Have you ever had a moment where you just knew that the person in front of you was the person you were meant to be with? Nicole & Dan may have taken longer than they wished to find that one they were meant to be with, but they now look forward to a lifetime of love and happiness and raising their children to know the same. I fell in love with Nicole & Dan’s story, so for this blog, I wanted to share the actual responses that I received about their love story in their own words…

Nicole romantically describes, “I just never had these feelings before. It’s just a different kind of love. Our first date, I met Dan and the boys at Landstown Elementary School for basketball and fishing in the pond across the way. It was a huge deal to be meeting kids on a first date but as we always said, we are package deals. It was so unbelievably hot that day that I thought I was melting. I brought the boys a slurpee. We fished a little, and then I watched as Dan interacted with the boys and my heart filled with joy. You could see what an amazing dad he was, and to raise the boys himself, he’s done such an amazing job. We have been inseparable ever since. He makes my heart complete. It’s such a different kind of love, that love you hope lasts a lifetime, and you know there isn’t enough time to love them. The love worth fighting for even on the toughest of days. I couldn’t imagine him not being by my side.” 🙂

Dan also shared about his impressions of his new bride, Nicole, and her daughter when they first met: “Funny and always positive, beautiful smile, pretty eyes, very independent, always on the go, and fun to be around. Bella was easy to make laugh and be around.” Then, my favorite part, “As soon as I found out her favorite steak was ribeye, I knew I wanted to marry her.” Hahaha!!

Nicole & Dan said their vows right on the sand at Chick’s Beach, a.k.a. Chesapeake Beach, section of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Their beautiful beach-inspired coral and tan ceremony involved all three of their children who were right by their side the whole time. One of my favorite things about this wedding was the expressions on their children’s faces throughout the ceremony, as well as Nicole’s parents’ expressions during their embrace after saying “I do.” The ceremony was so personal, not only did Nicole’s brother walk her down the aisle, but her father officiated, their son Evan was the best man, their son Brendan was the ring bearer, and their daughter Bella was the flower girl (a role Bella actually played at my own Virginia Beach wedding almost 5 years ago)!

The ceremony was directly followed by a Sunday brunch at Tradewinds Restaurant. Coral and tan beach-themed cake with all edible decorations by A Work of Heart – Creations by Linda.

This was the very first solo wedding I had the privilege of shooting, and I had the pleasure of doing it for one of my best friends as well!!! I even got to have my little family there with me. It was a special day all around.

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**For information on guidelines for having a beach wedding in Virginia Beach, visit: Vbgov.com.