Morgan & Wes: A Chill Beach Wedding in Virginia Beach

Real Wedding

December 15, 2022

Morgan & Wes
Festival on 8th
Virginia Beach, VA

The Story

Morgan & Wes met through mutual friends at one of Wes’ band’s shows back in 2013! The next year, Wes moved to Philly at the same time Morgan moved to Brooklyn so whenever Wes needed a place to crash in NYC, he’d stay with Morgan & her roommate (who’d previously dated Wes’ friend’s cousin). Over the course of a year and a half (and after Wes broke up with his girlfriend at the time), they finally admitted to having crushes on one another and began dating in August 2015.

Their proposal story, in her words: “In October 2021, Wes and I were planning to go to NYC from our house in Philly for my friend’s Halloween party. We were planning to go on Saturday AM. But on the morning of Friday, October 29, I had gotten home from yoga, and Wes (looking very weird) was like… Pack your bag! We’re going to NYC right now!! No Questions! Haha… So I was like, alright! Let’s go! And sure enough, he drove us all the way to Brooklyn without GPS, and drove us straight to the waterfront in Brooklyn. He took me to a cluster of rocks were we used to hang out all the time, and popped the question!!”

The Wedding

Imagine this: beach wedding, drapery blowing in the sea breeze, surrounded by all of your closest friends and family, and…all the folks stopping as they pass by on the boardwalk, AND everyone on their hotel balconies?!? This was one rock and roll group! They were a hoot, cheering and celebrating as everyone walked down the aisle – family and wedding party alike. The public surrounding this wedding only stood to enhance this beautiful ceremony, not take away from it. The officiant, a friend of Morgan & Wes’, even welcomed all the onlookers in his introduction. Morgan and Wes were all about it and didn’t falter for a second at the size of the crowd. Their vows were self-written stories about their love for each other, pulling in a captivated audience.

Prior to their ceremony, Wes and Morgan met for their first look. They took pictures with their wedding party and as many family portraits as they could so that after the ceremony, they only had two or three more family members to grab for group pictures. This meant they could join their guests at cocktail hour across the street outside Festival on 8th at the Shack on 8th. A lively celebration started after the grand entrance filled with traditional dances, toasts, cake cutting, shoe game, and a bouquet toss! Talk about activities. Their guests brought their dancing shoes, so when the dance floor opened, people were busting at the seems to get down and boogie to the pre-90s playlist Morgan and Wes curated!

One of our favorite touches from this wedding was instead of a memory table, the bride and groom had a “Generations of Love” table that included pictures of their parents, grandparents, and other loved ones’ weddings – so sweet!

From the Couple

“YOU NEED TO HIRE JENNA & HER TEAM!!!!! We couldn’t have asked for better or more efficient help. Seriously anyone having a wedding in the Virginia Beach area – just do it. Their knowledge of vendors and experience with knowing what to anticipate for our event was unmatched. My wedding day was low-stress (and I’m a type A person) because I knew the small details were totally covered by Jenna & her team. Compass Rose Coordination was 100% worth every penny spent!”

Morgan & Wes