Summer Solstice Session

I’ve been DYING to post this session ever since June… I had to wait until it was featured on the beautiful Magnolia Rouge blog though so patience was definitely a virtue I had to learn with this one! As a side note, thank you to Kate of Magnolia Rouge for wanting to feature this styled session. You can check out her feature here.

Of course as a wedding photographer, most of my inspiration takes the form of bridal elements. This session was no different… the styling was definitely bridal inspired. Even so, the story I wanted to tell through the session was in a completely different direction.

As I was thinking about the session I knew first that I wanted it to be a tribute to the luscious warmth of summer. There is something about summer to me… the carefree feeling of a hot summer day by the lake, the warmth of the evenings that wraps me like a blanket… the sparkling sun coming through the trees an hour before sunset. I’m completely mesmerized by it. I truly could live in a land of endless summer. We did the session around the summer solstice in June, and I wanted there to be a tingle of the ancient pension for sun adoration…

The major theme to the session though was really a “tea party for one” concept… not in a sad, lonely way… no- in an empowering, healthy, freeing sense. I would tend to agree with Audrey…

I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel. ~ Audrey Hepburn

Though as a married woman very in love with my husband I wouldn’t want to spend the weekend alone, I’ve always been so thankful that my mother taught me to enjoy my own company at a very young age. She taught me that I am in charge of my OWN happiness and that if someone else happened to bring me joy, it was to be simply a sweet bonus to cherish. Because of this, I’ve been able to have adventures and fulfillment during the times that I haven’t had anyone else by my side. I’m not afraid to sit in a cafe by the window and simply enjoy my own company… to be at home with myself in the depths of thought or enjoying beauty without needing to share it. I chose not to get married until I was in my late 20′s because I simply would have rather been single the rest of my life than with a man that wasn’t right for me. I feel like every woman should know that even when she has chosen to be alone, there is still a beautiful story she’s living from day to day. I wanted this session to be a celebration that though LOVE is beautiful when it’s true, and marriage is full of BEAUTY and the sweetest bond… SOLITUDE should be celebrated. I hope I’m making sense… I’m not gifted as a writer unfortunately… I simply want say that fairytales are for everyone…

Florals: Sheila Jung Ipomea Floral Design

Makeup: Leticia Benitez: Makeup Artist

Model: Veronica Vital