filed in Brides, Engagement Session

NJ Engagement Photo Locations

March

Best NJ Engagement Photo Locations

I love photographing engagement sessions! Its a great time to get to know each other and practice before the wedding day. Many of my grooms are amazing and hired a photographer to capture their proposal. But there are many benefits to having an engagement session with your wedding photographer. Apart from the obvious benefit of having beautiful photos, its also nice to get to know each other and meet before the wedding! Its great practice for the two of you to get used to being in front of the camera, and helps you to get familiar with my posing style. It helps me to learn if there is anything I need to know about you- like if your fiancé blinks a lot in photos (I’m a blinker too!)

I hope this guide helps you choose the perfect location to bring your dream engagement photos to life! I’ve photographed hundreds of engagement sessions and these are my very favorite engagement session locations in and around the New Jersey area. I’ve separated them into categories- Garden, Architecture, Beach and Cityscape. For more on this, or to figure out what category is best for you, make sure you take our Engagement Session Personality Quiz!

If you don’t see what you are looking for in this guide, please let me know! I’m always happy to explore new locations.

Garden Inspired Engagement Session Locations

They don’t call New Jersey the Garden State for nothing! Here are my top garden inspired engagement session locations!

1. NJ Botanical Gardens at Skyland Manor

I dedicated an entire blog post to this epic, New Jersey location, and for good reason! This location has it all- gardens, fountains, architecture. It has perennial gardens, annual gardens, a wildflower garden, a lilac garden and so much more! Located at the top of New Jersey, very close to the New York border, this location is worth the trip whether you are from New York or New Jersey! It is probably my most highly requested location and I can definitely see why. The location looks great all year round and has tons of versatility within the location itself. It does require a permit to shoot here, but I renew mine annually at no cost to my couples. Can’t get enough of Skyland Manor? Here are links to some of my favorite Skyland Manor Engagement Sessions.

Joelle + Mat / Haemar + Matt / Danielle + Steve

2. Bear Creek Herbary

I can confidently say that Bear Creek Herbary is my new favorite New Jersey Engagement Session Location! A $100 permit is required to shoot here but its 100% worth it! We met here about an hour before sunset and were free to wonder the beautiful gounds and greenhouse. See more of this Stylish Boho Engagement Session here!

3. Verona Park

Verona Park is another one of my favorite locations for an NJ engagement session. Its easy to get to in North Jersey and does not require a permit. It is a large park with a beautiful white bridge with stairs, a boathouse, sunflower garden and more. There is also a bathroom which is great if you had a long drive to get there or brought a 2nd outfit!. Lisa and Rich chose Verona Park for their September Engagement Session and it was beautiful!

4. Cross Estate Gardens

Cross Estate Gardens is probably the location I shoot at the most. A permit is not required to shoot here.

Architecture Engagement Session Locations

5. Princeton University

This is one of my favorite locations to recommend for engagement photos. And great news- we don’t need a permit to shoot here! Princeton is great because it has gardens and also beautiful architecture.

Brooklyn Bridge

Jersey Shore Engagement Photo Locations

If you don’t think of gardens when you think of New Jersey, you surely think of the the Jersey shore! Lets have fun on one of New Jersey’s finest beaches at sunset- there are so many to choose from! The only caveat is that if you do opt for a beach session it has to be at sunset- no exceptions! Mid day sun on the beach is too harsh!

Best Beach Engagement Locations

6. Lavallette Beach

First up is one of my favorite beach spots. Lavallette is so quiet and peaceful, it almost looks like a tropical island in photos. It is a popular choice for family photos. Many of my clients vacation there with their families. I love it for engagement pictures too! Lavallette Beach is a little farther south than many of the other beach towns I will recommend in this post, but it might be worth the trip! Lavallette is a good choice if you are having a beach wedding, are from the Jersey shore or have a personal connection to this cute beach town.

7. Spring Lake

I love to schedule engagement sessions in the beautiful Jersey shore town of Spring Lake. I like to start in Divine Park, which is a few blocks from the beach (more toward the town). After getting some park-like photos, we usually hop in the car and head down to the beach for sunset photos! Not only is Spring Lake a great location for your engagement photos, but they also have a number of beautiful wedding venues- Spring Lake Bath and Tennis Club, Spring Lake Golf Club and The Mill at Lakeside Manor, just to name a few!

8. Sea Girt

Sea Girt beach is our family’s personal favorite beach to go to, so it was a natural choice for our Christmas family photos. I love doing winter photo sessions at the beach because it looks the same whether its hot or cold outside.

9. Asbury Park Boardwalk

Next, we have Asbury Park. One of my most requested locations and I can see why. It has the perfect mix of beach, boardwalk and artsy vibes.15. Pier Village

10. Long Branch, Pier Village