Virginia Wedding Photographer, Tina & Chris' Beach Wedding

Today I am sharing some sneak peeks from Tina and Chris’ gorgeous, but wild and windy, oceanfront wedding! I was fortunate to get to know Tina and Chris last spring when we shot their engagement portraits. They are such a kind and lovely couple. I was super excited for their early fall wedding celebration. September is usually a beautiful month on the beach, and we had planned to spend time taking full advantage of it. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.

The Tuesday before their wedding, Tina and Chris received the crushing news that both their rehearsal dinner AND their reception were cancelled due to the venues being located in the mandatory evacuation Zone A prior to the arrival of Hurricane Florence. They were devastated, as you can imagine. Just days before the wedding they had spent months planning, and their whole event was turned upside down. They had family and friends coming in from out of town, the weather was still a huge question mark at that point, and they had no where to hold their rehearsal dinner or reception. But, these two handled it with amazing grace, after a few tears of course. They decided to go ahead with their plans and find a way to work it out.

Fortunately, the church was not in an evacuation zone, and Chris, a talented local chef, had some connections in the hospitality industry. Amazingly, they were able to pull together a new plan to accommodate their celebration and guests! And it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day! The weather was a little wild and windy, but that mattered little as they were able to tie the knot and celebrate with the people that mattered most to them.

The Hyatt House Hotel at the Virginia Beach oceanfront did an amazing job of pulling together this event in only a few days! The entire vendor team, friends and family, all pulled together to make this wonderful day a success. I know Tina and Chris put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to revamp the entire event just days before it happened. I was amazed at all they accomplished! No one would have known it wasn’t planned that way all along.

Fortunately, the weather wasn’t nearly as bad as predicted. It was very windy, and we had some sprinkles throughout the day, but this couple and their awesome wedding party braved the beach nonetheless. We had a blast and ended up with some of my favorite images from the day!

I am so thrilled that, despite the challenges they faced, Tina and Chris were able to have the stunning wedding they deserved. It was an honor to be part of their amazing day. Stay tuned for updates with more photos of this charming wedding!

Congratulations Tina and Chris! May your love and faith carry you through all of life’s trials with grace and resilience. I wish you many happy years together! - XOXO, Melissa

Special thanks to the fantastic vendor team who made this wedding a success!

Church: Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Virginia Beach
Reception/Catering: Hyatt House Hotel, Virginia Beach
Hair & MUA: Jenna Kathleen Miller 
Bride's Gown: Allure Bridals, Studio I Do
Groom's Attire: Jos A. Bank
Florist: Gather Floral, Mariah Breitenberg
Cake: Sugar Plum Bakery
DJ/Entertainment: Mario Espinosa
Photography: Melissa Bliss Photography 
Second Shooter: Rita Hsu, Perspective Photography

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