Bennetts Creek Park Anniversary Portraits | Suffolk Couples Photographer | Matt + Chandra

Bennetts Creek Park Anniversary Portraits | Suffolk Couples Photographer | Matt + Chandra

Matt and Chandra are not newlyweds - they have been married for over 5 years and lived through deployments, international travel, and moving around through their stints with the Coast Guard during this time. Even though they dated for two years they were only engaged for a few months when they realized they needed to either say I do or be separated for a long time! Chandra went dress shopping with her mom and started planning a wedding until it became clear that they wouldn't have enough time - so a courthouse wedding happened instead!

Five years later, Chandra finally wore her wedding dress for the very first time. Matt dressed in a navy blue suit and even though they had already said yes to each other, they finally got to live out in a small way the wedding they never had. Yet behind the smiles and the beautiful clothes is a couple who knows what marriage means and would choose forever with each other over and over again...

Our Downtown Norfolk Anniversary Session | Personal

Our Downtown Norfolk Anniversary Session | Personal

Nathan and I didn't date for a very long time before we got engaged - 11 months to be exact. Six months and one week after we were married. I have always thought of our relationship as short since several of our friends were together for many years before getting engaged and married, but then I realized that this August will mark 7 years of being together with Nathan.

Marriage changes you. Or you change and your marriage grows with it - I'm not sure. Either way it goes I can see more and more that love is a daily choice, and staying married is not something that just happens to anyone. As beautiful as our relationship looks (and is) on the outside, strong marriages are usually built through the fires of testing and trials, both inside the relationship and in our own personal lives.

Waterfront Hampton Anniversary Session | Hampton Couples Photographer | William + Ivey

Waterfront Hampton Anniversary Session | Hampton Couples Photographer | William + Ivey

Ivey is one of those people who makes an impact on you the moment you meet her. She is sweet, spirited, and bubbly, with a sunny outlook on life and a positive attitude. I had the joy of meeting her almost a year ago and with every interaction I was touched by her kindness. Yet when she told me her story I saw a completely different side to her, one that has endured heartache and loss so many times that it would cause most people to give up.

William and Ivey have been together for nearly ten years. They have built a life together for a long time, well-established in their love and the house they bought one year ago. They purchased the house of Ivey's childhood dreams on a street where she grew up in downtown Hampton by the water. This anniversary session meant so much to both of them - the waterfront is where they love to be, and the roads and houses are a constant reminder of the time they have spent building their relationship and their future...