Beautiful Sunset Engagement in Asbury Park, NJ

Dave & Kelsey

We were given the most gorgeous gradient of color in the cloudless sky for Dave + Kelsey’s beautiful sunset engagement in Asbury Park, New Jersey. They brought their cute little puppy, Noodle, with them to join in on the fun, too. We had an incredibly fun time with these two and from the get-go, really leaned into their goofy attitudes and fun personalities. Kelsey fell onto the sand no less than 4 times. And Dave was always there to help her up. This is marriage folks. As long as these two can keep having fun, make each other laugh, and be there to help the other one up then they’ll do just fine! We’re excited to have the pleasure of photographing their wedding later this year in Philly!

Q: How did the proposal happen?

Dave proposed right around our one year anniversary. A few days prior, we had celebrated our first year together at La Stalla, a wonderfully romantic Italian restaurant that serves an excellent Chicken Parm. We spent the evening talking about all the meaningful moments we’ve shared and wondering what the future will bring. We promised each other that we’d grow old together and stay goofy doing it – we’re silly, goofy people at heart as those closest to us know. Being true to ourselves, together, is one of the many reasons we fell in love so quickly.

So, I wasn’t surprised when Dave proposed, but I was shocked. I knew he already had the perfect ring – I just wasn’t sure when he would ask! He mentioned he had plans, and something about proposing ‘by the end of the year’ and ‘by the end of the summer’, but it turns out it was more like ‘by the end of this sentence’. After spending a rainy spring day doing our usual chores, I didn’t think anything of it when Dave insisted that we take our dog, Noodle, on a walk to tire her out before a storm. Everyone put on their daily dog walk accoutrement and we were on our way. Our daily dog walks have always been a time to unwind, vent about the stressors of daily life, make jokes, and just enjoy one another’s company. These walks have been special to us since the beginning of our relationship, when we learned so much about each other while walking Noodle.

As we were walking, I remained oblivious, while Dave told me about how wonderful our anniversary weekend had been and how he enjoyed our time together. Then suddenly he was down on one knee, ring in hand. I definitely blacked out for a moment in shock, then cried tears of joy and screamed ‘yes’. We hugged, cried, kissed, and took some pictures to memorialize the occasion. That trail will always hold a special place in our hearts, as the place where we officially agreed to get married!

Q: What’s the best part about being engaged?

My favorite part? Knowing at the end of this, I get to call him my husband and he gets to call me his wife. Our day to day hasn’t changed much, but now we get to plan our wedding, write our vows, and commit to each other officially for the rest of our lives. Frankly, at this point, we are just counting down the moments until the big day.

Q: Any advice for other couples planning their own weddings?

Stay focused on each other and don’t lose sight of the big picture. We decided that we want our wedding to be a celebration of the start of our marriage. After the wedding ends, our marriage will be what remains, so we’re staying focused on that idea during the planning process.

To Dave + Kelsey:

We had such an incredible time with you both at your engagement session! Thanks for making me smile practically the entire time, and for trusting us with your photographs! I really do hope you love them and I do believe that I was able to capture that goofiness that you talked about in your proposal story. Can’t wit to do it all again later this fall! Until then, we hope you enjoy this little sneak peek at your beautiful sunset engagement in Asbury Park!