Venue

Norfolk Botanical Gardens: My Favorite Wedding Venues in Hampton Roads

Choosing a wedding venue is often the first decision for a newly engaged couple after choosing their budget. Coastal Virginia is home to so many wonderful venues and today I'm sharing one of my favorites, the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

This place is so beautiful! Ryan and I have a garden membership and we take Darcy for walks and picnics all the time. Whether your guests are from out of town or local to Hampton Roads, they're going to love the gorgeous backdrop of the garden. There are 13 different outdoor locations for ceremonies! And that's not counting all the little nooks that Ryan and I find while walking around. So many beautiful spots for portraits! And since the bride and groom get golf cart escort for portrait time, we can make use of the couples' favorite spaces, even if they're tucked away in the back of the garden.

And of course, I should mention that the ladies who work at Norfolk Botanical Garden are absolutely amazing. (And I'm not getting paid to say that! We love them and visit them all the time!) They love their jobs and it shows in their work and care for clients. 

The Norfolk Botanical Garden has a couple of smaller package options, but our brides have always chosen either the American Azalea Collection or the Renaissance Rose Collection. These collections include the larger locations that are signatures of NBG.

The American Azalea collection includes three ceremony options: the Butterfly Garden, Wildflower Meadow, or Perennial Garden with a cocktail hour in the Perennial Garden or Baker Hall Terrace.

Baker Hall is such a beautiful reception space! It really doesn't need any decoration, because the architecture is so stunning all by itself! I loved how Chris & Kelley had their bar out on the terrace so their guests could enjoy the beautiful weather outside all night long!

My favorite collection is the Renaissance Rose, which includes use of the beautiful bridal suite, and the choice of Renaissance Court, Statuary Vista, or the Rose Garden for the ceremony. And they're all so stunning, I don't know what I would choose! (That's not true. The Renaissance Court has my heart! I love it so much that we took our 5 year anniversary portraits there!)

Ryan and I are preferred vendors of this gorgeous venue, and we could shoot there every single weekend and still find gorgeous locations for portraits! And we're dying to do a tented reception in either the Renaissance Court or the Wildflower Meadow! All that to say, if you are getting married at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, we would LOVE to hear from you! 

 

See More:
Virginia Wedding Venues
Wildflower Meadow & Baker Hall Wedding
Renaissance Court & Rose Garden Hall Wedding

Virginia Wedding Venues: The Portsmouth Women's Club

Wowzers! The Women's Club of Portsmouth is one stunning venue! A high vaulted ceiling, lots of beautiful windows, a staircase and balcony to photograph from, gorgeous long porches, and a spacious beautiful bridal room! This location is truly a photographer's dream! And one of the best things about this Hampton Roads wedding venue is that it's a blank slate. Just about any theme will work for this space, from a formal wedding with rich bold colors to a casual rustic event with softer shades.

I was so excited to use the Portsmouth Women's Club for my recent stylized wedding shoot. It was the perfect backdrop for our St. Patrick's themed shoot. And now I'm even more excited that one of my 2015 weddings will take place here!

Portsmouth Womens Club Wedding Venue-2.jpg

How gorgeous is this back deck? It's the perfect spot for outdoor ceremonies and portraits!

Samantha & David - Attic at Waterman's Wedding Photographer

Samantha & David - Attic at Waterman's Wedding Photographer

In an outdoor ceremony in California, Samantha and David promised to be each other's constant friend, one true love, and comrade in adventure. And two days later, they were celebrating with their East Coast friends and family. The Attic at Waterman's was the perfect venue for their intimate wedding reception.

The reception started with their wedding video, so everyone in attendance could feel as if they were at the wedding ceremony as well. And after the happy couple joined them and a delicious dinner was consumed, they all danced the night away.

I loved the simple touches that Samantha and David added to their wedding reception to make it more personal, from cake with strawberry frosting to the Virginia plaque for guests to sign to Samantha's grandmother's pearl necklace.

Virginia Wedding Venue - BayVue Estate

Virginia Wedding Venue - BayVue Estate

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Erin, the woman in charge of the newest wedding venue in Virginia. BayVue Estate has been in Erin's family for 16 years and it has been her dream to turn this beautiful historic home into a wedding venue.

BayVue is located in Matthews County, Virginia and it's the perfect spot for an outdoor wedding. I hope I am photographing a wedding here soon!

Erin is also the newest member of the vendor family at Tidewater and Tulle and it was my pleasure to photograph the images for her feature there. Enjoy my favorites from our shoot and check out her vendor feature to learn more about this new bayside Virginia wedding venue!