When planning for your engagement session, one of the hardest things to decide on is location. Unless a couple has a spot in mind that has special meaning to them and their relationship, picking a location for their one and only engagement session can be difficult.
Since we have shot at many places, we thought we would compile a blog series of locations to help couples visualize what their photos would look like. Let’s start with New Jersey engagement photo locations that we love to work at!
Hoboken, New Jersey
With the waterfront, train station and local parks, Hoboken is a great location for a variety of photos. Starting your session earlier in the evening, you can capture the beautiful golden hour during sunset than capture night shots in front of the New York City skyline.
Jersey City
Just across the river from Manhattan, Jersey City offers stunning waterfront views with the iconic New York City skyline as your backdrop. From romantic strolls along the Hudson River Walkway to golden hour portraits at Liberty State Park, it’s a location that blends urban charm with unforgettable scenery.
liberty State Park
Just a short ride away from Hoboken, Liberty State Park in Jersey City has a similar feel. There is an old train station, the 9/11 memorial and the park on the waterfront. Just like Hoboken, we love to stay until dark to capture those night images.
Check out more photos taken at Liberty State Park:
Liberty State Park engagement photos
Liberty State Park engagement pictures
New Jersey Botanical Gardens
New Jersey Botanical Gardens/Skylands Manor in Ringwood, NJ is a great location with endless options of places to shoot. For couples who want a park feel but also have an interest in architecture, this is the spot for them.
Check out more photos taken at New Jersey Botanical Gardens here:
New Jersey Botanical Garden engagement
New Jersey Botanical Gardens engagement photos
Sandy Hook
When we shot at Sandy Hook in Highlands, NJ for the first time it quickly became one of our favorite places to go. Besides being just a beach, there are park areas and old forts that we have used for variety. And if we haven’t stressed it enough…staying for night shots is important. Especially at Sandy Hook when you get an AMAZING sunset.
Check out more photos taken in Sandy Hook here:
Sandy Hook engagement pictures
Natirar Park
Another first for us recently was Natirar Park in Gladstone, NJ. The grounds of the park are stunning. Our favorite spot was a little stream under a bridge that we can’t wait to go back and shoot at. This location is great for a couple who may be a bit more adventurous!
See more photos at Natirar Park here:
Asbury Park
Love Asbury Park! With the beach, boardwalk and awesome artwork there are endless possibilities on where to shoot. This location is perfect for a more casual, laid back session.
More Asbury Park photos can be seen here:
Asbury Park engagement pictures
Hartshorne Woods
When Jaclyn and Andrew suggested Hartshorne Woods for their engagement session, we were in for a treat! There are so many beautiful trails, the pier and waterfront that made us feel we were in another part of the country. Hartshorne is the perfect location for a beautiful fall session!
More Hartshorne Woods photos can be seen here:
Hartshorne Woods engagement pictures
Colonial Park
Colonial Park is a park in Somerset County that has beautiful grounds, gardens and old buildings. This park is perfect for couples looking for photos full of greenery and flowers.
More Colonial Park photos can be seen here: Colonial Park engagement photos
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey has so many locations to shoot but our favorite spots are the Princeton Battlefield and Princeton University. The Battlefield has these grand columns that couples like to use for their photos. The Battlefield is often empty which gives us free reign to take photographs peacefully. The University campus is simply gorgeous! It has beautiful architecture that couples appreciate and love for their photos. For some reason, we have only shot on campus at night (makes for beautiful, elegant photos) but look forward to shooting on the grounds during the day!
More Princeton engagement photos can be seen here: Princeton engagement photos
South Mountain Reservation
We love hiking and the outdoors so when we recently discovered South Mountain Reservation, we had such a blast. There is quite a bit of walking in the park but it is so worth it!
More of South Mountain here:
South Mountain Reservation engagement pictures
South Mountain engagement photos
Sayen House & Garden
Sayen House & Garden is the perfect location for a lover of flowers and gardens. With tons of grounds to explore, the best time of year to visit is in the spring time.
More Sayen House & Garden photos:
Sayen Garden engagement pictures
Deep Cut Gardens
New Jersey has no shortage of beautiful gardens to photograph. A location we have visited recently was Deep Cut Gardens. There is so much to photograph on site- both indoor and out!
View more Deep Cut Gardens photos: Deep Cut Gardens engagement session
Willowwood Arboretum / Cross Estate Gardens
Two more of our favorite gardens to visit are Willowwood Arboretum and Cross Estate Gardens. Each uniquely different, they both provide a beautiful backdrop for photos, no matter the season.
More Cross Estate engagement pictures
Montclair, New Jersey
What better location to include in your session than the city you live in? A few couples have chosen their hometowns of Montclair. With its quaint parks and main streets, there is much to explore.
JERSEY SHORE
There are no shortage of beaches in NJ and they are perfect for a casual and fun engagement session. The few we have been to include Island Beach State Park, Spring Lake and Avon by the Sea (shown in order)
See more Jersey Shore engagement photos:
Avon by the Sea engagement photos
laurita Winery
Another favorite of ours personally is Laurita Winery. We got there often for their incredible sangria so we were excited to learn that you can photograph engagement sessions there without a permit as long as the winery is open.
Other Suggestions
There are so many other cool places that we would like to photograph an engagement session at that include the following:
