Fairs always signify the end of summer. There’s an Americana sense to it all .. that feeling of summer coming to an end, that the warm days in the sun, of poking toes into the sand – are all ending. Replacing it now is the lights and color, noise and autumn chill of the fair .. where young couples with young love stroll through hand in hand, reminiscing about the fun they’ve had this past summer. For some, the romance will continue, and for others – it may be coming to an end as schools take them away, or vacations end and they head back home. In the midst of all of the noise and commotion, there’s something really romantical about a fair. It just seems to make people feel good, even if the rest of the world is not going well. It brings out the hidden child, and kindles romances. The fair awakens emotions, nostalgia, and love. It’s the same reason Noah hung crazily from the ferris wheel in The Notebook until Allie said she wanted to go out with him. It’s the reason why when we did this shoot at the NC State Fair, people followed us around, taking their own pictures of us with their cell phones or whatever they had available to them to remember the moment.
We had woken up sleeping romantics.
Last night as I was putting the finishing touches on this shoot, I even felt a little emotional. There’s just something about the nostalgia of it all .. and seeing and thinking about young love that gives me a few goosebumps and I just have to marvel at the beauty of two people who have fallen for each other. It can all be so fresh and new, and exciting – and I remember that feeling the first time I fell for my wife. So, I turned on my Sad Country Songs playlist on Spotify for my background music, and then I heard one of my favorite songs, and the lyrics were so applicable …
And then I close my eyes and one more time, We’re spinnin’ around and you’re holdin’ on tightly
The words came out, I kissed your mouth, No Fourth of July has ever burned so brightly …
Oh and I close my eyes and you and I, Are stuck on the Ferris wheel ridin’ with the motion
And hand in hand we cried and laughed, Knowin’ that love belonged to us, girl, if only for a moment - Till Summer Comes Around, Keith Urban
Our couple for the shoot, Tori & Trent – were the cutest thing together. From the time we contacted Tori about doing the shoot and started collaborating on outfits, she immediately ‘got’ where we were going with the styling and look and started texting outfit ideas to us that were all spot on. We knew from there it was going to be amazing .. Tori had the look to pull off an amazing vintage glam look – and she looked absolutely stunning in this shoot. Trent arrived a little more cautious … when he arrived, he stated that he thought Tori was beautiful without any makeup and didn’t see why girls needed to wear any. :) But, till fabulous Sharon got done doing Tori’s hair & makeup, Trent was even feeling a bit weak in the knees. “There’s just something about those pink lips that drives me crazy”, he stated. “It’s just so pretty.” His confidence was further restored when we arrived at the fair and multiple people kept complimenting him on his outfit, and how sharp he looked. “That’s respectable, son”, the ferris wheel attendant told him. “And you’ve got yourself a lovely woman there as well!”
If there’s one way to attract attention, show up at the state fair dressed like you’re from 50 years ago …
Trent introduced us to a whole new set of his country lingo before and during the shoot. He has a habit of likening everything to things he sees in nature when he’s out hunting of fishing. So we heard:
“Pink like the pokeberries” (referencing Tori’s pink lipstick)
“That’s curly like a duck’s tail” (on seeing a little girl’s curly hair)
“Spotted like a little puppy”
Tori, you are absolutely gorgeous!
Is this positively enchanting or what?
I love how the lights hit this in all the right places, to just make it look magical :)
You two are so real, and beautiful, and honest in your feelings toward each other.
I am so in love with this photo. You two are amazing.
Oh. My. Be still, my beating heart. This photo gives me tingles all over .. it’s that emotional and sultry. Can you feel the love?
Love. It can mean many things to different people. The nostalgia is part of what makes people Love a Fair. A military family’s love for each other is tested during period of extended separation, when the wife’s heart is crying for whether she’ll see her husband again – and praying he returns safely. Teenagers feel that first taste of young love, and the small butterflies that dance around your stomach the first time you start to realize that you might actually be in love with someone. An older couple, married over 50 years feels love when they are happy to sit quietly by each other’s side, just basking in the moments that they’ve spent together. It gives them warm fuzzies when they see young couples just falling in love.
But the meaning is all universal. Caring about another enough to do something crazy. To show unashamed, unadulterated emotion towards another human being. To love someone enough that you’d cry in public. To do something others might think is silly, and not even realize it.
Thats when you know you’re having a love affair.
“Time slows down whenever you’re around, But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me, Fell in love when I saw you standing there
Today was a fairytale” – Taylor Swift
Models: Tori & Trent (our real-life couple!)
Hair / Makeup: Sharon Davis
Styling by Us :)
P.S. We’re taking bookings for any couples who want to do a styled shoot at the fair with us like this for next October!
*hint, hint* :)
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