Gabby & Pierce's Engagement Session at Cross Estate Gardens


Gabby and Pierce met on a dating app in 2023, while both were still living at home. A year in, Gabby took a job in Baltimore, and Pierce moved with her rather than let the distance figure itself out. In spring of 2025, he proposed on a pier next to Pierson Park along the Tarrytown waterfront, the spot where they'd had several of their first dates since it sat roughly halfway between their two hometowns. You can read the full story on their Tarrytown proposal blog post.


For their engagement session at the end of August, they wanted something different from the waterfront: a whimsical garden feel, heavy on greens, with Gabby in white and Pierce in blue. Cross Estate Gardens in Bernardsville, New Jersey, was the answer.

Couple sharing a romantic moment in a lush green field of Cross Estate Gardens during an engagement session in New Jersey.

Cross Estate Gardens

Cross Estate Gardens sits within Morristown National Historical Park, built around a stone mansion that landscape architect Clarence Fowler and homeowner Julia Newbold Cross turned into a formal English-style garden in the 1930s. The 200-foot wisteria-covered pergola is the piece most people come for, but the walled, two-tiered perennial garden and the open fields just beyond it give a session plenty of range without leaving the property.


Gabby wore a white tiered maxi dress with a pink floral print, switching between sandals and the flowery white Christian Louboutins her mom gave her when she got engaged. Pierce kept it simple in a light blue collared shirt and khaki slacks, which played well against the deep green of the garden. We moved through the benches and quieter corners first, spent time under the pergola, and finished at the estate's old stone water tower for something with a different texture.


Gabby and Pierce will tell you they're not "photogenic" people. They're wrong. They just needed a little direction to stop thinking about the camera, and once they did, the comfort between them did the rest of the work.

Couple sharing a romantic kiss on a garden path surrounded by lush green foliage and wildflowers in Cross Estate Gardens in NJ.

Planning a session at Cross Estate Gardens

This is one of the more popular engagement photo spots in New Jersey, so expect company. Other photographers are usually working the same gardens at the same time, but everyone gives each other space and there's enough ground to cover that it rarely feels crowded.


A few things worth knowing before you book a date here. Admission and parking are free, and the gardens are open from 8 am to dusk year-round. Avoid Wednesday mornings between 9am and noon from spring through fall, since that's when the volunteer garden crew is working the beds.


Small sessions like engagement photos typically don't need a permit through Morristown National Historical Park as long as the group stays small and the gear is hand-carried, though it's worth confirming with the park directly if your plans are more involved. And skip the confetti, petals, or glitter. The gardens are maintained by hand.


I can't wait to see Gabby & Pierce again next year for her bridal shower and their wedding and see a true evolution from proposal day to wedding day for these two!

Black and white photo of a couple holding hands and walking through a lush green park, smiling at each other.
Couple sharing a romantic kiss outdoors, man in blue shirt and woman in floral dress, surrounded by lush greenery.
Couple holding hands walking through lush green meadow, woman in white dress and man in blue polo shirt.
Couple in wedding attire holding hands running through lush green meadow toward trees.
Couple sharing a romantic almost-kiss embrace in a lush green garden during golden hour engagement photos.
Couple smiling at each other in a sunlit field, woman in floral dress with hand on mans chest during engagement photo.
Smiling engaged couple touching noses in a meadow, woman wearing floral dress with engagement ring visible.
Black and white photo of a smiling couple embracing outdoors among lush green trees.
A couple holds hands walking through a lush green meadow toward trees, woman in white dress, man in blue shirt.
Engaged couple sharing a romantic kiss surrounded by vibrant green foliage during outdoor photo session.
Man in blue polo twirling woman in floral dress under rustic wooden pergola in garden setting.
Couple holding hands and walking under a vine-covered stone pergola in a lush garden setting.
Man lifting and kissing woman in floral dress under vine-covered wooden pergola in lush garden.
Couple sharing a romantic kiss on a garden path surrounded by lush green foliage and wildflowers.
Engaged couple sharing a passionate kiss surrounded by vibrant wildflowers and greenery outdoors.

FAQ

Do you need a permit to take engagement photos at Cross Estate Gardens?

Generally no, for a small session like this one. The park waives the permit requirement for groups of eight or fewer using hand-carried equipment in public areas during regular hours. Larger or more involved plans are worth confirming with the park first.

Is parking easy at Cross Estate Gardens?

Yes. Parking and admission are both free, and the gardens are open from 8am to dusk year-round.

When is the best time of day to go to Cross Estate Gardens?

Any time is beautiful! In the summer the trees are very full of leaves, and they tend to block a lot of light to cast more soft shadows throughout the garden. This makes it easy to shoot in midday light and throughout the day.

Planning your own engagement session?


I'm a wedding and engagement photographer based in Westchester County, working with couples across NYC, the Hudson Valley, and Fairfield County, as well as select sessions further out, like Gabby and Pierce's in New Jersey. Reach out through my contact form to talk through locations, timing, what to wear, and set up a session!