Kent Wedding Photographer
I’m Alex Buckland, a wedding photographer based in Eastbourne, which puts most of Kent about an hour up the road. I have photographed weddings at eight Kent venues, from Leeds Castle and The Plough at Leigh in the west to Old Kent Barn, The Secret Garden and Crown Lodge in the east, and I am in the county more every year. Packages start at £1,797.
Wedding Photography In West Kent And Around Maidstone
- Tonbridge
- Tunbridge Wells
- Sevenoaks
- Maidstone
- Leigh
- Penshurst
- Cranbrook
- Tenterden
West Kent is the closest part of the county to me, straight up the A21 from Sussex. It is the Weald, so you get hop gardens, oast houses and orchards, with the big estates around Sevenoaks and Penshurst and the Medway running through Maidstone. It looks like the postcard version of Kent, because it is.
I have photographed a military wedding at The Plough at Leigh, a village pub near Tonbridge with a barn and a garden, which is about as far from formal as a wedding gets and all the better for it. At the other end of the scale is Leeds Castle near Maidstone, with the moat, the lakes and the formal gardens. Both are in the venue list below.
The Weald is good country for evening portraits. The orchards and the ridges around Tunbridge Wells hold the light late, and most venues out here have somewhere within a two-minute walk that is worth the trip.
You can see the Plough wedding in full on the real wedding post, and there is more about military weddings on the military wedding page.
Wedding Photography In East Kent, Ashford And On The Coast
- Ashford
- Canterbury
- Folkestone
- Dover
- Hythe
- Sittingbourne
- Faversham
- Whitstable
East of Ashford the county opens up. The North Downs run out to the white cliffs at Dover and Folkestone, Romney Marsh sits flat and wide to the south, and Canterbury and the north coast towns are across the top. It is where most of my Kent weddings have been.
Around Ashford I have photographed at The Secret Garden at Mersham le Hatch, which has five ceremony spaces on one estate, and at Crown Lodge at Hastingleigh, a private setting up in the Kent Downs. Towards the coast there is Old Kent Barn at Swingfield, between Folkestone and Dover, and Westenhanger Castle at Hythe. Up near Sittingbourne I have worked at The Barnyard and at Oad Street in Borden.
The light on this side of the county is different. The Downs and the coast give you big skies and a long clear evening, and a barn like Old Kent Barn is set up to use it. If you are marrying out here, the last hour before sunset is worth protecting in the timeline.
Travel across the whole of Kent is included. You can see a full day at Old Kent Barn on its real wedding post, and my honest notes on each venue in the Kent venues guide.
Documentary Photography, Relaxed Portraits
I photograph the day as it happens. Most of what you get back is unposed, because that is where the good stuff is. Around that I take twenty minutes or so for portraits, guide you a little, and then hand you back to your guests. Nothing stiff, and no long list of set-up shots eating your afternoon.
The colour is natural and true to how the day actually looked. I am not editing your wedding into something it was not.
Before this I spent 23 years in the British Army. What that gives you is not a style, it is a way of working. I plan properly, I turn up early, I have a plan for rain, and when a timeline slips by forty minutes I sort it out quietly rather than adding to the problem. Over 200 weddings since 2015 have not changed that.
There is more about how I shoot on my style page, and more about me on the about page.
How I Photograph A Wedding Day
Each part of the day asks for something different. These go into more detail.
Getting Ready
I start with the build-up. The nerves, the laughing, the things you chose months ago and forgot about.
The Ceremony
I work quietly through the vows so you stay in the moment rather than watching a photographer move about.
Confetti And Drinks
Confetti, drinks, speeches and the bits in between. This is where most of the day actually happens.
Couples Portraits
Twenty minutes, not two hours. I guide you a little, then let you be, and you get back to your guests.
The Evening Party
First dance through to whatever the dance floor turns into. I stay in it rather than watching from the edge.
My Style
Documentary through the day, relaxed portraits when it suits. Natural colour, true to how the day looked.
Kent Wedding Venues I Have Photographed
Every venue below is one where I have photographed a wedding, not one I have read about.
West Kent And Maidstone
- Leeds Castle, near Maidstone. The biggest name in Kent, with a moat, lakes, courtyards and formal gardens. Dramatic portraits and plenty of room for the candid stuff.
- The Plough at Leigh, Leigh near Tonbridge. A proper village pub with a barn and a garden. Warm and unfussy from the start, and where I photographed a military wedding.
East Kent, Ashford And The Coast
- Old Kent Barn, Swingfield near Folkestone. One of the most booked barns in Kent. Bright interiors, landscaped gardens and a quiet rural setting between Folkestone and Dover.
