How To Prepare For Your Boudoir Session

If you are reading this blog I’m assuming you have penciled in time for yourself and your Boudoir session is just around the corner! I’m so excited to be a part of this journey of celebrating your body. Let’s chat about how you can prepare on the days leading up! 

• While this is a given but yet might seem the most challenging to achieve - try not to stress. Stress is so hard on your body mentally and physically. Trust that you are in great hands with professionals who thrive on working with everyday women. The pimple on your chin & little bit of bloat that showed up last minute does not deserve a place in your mind to worry about! Remember that I am just a text away, if something is making you stress please reach out. Chances are it’s something I hear on the regular and can help you put the worry to bed. I am here for YOU. 

• No spray tans. Let me say that one more time, NO spray tans. Often spray tans cast red onto your skin and can have the opposite effect on camera than what you are going for. Not to mention last minute blotching. I naturally shoot warmer so leave the glowing tan to me! 

• No tanning beds the week of your session. Don’t gamble with a sunburn the week of your session. It’s not worth it. If you are working to even out tan lines, do that a few weeks prior to your session. 

• Waxing right before your session. While waxing is a great way to prepare, please make sure you are scheduling no less than 72 hours before your session. Sometimes waxing can leave bumps/ redness / and swelling. Please also do not try a wax for the first time before your session, it’s not the time to find out how your skin reacts. 

• Alcohol the night before. We all love a drink to help us unwind but trade the drink in for some water and a bubble bath! 

• Intense exercise the day before and day of your session. Leg day before your Boudoir session is not ideal. Leave all that energy and flexing for your boudoir session! Trade the workout for a really good stretching session so you are able to make the most of all our amazing poses. 

• No tight clothing / bras the day of your session. Show up in your comfiest & baggy clothing! Avoid anything that will leave indents and strap marks. We totally encourage you to be in your coziest clothing! 

If you are currently on our books make sure to read through our full prep guide leading up to your session. We are here for you every step of the way, never hesitate to reach out with questions.  We can’t wait to see you!!! 

How to find confidence to book a Boudoir session?

There is a misconception that you need to have raging confidence and love every part of your body to be able to love your boudoir experience. This is absolutely not the case. In most instances my ladies have been contemplating and building up the nerve to reach out and book their session 6 months to a year prior before they ever walk into the studio! If you are sitting here thinking “am I ready?” this post was meant to find you! 

• You are open to the opportunity to see yourself in a more venerable light. We all have angels and parts of us that may not be our favorite but it’s important to be open to the idea of loving parts of yourself that you would usually shy away from. My ladies are always pleasantly surprised at all the angels they fall in love with seeing at their viewing session. 

• You know you deserved to be pampered. Life gets ahead of us all & more often than not we forget how beneficial taking care of yourself is to the overall quality of our life. If you are in need of some pampering & confidence building in one, a boudoir session is definitely for you. Let us help you relax & enjoy your experience. 

• You have something big you want to celebrate. Maybe it’s a big birthday, maybe you just crushed a wellness goal or have an anniversary around the corner. A boudoir session is such a beautiful way to capture the raw authenticity of yourself! We will have you looking and feeling your absolute best. If you have something you have wanted to celebrate please so we can apart of the planning process with you! 

If you are ready to book your body positive session fill out the contact form so we can be in touch! Embrace that excited feeling and bring it along for the session. We are dedicated to shining light on your beauty and confidence! 

Xoxo- Gretch 

The Biggest Mistakes People Make Before Their Boudoir Shoot

Trust me, jitters are completely normal before a Boudoir shoot. Undeniably, Boudoir is one of the most intimate moments women have with themselves and often are nervous about what to expect in those nearing moments. I promise that you are going to look absolutely amazing & feel amazing throughout the process!

• Obsessing over others Boudoir Photos - Comparison is the thief of Joy. It’s absolutely okay to search Pinterest for inspiration and creative ideas. What you should not do is compare yourself to other Women’s pictures. The internet is not reality, you do not want to go down a dark hole of comparison. I find my ladies enjoy the experience the most when they come in with an open mind! My pre shoot questionnaires are a great way to customize any specific ideas you have for your shoot.

• Getting wasted the night before - I feel like this is a no brainer but I’m going to leave it here as a gentle reminder. You want to be feeling well rested and hydrated on the day of your session. Take the night before to relax, take a bubble bath, use your favorite lotion, listen to your favorite playlist and have an extra glass of water!

• Not eating the day of - I promise you that one slice of toast is not going to change the outcome of your gallery! Eat babe! You are going to need energy. We are constantly moving throughout your shoot. Eat the protein, colorful veggies and some carbs! No one likes to be hangry.

• Engaging in negative self talk - It’s hard work being your biggest fan, I get it i’m human too. You did not book this session to make it all the way to the finish line to start tearing yourself apart. You are worth more than that. I encourage you to flip the script. I will absolutely do the same thing if you are talking down to yourself during your session. This time for you is NO place for negativity & I will hype you up!

  • Example: Client: “ I hate the bottom of my stomach, can you just make me look skinny” Me: “ You look wonderful! Let’s find an outfit that is going to make you feel absolutely stunning. You will be so shocked when we start posing and you see the back of my camera!”

Keep these few things in mind as you are getting ready for your Boudoir Session! I know you are going to have an absolute blast. We are here to set you up for success. Please never hesitate to reach out with those pre session jitter questions, I am an open book!

Currently Booking for Okinawa, Japan & 2023 Atlanta, Georgia

Where to shop for a Boudoir Shoot?

So your shoot is booked & now your thinking about what in the world your going to wear!

