How to Prepare for Your Boudoir Session: Petra’s Complete Guide
Updated: Sep 14
So… you booked your boudoir session.
YAY. 🤎
And now you're probably somewhere between:
“I AM SO EXCITED!”
and
“Oh my God. What have I done?” 😂
Both are completely normal.
The good news? You do not need to show up knowing how to pose, knowing exactly what to wear, or suddenly feeling incredibly confident in your body.
That's my job.
I'm Petra, a boudoir photographer in Waco, Texas, and I photograph women from Waco, Central Texas, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Temple and beyond. My entire boudoir experience is designed to take the pressure off you and let me guide you through the whole thing.
But there are a few things you can do before your session to make the experience even better.
So let's talk about how to actually prepare for a boudoir session — without making yourself crazy in the process.
First: You do NOT need to change your body for your boudoir session
Let's start here because I know this is where so many women go first.
“I should lose a few pounds.”
“I need to tone up.”
“Maybe I'll wait until my stomach is flatter.”
“No way am I doing this until I lose the baby weight.”
Girl.
NO.
You don't need to earn your boudoir session by changing your body first.
I photograph real women. Different ages, different bodies, different sizes, different life experiences.
And I promise you, the woman you see in your photographs isn't created because she suddenly became a different person.
It's because I know how to pose you, light you and photograph you in a way that makes you look and feel amazing.
You don't have to arrive confident.
You just have to arrive.
What should I wear for my boudoir session?
This is probably the question I get asked the most.
And here's my favorite answer:
Bring options.
You don't have to know exactly what will look best before you arrive.
I have a VIP client wardrobe available in sizes XS–4X, plus shoes and accessories, so you can mix pieces from my wardrobe with things you bring from home.
For your session, we'll typically work with up to three outfits, but you don't have to walk into my studio already knowing exactly which three you're going to wear.
We'll figure it out together.
Some of my favorite things to bring:
A beautiful lingerie set
A bodysuit
A cute bra and panties
An oversized button-down shirt
A favorite sweater
A little black dress
Your favorite jeans
A robe
Something that belongs to you or your partner
Something completely unexpected
And remember:
Boudoir doesn't have to mean lingerie.
Sometimes the outfit that feels the most you ends up being one of your favorite looks.
Don't buy five outfits just because you're nervous
You really don't need to go on a $500 lingerie shopping spree before your session. 😂
If you find something you absolutely LOVE? Great.
But don't panic-buy a closet full of lingerie because you think you need it.
Bring what you have.
Bring a few options.
Use my VIP wardrobe.
We'll look at everything together and decide what photographs best.
And if something doesn't fit quite right, feels uncomfortable, or suddenly makes you feel like you're wearing someone else's personality?
We don't wear it.
Easy.
What should I do the week before my boudoir session?
Honestly?
Not much.
This is not the week to start doing 700 squats a day, starving yourself, trying a brand-new skincare treatment and getting a spray tan you've never tried before.
Please don't do that to yourself. 😂
Instead:
Drink plenty of water.
Stay hydrated and take care of yourself.
Get plenty of sleep.
You're going to have a full, fun morning, and you'll feel much better if you're rested.
Moisturize.
Soft, hydrated skin photographs beautifully.
Take care of your nails if you want to.
A manicure or pedicure can be a fun little excuse to pamper yourself, but it is absolutely not required.
If you wax, do it several days before your session.
Give your skin time to calm down.
Avoid experimenting with new products.
Your boudoir session is not the time to discover that your new body scrub, self-tanner or skincare product hates you. 😂
Please don't get a spray tan right before your session
I know.
You want that gorgeous bronzed look.
But uneven self-tanner, streaks, orange hands and strange lines can make things much more difficult when we're photographing your skin.
If you already love your natural skin tone, leave it alone.
You don't need to be tan for your boudoir photographs to look amazing.
The day before your boudoir session
This is your reminder to stop overthinking everything.
You've already done the hard part.
You booked the session.
Now:
Get some sleep.
Seriously.
Drink some water.
Pack your outfits.
Gather anything personal you want to bring.
Moisturize your skin.
And then go do something normal.
Have dinner.
Watch a movie.
Hang out with your kids.
Take a bath.
Whatever makes you feel like yourself.
