Some weddings are full of quiet moments. Others are full of energy, laughter, music and people who simply cannot wait to celebrate. Eleanor and Andrew’s wedding was a little bit of everything, with one thing running through the whole day: it felt completely like them.
From their church ceremony to exploring the streets of Margate, taking a walk along the beach and eventually filling the dance floor with their closest friends and family, their wedding was never about following a traditional schedule. It was about being together, enjoying every moment and making memories along the way.
As documentary wedding photographers, these are the days we love most. The ones where nothing needs to be staged, because there is already so much happening around you.
A Wedding Day That Felt Completely Their Own
Eleanor and Andrew began their day with a church ceremony, bringing their closest family and friends together to celebrate their marriage.
There is something special about photographing a wedding ceremony in a darker church. The atmosphere, the contrast between light and shadow, and the emotion in people's expressions create so many opportunities to tell a story through photographs.
Rather than interrupting the moments, we looked for the light and let the day unfold. The little glances, the laughter and the emotion around the couple were all part of the story.
What stood out throughout the day was how relaxed everyone felt. There was no sense of needing everything to happen perfectly. People were there to enjoy themselves, celebrate Eleanor and Andrew, and spend time with the people they love.
And that is exactly what makes a wedding feel personal.
Exploring Margate: From Town Streets to the Beach
After the ceremony, Eleanor and Andrew took some time for couple portraits around Margate town before heading towards the beach.
We love this part of a wedding day because it gives couples a chance to step away from the crowd for a little while without turning the experience into a long photoshoot.
Our approach is always to keep things natural. We want couples to enjoy being together, rather than spend their wedding day worrying about where to stand or what to do with their hands.
Margate gave us a lovely change of atmosphere. We moved from the character of the town towards the open space of the beach, where the softer natural light created a completely different feeling in the photographs.
There was no need to make the moments look bigger than they were. A little time together, a walk by the sea and the freedom to enjoy the surroundings were more than enough.
These are the photographs that remind couples not only what their wedding looked like, but how it felt to be there.
A Wedding Breakfast Full of Laughter and Emotion
The celebration continued at Faith In Strangers in Margate.
The wedding breakfast was full of energy, with family and friends sharing laughter, happy tears and all the little reactions that make a gathering feel special.
We always pay attention to what happens around the main events. Sometimes it is a quick glance between family members, a friend laughing at the table or someone becoming unexpectedly emotional. These moments might not appear on a wedding day timeline, but they are often the ones couples love looking back on.
Eleanor and Andrew's celebration had that lovely balance of emotion and fun. There were tears, plenty of laughter and a room full of people genuinely happy to be together.
Faith In Strangers provided a fitting setting for a celebration that was never going to be too formal or predictable. The venue's sea views and its lively atmosphere made it a natural place for the day to move from the wedding breakfast into the evening party.
The Dance Floor: Eleanor, Andrew and the Music
And then came the dancing.
If there was one part of the day that showed just how much fun Eleanor and Andrew's wedding was, it was the dance floor.
Eleanor was singing, Andrew was playing the drums, and their friends were dancing with complete enthusiasm. It was one of those moments when the whole room seemed to forget about everything else and simply enjoy the music.
For us, this is what documentary wedding photography is all about.
We were not looking for perfectly arranged photographs or people waiting for the camera. We wanted to capture the movement, the expressions, the atmosphere and the energy as it happened.
The colourful dance floor lighting created a completely different photographic mood from the soft daylight on the beach earlier in the day. We could work with the changing colours and movement to create images that felt full of life.
There is something wonderful about photographs where you can almost hear the music.
The Beauty of the Unplanned Moments
One of our favourite things about Eleanor and Andrew's wedding was how little it felt like a traditional wedding photoshoot.
The day was full of unexpected moments, spontaneous laughter and people being completely themselves. The wedding party brought so much fun, while the family and friends around them made the celebration feel warm and personal.
We believe the best wedding photographs often happen in between the moments couples expect us to capture.
They happen when someone bursts into laughter, when friends get carried away on the dance floor, or when a couple forgets there is a camera nearby.
That does not mean every photograph has to be unposed or that portraits have no place in a wedding story. It simply means the day should never revolve around the camera.
Our role is to notice what is happening, understand the atmosphere and photograph it with care and creativity. Sometimes that means working with beautiful natural light. Other times it means embracing darker spaces, colourful lighting, movement and the unexpected.
Every wedding has its own rhythm. Eleanor and Andrew's was full of energy, emotion and a brilliant sense of fun.
Natural Wedding Photography at Faith In Strangers, Margate
Eleanor and Andrew's wedding was a lovely reminder that your wedding does not need to follow a particular formula.
You can have a church ceremony, wander around town, spend time by the beach, laugh with your closest people and end the evening with everyone dancing. You can make the day feel relaxed, personal and completely your own.
At Take Two Wedding Photography, we believe in capturing not just how your wedding looked, but how it felt.
Our approach combines a documentary heart with an editorial eye. We look for genuine connections, real emotion, beautiful light and the little moments that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
If you are planning an untraditional wedding in Margate, Kent or elsewhere in the UK, and want photographs that feel natural rather than staged, we would love to hear about your plans.
Your wedding, not a photoshoot.