperfield, with extraordinary north light flooding in from the sea. It hosts weddings from the ceremony all the way through to the end of the evening, and it photographs unlike anywhere else in Thanet.
The light inside is the standout quality. Because it’s an art gallery, the lighting is designed to be exceptional — clean, directional, flattering. The sea views from the terrace for your portrait session are the obvious bonus.
• Website: Turner Contemporary
2. no.42 Margate
A stylish seafront venue that has become one of Margate’s most talked-about spaces for weddings and celebrations. The seafront setting gives you sea views and beach access as standard — the kind of backdrop that makes portrait photography genuinely easy. The atmosphere is relaxed and contemporary rather than grand, which suits the tone of most Margate weddings.
• Website: No.42 Margate
Margate Portrait Locations
One of the advantages of a Margate wedding is the sheer range of portrait locations available — from the sea to the streets to the art galleries. A few favourites:
Narrow streets, painted shopfronts, independent galleries, cosy bars and vintage boutiques. The Old Town is a photographer’s dream — the architecture is interesting, the scale is intimate, and you can have a completely unique set of portrait backdrops without going more than a few hundred metres from most of the town’s venues.
The most obvious location and still one of the best. The beach in late afternoon light — particularly in summer — gives you warm, golden, coastal photography that looks completely different from countryside portraits. Margate Main Sands and the stone pier both work beautifully.
The steps leading down to the lower harbour are a brilliant spot at sunset — you get the town rising above you and the sea in front. There’s often music and movement in this part of Margate on summer evenings, which gives the portraits real energy.
A remarkable listed structure on the Cliftonville foreshore — a huge Victorian tidal pool that’s unlike anywhere else in Kent. The geometry of the pool, the sea behind it and the light reflecting off the water makes for genuinely unusual wedding portraits. It’s also very good for swimming the morning of the wedding.
My Approach
I work in a documentary, natural style. I’m not going to spend your whole wedding day stopping proceedings for formal shots. I work quietly, capturing what’s genuinely happening — the speeches, the first dance, the moment your dad sees you. I do a short couples portrait session during golden hour (usually 20–30 minutes). Everything else is captured naturally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you cover the whole of Thanet?
Yes — Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and all the surrounding villages are part of my standard coverage. This is home territory.
Can we do portraits on the beach?
Absolutely — it’s one of the best parts of a coastal wedding. We factor in tides and timing, but a short portrait session on Margate Sands or around the Old Town at golden hour produces images that couldn’t happen anywhere else.
How far in advance should we book?
I take a limited number of weddings per year so the earlier the better, especially for summer Saturdays. Some couples book 24 months out. Get in touch as soon as you have a date confirmed.
Do you offer engagement photo shoots?
Yes — and I recommend them. An engagement shoot on a Margate beach would be fantastic.
Planning a Margate Wedding?
→ Get in touch to check your date.