My friend did a shoot with Boudoir Divas before her wedding in 2017, and while I loved her photos,…read moreI wasn't sure it was for me. However, once I got engaged, my fiancé and I were with my friend and her husband, and the way he spoke about how much be loved and "used" the photos when she was recovering from giving birth convinced me to do boudoir photos for my fiancé.
Naturally, I was nervous about doing them, but they informed me that in their entire time in business, they have never had a leak. More importantly, the pictures are so tasteful that if they did get out, at least there is no actual nudity at all.
Before your shoot, they send you a super detailed and helpful e-mail about what to bring/order, what they have that you can wear, where to park, and anything else you can think of! Definitely read the whole e-mail even though it's lengthy because it's got lots of useful stuff in there!
I did the By the Sea Shoot, which is only done on Saturdays from about 3:15/3:30-7:15/7:30 p.m. includes 1-1.5 hours of hair and make-up. My schedule went like this:
3:30 p.m.-4:45ish p.m.: Ashley did my hair and make-up while giving me some champagne to relax and loosen up
4:45-5:00 p.m.: Get into outfit # 1
5:00 p.m.-6:45 p.m. ish:
-Photos in outfit # 1,
-Change into outfit # 2 and pics in that outfit in a different area or backdrop,
-Change into outfit # 3 and pics in that outfit in a different area or backdrop
-Ashley also had me put on a button down over outfit #1 and a fuzzy jacket over outfit # 3 which created 2 extra looks
6:45-7:00 p.m.: Pack-up to leave the studio and drive to the nearby beach
7:00 p.m.-7:15 p.m.: Pics in beach outfit # 1
7:15 p.m.-7:30 p.m.: Pics in beach outfit # 2
I did my shoot on Saturday, April 30, and I received my pictures via a password protected online gallery on Wednesday, May 11 (8 business days later). Then, you select 25 photos for the album using the favorites feature on the online gallery. Once you select those, Lindsey will edit your photos as little or as much as you want and send you a proof of the album. I haven't finalized my album yet, but I'm sure it will be great!
My only critique would be that I did feel like the whole experience was a lot of money. I did find other studios that charge less. However, I proceeded with Boudoir Divas nonetheless for two reasons: First, for something like this, you really want to go with someone trusted and used by someone. Knowing my friend used them, that her photos were tasteful, that they made her feel comfortable, and that the photos were secure was important to me. Second, our engagement photos were $700.00 for 2 hours, and that did not include hair and make-up, so I guess $1,695.00 plus tax is pretty fair for a shoot twice the length that includes hair and make-up.
Including some of the less scandalous photos or cropped photos that are appropriate that I absolutely loved. An added bonus to doing this is that there is so much pressure to look perfect on your wedding day, but these photos turned out so much better than I could have ever expected that they really boosted my confidence before my big day.
Ashley was a great photographer too, who made me feel very comfortable, helped me style my outfits and made suggestions, listened to what I wanted, did a phenomenal job on my hair and make-up, posed me well (and actually showed me the poses first herself rather than just describing them), and is just a super sweet and kind human being! If you are thinking about doing boudoir photos, definitely use Boudoir Divas.