All of us had such a blast at the San Diego Style Magazine party a couple weeks ago! As we walked up to the top floor of Downtown Hard Rock Hotel we were given a warm welcome from the soldiers working with Toys for Tots.  After the gift giving we immediately made our way to the food tables! There were so many delicious dishes and treats to choose from! My personal fave was the teriyaki hot dogs, which sound a little interesting but trust me, they are soooo good!  Definitely look into TK & A Custom Catering to see their awesome menu!  In between the food and treat tables, we managed to fit in some fun photo sessions! Get flipped had a had a really cool photo booth where they took two photos and turned them  into a plastic “flip photo.” Starlight Photo Booth was also there making everyone look like rock stars!! Both booths are a great addition to any wedding or party! Definitely check them out! Below are some of the crazy photos they took of us!!

SDSW throws this fun event every year to celebrate the launch of a new magazine. Keep an eye out for our SDSW 2011 Ad!! Here’s a sneak peek!

Crystal and I had the pleasure of attending the Exquisite Weddings Magazine Party on Wednesday. We both had a blast looking at all the amazing vendor booths, eating delicious food/treats, (checkout the pic of me loading up some m&ms!), and visiting with friends :) Below is a picture of Crystal and the lovely Eve from Bridal Insider, hanging out having a fabulous time, (we love you Eve ; ).  Bliss Events so kindly let us cheers at their beautiful dinner display, decorated with a white rose arrangement by Blush Botanicals. Intriguing lingerie was also featured, below is a pic of Crystal and I under their cute display. Thank you Exquisite for inviting us to your luxurious launch party, we had a dynamite time!
LOVE :)
Danielle

We just wanted to thank Liz Beck Events for featuring us on their “Bustle” blog a couple weeks ago!

Check it out here!

Hi Crystal,

Thank you for the email and the teaser pic. The teaser picture made me even more excited to get my proofs back!! It looks awesome and I cannot wait to see the rest. The pictures you took looked amazing as is so it makes me curious/excited to see them touched up.

I am flattered that you guys would like to use some of my images on you blog, website, or portfolio and would be more than willing to sign a model release.

I would like to thank you so much for such a fun and wonderful day. It was such an amazing experience and I definitely plan on doing it again! You made it so easy to feel comfortable and at ease with a situation that some may feel to be awkward. Thank you for making be feel as beautiful as I should have that day and everyday for that matter. To be completely honest, your photo shoot made me feel more confident about myself and my body which is something that I have not had in a very long time. I really appreciate your time, hard work, and dedication to your craft of photography and making it such an enjoyable experience.

You can trust that I have already told many people about it and I will continue to as I think every women should have as much fun as I did that day!

I can’t wait to see how everything turns out. Hopefully I will get to see you when I get to pick up my book or at another shoot. If not, good luck with everything and especially your baby. Enjoy every moment of motherhood as I hear time flies by!

Talk to you soon and have a great week,

Amanda

………..My response…………….

Amanda,
Your email almost made me cry (in a good way!). That is one of the most well-worded testimonials I’ve ever received. What you wrote is exactly what we hope will happen! I sincerely do feel that every woman needs this reminder that she is beautiful, and I am SO glad that this experience brought that out in you :).. and that I was a part of that. Now my week is complete because I accomplished what I set out to do ;), which is to remind you that you ARE sexy & beautiful!! I hope that refreshed confidence carries over to your wedding! I really enjoyed working with you too. You were great at quickly figuring out the poses and had such great variety of expressions. Plus, you are simply just easy to get along with!
I put a “model release” form in your file for you to fill out when you pick up your completed order.
We will be emailing you the proof soon!
–
Crystal Carr

We’re SUPER excited to share that we were nominated/voted as “Best San Diego Wedding Vendor for Boudoir Photography” in the annual Bridal Insider People’s Choice Awards! The people (aka: YOU!) have spoken and we now hold the title of 1st Place Winners! We were also voted as Best Boudoir Photography Studio in the 2009 People Choice Awards, so we are stoked to hang onto the title for a second year!

According to Bridal Insider, “The People’s Choice Awards are the highest recognition given to a wedding vendor because they are chosen by a vote of the local brides and grooms that have used your services. This year, we had an amazing turnout with over 2,500 votes from Brides & Grooms.”

To view the winners in numerous other categories, go to Bridal Insider’s website.

SHOUT OUTS TO: Jessica Thomas of Fit2Wed who won Best for Health & Fitness, Mick of Elite British DJ, Norma & John of NR3 Video Productions, Julie of The Best Wedding For You, and Brenda Swan, Swann Soirees! Congrats friends!

Thank you all who voted for the love :).. we love you too!

xoxo, The Boudoir Divas

Hey ladies, it’s wedding season here in San Diego, we’ve also been getting TONS of brides in the studio who are wanting to give their groom a sexy gift for the wedding day! Bridal boudoir photography sessions are so much fun, and we always LOVE hearing about the reaction the groom has when he opens his gift! This blog post is ALL ABOUT bridal boudoir!

We get a lot of questions from brides who are thinking about doing a boudoir shoot for their hubby-to-be, and so we thought we’d answer a few of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to bridal boudoir sessions!

Q: How long in advance should I book my boudoir session for my wedding?
A: We typically recommend booking your bridal boudoir shoot about 4-6 prior to your wedding date. Most photographers need that much time in order to process your images, process your order, and have your product back to you in time for the wedding date. Here at our Boudoir Divas San Diego studio, we’re able to process and turn-around products very quickly (sometimes just one week), however, we would need to charge an additional rush fee if you do need your product that quickly. We also book out pretty far in advance, so be sure to plan ahead and get your boudoir shoot on the calendar!

