Destination Virginia Beach Wedding, Blue Horizon Sandbridge

Destination Virginia Beach Wedding, Blue Horizon Sandbridge

Last week I started sharing Andrea and Elard’s Sanbridge beach wedding with you. Now, I’m back to finish up with the ceremony and reception photos from this lovely Blue Horizon beach house wedding in Virginia Beach.

The ceremony took place on the beach, just before sunset. It was a gorgeous blue-sky day, and a glorious breeze swept across the shore.

I loved the intimate feel of their ceremony, and the fact that they invited their parents to lead the guests in a blessing of the rings.

And have I mentioned that late September - mid-October is a perfect time of year for a beach wedding in SE Virginia? The beach is secluded and the skies are gorgeous!

And then they were Mr. & Mrs.!

After the walk back down the aisle, we gathered family and close friends for a few group portraits on the beach.

Then we took a little time for some intimate bride and groom portraits, while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour by the pool.

Aren’t these two just gorgeous together?! And that sky! It’s to die for! <3

After the bride and groom portraits, we headed to the reception for a few candid shots with the guests.

Then it was on to the cake cutting, before I bid them adieu.

Andrea and Elard, you two are magic together! Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your amazing wedding celebration. Best wishes for many beautiful years together!! - XOXO, Melissa

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MOCA - Virginia Beach Wedding - Virginia Wedding Photographer

MOCA - Virginia Beach Wedding - Virginia Wedding Photographer

In my last post I promised I’d be sharing Alex & Ali’s MOCA Virginia Beach wedding and here it is! I knew it would take me a while to put this post together. Alex and Ali actually decided to upgrade their wedding package a week before the ceremony to add more time for photography. I’m so glad they did because we captured a ton of amazing photos for them! So bear with me, I’ve tried to narrow them down for a blog post, but it was tough…

First off, I fell in love with their rich jewel-toned wedding colors of teal, purple and slate gray. They really pop so beautifully, and were a perfect compliment to this art museum venue! And then there’s the fact that this wedding was so full of fun moments and big emotion. It was tons of fun to photograph!

As with most weddings, the day started off with detail shots and wedding prep for the guys and girls. And, as with most weddings, things didn’t work out exactly as planned. The night before the wedding, a big storm had come through and knocked out power to parts of Virginia Beach, including the venue site! When I arrived, many of the vendors were scrambling to make due with setting up for an event without power. The bridal prep room was completely dark, with no windows, and the wedding party had to make a plan B, and get ready elsewhere. Fortunately, I don’t need any external power to shoot, so I was able to work around everyone else’s needs. And even more fortunate, the power was back on in full before guests arrived!

The guys got ready at an AirBNB they had rented. They were relaxed and ready to go with no worries about flat irons, or make up lights, or course.

Alex knew Ali might be worried about everything coming together on time, so he did the sweetest thing to calm her nerves. He took time out to write her a letter, and had it delivered to her before their first look.

Before the bride and groom’s first look, Ali had a first look with her Dad. There were tears all around.

Next we took a few quick bridal portraits, and then headed off to meet her groom!

It was such a magical moment!

From the first look, we headed back toward the venue for some bride and groom portraits before the ceremony. We had only a few minutes to spare, but the light was gorgeous and we had to take advantage of it!

I love how much fun these two have together! So many giggles!!

Ok, since this post is turning out to be suuuuuuper long, (I don’t want your scrolling finger to wear out!), I think I’ll leave it here for now, and post Part II tomorrow. Next up, the ceremony, formal (and informal) portraits, and lots of reception shenanigans. More good stuff, I promise. You don’t want to miss it!

UPDATE: Part 2 is here!

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach is a beautiful venue for weddings and events. Check it out, plus all of these other great vendors too!

Wedding coordinator: Beth Couillard, Richmond, VA

Officiant: Lisa Chisholm (friend)

DJ/Entertainment: Riza Aleemi (friend)

Wedding florals: Flowers at Hilltop

Wedding cake: Incredible Edibles

Invitations: Minted.com

Catering: Creative Catering of VA

Bride’s Make Up Artist: Vanessa Underwood (friend)

Bride’s Hair: Dana Ange, Gary Allen Salon

Videographers: Live Oak Films

Wedding Photography: Melissa Bliss Photography

Second Shooter: Rita Hsu, Perspective Photography

Creative Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer, Hampton Roads, VA

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Sandbridge Beach Cottage Wedding Photos - VA Wedding Photographer

Sandbridge Beach Cottage Wedding Photos - VA Wedding Photographer

I am finally sharing some images from Bree & Keith’s beautiful Sandbridge Beach wedding today! This was a destination beach wedding, and all of their loved ones gathered from near and far to celebrate this lovely couple.

