Happy Thursday evening, lovers! Welcome to your second post of the day. Wowza, really doubling it up lately, eh? Guess there’s just a LOT going on these days. I’ve gotta say, I’m very pleased to share with you this sort of two-for-one delight we’ve got going on below. To celebrate the launch of Serendipity Studios‘ lovlingly revamped website, plus the anniversary of their truly lovely Miami studio, Candice Cossel of Serendipity Studios is holding a pretty unbelievable contest all of a sudden and I’d say it’s nothing less than the cat’s pajamas. Apparently that’s a good thing. Anyway when she told me about it my face just blew right off of my face. That’s twice in one week now. I’m holding off on a doctor’s appointment to test out the durability/elasticity of my connective tissues because I just don’t even wanna KNOW at this point. The prognosis is undoubtedly bad, so in this instance, ignorance is bliss. Except my face keeps falling off. NOT BLISS.
Now. The two things I’m going to ninja star attack your mind with are 1) giveaway amazeballs and, 2) a shoot captured by Candice, author of the following quote of truth and righteousness…
“Engagement sessions are all about who you are as a couple. Never feel tied into a trend or what’s popular. Really think about your relationship and who you are and design something that means something for you. It will make all the difference.”
That’s a smart photographer. I dunno… but you might wanna hire her or something for your wedding. Only smart cookies say that kind of stuff if you ask me.
PART I :: GIVEAWAY OF HAPPY WONDERFULLNESS AND WAY TOO MUCH FOR FREE
Here’s a very long snippet from their giveaway post; GO TO THERE FOR FULL GIVEAWAY DEETS:
Are you Engaged and plan to get married? In 2012? And want REALLY AMAZING FANTASTIC AWESOME wedding photography? This is your lucky day!!!
The Prize:
- exclusive wedding photography by Candice Cossel
- assistant photographer
- full wedding story coverage (up to 10 hours)
- $1500 album credit (equal to a 20pg premier album)
- online ordering gallery
- complimentary engagement session
- ($4000 value)
How to enter:
- Please send a photo of the two of you together, your wedding date, wedding venue, and a short story telling us about you, why you want to work with Serendipity Studios and why you should win to photo@serendipitystudios.com. You will receive a confirmation of your entry within 48 hours. Finalists will be announced on March 2nd.
PART II :: Babak + Sheena = Engaged!
Ok so hey, guess what? I know you’ve probably been fooled by people like me into thinking you HAVE to hold gold-dipped pears in the palms of your hands in order for your shoot to qualify as a legit engagement session these days… LOL. No, but here’s the truth of the matter: engagement sessions used to be very simple, with the love of a couple the central focus of the shoot, and not the pretty little details. Let’s get back to basics, today, shall we?
First, I’ll have you know that I happen to be a big fan of all the pretty little details, so don’t be confused. However, I’m biased… I’m a wedding blogger, y’all. But I know you and I BOTH wanna see eye-candy; it’s only natural. It’s fun to look at, DOY. However, the details are hardly a necessary part of effectively knocking it out of the park for you and your beloved. And so I’m always psyched when I get a shoot like this one Candice sent me. Because I get to show the world that shoots are always going to be more about a couple and their love – and in this case, their intense fashion sense – than about chalkboards and glitter.
OMG.
… I know you just gasped when I said *glitter.* I know. Because I did, too. I did NOT mean it. Can I take it back? the glitter thing? I will always advocate the use of glitter in your shoots. I rescind my glitter statement wholly.
But ANYWAY, the point is it’s not important. Even glitter.
Here’s what IS:
^ thoughtful shots that tell a story of courtship ^
hilarious shots that work off of what’s available to you in your chosen setting…
^ of course, there’s always time for cuddles in my book…
AND there’s always time for killer color combos. Or, as the Kardashians would call it, killer ko– actually who gives a s**t what the Kardashians think. Sheena I’m loving your style, here. That red skirt + gold bangle combo is just breathtaking…
… maaaaahhhhble caaaaahhhhlluuummms…
… totally rule.
Now, here’s a little rundown from that gorgeous lady up there, Sheena:
Although we are planning for a Miami wedding, my fiancé and I wanted the opportunity to have photographs that reflect our style in California, where we currently reside. We were fortunate to have our wedding photographer, Candice Cossel, of Serendipity Photography, in town for our engagement photo shoot.
Babak and I met while in dental school in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl; as study partners, we spent much of our time together in the library. To capture the essence of how we fell in love, we wanted to include a library scene in our shoot. We decided to forgo the usual scrubs, for a touch of elegance and class that resembled our personal style. The Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel was a perfect location to embody the concept of our shoot; it is a beautiful, stylish hotel that represented exactly what we envisioned for our engagement session. Upon arrival, we were greeted with their signature Bellini, which set the tone for our weekend getaway from San Diego. Our room had a plush white leather seating area, crisp white bedding and bold headboard that added to the classic Hollywood elegance that we desired to portray. The balcony overlooked the streets of Beverly Hills, which were bustling with nightlight. This was a perfect representation of everything we love.
We both have a passion for modern style, that is simple and clean. Along with the Mr. C hotel, we chose the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, to reflect our artistic edge. The sea of over 200 restored cast-iron lamp posts provided a dramatic addition to our otherwise classic shoot. The “Urban Light” display is stunning in person, and inventive in photographs.
The scenery, wardrobe selection, hair styling by DryBar in West Hollywood, and outstanding photographer made for a beautiful collection of photographs that set the stage to showcase our flair for fashion and adoration for one another.
And now here are some words from Candice on the shoot:
So, one of the really unique things we do for our clients is travel for engagement sessions. It’s been a really fun experience and we get to photograph our clients in their world.
For Babak & Sheena it was all about getting out of their scrubs (they are both dentists) and back to the real world that includes fashion, style, art, and books. We had a couple of goals with this session. First we wanted it to be much more editorial in style. What you may not know is that Bobby is AMAZING at styling. He was the catalyst behind all 3 of the outfits they both wore. As I have a husband that hates setting foot in the mall I found this so very cool. One of the places they told me they loved was the outside of the los county museum of art. So we planned to start our session there. From there we moved to the library of the very cool Mr. C hotel. As Babak & Sheena met in the library we really wanted to create a story with this.
Engagement sessions are all about who you are as a couple. Never feel tied into a trend or what’s popular. Really think about your relationship and who you are and design something that means something for you. It will make all the difference.
Clothing Details!!!
SHEENA: Both casual outfits were from Zara!! The dress is Nicole Miller. Shoes: Steve Madden.
BABAK: The khakis are Brooks Brothers and the bow tie is Urban Outfitters.
SO, what do YOU think of a stripped down shoot that focuses less on the extra little details and more on the love? I’m a fan of all shoots, ‘course, YOU KNOW THAT, but I think it’s kinda really important to see something that we rarely see these days…
And don’t forget to click here to enter the giveaway if you’re getting married! :)
xoxo! - Alison
Serendipity Studios is a member of Vendor Love. Click here to view this listing, or explore the guide.
Previous Serendipity Studios features on The Knotty Bride:
- Half Moon Bay, CA Part 1
- Half Moon Bay, CA Part 2
- Rustic Glam Farm Wedding
- A Rustic Wedding Trend I Heart
- Twilight Garden Wedding
- Boudoir Giveaway (now closed to entries)
- Pink Party Inspiration