Essex County · New Jersey
Wedding Photographer in Essex County
Watchung ridge views, Branch Brook cherry blossoms and Belleville gardens. Mauricio photographs Essex County weddings himself, start to finish.
750+
Weddings photographed
14
Years of experience
3
States: NJ, NY & PA
$1,900
Collections from
Getting around Essex County on a wedding day
Essex County packs a great deal into not very many miles, and the geography does more to your drive time than the distance does. I-280 is the main east-west route, climbing the First Watchung ridge between Newark and the Oranges: a short stretch that separates the valley venues in Belleville and Bloomfield from the hilltop ones in West Orange and Verona, and one that slows to a crawl at the wrong hour.
The Garden State Parkway and Route 21 along the Passaic move you north and south, Bloomfield Avenue and Route 10 handle the local work, and Newark Liberty sits at the county’s southern edge, a genuine convenience for out-of-town guests and a genuine problem for anyone on the Parkway near it at five o’clock on a Friday. Getting-ready suites here are often hotels near the airport or in Livingston and Short Hills, and either one is a twenty to thirty minute run to a Belleville or West Orange venue once traffic is factored in.
The date to watch is anything in April. During the cherry blossom bloom, Branch Brook Park draws crowds and its lots fill by mid-morning, so if portraits there matter to you, Mauricio goes early, goes on foot, and has a second location already picked.
Light and seasons in Essex County
Essex County is split down the middle by the First Watchung Mountain, and which side of it you are on changes the day. Up on the ridge in West Orange and Verona you sit roughly six hundred feet above the valley with a clear line east to Manhattan about fifteen miles off. That overlook faces the wrong way for a sunset portrait and exactly the right way for what comes next: as the sun drops behind you the skyline lights up in front of you, and the twenty minutes after that are when the city and the sky balance each other.
Down in the valley, in Belleville, Bloomfield, Newark and along the Branch Brook corridor, the ridge cuts off the last of the direct evening light, so Mauricio takes couples out earlier than the printed sunset time and works on open lawns rather than against the tree line.
Branch Brook Park holds the largest planting of cherry trees in the country, with the bloom typically running through the first half of April and shifting a week or two either way depending on the winter. It is a narrow window. Later in the year, South Mountain Reservation gives dense oak and maple color through the second half of October, and the reservoirs and pond edges across the county bounce light back into faces in the final hour of the afternoon.
Engagement sessions in Essex County
Branch Brook Park in bloom, the streets and cafes of downtown Montclair, the overlook at Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange and the architecture around Military Park in Newark each give an engagement session a different feel: garden, town, skyline or city.
Real weddings
Photographed by Mauricio in Essex County
Judy & MikeNanina's In the Park, Belleville, NJ 
Judy & MikeNanina's In the Park, Belleville, NJ 
Judy & MikeNanina's In the Park, Belleville, NJ
Venues
Essex County wedding venues
A few Essex County venues, and what photographs best at each.
The Manor
A West Orange estate known for its formal gardens, crystal chandeliers and ballrooms; the gardens carry the portraits.
Pleasantdale Chateau
A French-Norman castle in West Orange with stone architecture, formal gardens and old-world detail.
Highlawn Pavilion
Set in Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, looking east to the Manhattan skyline, which is at its best in the minutes after sunset.
Richfield Regency
A Verona venue with formal interiors, dramatic lighting and reception rooms sized for large weddings.
The Wilshire Grand Hotel
A West Orange hotel with modern ballrooms, convenient for a ceremony and reception under one roof.
Montclair Art Museum
A gallery setting in the center of Montclair, with art, architecture and smaller celebration spaces.
Why Mauricio
Why couples in Essex County book Mauricio
14 years, 750+ weddings
Mauricio knows when the moments happen and where to stand.
Calm, guided direction
Natural direction for people who don’t love being photographed. No stiff poses.
One photographer, start to finish
The person you talk to is the person who shows up.
Collections
Essex County wedding photography collections
Collections run from $1,900 to $3,900, and every price is published. Travel within New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania is included. Destination weddings are quoted up front.
- 6–10 hours of coverage
- Mauricio as your lead photographer, start to finish
- Engagement session (a 30-minute mini on The Short Story)
- Second photographer on The Sweet Spot and The Whole Story
- Wedding-day timeline planning
- Edited high-resolution images with print rights
- Private online gallery to share with family
- Sneak peeks within 24–48 hours; full gallery in 4 to 6 weeks
Nearby areas Mauricio also photographs
Your Essex County date only happens once.
Tell Mauricio your date and venue. He replies personally within 24 hours. Most couples are booking 2027 now.
Check my dateOr call Mauricio at (862) 391-4179