Boat Day Engagement Session at LondonTowne Marina | Edgewater, MD

Kelsea and Ava’s engagement session took place at LondonTowne Marina in Edgewater, Maryland, just minutes from Historic London Town and Gardens, where the couple will marry this Halloween. They spent the session on their own boat, cruising the South River together before jumping straight into the water at the end!

I love an open field or an at-home engagement session, but Kelsea and Ava’s day called for a boat, a river, and absolutely no hesitation about jumping in at the end. When they told me they wanted their engagement photos at LondonTowne Marina, I knew we were in for a good time. And this session did not disappoint!

What Makes LondonTowne Marina a Great Spot for Engagement Photos?

LondonTowne Marina sits right on the water in Edgewater, tucked into a quiet stretch of Anne Arundel County that feels a world away from the bustle of nearby Annapolis, even though it’s just minutes from it. The marina has that easy, salt-air charm that South River towns are known for. You get docks lined with boats, water that shifts color with the sky, and views in every direction that look like they were made for photographs (me).

For Kelsea and Ava, it was also personal. This is where they love to get out on the water together, and it's part of their everyday life as a couple. Instead of posing somewhere unfamiliar, we built their engagement session around something that actually means something to them. That’s always my favorite kind of session to shoot. When a couple is doing something they genuinely love, you don’t have to work very hard to capture real joy. It just shows up.

There’s another reason this location made perfect sense: LondonTowne Marina is practically around the corner from Historic London Town and Gardens, where Kelsea and Ava will say their vows this Fall. Getting engagement photos so close to their wedding venue means their photos will feel like a real preview of their wedding. Same river, same light, same corner of Maryland that’s about to become the backdrop for the rest of their story.

A Session on the Water

We started on the dock, letting Kelsea and Ava just be themselves before we ever got on the boat, laughing, leaning into each other, taking in the view. Once we cast off, the whole energy of the session shifted. There’s something about being on open water that strips away any self-consciousness. Nobody’s thinking about the camera when the wind is in their hair, and the boat is picking up speed.

We cruised along the South River for a while, stopping in a few spots where the light and the shoreline lined up just right. Kelsea and Ava were completely at ease out there, which made for some of my favorite frames of the day. I’m always chasing genuine laughter and those quiet in-between moments that are telltale signs of a connection that’s impossible to pose.

And then, because this is who they are, they jumped off the boat!

No hesitation, they just went for it, and it turned into one of the most fun, most them moments of the entire session. Water splashing, both of them laughing before they even resurfaced. It’s the kind of moment that lives in your memory forever, and I was so overjoyed to capture it! Some of the best engagement photos come from a couple willing to be a little spontaneous, and Kelsea and Ava didn’t hold back.

How Does This Session Connect to Their Wedding at Historic London Town and Gardens?

Kelsea and Ava will be married just down the road at Historic London Town and Gardens, a spot with a genuinely beautiful history along the South River. The venue blends colonial-era architecture with sweeping garden views and waterfront scenery, and it’s known for welcoming and celebrating couples of every kind, which made it an easy choice for two people who wanted a wedding day that felt authentically theirs.

Having their engagement session so close to their ceremony site gave us a real head start. We got a feel for how the light moves across the water at different points in the day, found a few spots we’re already talking about revisiting for wedding portraits, and Kelsea and Ava got a little practice being in front of the camera together before their big day. By the time their wedding rolls around, this won’t feel like their first rodeo. It’ll feel like coming back to a place that already knows them.

Edgewater, Maryland Engagement Photography

If you’re planning a wedding at Historic London Town and Gardens, or you’re looking for an engagement session location on the South River that actually feels like you, Edgewater has so much to offer. Marinas, gardens, historic architecture, and water views all within a few minutes of each other make this corner of Anne Arundel County one of my favorite places to photograph couples.

Kelsea and Ava’s session is a good reminder that the best engagement photos don’t come from forcing a certain look. They come from finding a place that already feels like home to a couple, handing them a little freedom, and letting them do their thing, especially if their thing is jumping off a boat!

Congratulations, Kelsea and Ava. I can’t wait for your wedding day at Historic London Town and Gardens.

Barbara O Photography | Maryland Wedding & Engagement Photographer Serving Annapolis, Edgewater, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and beyond