Dominique and Brad wrangled up some vintage bikes, her sister, and their dog for their classy and sassy vintage inspired Ocean City Engagement Session in New Jersey. The temperature was perfect! The sunset was beautiful! I stepped barefoot onto about a dozen of those prickers next to the sand dunes! We went all around the inlet and were the only ones there. Afterwards we found this amazing dock to shoot from, but was extremely sketchy to get to with an old wooden ladder connecting the dock to the street. Can’t wait for their wedding this summer!
Ocean City was founded in 1879 by Methodist ministers who wanted a dry resort town on the Jersey Shore, and it still does not sell alcohol today, over 140 years later. The boardwalk stretches 2.5 miles and the inlet sits at the quieter southern end of the island, away from the amusement piers and crowds. At golden hour, when the light comes across the bay from the west and hits the dunes from behind, that stretch of beach becomes one of the best natural light locations I work in. It photographs completely differently depending on the season, which is part of why I love bringing couples there.
Engagement sessions work best when the couple brings something that actually belongs to them. Dominique and Brad showed up with vintage bikes, her sister in tow, and their dog, and that combination set the whole tone. No posing required when everyone is having a genuinely good time. The bikes gave us motion, the dog gave us chaos in the best way, and the sunset did the rest. Barefoot in the sand dunes was a personal choice I regret slightly, but the photographs made it worth it.
The dock at the end was the best find of the session. A sketchy wooden ladder connecting the dock to the street, the kind of place you only discover by walking past where you’re supposed to stop. Those unexpected locations always produce something you could not have planned. If you’re looking at engagement session locations along the Shore, check out our guide to the best Jersey Shore wedding venues, which covers a range of ceremony and portrait spots from Cape May up through Ocean City and beyond.
Ocean City Engagement Session on the beach
