Boudoir photography for wedding

Everything You Need to Know

Want to surprise your partner with an intimate photo album? Learn why taking boudoir wedding photos can be a treat for them and totally empowering for you.

Boudoir photo shoots have maintained serious popularity among to-be-weds. It's most popular among brides, but grooms too, and even couples together, are choosing to pose for sexy shots. But what exactly is boudoir photography, and how does it work? To help you decide if a risqué photo shoot is the right move for you (both), read on for answers to all your questions.

What Is Boudoir Photography?

Boudoir photography is a sultry professional photo shoot meant as a special gift for your partner. Whoever's taken boudoir photos will often present their finished shots as a wedding gift to their soon-to-be-spouse. Boudoir photos can range from intimate and flirtatious to straight-up sexy, depending on your own comfort level and preferences. They definitely don't need to be X-rated—if PG-13 is your boudoir photo sweet spot, that's perfect. You can also incorporate a theme or get inspired by a certain aesthetic: Try a classic pinup-inspired vibe, or what the pros call implied nudes. That means you're not wearing anything, but you're also not showing off anything either (think: a snap from the back, lying on your stomach or covering up with a sheet or pillows).

Who Takes Boudoir Photos?

Many wedding photographers have jumped on the boudoir bandwagon and started to include this prewedding service has an addition to your wedding photography contract. In some cities, you can also find specialty boudoir photographers whose expertise is taking sexy shoots for brides- (and grooms-) to-be. Beyond getting high-quality photos and having a seamless, professional experience, hiring a pro ensures you'll end up with a completed photo album, perfect for gifting your other half, a service many wedding photographers are able to arrange.

When Should You Schedule a Boudoir Photo Shoot?

Ideally, you want to do your boudoir photo shoot before the wedding. If you're spending time, energy and money on a prewedding wellness or beauty routine, you're welcome to wait until a week or so before your wedding to show off those glowing results (although, this depends on how much time you have or how stressed you are right before your day). Plus, a fun and pampering photo shoot is a good way to indulge and take a breather from wedding planning. Otherwise, take them whenever you'd like—one suggestion, though: Don't schedule your boudoir photo shoot for the morning of your wedding. Trust us, you'll have enough going on without adding an entirely separate photo session to your day-of timeline (and you won't want to feel rushed or look stressed in your sexy shots, right?).

How Long Does a Session Typically Take?

This will depend on the photography package you choose, but your boudoir photo session will probably last for about two hours. It takes time to prep hair and makeup, and set up any additional props or lighting. It may also take you a little while to relax. Most to-be-weds aren't used to lounging around in lingerie or a silk robe in front of a camera lens, so your first few shots could look a bit stiff. (Don't worry, you'll loosen up, especially if you have a photographer you really click with.)

What Does Boudoir Photography Cost?

Cost varies considerably—do a little investigating before committing to a vision of what you want. Multiple set changes, renting props or simply time spent can add up quickly. If you can include a private session in your wedding photography package, you may be able to get a better deal than if you go with a different photographer. The real key, of course, is whether you gel with your photographer—if you don't feel comfortable, it'll show on camera. Keep in mind you might need to budget a little extra if you plan to buy new lingerie and/or get your hair and makeup done beforehand.

FOR YOU

Where Should You Take Your Photos?

Talk with your photographer to come up with the best location—one that's both beautiful and comfortable. Many photographers do a photo shoot in a studio. Another popular setting is a hotel room, but your own home is another great option. Mainly, you need to get the okay from your photographer on the locale—a number of different backgrounds for poses are important, and they'll also need lots of natural light.

What Should You Wear?

Choose outfits that make you feel confident, comfortable and sexy. A good rule of thumb: Bring something white, something black, and something in a bright color so you can mix and match. A corset will create sexy curves, while delicate lingerie will create softer, romantic lines. In addition to undergarments, don't forget any accessories you want to incorporate, like shoes and jewelry (and your engagement ring, of course).

