Happy New Year, friends! We hope you had a fabulous holiday season with lots of family time!! Jay and I disconnected and focused on family ourselves, and it was so good for us after such a crazy year. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Jay’s family and then Christmas Day with my family and it was perfect! We’re pretty lucky that our families are all local in Jay’s hometown of Toms River so we can see all of our favorite people pretty easily during the holidays. Our favorite part of this Christmas was spending time with our adorable 7 month nephew on Jay’s side and very talkative 4 year old niece on my side. We just love being aunt and uncle to such cuties! Anyway, we hope your end of 2017 was as magical as ours! Speaking of last year, 2017 may have come to an end but we’re not done sharing our work from last year! We still have a bunch of shoots to show you – like today’s featured engagement session! I did Jen and Joe’s engagement photos in Asbury Park on Thanksgiving weekend but you wouldn’t think so from these images. It was an unseasonably warm day and we were so thankful for the beautiful weather! I have to say that Jen wore the most romantic tulle skirt! Now I’m totally dreaming of a tulle skirt for Jay and my 6 year anniversary shoot coming up later this year!

The Couple

Jen and Joe met at Park East in Hazlet, NJ through a mutual friend. Jen was there watching a Rangers playoff game and saw Joe talking to one of her friends. They exchanged numbers that night, but it took them almost 2 months to go on their first date! Good things come to those who wait, though, and Jen and Joe’s love story developed perfectly. I think you’re going to love reading all the details below, in Jen and Joe’s own words. Get excited because these two are tying the knot at The Palace at Somerset Park this coming August so it won’t be long before you see them back on the blog!

Asbury Park Engagement Featuring a Romantic Tulle Skirt

Their first date

“I fell off an unfinished dock onto a jetty! We went there to just sit and talk more after eating, and as we were leaving, I lost my balance and fell onto the rocks. I slammed my head so hard and had bruises all over my body! The thing I remember the most about it though was how concerned he was that I was okay.”

When they knew they had found the one

“He is the first person that I’ve always felt like I could just be myself around. Everything has always just felt so natural with him, and it’s felt like that from day one.”

The proposal

“My best friend Samantha was pregnant and had asked if we would go to dinner with her and her husband. She had a rough first trimester and said she just wanted to go out and feel like a “normal” person again. I was at my cousin’s house all day by her pool, and Samantha kept telling me she was wearing a dress and getting her hair done…. I wasn’t even planning on washing my hair before we went out! I said to Joe, “I guess they want to go some place fancy… I was just going to wear shorts!” I put on a dress and quickly did my hair.

I asked if anyone had made a reservation, but no one had. Samantha said she just wanted to go somewhere by the water, so we started heading to the Highlands area. On the way there, I kept trying to make reservations to places and Samantha said we would just wing it! We pulled up by the docks that I had fallen off of on our first date. Samantha said she wanted to get a picture taken with her husband since they were dressed nicely, and it may be the last time they’d go out before the babies were born. We’ve come back here a handful of times before, so I didn’t think it was weird. I took a picture of Samantha and Matty, and then Samantha said she would take one of me and Joe. At this point, I definitely started questioning if something was happening, but we took some pictures and walked away and nothing happened. I walked back over to Samantha and she said she didn’t like how the pictures turned out and to go take new ones. I walked back over to Joe and he got on one knee. I remember sitting on the docks on our first date and thinking, “Wow, if we get married, this would be the perfect place to get engaged.” I never expressed this to anyone because it was crazy to be thinking it after our first date, but Joe must have been thinking the same thing! Afterwards, we went to Windansea, which is where our first date was, and both of our families were there waiting for us. Little by little, more friends and family members kept showing up. Joe really planned the perfect proposal!”

All about the ring

“I love my ring! It has a 6 prong round center stone on a thin pave band. I love how high the setting is! Joe describes it as a picture of a ring that a little kid would draw. He knew how much I liked my best friend’s ring, so he brought her along with her husband and Joe’s mom!”

“I love his sense of humor. He always makes me laugh with his goofy jokes!”

Besides getting married, what they’re most looking forward to on the wedding day

“Having all of the people we love in one place to help us celebrate.”

Enjoy this Asbury Park engagement session? Pin this image or any from the post above!