*SBW Note: We have all recently seen {or lived through personally} so many heartbreaking pictures of the Jersey Shore in the aftermath of the immense Hurricane Sandy that ripped through the north east only a few short days ago.  Today’s feature, as life would have it, takes place along the gorgeous Jersey Shore, at some of the more fun attractions, only a few months prior.  Let us, instead of feeling the pain now created from this force of nature, move to celebrate the wonder of the shore at its best, and what it will be once again.

If you dont think a color can be the basis of a theme for an engagement session you clearly have not met Adrienne Duda!  One of the perks I enjoy most with having Storyboard is that I get the opportunity to feature my friends & family as life takes them down this road!  This summer shore time engagement session is just that case!  Adrienne Duda & Paul Kalinauskas are two very good friends of mine & I am more proud to say that I connected them with their photographer, the amazing Cengiz of Adagion Studio!

Adrienne & Paul will be getting married next June 2013 along the Jersey Shore, though to be completely fair, not THE Jersey Shore.  We’ll leave the fist pumping & orange glow to the experts!  When it came time for A&P to come up with a theme & location for the shoot, using the amazingly colorful shore line of Asbury Park was an easy decision.  Adrienne has a deep, deeeep love of pink, I kid you not, she throws a PINK Party every summer, so over time her love of Pink has crept into Paul’s wardrobe!

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Having Pink as a basis for the shoot, toss in some completely fun inducing settings, et voilà! A&P really shine as the light hearted, joyful couple that they are!  This delicious treat of an engagement session is a truly sweet reflection of who they are as a couple really capturing the essence of their love!  I decided to get a bit more in depth for this feature, volleying up some questions to each with one….simple….rule, No Sharing!  Thats right, A&P were not allowed to let each other in on their respective questions OR answers!  They too are seeing each other’s comments for the first time…right now!

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Whose idea was it to throw popcorn in your face{Paul}?

Paul: “The original plan was to try and catch one kernel thrown at me, but that was tough to catch on camera.  I’m not sure if Cengiz suggested it first or Adrienne decided on her own to take a handful of popcorn and just wing it at me, but the resulting photo ended up being great.”

Funniest moment while shooting?

Adrienne: “Standing on the bar throwing popcorn at Paul. The wind was a challenge that day for sure, and Cengiz just kept telling me to throw handfuls of popcorn for Paul to catch in his mouth, but for the most part it just blew all over the place. By the way – no one at the bar even gave us a second look as we laughed and looked ridiculous.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

What was the thought behind a ‘Pink’ theme?

Adrienne: “Ha! There was no thought behind our pink theme…it just was! Anyone that knows me knows that I absolutely adore pink. Luckily, Paul was a big fan himself, and after the first year of hosting my annual Pink Party together as a couple, I think he was officially sold. Starting with what we would wear, pink was a no brainer, and then we just naturally gravitated to pink props…why choose another color if pink was available?! It’s happy, it’s youthful, it’s playful, and it just makes you smile. Exactly how I’d want someone to describe us.”

Why was Asbury Park your ideal spot for the engagement photos?

Paul: “We thought Asbury Park would be a great place for the shoot because it offered many different types of backgrounds, all within 1 mile of each other.  It has the beach, a boardwalk with shops and food stands, some historic architectural landmarks, a waterpark, a mini golf course, and many new art pieces and construction from the regentrification of the downtown area.  It gave us an opportunity to use many different backdrops and we ran out of time before we could use them all.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Favorite photo from the shoot?

Adrienne: “My favorite picture is probably not the most obvious, but it feels the most “real” to me – the “blowing bubbles” photo. When we were blowing, or attempting, to blow bubbles at each other, the wind was blowing and they kept popping. We were laughing hysterically and focused on each other, and I think it really captured our personality.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

3 Words that best describe the engagement shoot to you…

Adrienne: “Personal, Cute, “Us”… I think the last word is the most important. From the moment we got engaged and began planning, we knew that we didn’t want to do anything just because that’s the way it’s normally done, or because that’s what you’re supposed to do. We wanted everything to be about our favorite things, our favorite places, and what makes us happy and smiley.”