Should You Bring Anyone With You?

Though you don't want to turn your shoot into a three-ring circus, it's a great idea to bring a friend along if you're the nervous type. You'll feel more at ease if you can make a few jokes with a pal, as well as listen to their encouragement or even suggestions. Another idea you'll love: Bring a bottle of bubbly. A little champagne may help loosen things up and create a celebratory atmosphere. You'll be posing like a pro in no time—and your lucky partner will love the results.

Why Do a Boudoir Wedding Shoot?

You may have already paid for engagement photos and first-look photos, and you've almost certainly already hired a wedding photographer (maybe a videographer, too). Should you really add wedding boudoir photography to the mix?
For many brides and grooms, the answer is yes. Here's why.

Boudoir Wedding Photos Are Empowering

Most people assume that a boudoir wedding shoot is a gift for the other partner, but actually, it is a gift to you. Participating in a boudoir shoot will help you see your beauty and your own power as a creature of desire. This is your chance to open up that sexy part of yourself and proudly put it on display for your partner's pleasure and your own. Yes, your partner will go crazy over these pictures, but they are also something you can look at to remind yourself that you are beautiful.

They Make an Amazing Gift

A boudoir photo shoot wedding album is the perfect surprise gift the day before your wedding to tease your someone special. You can also present it on your honeymoon and look through the photos together. Or, if you have monumental patience, present it to your partner on your first wedding anniversary.
The Perfect Reason to Buy Some Sexy Lingerie

A boudoir shoot will require you to buy some beautiful lingerie. (You can decide if you want to pick up cute and teasing outfits or something outright scandalous.) Now you not only have a few sexy pieces for your photo shoot, but you can also slip them on during your honeymoon.

Connect with Your Photographer

If you are using your wedding photographer to shoot your wedding boudoir photography, this is an excellent chance to bond with your vendor. This person will be seeing an intimate side of you, and that experience will more than likely help you feel more comfortable on your wedding day. A more relaxed bride or groom will result in better pictures all around.

Bond with Your Partner

If you decide to get boudoir wedding photos with your partner, this could be an amazing opportunity for you both to explore your intimacy in a new way.Think of it as a sexy trust exercise that will bring you even closer together. The resulting pictures will also be a memento you can pull out again and again when you want to heat up your future nights together.

Ready to find amazing photographers near you? Head to The Knot Marketplace to start your search.

5 Reasons to Do a Bridal Boudoir Photo Shoot

Relationships
Love & Dating

Lindsay Cohn

Lindsay Cohn is a freelance journalist who writes about travel, clean beauty, wellness, and design. She has also contributed to Travel + Leisure, USA Today, Fodor's, Well+Good, PureWow, Reader's Digest, and more.

Brides's Editorial Guidelines

Updated on 11/04/20

Jan Zhukov/Unsplash

When it comes to wedding-planning priorities, booking the perfect wedding photographer is at the top of the list. From your engagement session to your first-look photos, there are a lot of opportunities to stand in front of the camera. But one that might not be on your radar? A bridal boudoir shoot.

What Is Bridal Boudoir?

Bridal boudoir is an intimate form of professional photography in which a bride poses while wearing revealing clothing.

Here, five reasons why you should consider a pre-wedding boudoir session.

1. To celebrate

you.

A boudoir shoot is a great way to celebrate yourself, to create some amazing photographs that reflect just how vivacious and incredible you really are. It's often easy to get swept up with work and life. "Sometimes the fire glows a little dimmer than it once did, and when that happens, having some great images of yourself to look back on can help reignite that flame within yourself," says photographer Bailey Harada Stone.

"Imagine the power these images will have in 20, 30, even 50 years' time...when you can look back at these memories and see just how beautiful, confident, and sexy you were at this stage of your life," says Kylie Maree of Just for Love Photography.