Bree and Keith are hard working New Yorkers. He’s a firefighter and she is a news reporter. A beach wedding was the perfect getaway for them to relax and take advantage of some laid back summertime vibes.

I arrived just before Bree put on her wedding gown, which was absolutely gorgeous, and we captured a few sweet quiet moments of her with her mom. She was such a stunning bride. I LOVE that dress!

Afterwards, I spent a few minutes gathering some detail shots and candids of the guests before I headed down to the pier with the bride and groom for pre-wedding portraits.

It was a blazing hot summer day, and the beach was very crowded with visitors over the Labor Day weekend. I did my best to keep it short and sweet so we could get out of the heat, while also making sure Bree & Keith could enjoy a few intimate moments together.

After our wedding portrait session, it was back to the beach house for the seaside ceremony.

Bree and Keith have a super adorable son, who made a brief cameo at the end of the ceremony.

We took a few causal family portraits, and then took advantage of the sunset light for some more bride and groom photos.

The reception was intimate and casual, and they only asked me to stay for a quick dance, the cake cutting, and then a few sparkler shots.

I truly enjoyed getting to know this couple and their beautiful family. Congrats Bree & Keith! I wish you a lifetime of happy memories together. - XOXO, Melissa

Many thanks to the vendor team for all their hard work:

Venue: Oceanic Serenade, Sandbridge Realty

Event Coordinator: Vanessa Watts

Bride’s Hair: Stephanie Michelle

Bride’s Make Up: Melissa at Dhalia Edwards

Florist: Kate Flore

Catering: Mobile pig-nic

Entertainment: Astro DJs

Cake: Carolina Cupcakery

Wedding Photographer: Melissa Bliss Photography

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Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Moments in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

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Blue Horizon Sandbridge Beach Wedding, VA Destination Wedding Photographer

Blue Horizon Sandbridge Beach Wedding

 VA Destination Wedding Photographer

What a beautiful wedding I have to share today! Caitlin and Dan officially tied the knot in Virginia Beach this week, and it was such an exciting event! Family and friends gathered from all around the globe for this fabulous British-American destination beach wedding. Scroll on for sneak peeks from their day and a wedding preview slideshow. 

Caitlin and Dan met in the UK several years ago and currently live in California. They selected Virginia Beach as the destination for their wedding so that family and friends could come together from near and far to celebrate. 

I met with Caitlin last fall as she was putting together all the vendors for their big day. After months of planning, lots of travel, and much anticipation, it was truly thrilling to see it all come together for these two lovely people!

It was such an honor to be invited to be part of this momentous occasion! Everyone came together to pull it off so spectacularly! Caitlin's mother did much of the event decor, and her aunt, who isn't a professional florist by the way, purchased and arranged all of the flowers for the wedding. I was absolutely stunned by what an amazing job they did. It was all SO gorgeous!

All of the wedding prep and the reception took place in a beautiful, and big, beach house just steps from the ocean. In case you are wondering, this spectacular cottage, the "Blue Horizon", is managed by Sandbridge Vacation Rentals. 

Many professional vendors also did a bang up job of completing the set up, catering, bridal party prep, entertainment and event coordination. My hats off to the team for their excellent work! 

Wedding Vendor Team:

Hair/MUA: Katie Cistola, www.beautyboxstudiosva.com
Venue: Blue Horizon, Sandbridge Vacation Rentals
Catering: www.traditionscateringva.com
DJ: Astro DJs (Entertainment) DJ Larry
Cake: Incredible Edibles Bakery
Day of Coordinator: www.SandbridgeBeachEvents.com
Flowers/Decor: Jennifer Lavoie, Melanie Lavoie (Brides Aunt & Mother)
Second Photographer: Chava Lind Photography

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Bishop! I wish you both love and happy days always!

