What It’s Really Like Hiring a Vegan Wedding Photographer (From Someone Who Is One)
February 6, 2026
If you are currently researching and thinking seriously about hiring a vegan wedding photographer, you are probably doing much more than ticking a supplier box. You are asking deeper questions about values, trust, emotional safety, and whether the person documenting your day truly understands how you live and what matters to you. Many couples hire me because they are looking for an editorial photographer who specialises in luxury weddings, while others choose me because they want their photographer to genuinely reflect their vegan or Christian values. This guide offers an honest, experience-led perspective on what it’s like to work with someone who truly resonates with the things that matter most to you.
Contents
- TL;DR
- Why Values Matter More Than Ever in Wedding Photography
- My Journey to Becoming a Vegan Wedding Photographer
- What Couples Usually Get Wrong About Vegan Wedding Photography
- How Being Vegan Shapes the Way I Photograph Weddings
- Luxury, Editorial and Ethical: Yes, You Can Have All Three
- What to Look For When Choosing a Vegan Wedding Photographer
- Real Weddings, Real Lessons
- Is a Vegan Wedding Photographer Right for You?
- Final Thoughts: Choosing With Confidence
TL;DR
If you care about ethics, sustainability, and emotional storytelling, hiring a vegan wedding photographer who genuinely shares your values can transform how your wedding is documented. It is not about being “worthy” or excluding of others. It is about working with someone who understands your lifestyle, your priorities, and how to translate them into beautiful, natural, editorial, documentary-style images that feel authentic and timeless.
Why Values Matter More Than Ever in Wedding Photography
Over the last few years, I have seen a real shift in how couples approach their weddings. Especially among Gen Z and younger millennials, there is a stronger desire for weddings that reflect personal ethics, environmental awareness, and emotional authenticity. People are going beyond aesthetics and focusing on the character / choices of individual suppliers.
For many vegan couples, this goes way beyond food. It shapes how they think about fashion, travel, suppliers, waste, and long-term impact. So when it comes to hiring a vegan wedding photographer, values suddenly matter just as much as portfolio and what you invest in your coverage.
Your photographer is with you for more time than almost anyone else on your wedding day (even your closest family and friends!). They see the private moments. Even the nervous ones. The deeper spiritual ones. The messy, joyful, unfiltered ones. If that person understands and gets your worldview, the connection can be deeper and the images hold more power.
My Journey to Becoming a Vegan Wedding Photographer
Before I ever described myself as a vegan wedding photographer, I had already spent over a decade building a reputation for calm, consistent, high-end documentary work. I launched my business in 2012 after studying at UCA Canterbury, won The Photographer Academy Apprenticeship against hundreds of international applicants, and went on to have my work featured in Italian Vogue’s Best Of category.
Over the years, I have become a recommended supplier at multiple leading venues across Kent and luxury venues in Cambridge, and I now mentor other professional photographers. That depth of experience means couples are not just hiring someone who shares their values, but someone who knows how to deliver under pressure, in any light, in any setting, with quiet confidence.
Since going vegan in 2019, I have blended my editorial, luxury, and documentary skills with my lived values. That combination is exactly what many couples are looking for when hiring a vegan wedding photographer.
Want to know even more about me? Click here for my “meet Tom” page and watch my video.
What Couples Usually Get Wrong About Vegan Wedding Photography
One of the biggest misconceptions is that if they are hiring a vegan wedding photographer they will end up having someone judging others that don’t have the same value. I mean, in theory others might, but that’s not me.
A good vegan wedding photographer understands everyone is different, and we all make our own choices. Some couples are fully plant-based. Some are transitioning. Some simply care deeply about ethics without labels. All are valid and all matter.
Another misconception is that ethical photography limits luxury or style and can be basic.
I’m here to tell you that you can have a wedding photograph with principles and fashionable style too.
The best vegan wedding photography blends high-end aesthetics with grounded values that you don’t always see. Editorial elegance. Documentary honesty. No compromise required.
How Being Vegan Shapes the Way I Photograph Weddings
Being vegan does not change how I expose a frame or balance light. It changes what I eat as a supplier meal, but other than that my photography is a photojournalistic record of your awesome day.
On a wedding day, I’ll photograph all the food with thankfulness no matter what it is. I respect spiritual moments and all the little choices you make. I understand why certain choices matter deeply or why you’ve asked certain people to do certain things. This is just a small part of why so many couples choose me when hiring a vegan wedding photographer.
