Typically when I write a short story about a clients experience at Belle Boudoir, I take their words and work it into (what I hope is) a well crafted story. You will notice in this weeks story, however, that I simply quoted our client for a large portion of the story. She was incredibly thoughtful, honest, and well written. Her raw responses are significantly more powerful than anything I can write. So much so that I was in tears reading the last paragraph. Please read on and you will see what I mean…

A little over 36 years ago Ms L married the man of her dreams. They met in Junior High school and attended the same church which is where, she says, they fell in love. A true “match made in heaven,” if you will. When I asked Ms. L why she decided NOW was the right time for her boudoir session at Belle Boudoir, she gave me an incredibly well articulated answer: “A woman has to have a planned strategy in marriage (a man should have one as well) as to how you are going to keep the fire burning and not let familiarity’s drenching bucket smother that fragile flame, and fragile it is. A long term relationship will benefit greatly from well timed sprinklings of spice or drastic change, like a new hair cut/color, a well deserved vacation, moving to a new city, or, in this case, unexpected behavior concerning romance or sex. My shoot was my unexpected gift to my husband. Something he never thought I would do.” *le sigh*

The most memorable part of Ms. L’s experience at Belle Boudoir was “the atmosphere in which Cheryl created at the studio. And it was obvious that she had done research into how to create it. Most important, the temperature was perfect. Cheryl was calm and methodical but never cold. Because I was nervous and felt like a deer-in-the-headlights, her slow methodical movements and direct direction for posing, in its complete opposition to what I was feeling, brought my heart rate down and a confidence that together we could pull this thing off. Believe me, I had my doubts, not with Cheryl but with my ability to appear sexy! Performance anxiety was totally thrown out the window!”

When I asked Ms. L what she took away from her session at Belle Boudoir she said that her “youngest daughter who is still at home constantly tells me I have a body-image problem (and maybe it’s due to the awful mirrors I have at home). Leaving the studio, even though Cheryl assured me that we had captured some great images, I was anxious. BUT, when the first photo arrived in my inbox my “body-image” started to change. First, I vowed to smile more in the bedroom. Secondly, even though I know the images have gone through post-production, I realized that I had good proportions and that my daughter was right, I “saw” myself much differently and had been very self critical. Thirdly, the realization that I had been self critical made me realize that I had robbed myself of actually being sexy! Frankly, that made me mad! Two-thirds of my “I could be really sexy” life had been stolen! But alas, God has His way of growing and expanding us just at the time that we need it most. He cares about our vibrancy and liveliness in our romantic relationships and through the serendipitous way that Cheryl and I came to know one another, I can see His hand leading me into this learning moment and exciting new self-perspective!”

Ms. L’s story is why Cheryl Jones and I do what we do. We want to give women the opportunity to see themselves through someone else’s eyes. We want to show them how beautiful, strong, and sexy they truly are. We view boudoir as a way to empower women to walk a little taller by seeing their true beauty. Ms. L’s story is a perfect example of exactly that and we are honored that she was willing to share her story with us! I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!

xo,
Nikoma Souza

p.s. This session was done after the sun had gone down — ask us if you’re interested in an “after dark” session — which results in more shadows and highly dramatic imagery.