Hampton Beach Elopement | Hampton Roads Elopement Photographer | Ben + Šárka

Hampton Beach Elopement | Hampton Roads Elopement Photographer | Ben + Šárka

Believe it or not, the first time Ben and Šárka laid eyes upon each other it was at a pool! Šárka, originally from the Czech Republic, came to the United States to work for a summer as a lifeguard. It was during her first job that she and Ben became friends - and it soon turned into so much more. This time when she accepted another summer in America it was to spend the summer with the man she can now call her husband.

With upcoming deployments and a trip back home, these two knew they needed to plan a wedding quickly if they wanted to be married before they were separated again. So on a beautiful evening in July these two said "I do" at the wedding chapel at the Magnolia House Inn. Shortly after we took a trip over to Fort Monroe to capture their new adventure as husband and wife as well as their mutual love for the beach...

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Wedding | Newport News Wedding Photographer | Brian + Liz

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Wedding | Newport News Wedding Photographer | Brian + Liz

Oh there are SO many things that were beautiful about this wedding day that it's hard to know where to begin! Brian and Liz are absolutely surrounded by people who love them, both individually and as a couple. These high school sweethearts have been dating for 8 years and have a quiet, mature confidence in who they are together. It was an honor to witness both the wedding ceremony, which celebrated the true meaning of marriage, and the rest of the day as they finally became husband and wife.

Two years ago Liz lost her father at much too young of an age. She honored her father in so many ways, including a special bracelet with his signature on it (scroll down to see it!). Throughout the day the mother-daughter bond she shares with her mom radiated through, from laughing together while getting ready to the moment Liz walked down the aisle. I'll never forget her brother's speech at the reception as he spoke so highly of Brian and ended with, "In 2014 we lost a great man and in 2016 our family gained a great man." Tears flowed and hugs were shared as the family both remembered what was and looked forward to the future.

Downtown Norfolk Wedding | Norfolk Wedding Photographer | Chris + Dana

Downtown Norfolk Wedding | Norfolk Wedding Photographer | Chris + Dana

I have been waiting all year to write this blog, and it's finally here! Chris and Dana have such an amazing story that became the highlight of their wedding day. Years ago, when they were much younger, these two got married without telling anyone. They had two beautiful twin boys together but after several deployments and the hardships of life they got divorced after 5 years.

Anyone can say that marriage is hard, but these two have lived the difficulties. Everything from miscommunications to time spent apart can lead to a result you could never have imagined when you say "I do" to your spouse. But with these two, divorce was not the end of their story. They maintained a friendship and continued to parent their sons and in just 3 years time they began to fall back in love with each other. Last August Chris used Dana's birthday as an excuse to throw a surprise party in the Paragon Theater, ending with Chris down on one knee to ask the love of his life to be his forever - again...