A few months ago I had a conversation with one of my friends Katrina about boudoir photography. I had always wanted to have photos taken for JJ but never got around to it. Coincidentally, Katrina had taken pictures a few months prior for a wedding gift to her husband, and highly recommended the photographer. I researched her work and found her style to be exactly what I was looking for, not staged and truly beautiful.
After booking my appointment two months in advance, I took my time to feel my best and organize my vision. I never thought purchasing the right kind of lingerie would be so difficult and time consuming. Researching lingerie brands was quite overwhelming, you can’t even believe how many options and price ranges there are out there. I was very impressed with the For Love and Lemons brand and highly recommend you checking it out if you are in the market. I found myself choosing the color black for a lot of my outfits, other than taking the opportunity to photograph in my wedding nightgown. I’d bet you JJ does not even remember what it looks like. It is one of my favorite pieces currently hanging in my closet, by La Perla. A silk ivory floor length gown with delicate lace all around the breast. When I stopped into a boutique while living in NYC, it was love at first sight and exactly what I had envisioned. I tried it on regardless of the price tag and decided to give it a day or two to think about it. There had been nothing I’d seen so far that was even close to its greatness. The following day I came back to the salon and I noticed it was gone. The woman looked at me and pointed to the gown hanging behind the desk, “I knew you’d be back.” If I was looking for a sign to justify the large purchase, that was it.
The day of the shoot, I spent my morning getting ready at The Waverly Salon. I love this salon. From the moment you walk in the door you notice the beautiful modern interior and friendly staff. I spent the first hour having my makeup done by Ryan and the second with Tara, receiving the perfect volumized curled blow out. I was so thrilled with how they both turned out. Now after a few bathroom selfies, I was off to Luela’s.
I showed up at Luela’s apartment that early afternoon. We had never met before so I was anticipating some sort of socially awkward situation. There was no such moment. I felt completely comfortable the entire time and felt like I had known Luela for longer than those five minutes. It probably helped that we had mutual friends to talk about and her incredibly friendly demeanor. In no time, I was laying on the wooden floor in my new For Love and Lemon’s outfit with my freshly blushed cheeks and legitimate sex hair…’ it’s go time’.
A month and a few days later, JJ received the book I created for him. I think everyone can take a wild guess as you may wonder, did he love it? Yes, yes he did. He was more nervous than anything when I handed him the book wrapped up in a gift bag. He panicked when he first thought he had forgotten some sort of anniversary. Luckily for him, it was given on a random Friday night while we were at home drinking wine for no apparent reason… as it was intended to be.
If you are pondering whether or not you should do a boudoir photo shoot for your husband or wife, the answer is yes. Not only are these photos for my husband, but for myself as well. They will be fun to look back at in the years to come.
Below you will find one cropped teaser from the shoot.
The rest are for JJ.
Ι Photographer: Luela Kaba Photography Ι Hair: Tara Hainsworth from The Waverly Salon Ι Makeup: Ryan Gillis from The Waverly Salon
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Lola