Norfolk

Shelley & Ethan - Destination Beach Engagement Session

This might be my favorite engagement session I’ve ever posted, because this is my brother and my soon-to-be sister! If you had asked me 8 years ago if I’d be photographing my brother’s engagement session, I would not have believed you. He never used to let me take his picture! We have so many family photos with a grumpy Ethan and even some where he’s holding something up in front of his face!

Ethan brought Shelley home to meet us last Christmas, when they’d only been dating a few months. But they both already knew their relationship was something special. And as soon as we met her, we could see it too. We couldn’t have chosen someone more wonderful to be part of our family. We love you, Shelley, and we can’t wait for the wedding!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my brother in a tree! We had some fun with this shoot!

Shelley & Ethan were only in town for 24 hours, so I was a little worried when it looked like rain when we left for our session, but we ended up with great weather. The sun even broke through the clouds! A little sunshine on the beach makes such a big difference!

Shelley’s ring is so beautiful! Ethan had it custom made with 3 miner’s cut diamonds that have been in our family for years. They were originally set together in a crescent shaped brooch which was passed down to our mom. She had the diamonds reset into other jewelry and later offered them to Ryan and Ethan for engagement rings since she hadn’t worn them in a while. So Shelley and I both have pieces of the same family heirloom!

Just a few more weeks to go until the big day in South Carolina! I can’t wait!

Megan & Andy - Ocean View Anniversary Session

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Megan & Andy are so much fun to be around. We were laughing the whole session! They never had professional engagement photos taken, so what better way to celebrate their 3rd anniversary this fall than with an anniversary session?

How sweet is their dog, Willow? She’s still just a puppy but she’s already so well trained!

We had such a beautiful evening for this Ocean View anniversary session! It was one of the first fall nights this year and perfect for the casual outfits Megan had picked out!

Brittany & Richard - Romantic Live Oak Engagement Session in Norfolk

A hot summer day. Tables loaded with hotdogs, hamburgers, and slices of watermelon. Flags waving in the breeze. The night sky filled with fireworks and sparklers. Fourth of July is always a memorable part of the summer, but it’s a special day for Brittany & Richard because it’s the day they first met.

They had an instant connection. And like puzzle pieces that have finally found their match, they realized why it never worked with anyone else before.

If you can’t have your engagement session in Charleston or Savannah, these live oak trees in Norfolk, VA are the next best thing! And how cute is little Miss Daisy, Brittany & Richard’s cocker spaniel! She is the cutest Dog of Honor!

How beautiful is Brittany’s ring? Richard had it custom made with her mama’s diamond!

We had the most beautiful cotton candy sunset to finish out this romantic engagement session! I cannot wait until their beautiful waterfront wedding next summer!

Our Favorite Virginia Beach Wedding Venues

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There are some pretty amazing wedding venues in Norfolk, but Virginia Beach might just take the cake for most wedding venues in Hampton Roads, because there are SO MANY hotels in Town Center and the Oceanfront. For today, I’m just going to focus on venues spaces, although I will let one hotel sneak in, because Founder’s Inn is such a great spot!

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The Water Table - Virginia Beach

The Water Table is right on the marina of Rudee Inlet, making it the perfect spot for a nautical wedding! The venue has a beautiful fireplace and space for 200 people with an option for an outdoor cocktail hour space. This is the perfect venue for nautical weddings, modern weddings, and small indoor weddings. View our Water Table wedding day.

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The Attic at Watermans - Virginia Beach

If you're looking for a place to get married at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, this is it! With a ceremony out on the beach and a reception in Waterman's private upstairs space with a wall of windows facing the ocean, the Attic is sure to wow your guests! And the food is top notch! This is the perfect wedding venue in Virginia Beach for small beach weddings. View our most recent Attic at Watermans Wedding.

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The Founder's Inn - Virginia Beach

The Founder's Inn is a very popular wedding venue in Hampton Roads. And their outdoor ceremony space is truly special, facing the water and surrounded by the beautiful Colonial English gardens. Ceremonies can also be held indoors at the atrium (which is also a great spot for cocktail hour) or at Regent University's Divinity Chapel. Whether you're looking for a ballroom wedding or a garden wedding, the traditional look of Founder's Inn is a beautiful choice. And it's a beautiful hotel for your guests to enjoy as well! View our most recent Founder's Inn wedding.

