Okay, I did the shoot and loved it! What products make the best “day of” wedding gifts for my Fiance?
Hands down, the most popular way to gift bridal boudoir images to your groom is with an album! My albums are hardbound and seamless (so images can be showcased across the entire spread of the page without a gap) on ultra thick pages. Album covers come in all colors and materials, from leather to linen or even velvet! All of my albums include complimentary page edge gilding in black, silver, or gold (you can also leave them ungilded/white if you prefer!). A common bridal add-on is “custom cover stamping” to include a message or date specifically for your recipient!
A new offering this year is my Window Box Folio - this is a storage box which includes individual matted prints of your images. The front of the box is glass and allows you to showcase your favorite image by placing it on top of the stack of prints. You can switch out the featured image just by putting a new image on top of the stack! These folios are great if you want to display them in the box or if you’re wanting to place any of the matted prints in frames of their own.
Many brides also opt to add-on wall art to their bridal boudoir order. They gift their folio or album to their fiance but hang their favorite boudoir image of themselves in their master bathroom or master closet as an everyday reminder of the confidence they gained from their session.
How do I deliver this amazing bridal boudoir gift to my fiance?!
There are three main times when brides gift their boudoir albums to their fiance: the night before the wedding, the morning of the wedding, the night of the wedding after it is over.
The night before the wedding or after the wedding is always fun because you can easily gift it to them in person and are there to witness their reactions.
Personally, my favorite is to deliver the album the morning of the wedding to the groom as your “day of” gift! Many brides do not wish to see their partner prior to the ceremony so the gift is often delivered via a bridesmaid or personal friend. If you’re not delivering your gift in person, we recommend telling your wedding photographer that you will be gifting him boudoir images so that they can catch his reaction!
Another note, if you inform your wedding photographer that the gift contains boudoir images they can make sure that no unsuspecting eyes witness the gift. Most women don’t want their father-in-laws or groomsmen unintentionally witnessing the reveal of their boudoir images.
Another good tip is for the gift delivery person to hang around during the opening of the boudoir gift. This is for two reasons: One, that person can record a video of him opening his gift and send it to you so you can see his reaction! Two, so they can repackage the gift and put it where it will be safe from prying eyes or potentially misplaced among the wedding items. I recommend returning it to the bridal suite and keeping it with all of the items to be taken to your wedding night location.
No matter how you gift it, bridal boudoir images are always a big hit! A previous client of mine sent me a video of her gift delivery and I can’t get over her groom’s reaction!! Even his toes start tapping! Scroll down to read her story and make sure to watch the video at the end of this post, it’s the best!
“My husband-to-be was and is totally blown away by the gift! He had no idea and still can’t believe it! It was perfect! Thank you again so much for helping me surprise him with the best wedding gift ever!” — Miss K Don’t take my word for it, read what one of my Bridal Boudoir clients had to say about her session!
“I wanted to do a boudoir shoot as a wedding gift for my husband. Long before we got engaged, he had asked me if I would do a boudoir shoot for him- I said I would. After we got engaged he asked again, but this time I told him I just wasn't comfortable with my body. I saw how disappointed he was and it made me think "he loves my body, he thinks I'm sexy, why would I not celebrate this?" I then decided to make it a surprise to give to him on our wedding day.
A boudoir shoot before my wedding was a very big priority of mine! After I told my fiance no, the disappointment on his face made me realize how beautiful he thought I was- that made me excited to celebrate my body, not just for him, but also for myself. It was one of the very first things I researched after we got engaged.
I wasn't quite sure where to look first to find my boudoir photographer, so I used Instagram. I started saving pictures for inspiration and found that almost all of the saved photos were pictures Marie had taken! I knew I had to reach out and inquire about a shoot.
He never suspected a thing! Although I was already working out for our upcoming wedding, the week of the shoot I ate incredibly clean and got eyelash extensions- I told him it was practice for the wedding week. He believed me. After the shoot, I met up with him for lunch. When I got out of the car, I remember him exclaiming "Wow! You got all dolled up to meet me for lunch! How lucky am I!" …of course I didn't say a word!
I wanted to bring two different outfits- one I knew my groom would love, and another that I felt sexiest in. I did not have any wedding items at the time to use in the shoot (veil, garter, etc) but I'm not sure I would have included them anyways. I wanted the pictures to focus on the celebration of my body, instead of celebrating our wedding.
However, because it was going to be a wedding present for my fiance, I did want to wear an outfit that had lace and was white or off-white. I found the perfect outfit that was white, lacy, and was a bodysuit (his favorite.) I decided to make the other outfit the opposite of white and lacy- I wanted it black and racy. It made me feel like I was celebrating two sides of myself- the softer, subtly sexy side, and the other, a fiery, wild card."
I gave my husband-to-be the album the day we were getting married. We had not seen each other since the night before and I thought it would be the perfect way to say "You chose right!" My best friends brought the album to his room and stayed to see his reaction. When they described how much he sweat and squirmed looking at the pictures, it made me even more excited to see him at the end of the aisle. I love that the photographer and videographer were there to capture his reaction for me to watch later- it is absolutely priceless!”
Now it’s time for HIS thoughts and reaction:
"Do I love my pictures? Is that even a serious question?? When I first opened my bride’s gift, I was shocked, I couldn't believe that was my soon-to be-wife in those pictures. She had told me that she wasn't going to do a boudoir shoot and I had been really disappointed. When I saw the album cover, I thought it was a scrapbook...and then I saw the first photo. I immediately started sweating and my heart was racing. I'll be honest, we got pregnant the night of the wedding. I'm not saying that's the reason it happened... but I don't think it hurt."
www.boudoirbymarie.com
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