Minneapolis Bridal Boudoir Portraits
I am so excited to share these bridal boudoir portraits with you! Miss D got married this fall, and wanted to plan a boudoir session so that she could share the portraits with her fiance on the morning of their wedding. From our first conversation, I knew that we were a great fit to work together - D was looking for a photographer with a natural, elegant style, and was really drawn to my philosophy of empowering women through these portraits. We had an incredible session! I'll let her share the rest of her story with you. Enjoy!
Before the session, I had a lot of questions. What should I bring along? How long would the session last? What should I expect? Would the pictures still look like me?
Our chat on the phone [with Alyssa] probably helped calm my nerves the most. We talked about the style that I wanted for the shoot, what I could bring to wear, how I envisioned my hair and makeup to look. She also gave me the hair/makeup artist's number which was helpful since I had questions about how my hair can be when styled. Talking through price points of packages and even seeing pictures that she had taken were really helpful.
During the session, Alyssa was so helpful in making sure that I was posed correctly. Not only did she demonstrate the poses to make it easier to know what she was looking for, I really felt that she knew how to pose me in a way that was flattering for my body. Everything went so smooth, she didn't pressure me into doing anything and I really didn't feel like I was told that I couldn't do things that I wanted to do. I remember walking out and feeling like this was one of the best things I've ever done!
After the photoshoot, I wanted to tell everyone about my session, but since it was a surprise for my fiance I couldn't! I wanted to let them know it was the greatest thing I've ever done for my own self confidence. Leaving somewhere feeling beautiful and sexy when all you did was have a great gal take some amazing pictures really says a lot.
Reflecting back I also remember feeling that at no point throughout the session did I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, which at times can be a bit of a challenge being a "curvy" woman. Alyssa made me feel so good about myself that when I left I felt so empowered, leaving somewhere and feeling like you could take on the world was so amazing. Nothing was going to get me down that day.
When I saw my pictures, all I could say for the first 10 minutes was "Oh my goodness". The pictures turned out better than I could have ever imagined!
I was so nervous to see how the pictures were going to turn out. Since there's some places on my body that I'm not a huge fan of I was nervous to see how I was going to "hide" those parts to make them beautiful. The funny thing is that Alyssa didn't even hide them, she placed me in poses that flattered my figure and made me love the quirks that I have.
They were exactly what I was looking for, I looked like myself but amplified and sultry and slightly sexy. The perfect day-of wedding gift for my future husband. While looking through them all I noticed there was a good mix of outfit choices and poses and even some that were sexy and some less so. Alyssa didn't pressure at all to rush into choosing which ones I wanted to put in a book. I think the reveal was my favorite part, seeing the beautiful work that Alyssa did and how great I looked in them all was an amazing experience.
Are you considering a boudoir portrait session? Click here to download my Boudoir Magazine (including session info, outfit suggestions, and pricing details!). You can also feel free to reach out to me anytime at hello@illuminateboudoir.com for more information!