Military Elopement Location | Portsmouth Naval Hospital
Wedding Photographer | Heather Hughes Photography
Coordination | Heather Hughes Photography
Military Elopement in Portsmouth, VA
“We met and fell in love at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. When we began talking about the future, we knew we wanted to be together and we wanted to stay true to ourselves. We have been planning a tiny ceremony, just us with the officiant and our dog.” – Hassie Curry
Portsmouth Elopement
Hassie and Russell planned a sunrise elopement ceremony by the water outside the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth where they met with a Navy chaplain and 3 friends to operate a live stream for Russell’s family who live overseas. We were lucky enough that their October day had clear skies – but early morning clouds blocked the sunrise over the Norfolk waterside so their early morning portraits look more like evening ones. Equally gorgeous though!
We continued our morning with a few portraits in and around Building One, the original medical building and one of the oldest in the country. Thanks to their connections, we were able to get special access to the indoor staircase which is typically used for formal award ceremonies so it was truly special to be granted access to photograph there.
Their dog Kaizer was the only other member of the bridal party and he did an outstanding job!
Military Elopement Photographer
Hassie and Russell saw my blog post and applied for my Free Military Elopement program that I started in 2019 as a way to give back to our local military community. I gifted them 2 hours of coverage and all the digital files – no strings attached. They appreciated it so much that they booked an engagement session too 🙂
Vintage Engagement Portrait
And what an epic engagement session it was so I just had to include some of those photos too!!!
Their portrait session took place at the Portsmouth Train Museum – a new but AMAZING location and it’s available to rent if you love this idea too. Besides the bright, vintage backdrop you can also rent the inside for private events and party old coach style. And it was perfect for them as they have been traveling the world together.
I continue to offer this program for all active military couples, limited to about 5 couples per year and my own availability, so that the couple can have professional memories of their day to share with their families that cannot be there with them. Living in a military community and being married to a veteran, I have heard multiple stories over the years from friends and couples who had eloped (for the military benefits) and wished they had hired a professional photographer to capture the momentous day.
If you or someone you know is active duty and planning an elopement please have them contact me or click HERE for more details. Still a few spots available for 2021!
