We have often been asked over the years by our clients if we will allow a spouse, significant other, friend, or even family member to come to their boudoir sessions and/or Image Debut appointments for moral support. So, we wanted to address those questions in today’s blog and explain, once and for all, why we really do prefer to have you all to ourselves.

“Can my female friend or family member come to my boudoir session?”

We understand that you are probably going to be nervous on the day of your photo shoot, and that is totally understandable. After all, you are going to be showing up to a place you’ve never been before and allowing a virtual stranger to photograph you wearing lingerie! So, we get it whenever a client asks if they can bring a friend or family member for moral support during their photo shoot, but there are a couple of reasons why we strongly prefer that you come to your boudoir session all by yourself:

1. Inhibition - Our main goal as photographers during each boudoir session is to create a “sexy safe space” where our client can let her guard down, feel vulnerable, and really connect with us. It is through that one-on-one connection that we are able to work together to create beautiful photos that capture our client’s true inner AND outer beauty. However, if a client brings someone else to her boudoir session, she can sometimes feel inhibited and not take the photo shoot as seriously as she might if the other person was not there. Therefore, in order for us to do our best work, we need you to give us 100% of yourself during the photo shoot, which cannot happen if you feel distracted by, silly in front of, or even slightly judged by the person you brought with you to the studio.

2. Time Management - While we always want our clients to have fun and enjoy their time in our studio, we also have to be mindful of the time, especially if there is more than one appointment scheduled on the day of a session. With another person present in the studio, there are usually more conversations taking place while the client is in hair & makeup, and the client can sometimes take a little longer when changing outfits between sets. All of that extra time can eventually add up and cause the photographer to feel rushed during the photo shoot.

Again, while you might initially think that having someone accompany you to your photo shoot will help calm your nerves, we can assure you that this isn’t actually true or necessary. (Your nerves are going to go away SO much faster than you think!) Not only that, but having an extra person in the studio on the day of your boudoir session almost always ends up being more of a distraction for both you and the photographer (regardless of how wonderful and supportive that person may be). Therefore, in order to get the absolute most out of your boudoir experience, we highly recommend you do not bring anyone with you on the day of your photo shoot.

“Can I bring my husband/boyfriend to my boudoir session?”

We do not allow men to be present in the studio while we are photographing a client.

With that said, we do understand that some husbands or boyfriends might initially feel cautious about dropping their loved one off for a boudoir session, and we TOTALLY get that. In fact, we think it’s a GOOD thing for both of you to be cautious! For that reason, we highly encourage all of our clients and their significant others to do some thorough research about The Adore Girls’ boudoir photography studio (or any other boudoir photography studio, for that matter) before booking the appointment to help put your minds at ease.

If your husband or boyfriend still prefers to stay close by on the day of your photo shoot, that is perfectly fine! We happen to have a private parking lot right beside the studio where he is more than welcome to hang out until after the session ends. There’s also Game Galaxy Arcade and a brand new coffee shop, Red Bicycle, that are both located right up the street from our studio. :)

“Can I bring someone to the Image Debut to help me pick out photos?”

The answer to this question used to be yes, but over the past 10 years we have unfortunately had several negative experiences, which have caused our answer to change. Now, we really would prefer that you come to your Image Debut appointment alone.

However, if you feel very strongly about bringing someone with you, we ask that you PLEASE think about these two very important questions:

1. If it’s a spouse, are they already aware of and comfortable with The Adore Girls’ pricing menu? - If the answer is no, then we ask that you do not bring your spouse to the Image Debut. Many times in the past, our clients have wanted to keep their total investment a secret from their partners (either because their photos were intended to be a gift or because they simply didn’t want their partner to know how much it cost), and this has always resulted in a very uncomfortable situation, because it is impossible to keep the pricing hidden during the Image Debut. We have also had clients only tell their spouses something vague like, “This might end up being expensive,” rather than disclose the actual prices, which then later resulted in some VERY awkward “sticker shock” moments at the Image Debuts. So, again, if you want to bring your spouse with you, PLEASE make sure he or she is familiar with and comfortable with our actual prices beforehand. (We always include a link to our current Pricing Menu in every Image Debut confirmation email we send. So, you will definitely have an opportunity to review the pricing with them in detail prior to your appointment).

2. Is the person you want to bring ever critical of your appearance and/or overly picky in general? - If the answer to any part of this question is yes, or even just “sometimes,” then we ask that you not bring that person to the Image Debut. While, thankfully, this is not as common of an occurrence, we have experienced several Image Debuts in the past when our client’s friend, family member, or significant other spent a great deal of time “picking apart” her photos. As a result, we’ve had to watch our client go from feeling elated, proud, and excited about seeing her boudoir photos for the first time, to looking completely defeated by the time she left the Image Debut because the person she brought with her had so many negative things to say. It is an absolutely heartbreaking experience for both the photographer and the client. So, unless you are 100% confident in this person’s ability to appreciate the beauty they are going to be seeing in your boudoir images, we would prefer that you enjoy viewing your photos for the first time all by yourself and, of course, with the photographer who will be conducting the Image Debut appointment.

With all of this said, we want to add that we HAVE had many positive experiences with our clients bringing someone with them to their Image Debuts in the past. It is just very unfortunate that the negative experiences have occurred frequently enough and have been bad enough for us to now prefer avoiding those types of situations altogether, if possible.

In conclusion, we hope you now have a better understanding about why we prefer to have our clients all to ourselves during their photo shoots and at the Image Debut appointments. We just want to assure that everyone has the absolute BEST boudoir experience possible. These preferences are based upon over a decade (and counting) of our own personal experiences while operating one of the most successful boudoir photography businesses in the Nashville area and should not be taken personally by any individual.

If you have any questions about these or any of our other studio policies, we welcome the opportunity to speak with you!

Are you ready for the ULTIMATE Boudoir Experience in Nashville?

Contact our office Monday - Friday, 9:00-5:00, via call to 615-336-4256

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