I recently had my first ever boudoir photo session with a local photographer, with the intent of giving the photos to my partner as a sexy surprise in her suitcase while she was away on a business trip. I am pretty shy, so while I was excited when I booked the session, as the time drew closer, I became more and more nervous about posing in my underwear for a stranger. Luckily, armed with tips from my photographer and from others who had done boudoir photos, my session was a total success, with pictures even more lovely than I could have imagined. Here are some of the things that helped me to have the best possible experience.

Pack things to wear that you feel irresistible in
This seems like a no-brainer, but while going through my lingerie, I was having a difficult time deciding what to bring. My session allowed for three outfits, but I brought a couple extras, in case I changed my mind, once I got there.

Eat light the day of your session and wear comfy clothes
No one wants to feel bloated when they’re about to have their picture taken. Eat healthy, light meals on the day of your shoot and be sure to drink a lot of water. Wear something loose-fitting, so that you go in feeling comfortable and confident and you don’t get lines from your clothing on your skin.

Have a drink (if you’d like)
Having a glass of wine before or during your shoot can help to take the edge off and make you feel less nervous during your shoot. Don’t have too much to drink beforehand though!

Bring music to set the mood
Our favorite music has a way of helping us to set the mood and feel more relaxed. Pick something sultry to help you bring out your sexy side.

Have your hair and makeup done
If you are able, get professional help with your hair and make-up, especially from artists who specialize in boudoir hair and makeup. They can help you get the look you want, so you won’t look washed out under the flash (if not using natural lighting), and the feeling of being pampered. Looking your best can help you to feel sexier in your photos.

Talk to your photographer
These are your photos, after all. Let your photographer know if there are certain poses you want and if there are areas of your body that you are uncomfortable with. Your photographer can help you to capture your beauty, without exposing the parts of you that you’d rather hide. Bringing pictures of poses you’d like helps as well.

Practice, practice, practice
You will probably feel ridiculous doing it, but practice your look in the mirror before your session. You may feel like you’re making a sexy face, but your photos may show something else. If you have doubts, ask your photographer how you look. If they’re using a digital camera, you could ask to see what you look like, after you’ve taken a couple shots.

Come prepared
If you’re planning on wearing stockings, bring an extra pair if you have one. Stockings have a funny way of running at the wrong moment, and the extra planning means that you won’t be stuck wearing gartered lingerie with no stockings.

Save the corset for last
If you have multiple outfits and one of them is a corset, save it for the last set. Corsets can leave “track marks” on the skin, and you don’t want those to show when you’re wearing your other outfits.

Have fun
This is one of the most important things I did with this shoot. I told myself that if my pictures turned out horrible, they never had to be seen by anyone except me (and the photographer, of course). This allowed me to relax a little, knowing that there was no pressure to produce something amazing.

Boudoir sessions are a really great opportunity to feel pampered, sexy and to give a really unique and special gift to your partner. I came out of my boudoir session feeling more confident than I ever had before and excited to share my photos with my partner. If you have the opportunity to try boudoir, I highly recommend it.