Jenkisnson's Boardwalk Engagement Session | Point Pleasant, NJ | Lindsay+Mike
I’ll be photographing the wedding of Lindsay & Mike at The Mill Lakeside Manor in just a few months. Thanks to Covid-19, it took a little longer than initially planned to get together for their Point Pleasant, NJ engagement session.
This past Monday, the stars aligned, and I had the pleasure of photographing Lindsay & Mike’s engagement photos at Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant, NJ. Why did they choose the boardwalk for their engagement session? Lindsay says’, “It’s been one of my favorite spots to go since I was a kid! Once Mike and I met in high school, it was pretty common for our group of friends to gather there in the summers. As a couple, we have spent many a day at Jenkinson’s, getting ice cream, playing skeeball (poorly), giving away our tickets to the coolest kid we can find in the arcade (or the most tired parent!), and then just holding hands as we walk along the beach. We both find great comfort in the sound of the ocean and a beach sunset, so it’s definitely a happy place for us.
Out of curiosity, I asked Lindsay how I got to be the lucky one to photograph their engagement and wedding Love Story. She replied, “I did just as many months of research on photographers as I did venues! I always try to live in the moment, but I’m definitely a photo taker. As someone who travels for my career, I often find myself in a faraway city scrolling through pictures of my loved ones, holding on to all the beautiful moments that made my life so wonderful. Then I get to bring photos home from my worldly travels and share them with my family back home. Point being - photos definitely hold a lot of value to me, so photography was a high priority for our wedding. As much as I love the style of light and airy “fairytale” style photos as I call them, I knew that Mike and I as a couple are super bright. We always joke when we go on vacation that all we look for are the “greens and blues” - super-bright skies, super-saturated nature. We love the bright rainbow sprinkles, yellow polka dots, the beautiful blue in Mike’s eyes (you get the idea). I saw a photo of yours in a Facebook bridal group I was a part of, and it was just stunning - it looked so real and true, like a moment in time, not posed or forced. I stalked your Instagram and sent it to Mike, and we emailed you the next morning! We knew we wanted someone who was going to accurately portray how unique, bright, and totally in love we are as a couple, and with every picture you share we get even happier with our decision to book with you!
Continue on after the photos to learn about how these two perfect partners met, how Mike brought Lindsay’s family to Walt Disney World to surprise her with the most expertly executed marriage proposal ever, and to hear even more of their Love Story!
The Story
Sparknotes Version:
Lindsay and Mike were great friends in high school
Lindsay and Mike were best friends in college
Lindsay and Mike commuted together to jobs in Princeton
Mike asked Lindsay on a date
Lindsay said ok!
Mike asked Lindsay to marry him
Lindsay said ok!
Excessive Novel Version:
Chapter 1: The Meeting
The year was 2005. The place was Howell High School. Ugg boots as far as the eye can see. iPod Shuffles were the newest standard of upper middle-class wealth. High School Musical was a thing. Lindsay, ever the honor student, was accepted to the Humanities Scholar program, a group of students who would focus on literary and social studies based classes together over the course of their four years at school. In this group of 30 people, 5 were dudes. One of those dudes was named Mike Brown. Lindsay found this little group of friends through mutual weirdness and excessive group projects, and still treasures these people as some of her closest friends 15 years later. Luckily for Mike, he was part of this treasure trove of weirdos.
Chapter 2: The Relationship
Mike and Lindsay were the only friends from their group to both be attending Rutgers University. In the ridiculously large number of students that were incoming freshman being assigned housing, Mike and Lindsay somehow magically ended up being placed one floor apart in the same building on Cook Campus (thanks, universe!)
2009-2013 was a crazy upsetting RU-Screw filled four years of deep bonding and friendship growth. They got to see each at their worst (all-nighters, failed classes, cranky Lindsay’s, Route 9 traffic jams, Route 18 traffic jams, Route 1 traffic jams, shall I go on...) but also got to experience some of their best (shouting at football with meal-swiped Starburst packs, midnight McDonalds parking lots, sharing snack packs of Devil Dogs, Lindsay eating both sets of snack pack Devil Dogs, special occasion Houlihan’s stuffed mushrooms, honestly just all food-related I guess??). The pair left college as a pretty inseparable set of best friends.
After graduating, Mike transferred his Loss Prevention position to the Lowe’s in West Windsor, NJ. Lindsay was driving to a job interview in Princeton, NJ, pulled into a plaza across the street to nervous pee, when she realized there was a Lowe’s in the plaza...Mike’s Lowe’s! (Woah, universe, we really owe you!) For the next two years, Mike and Lindsay got to spend more time commuting together at these jobs, experiencing the bonding brought on by a whole new highway of traffic.
