American Eagle Bralette | Gentle Fawn Sweater | Ugg Scuffette Slippers

Victoria's Secret Bodysuit | Lizzie Bee's Flower Shoppe Hair Piece

American Eagle Bralette

Dallas Cowboys Custom Jersey

Victoria's Secret Bridal Set

Victoria's Secret Bridal Set

Victoria's Secret Bridal Set

Victoria's Secret Babydoll | Anne Barge Veil

Nordstrom Bodysuit | Anne Barge Veil

Victoria's Secret Babydoll

Dallas Cowboys Custom Jersey

Photography: Heidi Lockhart | Hair and Make-up Grand Slam Glam

Let me just preface this by saying that I was really nervous to post these, but they are the least revealing of all my photos (I mean my swimsuit posts show more than these select photos!), plussss I just felt like some things needed to be said.  I actually had this to post at an earlier date, but received some comments about my body that made me self conscious, so I post-poned it for a bit. But here I am! One of the things that helped, was seeing my fellow Dallas blogger friend Becca post a Foodoir Shoot - it encouraged me to post these - love yourself, y'all!

Let me start from the beginning... I didn't plan to do a boudoir shoot, but I am so glad I did! It was one of the inclusions in my photography package. Nick saw it and was "ooh" and I was like...um no. HOWEVER, the thought gradually grew on me and I thought it would be a great way to surprise Nick. I did give a nice book to him as a gift at our rehearsal dinner, but I really did a boudoir shoot for me. So yes, that is my reasoning...why should you do a boudoir shoot? FOR YOU.

Let me explain. My wedding photographer Heidi Lockhart started out her photography career with boudoir photos. She's good at every kind of picture she takes, but you can see she does extremely well with these kind of images - especially the ones I didn't feature here;) Def NSFW and for Nick's eyes only! Heidi explains boudoir shoots as something that makes you feel good about yourself...something every woman needs! When I took these photos, I was probably the heaviest I have been since Nick and I started dated (slash I still am). I used to run at least 3 miles a day, made sure I worked out 5 days a week, etc and with my 9-5 job, part-time blogging job that is really full-time, and at the time planning a wedding (now it is helping run a wine bar), I was struggling to run a mile once a week. (side note, I was injured in a race in 2015 and never really got my mojo back after that) Heidi made me feel beautiful and sexy - something that boosts any woman's self confidence. In today's day and age - people suck and can be so mean. Whether you're too fat or too skinny, people will come at you from all angles, especially as a blogger.

Anyway, we did my boudoir set the same day as we did my bridals. (see my bridal portraits here) That morning I had my hair and make-up done, then headed to the Aloft in downtown Dallas, to begin my boudoir session - I think we ended up shooting from like 10 am to 1pm, then shot my bridals from 1:30pm-3:30pm. Talk about a long day!

I think what deters people from doing boudoir shoots is that they don't think they can be "sexy" or they don't want to appear like an "object". To each their own, BUT it's really not like that. I think one of the first steps is to have a photographer who is the BOMB. I can't say enough good things about Heidi, but that post will come later;) Here are some basic, Heidi approved tips for a KA boudoir shoot.

1) Have your hair and make-up done. I did mine the same day as my bridals, so I could use the same hair and make-up. Don't forget about your nails! Side note- I did my own hair and make-up for my engagements, but made sure to get them done for my boudoir. It's just kind of a different shoot! For engagements, I didn't really care, because it was more of a natural shoot!

2) Bring several options. You never know what you will be feeling that day, plus your photographer probably has a great vision! Just make sure to have several different kinds, whether it be a bralette + panties, one pieces, tees, sweaters, and lingerie sets. It's cool to cover different types of outfits. Heidi actually brought me a bone-in-corset to wear for one of my sets - it was amazing!

3) Start easy. We began with a simple bralette and panty set with a oversized sweater. It is easy and comfortable. A lot of the time, people who come in are anxious and this is a good way to ease into the session.

4) Move to fun. Next, we went with sporty - maybe y'all like rock climbing together or hiking - Nick and I like football, so that's what we incorporated. We both went to Baylor and on the date of our first date, I received a call to interview with the Cowboys. It was fun to involve both of those aspects of our life. Maybe you don't have a college or pro team in common, but he likes some Indy Car racer or maybe he is a firefighter, orrrr maybe y'all run together? There are TONS of ways to incorporate more "fun" and "sporty" aspects into this type of shoot!

5) End with sexy. By this time you are warmed up and are more comfortable with this set. I think people overthink the "sexy" thought of a boudoir shoot. Heidi said it is actually easier for her to photograph someone who isn't overly vamp, if you know what I mean. So don't think you have to be like a professional sexy person (lol) or something. You just get the hang of it and your outfits reflect that.

6) Include sentimental or meaningful items. I LOVE this aspect. I wore jewelry Nick gave me (my engagement ring, and my Tiffany and Co. Diamonds by the Yard that Nick gave me, in addition to my Baylor class ring). I also brought empty wine bottles and glasses, to put in the background. A really fun thing to include was a Tiger skin rug, that Nick's great, great, Grandfather handed down. Think about what y'all both enjoy or maybe something he really likes and include that - it just makes it that much more special. I also included my wedding veil - I know some people will do this as a 1 year anniversary gift, which would still be something fun to include in this type of shoot, even after you're already married.

7) Schedule your lingerie shower before your session. This should go without saying, but make sure to have your lingerie shower pre-shoot, so you don't have to buy a bunch of stuff. Remember my shower? It was a 2-3 months before my shoot, so I had time to make sure I had all of the types of garments I wanted! Seems simple, but sometimes it's forgotten about if it is a part of the bachelorette party!

Heidi has shot every age type for boudoir- from 25 (what I was at the time of the shoot), to people in their 50s - there really isn't a reason you shouldn't do one, especially if it is because of how old you are. When you get the finished product, you feel pretty and are able to see yourself in a different light. A professional photographer should capture all of your best angles and even make you look better than you are ( not talking about photo-shopping), you know what I'm saying? That's why you pay them the big bucks. Not everyone is a professional photographer;) All in all, I think another reason people don't want to do boudoir shoots, is because it makes them feel dirty, to an extent? Heidi's style of shooting is anything but that! No tackiness here! The way she shoots, it wouldn't be the end of the world if someone found the book I made Nick or leaked all of the images online...obviously I don't want that, BUT she makes everything beautiful, so above all, I'd just make sure you have a great photographer. THAT is what will make or break your shoot. 

So, there you have it. Boudoir shoots are a great thing and they are fun. I understand that they are not for everyone, but at least consider one. You'll be happy with the results:) There's so much body shaming these days - whether it be in person, or the ever growing cyber bully, you deserve to know that you are beautiful in your own skin. Obviously, a set of photos won't cure deep hurts, but they can help. You can't begin to love others, until you learn to love yourself, bodily imperfections and all! I ran this entire post by my husband (like most of my posts), but just to make sure the focus was on girl power your own beauty. I realize this could be controversial, but I published this post in hopes that it would inspire at least one person, and hopefully inspire them to love the body God gave them. 

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