For Christian couples who are also vegan or values-led, this sensitivity becomes even more important. As they go about their faith filled wedding planning, I can give voice to what will help considering I have photographed many similar weddings.
It also influences my approach to travel, packaging, albums, and long-term sustainability. I prioritise UK-based labs, local printing, and low-waste workflows wherever possible.
All of this feeds into work that feels calmer, more intentional, and more unique compared to another photographer you might have been suggested on chatgpt.
Luxury, Editorial and Ethical: Yes, You Can Have All Three
There is still a lingering myth that ethical weddings must look “rustic” or under-styled.
In reality, some of the most refined, high-end weddings I photograph are also the most values-led.
Think:
- Thoughtfully sourced local florals
- Beautiful chef styled plant-based menus
- Tailoring of vegan suits and styling with longevity in mind
- Venues that prioritise sustainability
My background in fashion and editorial photography allows me to bring that polish into documentary coverage. You get images that feel natural and unforced, but also considered and elevated. Whether it be a luxe venue in Deal Kent or a woodland stately home in Cambridge, you can still have the style and the values.
This is where hiring a vegan wedding photographer meets modern luxury.
What to Look For When Choosing a Vegan Wedding Photographer
If you are searching for a vegan wedding photographer in Kent, Cambridge, or the South East, here are a few things that genuinely matter.
1. Lived Experience
Do they actually live this lifestyle, or is it just a label?
2. Portfolio Depth
Do they show full weddings, not just highlights? I regularly add to my featured weddings and send clients galleries (that have agreed to share) to enquiries that would like to see them in depth.
3. Emotional Awareness
Can they read a room? Handle sensitive moments? Work respectfully in large churches and spiritual settings?
4. Long-Term Consistency
Have they been doing this for years, or is it something they are dabbling in?
5. Values Without Virtue Signalling
Do they talk about ethics calmly and practically, without turning it into branding noise? This is why so many couples are intentional about hiring a vegan wedding photographer rather than just any photographer.
Real Weddings, Real Lessons
Over the years, I have photographed dozens of vegan and plant-based weddings across Kent, Cambridge, and beyond.
Each one demonstrates something unique and awesome.
One couple taught me how deeply vegan catering choices can affect guest experience.
Another showed me how spiritual faith and large guest counts can still have a sense of closeness.
Another reminded me that documentary photography at a stately home can look incredible.
These experiences shape my work far more than trends ever could, which is exactly why clients choose me when hiring a vegan wedding photographer.
Is a Vegan Wedding Photographer Right for You?
If your values are not central to your wedding choices, then a vegan photographer may not matter to you. That’s okay – not all of my clients are Christian or Vegan, many just love my 35mm analogue film or connect with me as a person.
But if your ethics influence how you live, eat, shop, and celebrate, then working with someone who understands that can be deeply reassuring.
It builds trust and feels like teamwork. For couples who care, hiring a vegan wedding photographer is often a decision they never regret.
Here’s a 5* review from A+C who booked me for their fully vegan wedding:
“I can honestly say Tom was the perfect photographer for our wedding! The photos are beautiful and really captured the energy of the day. We really valued investing in a high-end photography service and we were so glad we did.
However, what really elevated our experience was the fact Tom felt like a part of the team throughout the wedding planning. It was awesome that he was immediately onboard with our decision to have a small, fully vegan wedding at an animal sanctuary. Tom’s support meant the complex organisation for the day felt far less overwhelming than we originally anticipated. He advised us on timeline planning, speaking to vendors, decorating the venue and various other bits and pieces we needed advice on.
Picking Tom for our wedding photography was the best decision we could have made- No regrets at all! Despite it being a very non-traditional wedding, Tom still found incredibly creative ways to capture our special day.”
For many couples, this decision is priceless.
Final Thoughts: Choosing With Confidence
Searching specifically for a vegan wedding photographer is rarely just about ticking a box. It is about finding someone who sees you clearly and documents your story with care.
As a luxury, editorial, documentary-style wedding photographer based in Kent and working regularly in Cambridge, I approach every wedding as a collaboration built on trust.
If you are planning a high-end, natural, values-led wedding and want photography that feels honest, beautiful, and emotionally grounded, I would love to hear from you.
