Colorful, Vintage Asbury Park Elopement Inspo

Mar 16

If you’ve ever needed proof that weddings don’t need rules, this elopement inspo is it. I reached out to my favorite, and imo the best, local vendors in Asbury Park to create something that celebrates individuality – electric vintage fashion, 70s vibes, florals, and a couple who radiate pure joy. Victoria, known as Zoe on Venus, and her girlfriend Sam brought such real, magnetic energy. The whole shoot was kind of like a love letter to Asbury Park and the area itself.

There really are no rules when it comes to weddings. You don’t have to buy something new, stick to traditions, or fit your style into a box. Vintage clothing and local vendors can create something meaningful and beautiful that feels like it’s truly yours. And it can be really special to do things that way. I loved seeing everyone bring their creativity to the table. It was lighthearted, experimental, and full of personality. It served as a reminder that weddings should feel like this too. Fun, expressive, and completely your own.

I’m so excited to say that this shoot was also featured on Dancing With Her multiple times. Their words inspired much of this blog post, which I’ve reworded a bit for my own blog, so please read their full article here and see even more photos from this dream collab.

What inspired this shoot in Asbury Park?

My idea was to create a non-traditional elopement that highlighted my love for Asbury, all things non-traditional, individuality and the magic of collaboration. Instead of following wedding traditions, the goal was to showcase vintage fashion, local talent, and the freedom to make your day your own. It was just as much about celebrating love as it was about having fun with the Asbury Park creative community. I always recommend supporting the local vendors and creative community whenever possible. The local artists and musicians are a big part of what makes this area so magical to begin with and the reason why so many people visit each year.

As the photographer, I was highly inspired to photograph this shoot on both digital and film, which is something I already offer for weddings and elopements. I chose a more experimental film to add to the eclectic, colorful, artistic aesthetic and create a unique vintage look. I used medium format for this as well, which gives that iconic square design to the film.

How did the styling come together?

After reaching out to this incredible team of local vendors, I wanted to keep things light and creative for everyone involved. So instead of directing the shoot, I let it unfold naturally and encouraged everyone to create something fun with their own visions. It was a true collaboration. Once we knew Victoria and Sam were on board, Shedhead Vintage in Asbury Park began styling their vision by providing the 70s dresses, including a vintage Gunne Sax gown styled as a wedding dress. Jess Kardos from Lock and Shade handled both hair styling and makeup, creating looks that paired perfectly with the outfits. She does an incredible job and I can’t recommend her or the Lock and Shade team enough - they’re on my allied & iinclusive vendor guide for a reason. Harley Rose Floral, also located in Asbury Park and known for her grab and go bouquets, designed the look for the flowers that brought everything together and made it all even more colorful. There wasn’t a strict plan for the shoot, everyone contributed their own vision and I truly believe that’s what made this so great. We put total trust in each other to bring something really cool and unique to life. It’s fun to hire a creative and leave some of the vision and artistic touches to them. Speaking from experience, when people feel free to create within their own personal style, it’s really where the magic happens.

What makes Asbury Park the perfect backdrop for elopements in NJ?

There’s a really beautiful community of local artists here, and if you love the area and want to celebrate your wedding here, it’s a good idea to support the people who help to make it so great. Nothing beats the unique backdrop of Asbury Park between the older style buildings, artwork, famous boardwalk, and spots like The Stone Pony. Asbury has such amazingly rich artistic and musical history with the highly recognizable architecture to match. With incredible food and shows happening almost every night in the summer, it’s no wonder so many people flock here to get married and elope.

This collab really was a dream to be a part of and I am forever obsessed with what we all created.