Meet the Expert

Bailey Harada Stone is a creative director and content producer who specializes in fashion, beauty and cosmetic photography & production.
Kylie Maree is the founder of Just for Love Photography and has been photographing weddings for JFL for over six years.

2. To make you feel empowered.

A boudoir shoot is a great way to boost your self-confidence before your wedding. "Looking back at the moments when you felt sexy and beautiful will remind you that it's the dress that's not so great, not you," says Stone. "I think one of the most important reasons to organize a boudoir session is simply that you are enough...as you are right now, without changing anything," says Maree. It will empower you to feel more confident in your own skin—and that is invaluable!

3. It's an excuse to go lingerie shopping.

Between securing the venue, caterer, band, and officiant (the list goes on and on...), planning your wedding can be all-consuming. Sometimes a bride-to-be just needs a break. And what better way to spend some well-deserved downtime than lingerie shopping? After all, you're going to need a few pretty little things for your wedding night and honeymoon anyway.

4. It makes a great gift for your partner.

Your other half sees you at your best and worst (think, no sleep and bad hair)—and still thinks you're gorgeous. Bridal boudoir photos are the wedding gift.

5. To make you more comfortable in front of the camera.

"A boudoir session is an intimate experience between a client and her photographer, requiring a lot of guidance and trust," says Maree. "The sessions that I have photographed for my brides-to-be have enabled us to connect on a deeper level, which in turn makes brides even more comfortable with me on their wedding day. The more trust, the better the images are as a result."

Whether you book a sexy session with your wedding photographer or a boudoir specialist, spending some time in front of the camera will make you exponentially more comfortable on your special day.

What Are Bridal Portraits and Should You Take Them?

Bride's boudoir photo shoot: talking about the frank

Boudoir style photo session is a modern trend and part of wedding photography. Of course, not all brides are ready to become the heroines of candid shots in beautiful seductive lingerie, just as not everyone feels the strength to behave at ease in front of the lens and the photographer. In all the nuances of a boudoir photo session - where, how, what and why - we will try to understand this material.

Wedding boudoir photo session of the bride: why and who needs it? nine0007

The wedding day is the time when a girl feels as happy and desirable as possible, and looks appropriate - blooming, young, in love. A candid photo session is what you can most likely decide to do at this turning point in your life - when a woman is confident in her own beauty.

But don't confuse a boudoir style photo shoot with a nude shoot. It is absolutely not necessary for a bride to pose naked or take provocative poses. Wedding boudoir photos are pictures in a beautiful boudoir dress, luxurious lingerie, peignoir, most often reflecting the process of the bride's morning preparations. The boundaries of frankness and sexuality for themselves are set only by the bride herself.

Why do we need such shots in a wedding photo book? It is important to note that not all images should be there. A boudoir photo session is an opportunity for the bride to feel beautiful and feminine. Most men will be happy to see their wife in this way. Therefore, take courage and make a gift to yourself and your loved one! nine0003

Studio photo shoot in boudoir style

As we have already said, such shooting at a wedding is relevant for revealing the theme of the morning of the bride. To make the picture aesthetic, you should definitely abandon the idea of being photographed at home. Beautiful decorations - a luxurious bed, an exquisite dressing table, etc. are extremely important for creating the right atmosphere.

The best place for boudoir photography is the hotel room where the bride wakes up on her wedding day. Another option is a professional photography studio. But in the latter case, there may be a lack of time: the studio needs to be booked for a convenient hour, get there and have time to spend the real preparations for the bride - not on camera. nine0003

The ideal solution is to have a boudoir photo session a few weeks before the wedding. You can combine it in plans with a trial hairstyle and makeup, then there will definitely be no problems with the image.