You don't need to spend the entire night worrying about tomorrow.
What should I wear to my boudoir session?
This one is important.
Wear something loose and comfortable.
Tight jeans, tight socks, bras and other clothing can leave marks on your skin, and those marks can stick around for a while.
Think:
Sweatpants
Yoga pants
Loose shorts
A loose T-shirt
A robe
Comfortable shoes
Basically, don't arrive in something that is digging into your skin.
You'll be changing into your outfits soon anyway.
Eat before your session!
Please.
I know the temptation.
You're thinking:
“If I don't eat breakfast, maybe I'll look skinnier.”
Nope.
You are going to be moving, posing, changing outfits and using muscles you probably didn't realize existed. 😂
Eat something.
Have a normal breakfast or meal before you arrive.
You don't need to stuff yourself, but you absolutely don't want to be shaky, hungry, lightheaded or exhausted halfway through your session.
Your body needs fuel.
What happens when I arrive?
This is the part I really want you to know because so many women walk through my door nervous.
You are not being thrown into a room and told to figure it out.
Your experience includes professional hair and makeup, access to my VIP wardrobe, outfit guidance and posing direction from beginning to end.
We'll talk.
We'll laugh.
We'll go through your outfits.
We'll figure out what you're comfortable with.
And then I'll start guiding you.
You don't have to know what to do with your hands.
You don't have to know how to stand.
You don't have to know what facial expression to make.
You don't have to know how to “model.”
That's literally why I'm there.
What if I'm really nervous?
You probably will be.
And that's okay.
I've photographed a LOT of nervous women.
Women who told me:
“There is NO WAY I can do this.”
Women who told me:
“I don't know how to pose.”
Women who were convinced they weren't photogenic.
Women who hadn't worn lingerie in years.
Women who were nervous about their stomach, their arms, their thighs, their stretch marks, their scars, their age…
And then somewhere during the session, something happens.
They relax.
They start laughing.
They start having fun.
They stop thinking about how they're supposed to look.
And suddenly they're looking at me like:
“Wait… THAT'S ME?”
Yep.
That's you.
Do I have to show a lot of skin?
Absolutely not.
You are always in control of how much you want to show.
Boudoir can be soft, romantic, playful, dramatic, sexy, covered up, barely covered up—or somewhere in between.
There is no requirement that you wear a certain outfit or pose a certain way.
My job is to help you create photographs that feel like you.
Not someone else's version of sexy.
Yours.
One more thing: don't compare yourself to the women you see online
This is a big one.
You might look through my website or Instagram and think:
“She could never be me.”
I hear this all the time.
But you're seeing the finished photograph.
You're not seeing the woman who walked into my studio nervous.
You're not seeing the awkward first few minutes.
You're not seeing her wondering what to do with her hands.
You're not seeing the moment she says, “I don't think I can do this.”
You're seeing the finished image after professional hair and makeup, lighting, posing, direction and professional retouching.
You don't have to know how to create the photograph.
You just have to let me guide you.
And if you're traveling to Waco for your session…
Yes — women travel to my studio.
I'm based in Waco, Texas, and I have clients come from Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Temple, Central Texas and beyond.
So if you're not local, don't automatically assume boudoir has to happen in your own city.
Sometimes the experience of getting away for the day, getting pampered, having your hair and makeup done, putting on something gorgeous and spending a few hours completely focused on yourself is exactly what you need.
And honestly?
Waco isn't such a bad place for a little girls' getaway. 😉
My studio is in Waco, close to restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques and some of the city's most popular spots, so you can easily turn your boudoir experience into a fun day or weekend away.
Your only job on session day?
Show up.
That's it.
You don't need to be a model.
You don't need to know how to pose.
You don't need to have the “perfect” body.
You don't need to feel confident.
You don't even need to know exactly what you want.
Come as you are.
I'll take care of the rest.
And somewhere between the hair and makeup, the outfits, the music, the laughing, the posing and the moment you finally stop thinking so hard…
you might just see yourself a little differently.
And THAT is the part I love the most. 🤎
Ready to do this?
If you've been thinking about booking a boudoir session in Waco, Central Texas—or even traveling in from Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth or somewhere else in Texas—I'd love to show you what this experience is actually like.
You don't have to feel confident before you book.
We'll work on that part together.
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