Have you ever had someone tell you about a dream they have, and it became your dream too?
That's what happened when my dear friend Jennifer told me she wanted me to photograph her daughter, Abigail in an Audrey-Hepburn-themed photoshoot to celebrate her 16th birthday. Abi is in incredible girl, who is gorgeous inside and out and who just so happens to have a striking resemblance to Audrey with her close-cropped hair, wide smile and ballerina's grace.

I'm pretty sure I jumped out of my chair and screamed 'YES YES YES YES!', or at least sent that via text (I don't remember how she asked me now).
After months of talking, planning, taking to pinterest for inspiration, and watching Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's (it was officialy research!), it finally, FINALLY happened in June.

I will be forever indebted to Jennifer & Abi who patiently waited as I pushed the shoot back due to busy wedding months, weather, and wanting to spend more time preparing (because, y'all, this was a REALLY. BIG. DEAL.) Jennifer and her family have been there for my husband and I during new-house struggles, floods, sewer malfunctions, etc., and I owed her this BIGTIME. Even now that it's done, I STILL owe them $100, some flowers, a box of chocolates and a margarita.  Forreal.

Ok. On to some photos. BUT FIRST, if you're not up to date in your Audrey knowledge, please take a look at our pinterest board that I referred to religously before and during the shoot. Can you find each look we tried to emulate?

And so we started early, armed with a few outfits, glamorous earrings, fabulous dollar general sunglasses, and 16 wonderful balloons. Look on, friends, look on. 

In the Gardens


"I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and...I believe in miracles." -Audrey Hepburn 
"I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person." -Audrey Hepburn

"The beauty of a women must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides." -Audrey Hepburn


Breakfast at Tiffany's

Being the most recognizable theme of our shoot, I wanted to make sure each detail was as perfect as possible. We got a paper bag and a paper cup from Starbucks (thanks for not looking at me like a crazy person when I asked if I "could just have an empty cup, please?"). We had sunglasses and pearls galore. But what about Tiffany's? Bromberg's Jewelers was the closes thing to Tiffany's us  Alabama girls have. With retro exterior architecture and luscious window displays, we tiptoed sneakily along the side of the building to snap some quick shots first. Then we rounded the corner to the entrance. After a few more pictures, I gulped hard and walked inside (why hello there, mister security guard!) to explain what these crazy people were doing outside their store, and would they let me stand inside for a few minutes and shoot through the window, please? Y'all, THEY LET ME. I can't thank the folks at Bromberg's enough that day for letting us live out our Breakfast at Tiffany's dreams. Y'all are amazing! 

"Everything I learned I learned from the movies." -Audrey Hepburn

As much as I loved our Breakfast at Bromberg's, I expected it to be the pièce de résistance of the whole day. I was wrong.

Funny Face

In some lesser-known, fuzzy photos for a promo for Funny Face, Audrey holds an overwhelming bouquet of balloons, dancing, jumping, and otherwise being silly in front of the arc de triomphe du carrousel. Since we couldn't fly to Paris, we took a chance looking for a similarly stately architectural backdrop. How about the, uhm, Jefferson County Courthouse? Sure, why not? After struggling to parallel park, dragging 16 balloons from a car, and pinning my grandmother's antique black velvet hat (that I just happened to remember a few days before the shoot) to Abi's hair, we strolled proudly through the park, in front of the courthouse steps, and started shooting. Remember the pièce de résistance I mentioned before? Yeah, I'm pretty sure this takes the cake. 
 

Jennifer helps with hat-pinning. You might not be able to see in this picture, but Abi gets all her stunning beauty from her amazing mama.
"The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters." -Audrey Hepburn

Y'all, this was every bit as fun as it looks. I mean it.

Red Dresses and The Red Cat

Our final stop was a favorite downtown coffee shop of Abi's, The Red Cat. With big umbrellas and just a little Parisian flair, it was the perfect place to end our day. 

"Paris is always a good idea." - Audrey Hepburn


Oh what a day it was. I'll say it again. It was every bit as fun as it looked. It was exhausting (especially for our sweet model) but so fantastic. Oh, and if you're wondering if anyone has ever told Abi that she could persue a career in modeling, the answer is yes, they have. She's not interested. ;)

And now, it's only fitting to bid you adieu with a final Audrey quote:

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."
-Audrey Hepburn