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The Lesner Inn - Virginia Beach

The Lesner Inn is the perfect spot for small nautical weddings in Hampton Roads. The venue sits right on the coastal waterway of Virginia Beach, giving guests a beautiful view. Their downstairs deck gives the idea of being outdoors while being completely protected from the elements. And upstairs, they have a lovely ballroom and covered deck that gives couples a variety of ceremony and reception options. View an upstairs wedding reception and a downstairs wedding reception.

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First Landing State Park - Virginia Beach

First Landing State Park is a popular Virginia Beach location for beach ceremonies and outdoor wedding receptions. After a casual ceremony on the sand or in the ampitheater, guests can gather around the stone gazebo on the courtyard lawn for a reception. View our most recent First Landing State Park wedding.

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The Signature West Neck - Virginia Beach

The Signature West Neck is one of my favorite Hampton Roads wedding venues! This golf club has an outdoor ceremony location perfectly positioned for the setting sun. It's gorgeous! They can hold smaller receptions in their inside dining space, while larger receptions take place on their tented deck. View one of our Signature West Neck weddings.

And I can’t share my favorite Virginia Beach venues without including my favorite Chesapeake wedding venue:

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Noah's Event Venue - Chesapeake

Noah's Event Venue in Chesapeake is such a great wedding space, because it's a clean slate! The venue has two beautiful rooms connected by a lobby, the perfect space for cocktail hour. One room opens onto the courtyard for ceremonies, so it's the perfect venue for your entire wedding day! There's a field across the street for portraits and the venue has a wide variety of lighting and draping packages to make the space even more beautiful. View our wedding at Noah's Event Venue

 

 

Are you newly engaged and looking for a wedding photographer in Hampton Roads? Whether you're planning a golf club wedding day at the Signature West Neck or a nautical affair at the Water Table, I'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email to say hello and see if I'm available for your wedding day!

Our Favorite Norfolk Wedding Venues

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Virginia has so many amazing wedding venues that it’s a little difficult to list them all out. Today we’re kicking off a three part series of our favorite wedding venues in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and the peninsula. And we’ll throw in the best of Suffolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake along the way.

Here are our favorite wedding venues in Norfolk:

The Chrysler Museum of Art - Norfolk

The architecture of the Chrysler Museum of Art is stunning and it’s a venue that is sure to wow your guests. They have outdoor and indoor options for cocktail hour, and the stone staircase in Huber Court makes for a truly grand entrance! We absolutely love this venue! View more here: Chrysler Museum of Art Wedding.

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The Botanical Garden - Norfolk

With acres of beautiful landscaping and flowers, the Norfolk Botanical Gardens is a gorgeous venue for an outdoor wedding! Each area of the gardens offers something different, and it's all beautiful! (See the different areas of the garden here.) After a garden ceremony, the reception can be held inside one of their three spaces or tented on the lawn. We love this venue so much, because so many of our CGP couples choose romantic outdoor weddings! We’ve done a ton of weddings here, but we’ll never get tired of this venue! View a Wildflower Meadow & Baker Hall Wedding, a Renaissance Court & Rose Garden Hall Wedding, and an outdoor Terrace Reception.

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The Virginia Zoo - Norfolk

The Norfolk Zoo is such a fun and unique place for a wedding! Larger events can be held under the event pavilion, while small weddings can take place in several areas around the zoo, including their rose garden. And the best part... your guests get to tour the zoo during cocktail hour! The Zoo is the perfect wedding venue for outdoor weddings with a tented or pavilion reception. View more here: Norfolk Zoo wedding.

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Half Moone - Norfolk

Half Moone is another of my favorite wedding venues in Hampton Roads! It's so beautiful! The beautiful circular ballroom features a large glass wall giving guests a beautiful ceremony backdrop and a front-row seat to the sunset. And this venue couldn't be at a more convenient location, right in the heart of downtown Norfolk. With Nauticus and Town Point Park next door and the Pagoda and gardens just a few blocks away, there are plenty of gorgeous backdrops for portraits. View our Half Moone Cruise & Celebration Center wedding.