Q: What types of products would you suggest for my groom’s gift?
A: We have a huge variety of fun products that you can choose from, and the possibilities are endless. Our most POPULAR product, though, is definitely the 8×8 designer Bombshell Book™! Our top package (The Supermodel Package) comes with this book, featuring 25 gorgeous images of YOU, laid-out in a beautiful custom design (click to see an example boudoir album here)… and that package ALSO comes with a greeting card (also w/ a photo of you). Can you imagine the excitement and surprise (aka utter SHOCK) that will be written on your groom’s face on the morning of the wedding, as he is opening a black box… tied with a hot pink ribbon… with a cute card featuring a hot photo of you & a hand-written note to him… and then just imagine his face as he looks through his book, just hours before you say ‘I do’… seriously, ladies, can you THINK of a better gift than that?! Priceless. (PS… if you can tell your photographer about the boudoir gift, maybe they can be in the room as he receives his gift, to capture the look on his face as he opens it – because that’s a look that you’re gonna want to see!) :)

Q: When do most brides normally give this gift to their groom?
A: Some brides like to be there when the groom opens his gift, so they opt to give it to him on the night before the wedding (maybe after the rehearsal dinner, when the two of you have a moment to steal away and exchange your gifts). Other brides want their groom to receive it on the morning of the wedding, so they’ll ask their maid of honor to deliver the gift to the groom as he’s getting ready for the day. And then there are other brides who like to give this gift to their groom while on their honeymoon (can’t you just imagine the surprise on his face when he finds his album wrapped in ribbon and waiting in your honeymoon suite?) It’s really up to you… there are so many options, so just be sure that it’s special and meaningful to YOU. (Believe us, it won’t really matter WHEN you give it to him… he’s going to love love LOVE this gift!!!)
Q: What should I bring to my bridal boudoir shoot?
A: We LOVE fun accessories for bridal boudoir. Just a few of the things you may want to bring: a funky birdcage veil, the pair of shoes you’ll be wearing for your wedding, your favorite bridal lingerie, and your cute garter! (A great place to start looking for bridal lingerie: Victoria’s Secret!) At our 4,500 square-foot boudoir studio in San Diego, you’ll find a cute dressing room stocked with fun accessories and lingerie outfits – we even have a birdcage veil and a garter now! We recommend taking the time to plan out your outfits and accessories before you come in (and have a little fun shopping for some new bridal lingerie, too!) Of course, if you need some help in the styling of your shoot, your photographer will be able to help you out during your planning session on the day of the photo shoot. If you’re a bride & you’re planning out your bridal boudoir photo shoot, here is a little inspiration board that might be helpful for you. Just a few of our favorite things!

1. The Mutti Love OOAK (fab birdcage veil found on etsy!)
2. Bridal earrings created with swarovski pearls and rhinestones on etsy
3. Petite Lace Fascinator with Feathers and Rhinestones
4. Peacock fancy shoe clips
5. Floral Jacquard Garter Slip from Victoria’s Secret
6. Victoria’s Secret Sexy Little Things Bridal Bikini
7. Cute turquoise bridal pumps from Zappos!
8. Fun & unique bridal garter with fabric flowers & feathers from etsy

There are a TON of other bridal boudoir tips that we could share with you, but these are just a few of the most frequently asked questions. We’ll have to do a ‘part 2′ bridal boudoir blog post soon! PS…Many of our clients fly in to the San Diego studio from out of town, so if you’re interested in coming in for your own bridal boudoir session, give us a call! 858-485-0443 … If you don’t live in SD, and you aren’t able to make it out here for your session, be sure to check out our new boudoir referral site, BOUDOIR INTERNATIONAL, to find a photographer near you!

When I started planning my wedding about 3 years ago, the first website I visited was www.theknot.com. I found myself on the website late at night searching for all things wedding-related. Throughout the months of planning, I browsed through gallery after gallery of wedding hair styles, shoes, and more. The Knot has a stellar reputation among Brides-to-be, and girls are more than happy to tell their friends about it. That’s how I heard about The Knot. We just wanted to share some love with The Knot today :).   If by some chance any of you soon-to-be-Mrs. haven’t checked out their website, we encourage you to!
While visiting their site, you may also catch a glimpse of our new banner ad that launched this week :). We’re pretty excited about it!  xoxo, Crystal

Hey all you Blushing Brides,

We just found out about this FAB event going on at The US Grant Hotel and wanted to pass this on to you..

Wedding & Event Showcase
Sunday April 11, 2010
12:00pm-4:00pm
The US Grant Hotel
326 BROADWAY
San Diego 92101
Click HERE to RSVP

We are honored to be an exhibitor at this classy event, so please come by and say hello.

We hope to see you there!  xoxo, The Boudoir Divas

Hey ladies! Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Bridal Bazzar over the weekend! We had a blast chatting with you, and we’ve already had a TON of gals book shoots with us! Thank you! If you’re THINKING about booking a shoot with our studio, I wanted to remind you that you only have NINE more days to book your shoot with our current packages & pricing! You can schedule your session for anytime in 2010, but in order to lock-in our current prices, you would need to book by Feb 12!!! {This goes for both Bridal Bazaar peeps and all other clients too!} Give us a call: 858-485-0443… or email: SDstudio@TheBoudoirDivas.com

Also, we’ll be sending out an email TODAY to let you know who won the FREE PHOTO SHOOT with our raffle!!! Be sure to check your inbox for an email that’s coming from us later today (sdstudio@TheBoudoirDivas.com)! We’ll see you soon!