Shifting Sands Wedding - Jen & Will - Heather Hughes Photography, LLC

Shifting Sands Wedding Heather Hughes Photography

Jen and Will were married on August 11^th, with a ceremony and reception at Shifting Sands at Virginia Beach and the Dam Neck Naval Base.

Jen and Will’s Shifting Sands Wedding | Virginia Beach Wedding Photography

I’ve shot over 350 weddings, and I know things can happen, so I always come prepared for whatever comes our way. And it’s a good thing I do! My emergency sewing kit came in handy to help fix the dress and my extra AA batteries were needed to power the fake candle décor at the reception.

And I’m always happy to help!

This was a very DIY wedding so everyone was pitching in. Jen made the bouquets, her mom made the centerpieces, and Will helped put up the altar for the ceremony. And even the details that weren’t DIY were impressive and well-chosen. Including my personal favorite: Will’s stunning wedding band with etched wood details and a wooden ring box! Everyone really stepped up to give them the best happily ever after they could!

In addition to being willing to roll up their sleeves and dive in to make their vision a reality, Jen and Will are SO fun! Their friends are just as hilarious, and if you need proof of that, look no further than the groomsmen. Since it was a very hot August day, as soon as we were done with the portraits, one of the groomsmen undressed to his boxers and socks and jumped in the ocean! (not pictured here to try to preserve a little of his dignity 😉

There were so many moments like that in this wedding—little things that made it unique despite the hundreds of weddings I’ve shot. For example, in all the excitement, Jen and Will didn’t walk down the aisle! Instead, they exited to the left to go grab some privacy by the ocean (smart thinking!) They also decided to feed the cake to themselves instead of each other and only faked smashing it. And then there was the green getaway car—a total surprise to Jen courtesy of Will!

For as much fun as we had, though, my favorite moment of the day was watching Will and Jen right before they shared a kiss at the altar. They had that same look later during their first dance out on the dance floor. Totally oblivious to everything and everyone else around them. That’s how everyone should look on their wedding day!

Will & Jen, thank you for asking me to be part of such an amazing, fun wedding day! I hope you had a blast in St. Lucia! Thanks also to my second shooter, Scott, who not only helped with carrying lights for me but also got a few nice photos too – another great bonus for an amazing couple!