ABOUT ME:
My name is Nicole. I have 3 boys and my husband and I have been together for almost 8 years – in April
we’ll be married 4. The anticipation of giving him this gift is
killer – unique, unexpected, and he will just LOVE it!!!
We both work, although he commutes to the city each morning, and I work from home.
People hear you work from home and for some reason think that’s easy –
but it may be one of the hardest things to balance. My oldest is in
school, but I’m working from home with my 3 year old twins. My day
consists of praying my 3 year old ‘office-mates’ won’t suffer some
sort of catastrophe while I’m talking about mitigating risk on
conference calls (that are planned around school drop off and pick up
times for my oldest). It’s just a hectic week. There isn’t a moment
I’m not grateful for being able to work while being there to watch all
my children grow…but it has its challenges. For a while, I was also
bartending on weekends which had me working 7 days a week. I love my
life – but to be able to divide my time amongst them, and to keep up
with everything else, is so challenging. The first thing I let slide – is myself.
WHY BOUDOIR:
I had mentioned my upcoming anniversary to a friend of mine at the
restaurant I was working in – and she casually suggested I do a
boudoir shoot as a gift for my man! I jumped at it – I loved the
idea! I had always thought of the idea – but how do you find a good
photographer that you’d feel comfortable wearing your underwear with?!
She had mentioned Veronica and immediately showed me some photos
Veronica had done for her a few years ago.
They were amazing. When I tell you awesome –
they were classy vintage type shots with a modern flare. I was sold.
I’m not going to lie. I became obsessed. I think that night, I
started buying all sorts of new lingerie. Shoes. Outfits. Just
trying to find the perfect look I would want pictures of me in to give
him the best gift. I’m 35 years old, and after having the twins, my
body isn’t exactly where it was 8 years ago when we met – so even
though I’m not a ‘shy’ person … Like any other woman I definitely
have my insecurities. Then I began to wonder, “How will I look in these photos?
Should I really do this? Is this for me?” I tried thinking of what I
could wear that would also cover me up! As a mom of three
, the last thing I usually have time for is doing
full hair and makeup and dolling myself up. I work from home – so my
work attire consists of my tight ripped jeans and a Guns n Roses t
shirt. No outfit seemed good enough!
HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN:
Veronica offers this amazingly comfortable environment, where you’re
just hanging out, in a room with other women … who are wives,
mothers, working women, who are also balancing their careers and
families…and making the most of THEIR moments too. By the time the day came – my total
purchases were 7 new pieces of lingerie, 5 pairs of underwear, 2 bras
and a pair of shoes. But when it came down to it, I wanted to be
‘me’. I went with the first piece I bought that I had fallen in love
with. I didn’t want to be someone different – I wasn’t looking to be
transformed into someone else. I wanted to be able to give my husband
a book of photos of ME. For him to have these great images of me
getting to really be myself. During the time you’re there, you’re not
‘mommy’, you’re not the employee, even the wife. You get to be
yourself – it doesn’t get much more vulnerable than hanging out in a
hotel room with 3 other people and no clothes. Life is busy.
The other people were all just ‘real’ women. We sat and talked about all sorts
of things. Our kids. Our experiences. We compared stories and the
thought of any sort of nervousness or hesitation quickly disappeared.
You feel as though you’re in a room amongst friends. I will admit when
I first found out the room wasn’t only me and a photographer, but me,
Veronica, and her team…I was a little nervous. But it quickly
passes. Veronica and her team have this uncanny ability to remind you
how beautiful you are and bring out the confidence that you forget you
had in you everyday. Somehow, the whole experience is so
comfortable, and rewarding, and fun!!!! You go in there planning on
creating this amazing gift for your loved one – and you leave with a
lasting gift for yourself!!! The way Veronica gets to know you –
learns what it is your uncomfortable with or unsure of – and helps you
to forget any insecurities. During the shoot,
Veronica lets you peak at a couple images on her camera and you feel
like ‘WOW – look at me…seriously??’ It’s hard to explain the
feeling, but you leave rejuvenated – as though this is something you
NEEDED but didn’t realize you needed. In my honest opinion, every
single photo was an absolute winner. It’s hard to pick those select
few to include as a gift. This experience gave me an
opportunity to get to revisit who I’ve always been, and who I’ve lost
site of as a result of caring for everyone else…if that makes sense.
THE AFTERMATH:
After doing this session, I’ve already decided I would love to do
another boudoir shoot, and honestly, I’d love it if my husband could
be in the pictures next time. Pictures are a huge deal in our house –
we love to capture everything, and whenever we can – I’d love if
Veronica could be there to capture our big family moments because the
way she so naturally captures a specific moment and is able to freeze
it in time – just incredible.
All photographs shot at The Hanover Marriott Hotel
Hair and makeup by the fabulous Anna Duffy