Today we are chatting about all things lingerie brands and some of my best recommendations when shopping! Before we get into brands I want to stress how important it is to pay attention to measurements when ordering online. Many high end lingerie companies are very spot on with sizing if you take the time to measure and order according to their size chart. All of us know that a medium to one is an xl to another and that is just the truth of the fashion industry. My two cents are to take the extra few minutes to size yourself so when your lingerie arrives you are feeling absolutely fabulous about the way it fits.

I have built a client closet for my ladies of over 300 styles and sizes. I have sampled from all sorts of Brands. My recommendations below are my favorite companies to order from in no specific order!

• Honey Birdette - This brand has truly unique sensual pieces and lives up to their luxury expectations! They keep their selection fresh by coming out with new collections regularly. They offer a huge range of Bra sizes and allow you to piece together your sets to your individual body size per garment item.

• Lounge - I have so much true love for this brand. Their lingerie is high end yet so many of their sets are extremely comfortable. If you are in the market for a gorgeous two piece set with thigh bands this brand is a sure winner. Many of their 3 piece sets are under $150. Most of their lingerie is offered in sizes XS-XXL.

• Playful Promises - I just have to start off by saying I love this lingerie brand because they are size inclusive. They offer sizes 2-24. So many of my clients have raved about how spot on their sizing is. It’s just a great feeling when your lingerie arrives and fits they way you were dreaming about! This brand offers some absolutely beautiful color options. I am a huge fan of colors for your boudoir shoot. So often we are drawn to red and black. While those are great options it’s nice to throw a curveball in there.

• Marie Mur - The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Marie Mur is leather harness and gorgeous high waisted panties. This luxury brand is a client favorite for my ladies who love to add accessories from the Bondage kink closet. I mean, if you’re going to get kinky, look beautiful doing it!

• Blue Bella - Color pop! This brand offers some beautiful three piece sets as well as body suits. One of my favorite things about Blue Bella is being able to customize each Garment Item by size in a set. Their provocative line is very sensual and a great option for your Boudoir Shoot wardrobe!

• Torrid - Torrid does an amazing job with size and fit! They cater to ladies up to 6x and really have just done a great job at sizing their bra bands correctly. I love when brands can live up to their curvy name and provide ladies with sexy and amazing quality options!

• Savage X Fenty - My brain immediately wants to start singing Umbrella when I think of Rihanna’s line. Savage x Fenty has really changed the lingerie game. It is size inclusive, represents women of all colors and shapes but best of all its AMAZING quality for the price. If while shopping for yourself you want to grab your man something, I highly recommend their boxers. Crazy soft!

• Love Vera - This brand gives me all the love vibes! I am so obsessed with their romance collection. Every single piece I have ordered from them has fit my ladies like a glove. They are very size inclusive and you can custom choose the size for each garment in a set!

All of these brands are great options for your Boudoir Shoot. The most important thing is that you feel confident in what you are wearing! We all know that lingerie is not created equally. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out. We love getting to be a part of every step leading up to your shoot.

Three things a Boudoir Shoot can do for you!

So i’m sure you stumbled upon this blog because you are thinking about booking your Boudoir experience! You have come to the right place (my favorite place) where I ramble on about all things boudie and how life changing of an experience it is for Women. We are our own worst critics and experts at highlighting our flaws, but at the same time we crave self love knowing that it is what we deserve. With that being said it is time for a mindset change! We are going to talk through 3 things that a Boudoir Shoot can do for you!

1.) Growing outside your comfort zone.

“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” - Brian Tracy

No doubt Boudoir is out of most women’s comfort zone. Most of all of my clients are nervous as all get out before their session & don’t believe that they can channel their inner sensual self in front of the camera. I like to remind all of my ladies that they should allow themselves the first 10 minutes to be nervous and feel all of the things. After 10 minutes of “okay i’m really doing this” your mindset changes. There is some bless and release that happens and you are able to trust the process and the environment that you are in. My goal is to always have an environment that makes you feel safe and confident enough to step outside your comfort zone and let the magic happen. We walk our ladies through each step of the session from poses to hand & eye placement so they are able to feel confident and in control of their session. We always make sure to show plenty of shots from the back of the camera. This is the best in the moment confidence boost when you get to see how amazing you look as your 100% authentic self. You will absolutely leave with a different glow and love for your body.

2.) Self Respect for your current situation.

Boudoir is much more than a few sexy pictures that you are gifting to a special someone. When you get the chance to sit down and look through your collection of images you will find yourself wondering why you were ever so harsh to your body. More importantly when you sit 10 ten years from now you will look back at this memory and remember how it made you feel ,bold, sexy, empowered. Boudoir is a beautiful way to pay respect to our self and our body. I love the moments when our ladies share stories about how different they felt looking in the mirror and how much self love came from their Boudoir Experience.

3.) Rediscover your femininity.

Believe it or not, having a photoshoot centered around taking half naked pictures will absolutely be a confidence boost. So many of our ladies don’t believe that they have that sensual side to turn on in front of the camera. A phrase I hear so often is “When you edit make me look sexy”. There is no magic wand when I go to retouch and edit your images, it is you with those smoldering eyes! It is that moment in my camera. You are posed in ways that bring out your best assets and we spend the time style you to your unique figure. Everything leading up to your shoot is customized individually to bring out the most confident version of you! The entire day is all about you! You will be walking out of our studio feeling like one smoking hot babe!

Every Woman deserves this experience! You are worthy of a confidence boost. You are deserving of self love and respect for how amazing your body is inside and out.

Be sure to fill out the contact form if you are ready to boost your confidence and book your Boudoir Experience! We can’t wait to serve the ladies of Atlanta!

Atlanta Portrait and Boudoir Photography