The Venue at Denali Jean Ranch

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

A Special Note for Mommy & Daddy Guests:

As much as we love your kids, our wedding will be an adult only day. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may bring but we hope you see this as the perfect date night for you.

Our Wedding

Where It Started

The Hendricks family received orders to move to Virginia, they were stationed at Fort Monroe in 2000 and quickly fell in love with the area. A couple years later, the Landry family was station on Fort Monroe as well. One evening while in middle school Whitney was taking her dog Sydney out for a short walk, she ran into a boy around her age walking to his house, named Justin. They stopped and introduced themselves, talked for a few minutes, then went about their night. After their meeting, Whitney would run into Justin often- by accident? Maybe not? She would go and watch him and his good friend Jimmy skateboard at the tennis courts by his house. Nothing ever came of it, they went to different high schools, but little did Whitney and Justin know that the love of their lives would be living 5 houses away from each other for years!Fast forward to college, Justin went to Old Dominion University, while Whitney went to Christopher Newport University. They would see each other here and there when Whitney would go to visit friends at ODU, as well as on breaks in Hampton. Still, they were just friends.

Welcome Back

Following college graduation, Whitney and Justin didn't see each other too much and then lost touch. Fast forward to 2017, Justin slid into Whitney DM's on Facebook. In the following months they saw each other a lot more, got to know each other again, and went on a good amount of double dates (their good friends, Tiffany &amp; Travis, saw this as a great opportunity to play match maker). That fall and winter, Whitney &amp; Justin found themselves hanging out almost every weekend and truly enjoying themselves.While Whitney and Justin had been on multiple dates and hung out plenty in the months before, they knew that March 4th 2018 was THE date where they were exclusively a couple. In all honesty, Whitney was playing hard to get, not wanting to ruin their friendship. They are both so glad they took that chance!

Happiest

2018 was full of great times, memorable moments, and a growing love between two friends. Whitney and Justin soon realized that their relationship was the real deal and they were both the happiest they had ever been. Justin fell in love with Whitney's dog Finley and the feeling was very mutual, Whitney knew it was meant to be. They decided after the new year- 2019, that they wanted to move in together and were able to live in the very place that they met over 15 years before, Fort Monroe.They love their little house where they have made so many great memories, hosted dinners and gatherings, visited their favorite local spots- becoming regulars, frequent the beach in the summer, and enjoyed every moment with each other and their little family. They have traveled to the Bahamas with friends, Charleston, Georgia to visit the Landry family multiple times, The Outer Banks, and now Colorado. They can't wait to go on more adventures together and travel much more. Now they have been living together on Fort Monroe for over 2 years and couldn't be happier. One evening in March of 2020 Justin came home with a surprise, he had gotten a Golden Retriever puppy named Jeter. He has been the perfect addition to their household and they love their two Golden's more than anything.Although they have made their house feel like home, they will be on the hunt to purchase a house in 2022, where new memories will be made!

The Engagement

As we all know, 2020 was a weird and very challenging one. In March Justin turned 30 with a surprise party, surrounded by all of his close friends. Who knew that a couple weeks later the world would be turned upside down and a global lockdown would occur. In April, it was Whitney's turn to hit that 30 year mark as well. Justin surprised Whitney with a trip to Europe (where we later found out that he was planning to propose in Paris). Well, due to unforeseen circumstances and travel restrictions, they were unable to go to Europe in 2020. Justin knew he had to plan something outrageous and romantic to pop the question here in the US. So, one random evening in October, Justin came home with an "early Christmas gift" for Whitney. It was a beautiful box and inside it said to pick anywhere for a trip! After throwing many ideas around, they landed on going somewhere "wintery". If you know Whitney &amp; Justin, you know they LOVE Christmas, so going to a real life Hallmark Christmas Town was exactly where they wanted to go in December. They planned a trip to Park City Utah- booked tickets, purchased all the winter gear, and planned the whole week out. Then, due to some more unforeseen circumstances, the trip was cancelled. Justin was determined to travel somewhere, so on Friday December 4th, he booked flights to Aspen Colorado, leaving that very next day.December 5th, 2020 they landed in the beautiful and snowy town of Aspen. Since this was planned less than 24 hours earlier, they had nothing planned. They knew they wanted to go on a carriage ride at some point while they were there so Justin booked it for THAT evening. They walked around the town of Aspen, grabbed a bottle of wine at a cute cafe, and scoped out where they wanted to eat for dinner after the excursion. Then, grabbed an Uber to the farm where they would be starting off the carriage ride. Whitney received a text from her good friend Meredith on the way there with a GIF and said "Me sitting in Unionville waiting for Justin to pull out that ring", Whitney laughed to herself, not really thinking that he would do it the first night they were there. Little did they know that there would be multiple watch parties going on as soon as friends saw that they were going on a romantic ride through the snowy mountains. It was dark (who knew it got darker WAY earlier in the valley of a mountain) and freezing but Whitney and Justin snuggled up in the back of the horse drawn carriage, listening to all of stories the guide was giving. They stopped at the foot of the valley where the guide told them there was an amazing photo op. They posed for pictures with the horses and then next to the carriage (the guide started playing some instrumental music on his phone to set the mood), where Justin got down on one knee, pulled the box out of his boot, and asked Whitney to marry him. It was perfect! Whitney said the easiest yes she had ever said! They celebrated their engagement with spiked peppermint hot cocoa and were on could 9 the whole way back to the farm. It was freezing, like 8 degrees freezing, but Whitney could not stop admiring the beauty on her hand and the thought of spending the rest of her life with Justin. Once they got to their Uber to take them into town they FaceTimed with their families and close friends and then spent the rest of the evening enjoying the perfect and memorable moment they just shared. The rest of the week was spent exploring and enjoying their time together as an engaged couple.They decided they didn't want to wait more than a year to get married and with their love for the Holidays, they picked December 4, 2021 to tie the knot. Almost an exact year from when they got engaged!

Our Story

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront

Holiday Inn VA Beach-Oceanside (21st St), an IHG Hotel

There will be a complimentary shuttle from hotels to the venue and then back. More information upon arrival at the hotels.

Whitney & Justin

Whitney & Justin

Things to Do

Attractions

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

Cape Henry Lighthouse

Beachside Social

iFLY VA Beach

Topgolf

Breweries

Smartmouth Brewing Pilot House

Back Bay's Farmhouse Brewing Co.

Back Bay Brewing Co.

New Realm Brewing

Pleasure House Brewing

Wasserhund Brewing Company

Young Veterans Brewing Company, The Bunker