Bridal boudoir is a valuable and in-demand market to break into. If you’re nervous about it, don’t be! As always, I’m here for you as a resource. I even have a bridal boudoir FAQ blog post too! I’m so excited to share my bridal boudoir tips and tricks to help establish your brand within this business.

For all of my wedding photographers out there, this blog is especially for you! Any photographer can shoot bridal boudoir but if you are a wedding photographer, I think this is an amazing way to get your boudoir business started. It’s a way to make your clients feel even more taken care of with your full-service offerings! Why hire two photographers for their bridal events when they can hire one? (Psst that’s you!!) 

My first piece of advice is to put bridal boudoir into your wedding packages. Making it an all-inclusive package is even better! Think digital images or a boudoir book of their favorite photos along with the session. For example, my highest wedding package that I offer includes a bridal boudoir session, hair, makeup and a little black book of images. This is something I exclusively offer to my brides and is a great way to help them feel like they’re getting a little extra something by already being your bride!

My next tip is to make your sessions very bride-specific with accessories! Think flowers, veils, garter belts, etc. You could team up with a florist for a small bouquet, a flower crown or a flower comb for their hair. Better yet, offer that in the package or as an add-on! A great way to make florals unique to the client is to learn about the dominant flower in their wedding florals and make sure that’s a major accessory within the studio. 

A few accessories you can reuse for all brides is a veil, garter belt, robe with “Bride” written on it, and lingerie in bridal colors. I purchased a generic veil from Amazon for about $20 and it has held up perfectly for years! I like this also because many brides don’t have their veils yet and it’s an easy way to enhance regular boudoir into bridal boudoir.

In regards to other accessories, clients may have their own garter belt but you could have a few fun ones on hand at all times for a little variety! And a bridal robe is always a really popular option too. Choosing a specific color of lingerie is a great way to make your photos more bridal as well! If you have a client wardrobe, I’d encourage you to purchase items in white, nudes, and blush. Don’t have a client wardrobe? No problem! Encourage your bride to bring a set of lingerie in one of those colors or a set that she loves.

As far as posing and shooting, I actually don’t change much from a typical boudoir session! I’ll make sure to focus on her ring, like a close up of her ring hand on her cheek or chest. Other than that I don’t do specific flat lays of details because they will receive that on their wedding day.

Another piece of advice I have is to only do one or maybe two bridal outfits during your session. While it is a bridal boudoir session, I like for my ladies to have other photo options as well! Start out with the bridal lingerie and then move on to a different color set, a shirt and socks, etc.

Okay, final tip! I get asked a lot about how to book bridal boudoir. The first suggestion is to refer to my first tip; offer it in your wedding packages! Make it obvious that this is a service you offer. Your bride, and any bride, will be more inclined to ask about it. 

I hope this helps answer some of your questions and calm any doubts about bridal boudoir! As always, just make sure your ladies feel confident and comfortable and you will rock their session (I talk a lot about this here!). To get more tips and tricks for boudoir sessions, make sure to join my Light and Airy Facebook Group where I post tips, videos, and you have access to a full community of other boudoir photographers!

-Emma