Q: How did you first hear of Rachel Jasmine Studio and what made you want to book with us?

A: A year or so ago, I decided that I wanted to do some type of boudoir photo shoot. I started looking into photographers in the area that did them and came across Rachel’s website. I could not believe that all of her girls were not models! Every girl in every photo looked amazing!! I also loved her positive message, how she made it seem so approachable and sound like something everyone should, and COULD, do for themselves. As I talked to a couple friends about what I was thinking about doing, a couple of them new other women that had been to Rachel for photo shoots and were absolutely blown away and loved the entire experience.

Q: What was your initial reason for booking?

A: My main reason for wanting to do this is for myself. Five years ago, I went through infertility diagnosis and treatment. We got through exams, tests, surgery, and finally after months made it to trying a round of IUI and it failed, my body did not respond to the high doses of hormones at all. Right after we stopped the first round of treatment to determine our next options, I ended up in the hospital and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. My initial symptoms were numbness and loss of sensation, starting in the middle of my back, spreading around my right side, up my chest, and down my right arm. I lost all sensation in my right breast. Combining that with my infertility issues, I lost a big sense of my womanhood and sexuality. I felt like I lost a big part of what being a woman was by losing the ability to have another child. Losing feeling in my breast added to that even more. It took a few months, but the numbness did recede and I have regained all feeling, thankfully. But I still carried that loss and it took a lot longer for my sense of self to come back than the loss of physical sensation took to return. Even if I didn’t have the health issues behind my reasons, I would still have looked for this. We have an amazing miracle 7 yo son and 3 dogs and I work from home and do next to nothing for myself. I definitely lost that “sexy” feeling years ago and would love to feel like that again. Doing this photo shoot is a part of reclaiming that and the feeing of what it is to be a woman for myself in all aspects. Of course, it will also make a nice Christmas gift surprise for my husband, but I needed to do this for myself more than anything!

Q: Did you have any expectations going into the shoot? What were they?

A: I was nervous at first, but was really excited about going on the day of the shoot. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I’ve never done anything like this before. I hoped I wouldn’t feel too self conscious, but from what I had seen and heard about Rachel, I expected her to make me feel comfortable and at ease with everything, which she absolutely did. As nervous as I was, I also expected to have a lot of fun and feel pampered for the day. I don’t dress up often, and rarely do make up or anything too fancy with my hair, so I was really looking forward to getting to wear fun lingerie and having my hair and make up done for me.

Q: What was it like seeing your images for the first time?

A: I was completely blown away!! I could not believe I was looking at myself! I wasn’t sure how they would turn out, if my facial expressions would just look goofy or if my body positions or features would just look awkward. That week we had a few dreary cloudy days, but the sun came out for the day of my photo shoot. Rachel did an absolutely amazing job of using and capturing the sun light to accent and compliment my poses and different parts of my face or body. It was all so stunning, she truly is an artist!

Q: Has anything changed for you since your boudoir experience and seeing your gallery? How has boudoir impacted your body image as a woman?

A: My confidence level has gone through the roof, to say the least! Seeing myself in a whole different way than I usually see or think of myself really brought me a new level of self love and appreciation of myself. I also feel like I found parts of myself that I thought I had lost over the struggles of the last few years and I am certainly going to hold on to that for as long as I can!!

Q: Would you recommend Rachel Jasmine Studio for the luxury boudoir experience to others?

A: I would absolutely recommend Rachel Jasmine Studio to anyone! It was a great experience the whole way through and all of her girls were so helpful and fun to work with.

Q: What advice would you give to another woman considering the boudoir experience with Rachel Jasmine Studio?

A: Don’t over think it and just go for it!! You won’t regret it at all! It definitely helped me regain parts of myself I felt like I had lost. Seeing myself the way my husband sees me was so uplifting and I think every woman should get to see how beautiful and stunning they really are through other people’s eyes.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add to your interview?

A: Just thank you to Rachel and her team for all of their amazing work and for doing what they do! It was something I was nervous about doing at first, but they made it an experience I will never forget and I know it is something I would love to do again sometime!