Is there anything more romantic than a proposal?! Well, yes a proposal where your transportation is via helicopter, and you enjoy a romantic city skyline view with your dinner then he pops the question. You get the picture, this romantic city skyline proposal is everything every girl dreams of!
It’s engagement season! And with that being said, we thought there be no better time, especially with all that 2020 has brought, to share some inspiration geared specifically towards those in the planning stages of this grand moment! If 2020 has thought us anything is that nothing is guaranteed, and each moment is worthy of celebrating. And that is exactly the direction we took when planning and designing for this editorial!
This editorial is set to focus on a jet-setting international couple who regularly vacation around the world, namely the Balearic Islands where they are currently staying for the Christmas Holiday season. This couple loves to dine out, attend fashion shows, and discover the world through their travel adventures. But as much as they enjoy modernity and all it has to offer, they are obsessed with the timeless nature of certain heavily historic cities such as Barcelona. They are very fashion-forward and avid readers of Vogue, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, and Travel + Leisure. As part of their vacation, the couple makes plans to have a fancy dinner date night in Barcelona, and charter a Helicopter to get them there. Upon landing a car service is awaiting them before they head out to world-famous and the notoriously chic W Hotel Barcelona. Little does she know her beau has planned an opulent set up where he intends to ask for her hand in marriage. The scene is set with a lavish floral installation overlooking a breathtaking view of the Barcelona skyline for their gorgeous skyline proposal.
In trying to invoke a feeling of effortless chic, we went for an intentionally monochromatic color palette, with variating shades of blue, inspired by the surrounding sky, ocean, hotel facade, and one of the model’s dresses, to convey luxurious minimalism. In thinking of this editorial, we wanted to show a different side of Barcelona, which is often associated with its more old-world charm and impressive historical sites, but completely omitting the city as a bustling ground for developing tech giants, and filled with modern architecture and a well established contemporary art and fashion scene. This editorial can be described as having a feminine flair in its subtle sexiness and stylish vibe, with a hint of timeless romanticism.
The helicopter, as well as the car service, was intentionally parked at an angle where we can see the W Hotel in the background, as well as the rest of the Barcelona cityscape for that jet setter feel, where we photographed the models as though they had just landed to truly set the scene and begin the storytelling with them exiting the helicopter before walking over to their car service to set off for the evening. The W Hotel Barcelona was an obvious choice for this editorial, with its prime oceanfront location and its sleek modern design, with the W brand embodying much the essence of this editorial.
Furthermore, the large terrace, with its modern clear glass railing, made for a seamless look, and its view on both the Mediterranean and the Barcelona cityscape created the perfect backdrop for a stylish and luxurious engagement location. To best tell the story, we made sure to have both models change looks for each location. At the helicopter location, our male model is seen in a relaxed yet chic autumn attire, with a long overcoat, whereas our female model was the epitome of fashion-forward in a short runway number by local designer Santos Costura, with thigh-high boots for both fashionable and practical look. At the W Hotel, the female model changed into Jimmy Choo heels and a short, sexy yet stylish plume number also by Santos Costura with her hair down in a modern manner and dramatic makeup, which would mimic a real-life evening dinner look, in a dusty blue color to complement the color scheme, keeping it lavish but attainable, while the male model changed into a simple navy tailored suit.
Maison Francis designed a lush modern but very natural and soft floral installation, with lots of which was be a blend of minimalism and opulence to convey that perfect feeling of effortless elegance. Color-wise, they remained all white with hints of black, through a careful choice of blooms such as the classic panda anemone, ghost gerbera, and tall magic fountain delphinium with their strong black centers for a striking yet timeless look, to frame the couple’s table. To continue with the modern luxury feel, we designed the dinner atop a square table with linen in dusty blue/gray, and some modern black velvet chairs by Crimson. Atop the table, we went for a bold plate with a black and white geometric pattern by Vista Alegre complemented by sleek cutlery and modern glassware for added chicness. Flowers mimicking a natural garden also adorned the tabletop to complete the look of opulence, but in an understated monochromatic all-white palette to keep it minimal and chic. We deliberately chose to omit any use of greenery to distinguish the look as more modern and rather focused on the use of lush blooms which also kept the final result highly romantic.
We completed the storyline by adding inspiration taken right before the skyline proposal, where the models met in the chic hotel lobby for a cocktail before heading up to their private terrace for the big reveal. Also in the spirit of telling a full story, we made sure to shoot the couple in bed the morning of, enjoying their vacation and painting a full picture of what a luxury engagement can be!
