Celebratory Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir

When your own words can’t possibly top what she has to say.

In her own words…

“My mom was my best friend who I talked to every single day (I lived in Vegas; she lived in CA). She unexpectedly passed away in February 2015. In September 2015, I finally decided to get my life together to lose weight to have a better life and be healthy. I have lost 160 lbs since then and this photoshoot was a celebration of that, along with turning 35 years old, and loving life. I chose the date for the shoot as that was my mom's birthday. She would have LOVED the idea of the photoshoot and would have been right there with me if she were here. This photoshoot meant so much to me and I can't tell you enough how much I love the pictures and how great it was working with you both.

Grace and Lace Boudoir is life-changing!!! I found them, via Instagram, and fell in love with their photography. Decided as a birthday present to myself to book a session. I was amazed by the professionalism of Jeni and Sarah and how they both make you feel at home and gorgeous! I had the best time and am looking forward to booking more sessions in the future! No experience is necessary. Hair and makeup are done for you and you're told (and showed) exactly how to pose!”

Sizzling, Sexy Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir

This stunning client leans into a sexy boudoir session, and the results are amazing! She wanted to give her firefighting hubby the gift of a lifetime for his 40th birthday, so she booked a session with us. Little did she realize we would be hit with a pandemic and she’d go weeks without seeing her husband because of his work schedule. So when she came in, she knew she wanted to knock his socks off. Prettyyyy sure we accomplished that.

Is Boudoir on your Bucket List? ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir

Bucket lists. Most of us have them. Some of us want to travel to exotic places (well, ok, maybe after CV19), others want to something adventurous like skydive or bungee jump, some want to get married, have kids or adopt. But have you considered boudoir for your list? Boudoir is simply celebrating your life, no matter what stage you are in it. It’s something that will help you live your ideal life, right here, right now. It’s about living. And if these last few months have been anything for us, it’s a reminder that this life is WORTH LIVING and living well. It can push your boundaries and give you a sense of accomplishment like nothing else can.

Contact us today if you are ready to celebrate the most incredible person ever - YOU.

Boudoir is for all ages ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir

A common objection I hear from women over 40 about having a boudoir session done is their age. I think women remember themselves when they were younger and feel like a boudoir session is something that should have been done in their 20’s or 30’s thus buying into the myth that boudoir is only for younger women. Pshhh. I beg to differ… Age doesn’t matter when it comes to beauty.

Sure, we might not look or feel like we did in our 20’s, but guess what? We have had time to know our bodies (yep, I’m lumping myself in this, too). We already know how to look great and how to feel sexy. A boudoir session is just a way to bring that confidence back out into the spotlight!

Whether you’re looking to celebrate a milestone birthday or spice up an anniversary or birthday, boudoir is the perfect way to bring that confidence out.

This gorgeous gal, while needing to remain anonymous because of her job, is a stunner who is in her 60’s. She came and she conquered it!

“Getting old is a privilege, an art, a gift. Accumulating gray hairs, pulling the pages off of the calendar, and celebrating birthdays should always be a reason for happiness. Happiness for life and everything it means to be here.”

Miss T's Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir

I’ll never pressure you to share your images - that is a completely personal decision and not for me to decide. But, nonetheless, I love it when a client says ‘YES, you can share anything you want on your blog’. Be still my happy heart.

Happy Friday, friends!! :)

Putting some SPICE back into the relationship:::Orange County Boudoir

This beautiful soul is a new mama and came in hoping to put some spice back into her relationship. I thought it was so sweet of her to do this for her man. Jeni and I know, it is HARD being a new mom and also trying to keep that romance alive in the relationship. So props to this Badass mama for putting romance first.

In her own words…

I feel like I owe a huge THANK YOU to both Jeni and Sarah. First of all, trusting strangers with your body is a bit mind-consuming on top of being well aware my own body didn't look the same as it used to since I was 5 months postpartum. I wanted to bring myself alive again not only for the sweet man who I am gifting this but for my self-confidence to inch its way back into our love life.

Both Jeni and Sarah handled every aspect of my experience with grace, warmth, support, encouragement, and fun! They carry themselves with both professionalism and a laid-back attitude. Which for me was huge because I didn't know what the hell I was doing, I know I just wanted to do it.

