Salem Willows Engagement – Salem, MA – Madison & Zack

Salem Willows is a well known amusement park on the North Shore.  It’s not very big, a couple of arcades, a carousel, and some smaller rides, along with lots of junk food!  I remember going there when I was younger to ride the carousel and play in the arcade.  Who knew it could also be a beautiful spot for engagement photos?  I was excited when Madison & Zack chose it for their engagement session location.  With all of the park space across from the arcade area, a giant wooden pier, and even beach area, it gives you lots of options for natural backdrops.  We even were able to take a couple shots in the arcade!  I wanted to do some photos with the carousel ( I LOVE carousels!), but since it was October, it was already closed down for the season.  Hopefully I’ll be able to shoot there again when it’s open.  But we lucked out and had some great warmer weather, which is good since it was early October and Madison was wearing an adorable white lace dress.  I’m glad she wasn’t freezing cold!

Madison & Zack actually met at Salem Willows with the help of Zack’s family dog, Moose, a black and white Portuguese Water Dog.  Zack’s father Jim is a friend of my family, so I’ve known him and Moose for a long time.  I was thrilled to hear that Moose was quite the matchmaker!  The day they met, Zack saw Madison feeding the pigeons, and sent Moose to chase them away.  From there he struck up a conversation with her, and the rest is history!  Jim heard we were doing the photo session, so he was at the park when I got there.  He had Moose with him, so of course we had to include him in some of the photos.  We wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for him!  He was so well behaved during the whole shoot, following all of us off leash, and posing well for pictures.  Having some of the Willow’s famous popcorn to bribe him with didn’t hurt though… I also enjoyed having Jim as a temporary assistant since he offered to tote my rolling back around for me!

This session was so much fun, and I love how the photos came out with all of our options for great photo spots all in one place.  Zack also kept us all laughing the entire time, he’s quite the ham!  He and Madison are such an adorable couple and their personalities are a great match.  I can’t wait for their wedding next June at The Margate Resort on Lake Winnipesaukee up in New Hampshire.  It’s going to be so much fun!