Highschool sweethearts, Caitlyn and Joe, wanted their engagement session to embody greenery, nature, and natural beauty. Capturing their love story through my lens in an organic way was key to enhancing their already unbreakable bond. Their New Jersey engagement photos at Skylands Manor allowed us to capture this season of life in a romantic, touching, and intimate way. Bonus points for the adorable pups that they brought along!

Skylands Manor in Ringwood, New Jersey

The Skylands Manor sits alongside New Jersey’s Botanical Garden in Ringwood, New Jersey. Now, over here at MTA we are no strangers to Skylands Manor. We’ve photographed many engagement sessions here, one being Kayla and Eric’s who’s linked here! The property being about 200 years old, but constructed in early 1922 leads us to adore the stunning historical architecture of Skylands Manor. Basically what I’m saying here is that it’s drop-dead gorgeous.

Skylands Manor offers 100 acres of formal botanical gardens within the 1,000 acres of natural woodlands. With so much space and greenery, it makes for the perfect location for your New Jersey engagement photos. Skylands Manor not only serves as a prime location for your New Jersey engagement, but it’s also perfect as a wedding venue. Having a similar resemblance to a castle, Skylands Manor gives couples that fairytale wedding vision that some of you have been dreaming of for decades. If you want plenty of space, architecture, history, and greenery, I highly recommend checking out Skylands Manor. You won’t be disappointed!

Permit Fees at Skylands Manor

If you’re looking to have your New Jersey engagement at Skylands Manor Skylands Manor, you need to purchase a photo permit. The permit fee for NJ residents is $150 while for non-NJ residents it’s $200. This permit allows for photos to be taken anywhere inside the park/gardens.

View the photography permit application here.

Caitlyn + Joe’s New Jersey Engagement Photos at Skylands Manor

Caitlyn and Joe are tying the knot at Park Chateau, a stunning New Jersey wedding venue. Park Chateau is an estate that radiates a luxurious wedding experience. Emulating the same energy as a fairytale’s castle, Skylands Manor was only fitting for Caitlyn and Joe’s engagement session. Caitlyn wore a floral maxi dress that was the epitome of cottage core. The color palette was soft and romantic and paired perfectly with her bouquet of flowers and picnic basket. Two subtle yet powerful props for their engagement photos to only enhance their photos even more. To keep things cohesive, Joe wore a simple blue button-down and khakis. This paired with Caitlyn’s outfit made for a uniform look no matter where we chose to photograph.

Having been to Skylands Manor before, I am familiar with the best photo location spots to get the most optimal results. While doing this, it’s important that we still keep things organic and real, while still elegantly photographed and curated. Speaking of organic and real, to tag along for their New Jersey engagement photos were their two pomeranian pups. Pups are a great way to bring a little bit of your personality to your engagement photos. However, remember that we will need to take solos of you two, so bring someone along to watch the pups while we do that!

Skylands Manor Engagement Photos

It’s safe to say that Skylands Manor has its fair share of photo opportunities. With stone steps, garden walls, and the main manor house, you are most of the time faced with “too many options” rather than too few. Trust me, it’s a good problem to have! I spent this gorgeous afternoon with Caitlyn and Joe as we soaked up all of the love and cherished the memories we made. From high school sweethearts who met through their shared love for basketball, to now walking down the aisle in July 2024. A beautiful journey thus far and I can only imagine what’s to come.

Congratulations Caitlyn & Joe!

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