Oftentimes when people are considering a venue for their weddings, they search for a location away from home, whether that be ten minutes or ten hours, all just to find what they already have: a place that holds meaning for them, that feels comfortable, or that they find special and memorable. But what could hold more memory, meaning, and importance than your own home? For those looking for that perfect venue, it may not be any further than beyond your threshold.Read more
Are you planning a short-notice, small wedding or elopement?
Many couples don’t want to wait. They are planning to get married in the very near future, eloping, or rushing a small ceremony with their photographer, some close friends, and family but dispensing with or postponing the reception party.
View WPJA photo stories from smaller weddings - WedElope | Choose love, not fear!
Virginia Beach Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photographers of Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads
Virginia Beach Elopement Photographers
In recent days, some of our Virginia photographers have expressed their desire to accommodate couples who don’t want to wait to be married and are rushing the ceremony.
Many brides and grooms around the globe are planning to elope and deciding to reschedule their original ideas for a big event. They are getting wed on a whim, but dispensing with or postponing all else.
The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, documentary-style elopement photographers who are available right now who understand that some weddings can’t wait. Find yours today!
Most Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
Elopement Photographers for Small Hampton Roads Weddings
Shooting an elopement or small Virginia Beach wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.
Members are ready to document any mini, town hall, city hall, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.
We are anxious to create a picture story chronicling your religious, casual, romantic, small wedding from beginning to end. In this sense, it is no different from any other event that we have covered. The emphasis is on documenting key moments, capturing spontaneous displays of emotion, telling your real love story, as well as creating artistic portraits and details.
Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Virginia Beach Couples
2 Documentary Wedding Photographers...
After eight years as a newspaper staff photographer and a lifetime passion for photography, Heather moved into weddings full time in 2008. Her husband Rob (still a staff photographer) is often a second shooter and photographs a few on his own each year. They both LOVE to travel and currently call Virginia home so they stay around the DC, Eastern Shore, and Outer Banks area most of the time. Heather limits herself to 20-30 weddings a year (and Rob does less) so they can provide the personal attention to every couple that they are known for and artistically capture the unique moments & details that make every wedding special alongside fun and often candid portraits. True photojournalists at heart, they work unobtrusively so you can be free to enjoy the day instead of "smiling for the camera." Heather Hughes Ostermaier (formally Heather S. Hughes) has been published in USA Today, People, The Knot, and the "America 24/7" & "Virginia 24/7" books to name a few. She has captured hundreds of wedding stories since 2003. Both are graduates from Ohio University's prestigious Visual Communications program (where they met at the school's newspaper), taught at Truth with a Camera, and were accepted to attend the Eddie Adams Workshop in consecutive years. Heather was named Virginia's Small Newspaper Photographer of the Year and has won numerous awards for her lifestyle, sports, and wedding photography over the years. [Newport News Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2999 (USD)
Hi! I am Abe, and I am an event photographer lucky enough to be working in the Washington, D.C. area. Cityscapes, rolling mountains, wineries, riversides, history, Capitol Hill... Everything is here! I find photographing weddings immensely rewarding and also challenging at the same time. There are always small and special moments happening between the big moments on the wedding day. The challenge is finding the right mix of anticipation, preparation, and luck to capture a story that not only shows the height of those huge wedding day moments, but the depth of emotion between the guests, families, and the happy couple. Plus, I like to be a fun-enabler. Photography should be fun. Weddings should be fun. And I work to make your wedding photographs fun to look at. I take this as serious business. Now, amongst posing couples in amazing light, pleasantly directing large crowds of wedding revelers, and 'enabling the fun', the vast majority of my work is captured candidly and with photojournalism in mind. This approach makes my clients look gorgeous on the biggest day of their lives and tells the story through their wedding ceremony and reception. So, based on a few of my experiences, here are things I will gladly do during your wedding day: - I will submerge my camera underwater to get photos of you scuba diving with your wedding clothes on - I will go into a barnyard pasture with a close-talking donkey and your crazy horse for a portrait session - I will help your inebriated wedding guests find their way back to the reception, despite being a few miles from said reception - I will go to the middle of Greece for your storybook wedding in a small fishing village - I will get stranded overnight literally on the side of a mountain in Colorado with your rock-climbing wedding party. Yeah, that one almost ended me... - I will let the flower girl dump her basket of petals on me during the processional - If dogs are present, I will rile them up for some unexpected memorable moments - And I will go to the very middle of China for an amazing traditional wedding ceremony in a giant city filled with delicious food. All that said, I'm excited to meet you and let's make it happen. -Abe [Washington DC Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4200 (USD)
Searches Related to Virginia Beach Wedding Photography Vendors
WPJA Communiqué: Features
Everyone always says that your wedding day is all about you. But let’s face it; that’s not always actually the case. Many couples stress over guest lists, planning, expenses, and all the frills and traditions of your standard large wedding that they may or may not even be interested in. Fortunately, though, the concept of small weddings is becoming increasingly popular for couples who either want to be able to completely customize their day where and when they want with the option...Read more
While some people live for the hustle and bustle of a big wedding with extravagant décor and an impossibly long guest list, others find these kinds of weddings to be too much hoopla, preferring instead something simpler and quieter, allowing for more intimacy between them and their fiancés on this special day. So how do you infuse your wedding with all the romance but none of the fuss? ALONE AT LAST Many couples these days are opting to elope rather than planning a large wedding. For the no-...Read more
It’s no secret that these are strange times we’re going through right now, and there are many couples out there with weddings set in the near future who are left feeling uncertain and concerned about their futures. While that’s understandable, it’s also important to remember the reason you’re getting married in the first place; not for the grand celebration, but because you love each other and want to be together. REMEMBER WHAT'S IMPORTANT You’re in this position now, about to get married, for...Read more
Traditionally speaking, often times it is the couple’s families who help pay for their wedding. However, unfortunately that’s just not possible for everyone, especially these days when the cost of weddings can quickly and easily get out of control. Some couples find themselves in the position of paying for all of their own wedding expenses, which can be quite the financial burden to take on, and about 40% of Millennials end up in this boat. So, how can you stick to your allotted...Read more
WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN TO ELOPE? If you look up the definition of “elope” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary , you’ll find a plethora of meanings making it quite clear how polarizing the word has become, and how it has transformed and evolved with the passage of time and even personal preference.Read more
RAVES, REVIEWS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Laura & Bryan
Photo by Heather Hughes Ostermaier
Hi Heather! Thank you!! We are so excited to see the pictures. Thanks you so much for being a part of our day and capturing all our special moments. We will treasure these forever. Feel free to share any photos you'd like. Thank you again so much! I hope that one day our paths might cross again. Until then, I wish you and your family all the best!
WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.
