Our Favorite Virginia Beach Wedding Venues

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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!

Virginia Wedding Venues

There's a shiny new ring on your finger! Congratulations! Now that you've called all your friends and family, it's time to find a wedding venue! This first step of the wedding planning process isn't easy, because there are so many beautiful choices! And the venue affects the entire wedding, from the style to the size to the budget.

I have collected all of my favorite Virginia wedding venues into one place to hopefully make this process a bit easier for you. As you can see, the Hampton Roads area has a lot of beautiful options for your wedding day, whether you want to have a small nautical affair or a large garden wedding.

Each venue listed below is linked to a wedding or stylized shoot I've photographed there, so you can get an idea of what the possibilities are and if it might be the right venue for you.

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! View a Wildflower Meadow & Baker Hall Wedding, a Renaissance Court & Rose Garden Hall Wedding, and an outdoor Terrace Reception.

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 makes for a truly grand entrance! We absolutely love this venue! View more here: Chrysler Museum of Art Wedding.

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.

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.

The Historic Post Office - Hampton

The Historic Post Office is one of the newest venues in Hampton Roads, but its beautiful architecture has instantly made it a popular wedding venue! Not only does HPO have a beautiful bridal suite with a makeup counter, a walk in closet, and an en-suite bathroom, but there is also a masculine lounge for the guys as well! This is the perfect venue for indoor weddings with a cocktail hour on the mezzanine and a reception on the main floor. View one of our Historic Post Office weddings.

Christopher Newport University - Newport News

CNU has a truly beautiful campus, and we were very excited to have a wedding ceremony at the president’s home. Several of the buildings on campus are available for weddings, and it’s the perfect venue for couples who attended the school. View more here: CNU Campus Wedding.

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. 

The Historic Freight Shed - Yorktown

The Yorktown Freight Shed combines an outdoor lawn ceremony space with an indoor reception space and attached tent overlooking the water. Add in the option for beachfront portraits and the surrounding historic area, and you have a beautiful wedding venue with lots of options for brides and grooms! View our Historic Freight Shed Wedding.

Fort Monroe Commanding General's Residence - Hampton

The Commanding General's Residence at Fort Monroe, a beautiful historic home with tons of natural light, is a beautiful spot for intimate wedding receptions. The Bandstand across the street is the perfect spot for an outdoor ceremony looking over the water and the nearby fort provides some variety in portrait locations. View our Fort Monroe Wedding.

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.

Williamsburg Winery - Williamsburg

With a beautiful vineyard, gorgeous wooden doors, and a romantic cellar for wedding portraits, the Williamsburg Winery is a show-stopping venue! Whether you choose to have your ceremony on the lawn or inside in front of the fireplace, this venue is perfect for romantic weddings. And the romantic dim lighting of the reception space is perfect for fall and winter weddings! View our Williamsburg Winery wedding.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Wren Chapel - Williamsburg

The chapel in the Sir Christopher Wren Building on William and Mary's campus is such a beautiful and unique wedding venue. The historic chapel is over 300 years old and has been restored to its original colonial design. And there's such beautiful light in there, thanks to the bank of windows! It's such a sweet venue for intimate weddings! View our Wren Chapel wedding.

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.

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.

Kingsmill Resort - Williamsburg

Kingsmill Resort is the perfect place for an elegant traditional wedding. The ceremony location overlooks the James River. And they have a beautiful ballroom with space for cocktail hour on the deck or on the 18th hole just a few steps away. This is also a great location for destination weddings or weddings with lots of out of town guests, because lodging, restaurants, and plenty of activities can be found all in one place! View a beautiful navy and pink Kingsmill Resort wedding day.

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.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens - Richmond

The Lewis Ginter gardens are my new favorite spot for weddings! There are so many beautiful ceremony and reception locations around the property, from the tea house and Flagler Pavilion to the rose garden and Robins Visitor Center. They even have a beautiful historic home, Bloemendaal House! View an intimate tea house wedding at Lewis Ginter.

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!

Stephanie & Eddie: Colonial Williamsburg Engagement Session

Stephanie looked up from her seat as the groom took his place at the front. She smiled at her tall, handsome friend. His sharply dressed groomsmen took their places as well, and one in particular immediately caught her eye. ‘Who is that?’ she wondered.

