Jessica & Michael had an incredible McLoone’s Pier House wedding. It was a bit cold and windy right on the beach at Long Branch, NJ. They had their bridal preps at The Bungalow Hotel, which is a very unique and modern styled hotel. Each room even had a different country’s flag on the wall behind the beds. We photographed on the boardwalk by McLoone’s Pier House and also they had a carousel and Christmas tree set up with wooden reindeer everywhere. The bridal party was great and really worked it with the super cold wind coming onshore and I thoroughly enjoyed capturing their day.
McLoone’s Pier House sits right on the Long Branch boardwalk, where the old Pier Village pier used to run out into the Atlantic. The current building opened in 2010 after Hurricane Sandy chewed up the original boardwalk, and the second floor reception room is mostly glass on the ocean side, which is the whole reason couples book it. Sunsets there break across the water and bounce off the room until the first dance. If you book a winter or shoulder season date, the Pier Village carousel and string lights stay up well into spring and give the boardwalk portraits a year-round look.
Jessica & Michael’s ceremony took place also at McLoone’s Pier House and they had beautiful chic details that they made for all the tables. A personal friend, Ryan Harkins was the DJ which added to the personalization of the reception and fun. He played a unique mix of 80s-90s music that they rocked too all night. We then went out for a small mini shoot. When we came back we photobombed the downstairs bar that had a live band. They actually stopped playing when we walked in and played a custom song for Jessica and Michael to dance to. What a great way to end the night.
Jessica and Michael’s Wedding Day
Jessica and Michael picked McLoone’s for the room, the boardwalk, and the ocean view. Cold wind running onshore made the bridal party portraits a quick session, but the carousel and the wooden reindeer set up for the holidays gave us a backdrop nobody else gets on a Long Branch wedding. The Bungalow Hotel bridal prep is one of my favorite rooms on the Jersey Shore for getting ready coverage, with each suite themed around a different country and enough natural light to skip the strobe.
The reception ran loose and warm. Ryan Harkins, a friend of the couple, played DJ and threaded an 80s and 90s set that kept the floor packed. The downstairs bar at McLoone’s had a live band that night, and when Jessica and Michael walked in for the photobomb, the band stopped, regrouped, and played them a song to dance to. That kind of moment is the reason I love shooting at this venue: the staff and the crowd treat your night like the only night.
For couples shooting at McLoone’s, two practical notes. Book bridal prep at the Bungalow for the natural light and the short drive. And plan ceremony for one hour before sunset between October and March so the back glass wall behind your vows lights up gold during the recessional.
Vendors
Ceremony & Reception: McLoone’s Pier House
Bridal Prep Hotel: The Bungalow Hotel
Florist: Petal Pushers
DJ: Ryan Harkins
Bride’s Dress: Bridal Suite
Dredging behind the venue on the beach was incredible to watch at night and we used their lights in the background for the next couple photographs you see.
Planning a beach wedding farther south? See the 7 Best Jersey Shore Wedding Venues for a curated shortlist of the rooms I shoot most often.