OCNJ Engagement Session

Ocean City Engagement Session | Lauren and Zach | OCNJ Engagement session

OCNJ Engagement Session. I met this sweet couple in Ocean City for their engagement session. Lauren and Zach are getting married in October 2023 on the beach in Avalon, NJ. They wanted to have the same theme for their engagement session. So we decided that the beach and boardwalk in Ocean city would be fun and have the beachy theme they wanted.

A Long Distance Love

Lauren and Zach met online. They were living in different states, Lauren was in MD for college, and Zach was in NJ at the time. They didn’t think twice about the distance between them because it was temporary. Lauren would soon be graduating and moving back to NJ. So they dated long distance and would meet in the middle for in-person dates. Their first date was in March 2019. Lauren was on spring break in NJ, so Zach took her to the Camden Aquarium and Max Brenner’s chocolate restaurant in Philly; Lauren knew immediately that she was in love with this man. They told each other “I love you” on their 4th date!

Their love grew, and Zach knew she was the one he wanted to marry, so he started working on his proposal. Zach told Lauren he had to go to Florida for the weekend because he had a work conference. Lauren didn’t think anything of it. Little did she know that Zach was there to meet with Lauren’s parents and his grandfather and ask for her hand in marriage! They also helped Zach plan the surprise proposal. Finally, he gave Lauren’s mom the ring to hold onto until the big day.

A surprise beach proposal

A couple of weeks later, they planned a trip to Florida to spend time with their families. Zach’s grandfather planned a fun family dinner one night while they were in town. Lauren had yet to learn that all these plans led up to the proposal. Lauren’s mom treated her to a haircut and a manicure and bought her a new dress. Lauren still didn’t suspect a thing.

At dinner, while waiting for the food, Zach casually asked if Lauren wanted to take a quick walk on the beach. While walking on the beach, suddenly, Zach got down on one knee. Lauren wasn’t sure if it was real, but then she noticed her mom was following them, taking pictures. She was extremely excited and said yes! Lauren loved that Zach had spent so much time and effort planning and that he involved her family in the plans, too, because they are very close!

We started our session on the boardwalk near the amusement park. These two snuggled so nicely together and followed my prompts perfectly. They were laughing with each other and sneaking in kisses the whole time. After the boardwalk pictures, we headed down to the beach. I love these photos because of the colors, the sky, and the interaction between them. They genuinely love each other, and it showed, which made my job so easy.

We had a partly sunny and semi-warm day at the end of October. I love when there is a partly cloudy sky because we get pretty filtered light, and the clouds add drama to the sky. They had two outfits and some props they wanted to use during their session. These two love the tv show “The Office” and brought a couple of their favorite Funko figurines from the show. After we took photos with the figurines, I set up an excellent ring shot.

a perfect fall day

They wanted some pictures near the Music pier, so before taking more photos, I suggested it was a good time for them to change into their second outfit. We timed it perfectly as the sun was starting to set, and I was able to capture them having fun hanging at the pier. Thankfully the boardwalk wasn’t busy, so we also got some walking photos and a kissing shot in front of Manco and Manco Pizza shop. It was a fun and easy session. They were rock stars!

An October 2023 Wedding

These two love birds like watching tv shows, taking walks together, spending time with friends, and playing with their two cats. Zach loves Lauren’s laugh and that she is so kind and caring. Lauren loves Zach’s patience, especially with her and his warmth and affection.

They will have their ceremony on the beach in Avalon outside the Icona Windrift and then party the night away on the second floor of the Windrift. Zach is looking forward to just “getting married.” Lauren is looking forward to dancing all night with family and friends. They hired the EBE Rio band for the night, so I am sure the place will be rocking!

I enjoyed getting to know these two better, and I cannot wait to capture their wedding day moments; I adore beach weddings, and the Icona Windrift is a fantastic venue!