- The Secret Garden, Mersham le Hatch near Ashford. Five licensed ceremony spaces on one estate, with a cobbled courtyard, a clock tower and wildflower gardens.
- Crown Lodge, Hastingleigh near Ashford. A private, relaxed setting up in the Kent Downs above Ashford.
- Westenhanger Castle, Hythe. Medieval walls and a Tudor barn, all to yourselves for the day.
- The Barnyard, Upchurch near Sittingbourne. An easy-going countryside barn where the day runs at its own pace and guests spill outside as soon as the sun shows up.
- Oad Street, Borden near Sittingbourne. A characterful village venue near Sittingbourne.
I also cover the Kent and Sussex border villages around Tenterden and Rye, and engagement shoots on the Kent coast.
My Work
A selection of my favourite photographs. My style travels, so I work the same way whether the venue is a castle or a village pub. The Kent venues are named where they appear.
Wedding Portraits
Relaxed portraits of couples, taken in a short break away from the day.
Wedding Day Moments
Moments caught as they happened, without stopping anything.
What Couples Have Said
Lines from couples I have photographed in Kent, plus two couples from castle and barn weddings elsewhere whose words fit Kent’s venues, all taken from my 117 five-star Google reviews. The live feed is below.
“From pre-wedding weekly prep emails of things we definitely would have forgotten, to capturing the joy of our day and always being in the right place at the right time, Alex went above and beyond to help our day run so perfectly.”
“He immediately made us and our guests feel relaxed which, combined with his amazing silent cameras, led to some great in the moment shots. He also put together some beautiful posed couple photos, and a really fun twilight shot to finish the night.”
“Highly recommend Alex for castle weddings as he has the necessary camera equipment to ensure high quality photos in the dim lighting.”
“Alex was everything we were looking for in a photographer for our wedding day. He really did manage to blend into the background so you didn’t feel self-conscious about being in the spotlight.”
Real weddings in Kent
Below are a few examples of real weddings I have had the pleasure of capturing within Kent.
What You Get
What It Costs
Packages start at £1,797. That is full-day coverage, not an hourly rate, and travel across the whole of Kent is included. Every package comes with:
- Planning guides through the run-up to the day
- A pre-wedding call to work through your timeline
- Professional photography and editing
- 500 or more edited images by digital download
- A private online gallery with a print store
- A slideshow of the best of the day
I am not the cheapest photographer working in Kent and I am not going to pretend otherwise. If your budget is under £1,797 I would rather tell you now than waste your time, and I am happy to point you towards someone who might suit. If it is close, get in touch anyway, because dates midweek and outside the summer are often more affordable. Full detail is on the pricing page.
Questions I Get Asked
Do you cover the whole of Kent?
Yes, and travel across the county is included. I am based in Eastbourne, which puts most of Kent within about an hour, and I have photographed weddings from Leigh and Maidstone in the west to Folkestone, Hythe and Sittingbourne in the east.
How much do you charge?
Packages start at £1,797 for full-day coverage with travel across Kent included. There is a full breakdown on the pricing page, and I will send you a brochure if you message me.
What if it rains?
It rains, and it does not ruin anything. Most Kent venues have somewhere good to shoot indoors, and I will have looked at yours beforehand and worked out where. Leeds Castle and Westenhanger have stone rooms and courtyards, and the barns like Old Kent Barn and The Barnyard are built for it. If you are willing to step outside for five minutes with an umbrella, wet weather on the Downs or the coast can be some of the best light you get all day.
What time do you arrive?
Usually a couple of hours before the ceremony, so I can photograph the preparations and the details before the day gets busy. We agree the exact timing on our planning call.
Will you help with the timeline?
Yes, and I would rather do it early than fix it on the day. After 200 weddings I have a fair idea of how long things actually take, which is usually longer than people expect. We will build in time for portraits without losing you an hour of your reception.
We are not comfortable in front of a camera.
Almost everyone says this. It is why most of what I do is documentary, and why the portrait session is short and guided rather than posed. You do not need to be good at being photographed. That is my job, not yours.
Do you know our venue?
Possibly. I have photographed weddings at eight Kent venues and the list is growing every year. If I have not shot at yours, I visit beforehand or arrive early on the day to walk it properly. Either way I will not be working it out for the first time while you are waiting.
How do we book?
Message me through the form below or the contact page and I will check the date. If it is free we will have a chat about your plans. I take a limited number of weddings a year and dates often go twelve to eighteen months ahead.
Check Your Date
If you are getting married in Kent and this sounds like the sort of photography you want, send me your date and a bit about the day. I will come back to you within a couple of days.