Eddie scanned the guests gathered to celebrate his sister’s wedding. Somewhere in this group of people was the girl his sister hadn’t stopped talking about. She was pretty, sweet, and everything he was looking for. They’d be perfect together. She was sure of it. And in case he needed another reason to talk to her, they’d be sitting together at dinner.

Stephanie was confused when she saw the seating assignments. She and her brother weren’t sitting with their parents like she had expected. As it turned out, they didn’t know anyone else at their table. But her puzzled expression turned into a smile when all the seats at the table were filled and she found the handsome groomsman she’d been wondering about was seated next to her.

After making small talk during dinner, Eddie could tell his sister hadn’t been exaggerating when she had told him how wonderful Stephanie was. He wanted to ask her to dance, but every time he found her in the dimly lit room, she was already dancing or chatting with someone. Maybe he’d see her at the after party.

But at the end of the night, Stephanie excused herself from the after party, hoping Ed would ask for her number before saying goodnight. And when he didn’t, she was confused. Had she imagined his interest in her? Should she have asked for his number?

“What do you mean you didn’t get her number?” Eddie’s family asked the next morning at breakfast.

Eddie shrugged. He wasn’t really sure what had happened. But when a little red flag notified him of a new friend request, he smiled. Everything was going to work out just fine.

Colonial Williamsburg has been one of my favorite engagement session locations for a while now, so I was super excited for another 2016 engagement session there! The sun was shining and the trees were blooming, so it was a beautiful contrast to the last time I was there! And how perfect is this green dress on Stephanie? I loved it!!!

I'm so excited for Stephanie & Eddie's wedding this fall with Soirees by Lauren and the amazing ladies at Waterford Event Rentals! Stephanie works for Waterford, so I'm DYING to know what they have planned for the reception!

Want to see more engagement sessions in Hampton Roads?

Lindsay & Neil: Williamsburg Winery Wedding

She dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief while Neil read his vows to her. The words he had written that very morning, typed out on a single piece of paper. He couldn't help smiling as he lifted his eyes from the page and looked right into hers, already filling with tears.

Lindsay pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. This was the moment they'd been waiting so long for. The cute boy with curly hair she had met so many years ago was now promising to hold her in hard times, to celebrate with her in good times, to never leave her, to love her until the end of their days. One by one, the bridesmaids lifted identical white handkerchiefs to wipe away the tears that filled their eyes. 

When Lindsay unfolded the sheets of paper containing her vows and promises, Neil's eyes filled as well. He blinked away tears so he could look into her eyes as she read. This was the moment. The girl he fell in love with on a train in Chicago, joined to him by a pair of headphones. And now she was promising to be his wife, to always choose his side, to grow with him, and to love him unconditionally. How did he get so lucky?

And then just like those two kids on an adventure in Chicago, they stepped forward together hand in hand. Joined by the promise that their hearts would each find home in the other.

Because their adventure was only beginning.

Lindsay & Neil, I can't express in words how thankful I am that you chose me to photograph your wedding day. From the moment we first met, I saw in the two of you what I see in my own marriage. Two people who are the best of friends, who are dedicated to supporting each other in everything, and who will always be on the same team for the rest of their lives. And that is such a beautiful thing. Thank you for welcoming me into your family for the day! You have been such a joy to work with and I can't wait to see where this one wild and precious life takes you!

The Williamsburg Winery is such a beautiful place for a wedding! With the beautiful grounds, rustic chandeliers, and a cellar full of barrels for portraits, I'd take weddings here over and over! And I loved working with Christy from Truly Yours Weddings to bring Lindsay & Neil's wedding vision to life!

The Wedding Team:
Coordination: Truly Yours Weddings
Venue: The Williamsburg Winery
Dress: La Sposa from The Inspired Bride
Flowers: Morrison's Flowers & Gifts
Officiant: Crosswalk Church
Catering: Catering Concepts
Cake: A Delicious Decision
DJ: Panda Entertainment
Bridesmaids: David's Bridal
Groomsmen: Men's Wearhouse
Invitations: Vistaprint
Favors: Discover Teas

Are you looking for a photographer for your wedding? Contact me here to see if I still have your date available!