Bridal Boudoir Shoot: Yes you should do it sis!!
Heyyyy Lovies!! I know, I know it has been a HOT MINUTE since I dropped a blog post. I promise I will get better ESPECIALLY now that I am done wedding planning and I can share so much of the process with you all! As you all know if you aren't new here September 3rd and 4th 2021 I married the love of my life! Well the planning process wasn't easy but it was also all intentional! As with anything with me I wanted ALL black vendors and I ensured I did that. So for the next few months I will be dropping blog posts sharing with you all the planning process and how to reach out to the vendors directly!!
Today we are talking about the bridal boudoir shoot that I did as a gift for my husband. This was one of his gifts for our American Wedding, and baby he loved it!!
Now if you have been following me for a while then you know that by American size standards and honestly western fashion standards I am considered plus size. Yet baby you all know I have no issue with that, because I love this size 14/16 body. Yet I can't lie and say that sometimes I don't feel as sexy in lingerie as those models I see in the magazines or even the sites where you grab them from. Yet this was something I wanted to give my husband for our wedding day. I wasn't going to let the doubts or insecurities in my head win (neither should you sis!!)
With that being said I reached out to a North Carolina based photographer whose boudoir shoots are top notch! Now all of this was meant to be kept quite seeing that it was a surprise. I let him know that I would prefer none of my images be posted until after our September 4th wedding date. He had no problem with that at all. I went ahead and scheduled the shoot on a weekend that my hubby wouldn't be expecting me to come up and visit nor did he have plans to come down. I reserved the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel in Winston Salem for the shoot and we were off to the races.
Now let's meet the photographer!
The Photographer
This is Robert from @91NEPhotography, and if you aren't new here you know that I have shot with him before. He is the photographer that took the couple boudoir pictures of me and my love that went viral. Those photos ended up on social media pages such as @meandsomeboyson as well as the company where we got the pajama pants from using our image for advertising. Choosing him for this shoot was a no brainer.
Robert started his photography company In 2015, after years of saving and working on his craft. The name 91NE Photography derives from the fact that he was born on the last day of 1991. Which pretty cool and makes the brand a little more personal and y'all know I love that!
For the last 5 years he has spent his time shooting everything from Fashion to editorial, to boudoir and his passion shows through his art. Robert is based out of Winston Salem, NC but he does travel often to shoot. His calendar stays booked so I am saying this now, don't hesitate to book!! (Want to see more of his work? click here) Also be on the look our for more stuff with me and him.
Before I move on to the rest of the blog I know you all are wondering how much did the \shoot cost. Now I booked my shoot prior to his price changes (yes know your worth!!) but this same shoot with all the same things starts at $375 he offers adding such as addition people and clothing. Now I will say this he does often time do specials!! So make sure you are following him (Ig posted above) so you can catch the special while they last. Yet for what I got in my package and these dope photos I am please with the price!
The Looks!
I couldn't book a dope photographer and come half stepping with the looks. I had recently stumbled upon a black owned lingerie brand on instagram called @Privacyintimates who I saw carried items for women of all sizes. I reached out to ask them about the one piece teddy( picture on the right) to ensure that I grabbed the right size. The customer service was awesome and shipping was pretty quick. I actually grabbed two pieces from them but sadly the other look didn't fit.
My package came with two looks (As you can see with smart planning I pulled off three), I knew I wanted a robe look but wasn't ready to use my bridal robe (be on the look out for my post about bridal robes) and I knew I needed it quickly. I purchased the robe (pictured in the middle) from @shopoyemwen who is a black owned fashion line based out of Atlanta, GA who specializes in using tulle to make anything. (For the exact robe click here). I used the robe on top of the teddy for one look and then took it off so it gave me a whole new look. For my second/third look I grabbed the corset from Savage by Fenty (@savagexfenty) by our favorite girl Rihanna. The corset was under what use to be called the "wifey" section but it is now called the honeymoon section. The corset is no longer offered on the site but It is a beauty. The one thing that I originally didn't like was the fact that the bigger options only came with straps. This meant if you were an XL or higher the strapless corset was not a choice available to you or me. Looking back especially with the angles we took I am glad I had those straps to hold these babies in with lol.
Accessories
Outfits secured, then I knew as a bridal shoot I needed dope headpieces and earrings that would pop and give you the bridal look. Looking back I should have also grabbed a veil but hey my pictures are STILL dope so its ok. I grabbed two set of earrings from a black owned accessory line @aiandeva (Baby her customer service is out of this world!! Look out for my accessories only blog post coming soon!!) and then I also grabbed the blinged out silver headpiece from them.
Prior to shooting this, I had also been working with an accessory company out of Nigeria @bridalsbyoprahjohnson and when I saw the little gold details on my savage fenty corset I knew that gold headpiece was it! As I look at the images it was the little details that made everything come together and I am so happy that these ladies saw my vision even before it became a reality.
Now I would be remised to not speak on my dope makeup artist Pricilla from @attractionsgh , who I have now worked with 4 times and we still have some upcoming things. Yet I wont be sharing too much this post because I have yet another blog post dedicated specifically to my Make up artists from my day and the process!! So yes please stay tuned but in the mean time feel free to follow her on instagram!!
Now ladies all of these tidbits came together and gave me the results you see today. I want to take the time out to highlight that Robert ensured that I felt comfortable and made sure I was in angles that not only flattered my body but showcased everything. He was also the perfect gentleman throughout the entire process. I wanted to highlight that because women often times are worried about shooting such images with a male photographer, because if we are being honest yes some are creeps! Yet I want to express that Robert is far from that! The images shown here are NOT the images that were in my husband's book either. Those were only for him and I got separate edits specifically for this blog post.
With all that said, no matter your body type, shape, shade or whatever you are beautiful! Use this shoot not only for the significant other you choose to gift this to but for yourself! Take the time to admire yourself and understand that every piece of you is beautifully flawed. This is why I love you, why you love you, and why that person loves you! I have a gut, no hips, broad shoulders and big arms. Some people may not like that and hey that's their problem! I have found two people that love me the way I am; Mr Long, and most Importantly Kelechi!!
See you soon lovies!! As always please take care and be safe out here. Love on those that love you and continue to fight against injustice!! We are our biggest supporters!
Love Your Favorite Shady Aunty,