And I can’t share my favorite venues without including my favorite Portsmouth wedding venue or my favorite Suffolk wedding venue, so here are two more:

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The Historic Obici House - Suffolk

The Obici House is such a cute wedding venue in Suffolk. It's located on a golf course, with a beautiful ceremony spot overlooking the water and plenty of space for a large reception tent. The inside of the house is simple and beautiful, offering a lovely backdrop for smaller weddings. View more here: Romantic Jewel Toned Wedding Inspiration at the Obici House.

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The Woman's Club - Portsmouth

I think the Portsmouth Women's Club might just be the prettiest wedding venue in all of Hampton Roads! The ballroom has a high vaulted ceiling, and there's a beautiful staircase and a balcony to photograph from! The venue also has a long covered porch in the front and a big deck out back. I love that there are options for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies and it's the perfect venue for a large wedding! View our Portsmouth Woman's Club wedding and a styled shoot at the Woman's Club of Portsmouth.

 

Are you newly engaged and looking for a wedding photographer for your Norfolk wedding? Whether you're planning a wedding at the Chrysler Museum or the Woman’s Club of Portsmouth, we'd love to hear from you! Shoot me an email to say hello and see if we’re available for your wedding day!

Amber & Andrew - CNU and Chrysler Museum Wedding

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It was a Cinderella story from the very beginning: a chance encounter, love (just about) at first sight, a beautiful gown, and a magical ballroom. Except in this Cinderella story.… Instead of an immediate proposal, they dated for 2,025 days. There were no ugly step-sisters, just a wonderful step-brother who officiated the ceremony. And ironically, the shoes didn’t fit, and the bride happily went barefoot for part of the day.

Amber’s step-brother Trevor officiated the ceremony, which took place at Three Oaks Estate, the home of Christopher Newport University’s president. Amber & Andrew met their first week of freshman year at CNU, so much of their love story took place on campus. Their first photo together was taken on the steps of this beautiful house, making it the perfect place for their wedding.

After the beautiful outdoor ceremony, guests drove to the Chrysler Museum of Art, where Amber works, for the wedding reception in Huber Court.

We arrived at the Chrysler just 30 minutes before sunset and we had the most beautiful light for some final portraits! I am obsessed with the architecture here! The elegance of the arched doorways, the way the sunset is reflected in the glass, the beautiful gardens… we could have done portraits here for hours!

Amber thought of every detail for her wedding, from the cute notes on her programs and menu cards to the rose petal toss at the ceremony. But my favorite details were at her reception. Amber & Andrew LOVE breakfast food and had many late night dates at IHOP, so they had breakfast stations at their wedding: chicken & waffles, quiche, shrimp & grits, and bacon twists. Yum! Amber also created four signature drinks around the something old, new, borrowed, and blue tradition: something old –  Maple Old Fashioned, something new – Caramel Apple Sangria, something borrowed – Pineapple Sunset (the signature drink from her mom’s wedding two years ago), and something brewed – Smartmouth The Princess Oktoberfest. How cute is that?

The amazing ACE team! Amber worked for Antonia Christianson Events for many years, so of course, they were by her side on her wedding day.

Amber & Andrew ended the night with a private last dance. It’s such a beautiful way to hold onto your wedding day for one more moment together.

The Creative Team:
Coordination: Antonia Christianson Events
Ceremony Venue: Three Oaks Estate at Christopher Newport University
Reception Venue: Chrysler Museum of Art

 

Bridal Gown: Milk & Honey | Bride’s Shoes: Betsey Johnson | Bridesmaids: Adrianna Papell and Kennedy Blue | Cake: Family Friend, Whitney Galmard | Catering: Cuisine & Company | Floral Design: Isha Foss Events | Groom’s Attire: Generation Tux | Groom’s Ring: Rustic and Main | Hair: Amberly at Flawless on Site | Makeup: Elizabeth and MeLissa at Dhalia Edwards | Lighting: Stage Right Lighting | Linens: Waterford Event Rentals | Photo Booth and DJ: Boardwalk Entertainment | Rentals: Cathedral Windows by Big Top Entertainment | Stationery: Minted | Transportation: Truffle Shuttle | Videography: Picture & Sound | Favors: Duck Donuts