It wasn’t long before there were more dinners spent together, more nights giggling, more plans made, and FINALLY - a true first date was proposed. Cue the romantic music, play the montage of Mike and Lindsay holding hands around a sparkling light-filled Christmas village in Philly, roll end credits with the hint towards a sequel.
Chapter 3: The Engagement
Lindsay is a Type A Planner, so naturally, bulleted instructions were given. She told Mike that the rules for her engagement were as follows:
1. Be at an approved location from a list of three viable options (one of which was the main lobby staircase of the Grand Floridian Hotel in Walt Disney World)
2. Include my parents and sister
3. Must be photographed
4. Nails must be manicured (every lady knows this!)
5. Most importantly and most impossibly, must be a complete and total surprise
Lindsay isn’t a total monster - just a small one. She told Mike a million times that he would never be able to make his proposal a true surprise after all her specific demands, she would know in an instant.
Well, he sure got her good!
Lindsay was planning a trip to Disney with her bestie at the same time her sister and brother in law were going. Lindsay’s parents couldn’t go because, and I quote, “Florida in August humidity?! Are you crazy?!” Mike couldn’t come because he was going through the police academy, which some of you know was a crazy exhausting rigorous process for him. Lindsay completely understood and wished he could have joined her, but knew he needed to focus on this awesome new career path - he had put in many many years of hard work to reach this goal and she couldn’t have been prouder. The pair had already discussed engagement timelines, and the plan was to worry about it after he graduated when they had more time and wedding planning money saved away.
The day before the Disney trip, Lindsay’s mom said she had a surprise gift. She gave Lindsay a letter from their travel agent with details for a special Princess Photoshoot that her parents had arranged - Lindsay and her bestie would have a chance to go take a photo with a princess first thing in the morning before anyone else (yes yes I know, I’m a grown adult but this is my story so take your judgments elsewhere). Knowing that Disney is chock full of magical pixie-dust-moment events like these, and with the official paper on the travel agent letterhead, Lindsay didn’t have any reason to doubt a thing. She packed a special dress and tiara and couldn’t wait for the fun surprise!
The morning of the special photo op, Lindsay and her friend Joseph made their way to the Grand Floridian lobby, where they handed the “official paper” (fake letter my mom made) to the “official staff member” (one of the bellhop attendants my mom tipped generously) and followed him across the lobby toward the staircase.
(Quick side story - this staircase holds special value in my heart. My family has spent about 25 years of Disney trips in the lobby of the Grand Floridian, growing a beautiful tree of memories and experiences and love. I have a lifetime of photographs of our family, of me and my sister at all ages posed on that grand staircase. This became one of the “approved proposal locations” because I felt it would be so special to have the next chapter of my life connected to this spot, to not only be starting something new, but to tie Mike into my family history and share this special place in my heart with him.)
As Lindsay and Joe walked unknowingly closer to the staircase, he whispered, “look there’s your sister!” Though it wouldn’t be unlike her Disney-obsessed sister Lauren to be standing alone in a random spot in Disney at 7AM, it did seem a little out of place. But then, both of Lindsay’s parents also popped out from behind lobby pillars, cameras in hand, and grinning wildly! By the time Lindsay even realized who they were, the Bell Man gently asked, “Lindsay, would you please come stand right here” as he gestured to the special spot on the stairs.
Lindsay was ugly crying before he could finish his sentence.
She stepped onto the landing and looked over her shoulder to see Mike, head freshly shaven as mandatory for the police academy, handsomely dressed in suit and tie, walking down the stairs. Can you get any more perfect Disney fairytale than the handsome prince walking down a staircase to offer his beautiful princess a happily ever after?
After the knee drop, the ring reveal, and some beautiful words (including an “even though I’m bald for the photos” disclaimer), Lindsay sobbed through the “YES!” and just like that they were engaged. Mike dried her tears with the custom embroidered handkerchief he had specially made for the occasion, then donned the classic Disney “we’re engaged!” pin he already had waiting in his pocket. After spending the day in the Magic Kingdom with his new fiancé, he flew home less than 36 hours after arriving to return to the police academy like the loyal hard working incredible man he is! Lindsay stayed behind to finish out her life-changing vacation (and continue crying very happy but very ugly tears all around Disney).
Moral of the story - Mike (with significant and much appreciated help from Lindsay’s parents who poured their heart and soul into this proposal, but also a family’s lifetime love of Disney), planned an over the top, perfectly executed, and completely surprising magic proposal.
So now it’s time for Lindsay to plan an over the top, perfectly executed, and completely incredible wedding!