Boudoir dress

For girls who want to invest in photography not so much the meaning of sexuality as tenderness and charm, designers have found a solution - a boudoir dress. In this outfit, the bride will feel dressed enough not to feel constrained in front of the photographer. And these dresses are really unrealistically beautiful! nine0003

Boudoir lingerie

For brides with a wonderful figure and the absence of any complexes, there can be no better option than boudoir lingerie. Depending on the result you want to get, choose a color: delicate and seductive - white or milky, passionate and hot - red, sexy and attractive - black, etc. Lace underwear is well suited for the wedding morning, and in order not to feel embarrassed, be sure to use a cape or a light, translucent robe. nine0003

Nude photos

The most disturbing topic for brides is how thin the line is between boudoir and nude photos. We hasten to explain right away: these are completely different things. Boudoir shooting involves getting into the frame of bare body parts - thigh, shoulder, décolleté - but all this is just a hint, since the image of the bride can be seductive, but not vulgar and flashy. But again: it all depends on your wishes and agreements with the photographer.

Boudoir bridal photography ideas

We've covered the toughest topics, now let's get straight to the ideas: how to get the perfect bridal boudoir morning shots.

To be in the image

The bride participating in candid photography is a heroine. If you want to get emotional, stylish, sensual pictures - clearly define the role. Perhaps you will be relaxed and daring, or maybe tender and virginal. Play a role if you want: to be an actress is, to some extent, the vocation of every woman. nine0003

Unusual place

We wrote about shooting in a hotel or studio, but if you are not limited to a wedding day, experiment with a place for a boudoir photo shoot. Nature - garden, forest, mountains, rivers, industrial theme - abandoned houses, factories, shooting in a car - let your imagination run wild.

Props and decorations for a photo shoot

The usual setting - furniture, household appliances, home decor - is not what should be in the frame. The most successful props for a boudoir photo shoot are mirrors, a dressing table, an old bed, sofa or armchair, musical instruments - a piano, harp, etc., a fireplace, beautiful windows. But at the same time, cluttered spaces are unacceptable: the bride should be the center of attention, and the props are just a means of achieving the desired effect in the photo. nine0003

How to show a photo from a boudoir shoot to a husband

Probably the first and most important thing that stops girls from making a decision to take part in a candid photo shoot is a matter of perception and attitude of a partner. If your chosen one is conservative and jealous, try to reach him with the help of trust and argumentation:

explain to him that you want to take beautiful photos in lingerie or a boudoir dress for his sake. That it is beautiful and that the results will not be made public - neither in the album, nor in social networks; nine0003
if a man is relentless and jealous - use the services of a female wedding photographer;
show him footage from similar shootings on the Internet - probably, after watching, he will change his mind.

The best option is when photos from a boudoir photo session become a wedding gift for the groom. Send him pictures on the morning of the wedding or give him a ready-made photo book, designed just for him! You can also add an intimate note to the album, in which you write about the upcoming wedding night, and how you will soon appear in front of your lover in a seductive outfit from photos! nine0003

A boudoir photo session dedicated to the wedding is the best opportunity to do what you have been dreaming about for a long time, but could not decide. Let your loved one support you in your desires, and the results will justify the hopes of both!

Photo: Pinterest

Revision date: 2019-12-18

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Wedding portal » Articles » Ideas for a wedding » Ideas for a photo shoot

Recently, a boudoir photo shoot has become increasingly popular among brides. Imagine you are posing in front of the camera in a beautiful dressing gown or underwear, surrounded by luxurious furniture and textiles. As a result, you not only get a lot of positive emotions, but also a series of spectacular shots, sexy and mind-blowing. They can be presented to the groom as a wedding gift. Believe me, not a single man will refuse such a surprise in an envelope, the Svadbagolik.ru portal is sure. nine0003

Boudoir photography of the bride's morning can be done both indoors and outdoors. Usually, girls choose a studio or a beautiful hotel room for such a photo shoot, where the interior itself is conducive to creating luxurious shots. If you want something more unusual, then the morning of the bride in nature will be an excellent option - surrounded by greenery and flowers, the shots will turn out to be even more tender and romantic!

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