Valerie and Alex were the epitome of uptown class during their luxurious engagement session at Sophia’s Lounge in Charlotte! They are totally smitten with each other and we can see why! Alex told us he knew the first time he met her that he would fall in love with Valerie in no time. Valerie told us that she admires just how driven Alex is. She loves to see how he pushes himself to be better. Still, even while chasing his goals and passions, Alex still shows Valerie that she’s at the top of that list. She knows she’s his top priority!
This sultry engagement session matches all the classy vibes of Sophia’s Lounge! These two are every bit as classy as they look, and they love nothing more than to party it up together! It’s yet another reminder to make sure you have a great time with your person! Take pleasure in life together and live it in a rich and full way.
Dolce Far Niente
If you’ve seen the movie Eat, Pray, Love, you may be familiar with the Italian saying, “Dolce far niente” which literally means “The sweetness of doing nothing”. There is a scene in the movie where Julia Roberts’s character says she’s been in Italy for three weeks and all she’s done is learned a few Italian words and eaten a bunch of pasta. An impassioned Italian man quickly replies to her,
“You feel guilty because you are American! You don’t know how to enjoy yourself! Americans, you work too hard and get burdened and then come home and spend the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the TV… but you don’t know pleasure, you are told that you have to earn it. But an Italian doesn’t need to be told….”
This character encapsulates the cultural concept that there is such a thing as a pleasant idleness.
Find Your Pleasant Idleness
Pleasant idleness may look a little different for everyone. Use your lunch break to take a walk, draw a picture, or go try a new food. Spend your evenings making up recipes, dancing with your significant other, or laying under the stars. The specifics don’t matter, the point is to take a break! Life is hard enough without us always feeling pressure to do and be more! If we only rest when we feel we’ve accomplished enough, there is not enough of us leftover to live our lives with gusto! Isn’t that why we’re working so hard in the first place?
“If we only rest when we feel we’ve accomplished enough, there is not enough of us left over to live our lives with gusto!”
Take a moment to look at our beautiful couple, framed by the warm and eclectic Sophia’s Lounge. You’ll see two people who work really hard to achieve the things they believe are worthy. You’ll also see two lovers who enjoy their life together because they know it’s happening now! You could think of ‘dolce far niente’ as the sweetness of any restful activity. Activities which may not be considered directly ‘productive’ to the American dream, but they are productive in regards to living an enriching life.
Take a note from Valerie and Alex: dance a little, live a little, (take a trip to Sophia’s Lounge) and enjoy it all! Don’t get so caught up in building your life that you forget to live it!
Don’t forget to check out our 7 Pro-Tips on How to STUN In Your Engagement Photos