Lauren and Laura are best friends. The kind of friends that support each other, love each other, and make you wish you were friends with them. When Lauren told Laura that she wanted to do a boudoir shoot as a gift to her husband-to-be for her upcoming wedding, Laura jumped on board the idea and wanted to do the same as an anniversary present for her husband. They had both always wanted to do a boudoir shoot and knew it would be even better if their best girlfriend by their side the whole time.
When they reached out to me, I was so jazzed about doing a best friend boudoir session. Boudoir is such a fun and empowering thing that should make you feel feminine, sexy, and completely comfortable with who you are - exactly what a best gal pal should do! Even though they were going to be gifting their images individually, we still wanted to create a cohesive shoot so that they could have the images to remember this time in their friendship.
Lauren and Laura both wanted a fresh, woodland session so we decided to shoot at Laura’s family farm about 1.5 hours outside of Chicago. We choose a berry and mint palette with ample creams, blushes, and greens to create a light and romantic feel while still maintaining some drama. I created the wild yet feminine flower crowns and bouquets to reflect the color palette and woodland setting. For one of Lauren’s looks, we used a veil to give her a bridal touch for her wedding day gift. To loosen everyone up and set the tone, we started the shoot off with popping bottles of champagne, eating chocolates and berries, and dancing around the apple orchard making toasts to friendship and women.
We shot in a creek that runs through the farm and in a secluded meadow surrounded by enormous, beautiful trees. To get in the mood, Lauren suggested we listen to James Bay on repeat. The most brilliant idea. It was the perfect soundtrack for me to work to because “Move Together” by James Bay was actually the song my husband and I first danced to at our wedding! So I was feeling very nostalgic and romantic and I think that sentiment shines through perfectly in this real boudoir shoot.
