Cherry Blossoms-Branch Brook Park

BrideBeanie

Hi, all!

We're trying to set up a date for engagement pictures at Branch Brook Park and I wanted to see if anyone knows when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom? I've seen anywhere from the beginning of April to the last week of April?

Thanks!

USER876

I've done a few photoshoots there and I would say to schedule it the first or second week or April (that tends to be peak)

manda9794

I agree with what User said. I've seen them up through the 3rd week of April if there isn't a great deal of rain.

mbcdefg

My wedding was April 10 of last year, and we went to BBP with our bridal party for some photos.

Our photographer scoped out the park about five days ahead of time and said the trees all looked great. When we got there on the 10th, though, everything was still pretty but definitely not as lush as we thought they'd be. It wasn't a big deal at all and we were very pleased with the photos.

Here are some of our photos from the park. If you scroll down a bit to the shot of the three guys up in the tree (the one directly above the shot of our rings on the branch), that was the most in-bloom tree that we could find, which is why the photographer had them in that particular tree: http://mbcdd.weebly.com/bridal-party-photos.html

USER876

Here is what they looked like a week before

http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-jersey/940330-essex-county-2010-cherry-blossom-festival.html

mbcdefg

Hahaha, yeah, we really got screwed out of some extra-gorgeous photos :P

My photographer called me from the park as he was scoping it out and he was so excited about the photos we'd get. Oh well. (Obviously it's not his fault that the trees weren't in bloom.)  

Our wedding was the weekend after Easter, so we couldn't have gone a week earlier. And BBP wasn't even our first-choice venue ... we were originally planning to take pics on the ice at the Prudential Center, then those plans fell apart a few weeks before the wedding and we had to scramble for a Plan B.

BBP was my husband's choice for a photo backdrop. I wanted to go to Exchange Place in Jersey City and get lower Manhattan in the background.

BrideBeanie

Thank you so much everyone! The pictures really helped!!!

Do we need to get a permit just for engagement pics?

mbcdefg

We had to get a permit for the wedding day photos.

I think it was only $25, though.

jrgoogrl

We did our e-photos there last April! They were beautiful! It was actually April 7th when we did ours and it was that freak hot day where it hit like 90 degrees! I don't think a permit is necessary.

BrideBeanie

Thanks again everyone! Very helpful, as usual