Paul:Fun, Exhausting, Memorable… It was a fun day, but with all the changing of outfits and locations within a limited time frame in the hot weather we were exhausted by the end of it.  We were happy to sit down for some happy hour drinks by the water when it was over.  It’s a day I will never forget.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Did you & Adrienne throw down an epic game of Mini Golf?  Who won?

Paul: “Not that day.  We wanted to hit as many of our location ideas as possible.  But we did play 2 rounds last weekend, and I won both rounds, which means I’m finally starting to catch up to her in overall wins in our head-to-head mini golf battles.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

What moment during the shoot sticks out the most to you?

Paul: “Inside the photo booth.  It was a hot day and even hotter when we were inside the photo booth together.  Cengiz was taking photos of us from outside the photo booth, so he could only see us from the knees down, and we couldn’t see him at all.  We had no idea what he was capturing.  So the combination of the hotness in the booth and the unknown of how long we were going to be in there stick out.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

If there was one thing you could say to Adrienne/Paul right now, what would it be?

Paul: “Thanks for being there for me, I know I you will always be there for me, and I can count on you to put a smile on my face each and every day.”

Adrienne: “Be serious! He’s such a smarty pants that I’m sure he’s thinking about how to twist any serious question and serve up a funny sarcastic comment instead of showing the world his feelings!”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

The strong man game, did you give it a go?  How did you fair!?

Adrienne: “Oh I did try match Paul’s skills on the strong man game, and while I did it with style, I don’t think I moved the bar even an inch (I could barely lift the hammer up and over my shoulder!)”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

What was the moment you realized Adrienne/Paul was the one you wanted to marry?

Paul: “Looking back at it, I probably realized I wanted to marry Adrienne after our trip to Ireland.  It was a trip with my family, and when I didn’t think twice to ask her to join us on a vacation across the Atlantic; I knew that this girl must be very special to me.  We stayed at some unusual bed & breakfasts and we were literally squeezed into one car driving across the Irish countryside, and despite all that, Adrienne was smiling the entire time.”

Adrienne: “Not sure if there was one exact “moment”, but I knew right from the start that we were just meant to find each other, and there was nothing in this world that was ever going to let me give that up. Oh, and after meeting Paul’s family and falling in love with them…I knew he needed to be mine forever (even if he didn’t know it yet!) – they’re awesome!”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

I must say, the photo with the watering can & you leaping is kinda flawless, how pumped were you when you saw the final product?!

Adrienne: “Its so fun! Was kind of a surprise to see the entirety of it too, because I couldn’t see Paul while I was dancing around and being silly, and he couldn’t see me. Acting like the little kid that I seem to think I am paid off!”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

What is the best thing you have learned as a result of being with Adrienne/Paul?

Adrienne: “Without any hesitation, I can say he makes me a better person. I’ve never met someone so incredibly thoughtful. Everything he does, that he touches, that he experiences, is to the fullest and with everyone else in mind first. I love this about him, and I think I’ve tried to embody this admirable trait.”

Paul: “That she will always be there for me.  Whenever I have a weak or insecure moment, I can count on her being there to give me a boost.  Even if she is not physically there beside me, I know in my heart that she is there with me, and this has helped make me a better person.”

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Adrienne & Paul Jersey Shore Pink Themed Engagement Photos Adagion Studio

Favorite photo from the shoot?

Paul: “That’s a tough question.  I like so many.  If I had to choose just one, I guess I would go with the picture with the two of us standing in the window sill with the ocean in the background.  The window creates a great frame around us and the combination of the colors and the ocean in the background makes it look so relaxing and peaceful.”

 

Any parting words for newly engaged couple’s yet to do their engagement photos?

Paul: “Be yourselves and have fun.  I’ve seen plenty of beautiful, sultry, sexy engagement shoots and Adrienne and I could have tried to do something similar… but our personality is much more playful, and that’s what we aimed to capture on our shoot.   And after seeing the results, our personality really comes to life in the photos.  Many of our favorite photos were the ones where we were just being our playful selves and having fun.”

Adrienne: “I think the best advice I can give is to just be yourself…if you are a very serious romantic couple, pick a setting and a style that embody that, if you are super social and playful like we are, have fun with it. You don’t want to feel like your being forced to do something that’s not you; you won’t enjoy it, and it will be reflected in your photos.”

*All Photographs by Adagion Studio