On top of it all, I felt beautiful. I felt wanted. I felt like I could bring that fire that was ignited into my relationship again without the insecurity completely overtaking the moment. I so appreciate both the women for creating a memory with me and also an epic experience for my boyfriend to have forever!

I will definitely be recommending Grace and Lace to all my girlfriends and I absolutely can't wait to do it again!

Loving our Stretch Marks ::: Orange County Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir

We always send out a questionnaire before your session to make sure we tailor the session to fit you. One of the questions asks if there is anything you’d like me to help conceal during your shoot with strategic posing … most clients will answer they’d like to hide stretch marks, etc. But NOT this stunner … she asked for her stretch marks (she refers to them as her tiger stripes) to be accentuated. I love that confidence and I was happy to oblige. I love that she is normalizing what 99% of women have on their bodies. Thick or thin, we all got ‘em. We should all learn to love ‘em more!

A list of Do's & Don'ts for your boudoir session ::: Orange County Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir

Whether you’re coming in for your first boudoir session or your 5th, you’ll want to get the most out of your experience. Despite boudoir photography popularity, most women know very little about how to prepare for their session. I never like going into something new without knowing as much information as humanly possible. If you’re wired the same way, you’ll want to pour over the information we send you when you book because it’s chock full of goodness like tips & tricks, do’s and don’ts, a lingerie guide, etc. We’ve been told a time or two how much better clients feel coming into the studio because they felt PREPARED. If you’re not wired that way, that’s fine, too … you can just skim over the information we send.

If you’re deliberating on having a session done for yourself (with ANY photographer), here are a couple of Do’s and Don'ts to consider:

DO: Deliberate on which photographer you will go with. This is a very vulnerable session and not every photographer is up to the task. Money is usually a big deciding factor, and while I completely understand that, it should NOT be your only factor. Boudoir is an investment in yourself - treat it as such. Please take the time to save for the photographer you feel will fit you best, not the cheapest around. A lot of photographers will have payment plan options to help with the cost - we do here at Grace and Lace, as well. We also offer a Boudie Bank option to help you SAVE for your session and not be tempted to use the $$ elsewhere.

DO: HYDRATE. I can’t stress this enough. Please drink plenty of water a couple of weeks leading up to your session. We want you to feel as good as you look.

DO: Exfoliate skin and face 2-3 times each week. This will help your skin to glow.

DO: Moisturize your body, face, and lips. Glow, glow, glow!!

DO: Scrub the bottom of your feet. They’ll be in the photos and it’s an area that a lot of us tend to neglect.

DO: Practice stretching or do yoga weeks leading up to your session. You’ll thank me after your session, trust me!

DO: Wear loose-fitting clothes to your session. The fewer lines and indentations on your body, the better.

DON’T: Try new products right before your shoot. You won’t know how your skin or hair will react and there’s only so much Photoshop that I can & will do.

DON’T: Drink alcohol a couple of days before your session - we’ll have champagne/wine ready for you here if you’d like.

DON’T: Spray tan or self-tan UNLESS you are familiar with and love the results. Also, stay out of the sun unless it's unavoidable. A sunburn is not the first thing you want to notice in your photos.

DON’T: Wear bright or bold nail colors. I like to stay with neutral or dark colors so they’re not the focus of the photo.

DON’T: Forget your beauty rest! Be sure to get plenty of sleep the night before your session.

DON’T: Skip breakfast the morning of your session. This can feel like a strenuous workout and your body will need fuel. You’ll want to eat a light meal, nothing heavy so you don’t feel bloated or lethargic.

DON’T: Don’t wear makeup to the session. You’ll have hair & makeup done here, so there is no need to do your own. You also don’t have to bring ANY of your own makeup. We have plenty here and our questionnaire we send out beforehand will help Sarah with any information she needs to know about your skin and/or allergies.

Anonymous Bridal Boudoir ::: Orange County Boudoir ::: Grace and Lace Boudoir

Come take a peek into this stunning, anonymous bridal boudoir. Just because it is a gift for your wedding day, definitely doesn’t mean it has to be all white or with your vail. By all means, if that’s what you want to do, let’s do it … it just doesn’t HAVE to be. You could do blue like this stunner below. And nude. ;)

Whatever you end up deciding, let it be something you’ll be thrilled about later on, too.