My Photo Reveal with Sarissa Marissa Photography & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #31

August 1, 2017 / 78 Comments

This story begins with my post on May 18, 2017, Shelbee Got Her Groove Back. You may remember that post. It was a good one. If you aren’t familiar with it, you should probably read it. Anyway, at the end of that post, I shared a link to another post written by a fabulously inspiring woman named Celia. Celia actually writes two separate blogs, Resilientista Musings and The High Heeled Life. She had written a wonderful post How a Professional Photo Shoot Changed My Life and Why You Should Book One, Too. At the time I shared her inspiring post, I did not know that Celia also had recently launched a online magazine, Resilientista Magazine, which focuses on helping women learn how to live their best lives.

*This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found out about Celia’s newly launched magazine because she contacted me directly to invite me to contribute to the Fall issue. While I was telling everyone how inspired I was by her post, she, in turn, was inspired by mine. So I have written an article for the upcoming issue of Resilientista Magazine. But you will have to stay tuned for its release to see what it’s all about!

So a published magazine article is kind of a big deal. And I really wanted to make it count. So I followed Celia’s advice and booked myself a professional photo shoot for the pictures that will be accompanying my article. Now here’s where the story gets really fun. And super inspiring. And so empowering. And exciting and exhilarating. And even better than you can imagine.

Meet Melissa of Sarissa Melissa Photography

On June 1, 2017, I had participated in a Fashion Show with EyeCrave Optics, Strut Boutique, and Solitary Consignment. A local photographer was enlisted to take photos of the fashion show and at first meeting, she and I connected like polka dots on a vintage dress. And I knew immediately that Melissa of Sarisssa Melissa Photography was the girl for the job! A few weeks after meeting her, I booked my session. Melissa offers a specific photo experience that is meant to show women how truly incredible they are. These sessions are called Truly You: Fierce, Authentic, Empowered. From my personal experience, the session lives up to its name and more!

The beautiful and amazingly talented photographer, Melissa of Sarissa Melissa Photography

On the day of my photo shoot, I arrived at Melissa’s studio with 5 bags of shoes, 12 outfits, and 2 bags of accessories. I thought she was going to think I was an insane person. But as I hauled everything in from my car, her eyes lit up like Carrie Bradshaw’s at a Christian Louboutin sale. She was quite literally jumping for joy! And when I gave her free reign to style me up, I think she may have shed a few joyful tears. I cannot even tell you how happy this made me!

A peek inside the Sarissa Melissa Studio

Once I had all of my things inside, then I could truly appreciate what Melissa does. She has a little chalkboard outside her studio door. On it, she had perfectly scrolled “Shelbee on the Edge Photo Session.” (I seem to have lost the photo of that.) She had drinks and snacks and music and a makeup artist and a hair stylist. All for little ole me. Talk about feeling glamorous. Chantel of Hair by Chantel and Anna of Anna’s Chop Shop Hair Studio were amazing and skilled as they primped and readied me for my session. I am not going to share all the details with you simply because this post is already getting too long. You will have to book a session for yourself to really get the idea of what an amazing experience a Truly You session is. Multiple locations, 3 hairstyles, 8 outfits, and 5 hours later, we were exhausted, excited, energized, and feeling really fabulous! Looking forward to my photo reveal, we hugged and parted ways.

A look at the many sides of Melissa of Sarissa Melissa Photography

When it was time for my photo reveal, again Melissa treated me like I was the most famous girl on the planet! I met her at her studio and she had a big banner on display with my photo and “Shelbee on the Edge Photo Reveal.” Complete with a slide show and a brilliantly chosen musical score, how could I not feel important?! And then the best part of all of this is the results! Oh. My. God. The results. I went to bed that night feeling like a Hollywood superstar! And now a few weeks later, I am still kind of feeling like a Hollywood superstar. And it seems that these photos will continue to make me feel this way. So I would say that Melissa has very successfully accomplished her goals!

My Photo Reveal
This is how Melissa presented me with the flash drive containing the digital photos from my session.
Isn’t it so creative and thoughtful?
Melissa really knows how to make a girl feel special!

So I want to say thank you to Celia for inspiring me to book this photo shoot. And I want to say thank you to Melissa for making me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. She will surely be changing the world, one fabulous woman at a time. So if you need a little uplifting of your female spirit or if you need to rediscover your authentic, beautiful self or if you need to feel empowered or if just want to have a fabulous day of pampering, book your Truly You session now! You will not regret it!

Be sure to check back for the release date of the Fall issue of Resilientista Magazine. And Melissa may possibly be contributing something special to a future edition as well!  You will have to stay tuned!

Now for the big reveal…

So tell me, have you ever done a professional shoot like this before? If not, is it on your bucket list?

You can find Melissa online at Sarissa Melissa Photography, on Facebook, and on Instagram. Also, send lots of joyful energy her way as she will be walking down the aisle with her soul mate in less than two weeks! I do hope Melissa has the most magical day!

Outfit Details
Dress: Black Lace V-Neck Maxi Dress purchased at Torrid Salmon Run Mall.
Shoes: Chinese Laundry Sweetness Metallic Sandal from DSW.
Necklace: Walmart (No link available).
Eyewear: Etnia Barcelona from EyeCrave Optics.
Photos by Sarissa Melissa Photography.
Makeup by Anna’s Chop Shop Hair Studio.
Hair by Hair by Chantel.
Nails by Andy of Pro Spa Nails.

If you are still reading, it is link up time! And time to spread more kindness. Here are your favorite posts from last week.

Liz of Lizzie in Lace is featured again as a reader favorite with her post 30 Things You Didn’t Know About Me. I love these posts especially considering I just wrote one myself here! And how adorable is Liz in this lace skirt and striped ruffle top?!

Liz of Lizzie in Lace

And Trina of Tipsy Heelz is beach ready and looking fabulous in her Bohemian Beach Maxi Dress + Handbag.

Trina of Tipsy Heelz


Thank you all for your continued support and keeping kindness alive! I hope you have enjoyed this post!

Feeling glamorous on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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Shelbee on the Edge