Boudoir: pronunciation : bü-ˌdwär
Definition: a woman’s dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room
Etymology: french, from bouder, meaning to pout

From other photographers in the biz:
Boudoir Photography: It is a form of art more historical than you may realize, pointing all the way back to the 1700′s to paintings by Francois Boucher. It is a tasteful celebration of a woman’s body. An empowering experience that allows women to feel more than just beautiful, sexy and gorgeous. An experience that allows women to feel confident, fun, playful, pampered, and comfortable in their own skin.

Mostly, I’m eager to offer Boudoir Photography services to my brides as a gift the for the one you love and plan to spend the rest of your life with. It’s something to make his jaw drop. It’s creative, intimate, sensual, and just freakin’ awesome. Think about it brides, you’re about to get married. Everything is in a whirlwind around you- the planning, the flowers, the invitations, the place cards, the playlists. You have meetings and checks to write and mom’s trillion questions to answer. When do you get time to pamper yourself and think about the best you can be? When do you get time to enjoy the happiest you’ll ever be, the most excited you’ll ever be? When do you get to just slow down and treasure the time you have to just be engaged and desired? You’ve got hundreds of new lingerie items from all your girlfriends from those insane lingerie showers, why not show it all off? In photos you can keep, that you can share with him, that he can die over.

I’d never thought about shooting Boudoir until this year when I was talking about it with a few of my photog role models. I gathered from them that it’s so much more than just a gaggle of photos of you in your skivvies. It’s about a day being devoted to you, planning to surprise him, dressing up, and having fun…as you. Entirely as you. Because you are who he’s marrying.

A few of my recent brides added the session to their packages last minute. Head over to my girl, Kelsey Gamblin’s blog on Weddingbee.com to see my session with her and what she has to say about the experience. Another one of my summer brides said about her experience:

Doing a boudoir shoot was one of the most rewarding choices I made in wedding planning. Two days before my wedding, we kicked my soon-to-be husband out of the house. With candles, stilettos, and some John Legend on the speakers, we went to work. For the first time in my life, I truly felt beautiful and sexy – and it was exactly what I needed before walking down that aisle. Getting a sneak peek of the photos renewed my confidence that I would be a beautiful bride on my wedding day. It truly is about capturing the essence of a woman and I went from “I could never do that” to challenging myself to just do it, letting out some inner hotness and embracing all of it.

For this shoot, I wanted to show the many different styles possible. There’s so many ways to feel sexy and gorgeous. And I want to meet my clients where they’re at. What could more fun than an hour all about you, with some champagne, good ol’ fashioned jumpin’ on the bed, and some sultry tunes to calm the nerves? I want any boudoir session to be just as much about the experience as it is about the photos my clients walk away with. The whole goal is for a woman to embrace and take pride in just the way they are at that time in their lives, because it’s a time to be treasured and a time to revel in.