XOXO -Melissa

Stay tuned for a full post on this beautiful Sandbridge beach cottage wedding!

If you have had a session with me in recent weeks, or plan to book one, be sure to follow MBP on Facebook , Instagram and Google+ as I always post there first.

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MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art Wedding, Virginia Beach Photographer

MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art Wedding,

Virginia Beach Photographer

Today I am excited to share some sneak peeks from Nancy & John's recent wedding at MOCA in Virginia Beach! I looooooved the green and pastel pink color palette they chose for their lovely spring wedding. I'm a sucker for natural hues and earthy tones. 

MOCA is an elegant, modern venue with beautiful windows and lots of natural light. It's tucked away in a little wooded area just off the Virginia Beach oceanfront. 

Nancy and John held their ceremony and reception in the Atrium at the museum, which features a high ceiling and indoor trees. 

Since the weather was mild and sunny, we were able to pop outdoors for some portraits after the ceremony. 

It was a beautiful day and I was thrilled to be able to take part in their delightful wedding celebration. Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Ogden!! I wish you many happy days together! - XOXO Melissa 

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Intimate Norfolk Military Elopement - Virginia Wedding Photographer

Intimate Norfolk Military Elopement - Virginia Wedding Photographer

These two beautiful souls were married during a small private ceremony at the chapel on Norfolk Naval Base. While their elopement was to be a private affair, they did want some creative photos to celebrate their union. Devon and Andrew were high school sweethearts, and have been close for years. Andrew will soon be heading to Chicago, so they decided to tie the knot before the move. They will begin a new adventure as Mr. & Mrs. 

When we chatted about their session, they told me they wanted something outdoors and romantic, possibly at the beach. Not familiar with the area (they are both from Texas), they left the location up to me.

We did luck out with an unseasonably warm winter day for our session, but it was windy and I knew the beach would be unbearable. First Landing State Park was the perfect spot for some pretty water views, but also some trees and grasses to break the wind a bit. 

 The sun was out when we began our session, but the skies quickly turned overcast and the wind picked up. These two didn't mind though. As the chill came on, they snuggled into a familiar embrace to keep each other warm. I love how sweet and light-hearted they are together!

I must say, windy days are my favorite for shooting. I love how the wind dances with hair and fabric, adding movement and atmosphere to images. 

And this couple....so gorgeous!! I had a seriously difficult time culling down images for this blog post. The one below is definitely a fave from this session.

What a beautiful reminder of an important chapter in their love story. I hope they hang it big where they can see it often.

After getting some waterside shots, we headed to the woods to change things up a bit. I love the variety of natural beauty that abounds at First Landing. The Spanish Moss is magical and those earthy tones make my soul happy. 

We finished up back by the water for sunset. Even though it was cloudy and overcast, there was a warm golden glow that was lovely. 

I am so grateful that I got to meet and work with this charming couple to create some meaningful photographs for them. 

Congratulations Devon & Andrew! Sending all my best wishes to you for good fortune and many happy days together. - XO Melissa

VA Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer - Destination Wedding Photographer

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Virginia Wedding Photographer - Snowy Winter Elopement in Hampton Roads

Virginia Wedding Photographer - Snowy Winter Elopement

On a cold and snowy day, Tia and Eric exchanged vows in a quiet little ceremony in Virginia Beach. Though the atmosphere outside was cold and brisk, the warmth these two radiate was as big as the sun. It was an honor to witness their marriage ceremony, and to be able to record these special memories for them. 

They traveled from North Carolina, to be married close to family. The ceremony took place at a quaint Virginia Beach home.

After the elopement ceremony, we headed to nearby Regent University for some outdoor wedding portraits. The snowy white landscape was a gorgeous backdrop for our session! I just love that clean, crisp snow blanketing the cool evergreens. 

Don't they look amazing?!

We shot outside around the snowy campus, until our noses and toes were numb. Then we popped indoors for a few quick shots, and a little dramatic window light, until we warmed up again.

What a beautiful and memorable day it was! Congratulations Tia and Eric!! May your hearts always be warm with love. - XOXO Melissa

Virginia & Destination Wedding and Lifestyle Portrait Photographer

Melissa Bliss Photography – Authentic Moments in Beautiful Timeless Photographs

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