Cross Estate Gardens Engagement Photos
Keri and Mike chose the beautiful location, Cross Estate Gardens in Bernardsville NJ for their engagement photos. Yes, her name is Keri and she spells it exactly the same way that I do. To make this story even crazier, we are both from the same small town, New Providence!
Anyway, back to this sweet couple and their engagement pics! We had to reschedule twice due to rain, but let me tell you, the third time is the charm! We got such a beautiful sunset and had so much fun. I always tell clients to book an engagement photo session not only for the pictures, but to get to know each other before the wedding. It’s also great practice being in front of the camera before your big day, especially if you’ve never had professional photos taken before.
We ended up having the entire gardens to ourselves which was amazing! I thought it was a little strange, but I chalked it up to being a hot summer evening. Also, Pro Tip- I always start my Cross Estate sessions 2 hours before sunset, instead of my usual 1 hour before sunset recommendation. Anyway, I didn’t think to much more of it, until today when I posted some pictures from our session on instagram. A bride reached out to me and asked when these pictures were taken. When I told her, she said, “Oh, great! I’m so happy they are open again!” “Excuse me?” I said. I was so confused. She proceeded to tell me the park was temporarily closed for road paving. A quick google search confirmed she was right. I had no idea they were closed! I’ve photographed NJ engagement sessions there so many times that I didn’t even think to look it up. And I’ve driven there so many times I didn’t have to google it or anything. Luckily, it was no big deal and we were able to shoot the session without a problem. Also, I love this location because professional photographers are allowed to shoot here and no permit is required. That combined with the beauty of the gardens makes this a fan favorite with lots of New Jersey wedding photographers like me.
Moving on…After taken a bunch of photos here, we headed to the Stirling Hotel where Keri and Mike had their first date to take a few more pics, then I left them to enjoy their dinner. It was such a great night and totally worth the wait!
New Jersey Engagement Photos
This was the perfect spot to capture these beautiful gardens in all of their glory.
Related Read: Stunning Garden Engagement Photo LocationsRelated Read: Cross Estate Engagement Session
Congratulations to Keri & Mike! I am so excited to photograph their wedding day next year at the Park Avenue Club.
If you loved this Cross Estate Gardens Engagement session, here’s an image to pin:
