Celebrating 40 years of marriage with Boudoir

Jane and her husband Erin have been married for 40 years, and they celebrated by coming in for a boudoir session at Le Boudoir Studio. We captured some of these intimate moments in a beautiful custom album that she designed just for him. Jane is no stranger to boudoir photography, having worked with us before! She decided to give him a commemorative album as a gift on their 40th wedding anniversary—January 2nd of this year.

Jane brought in her original wedding dress, hat, and veil to the studio to incorporate into her session. She had not opened or touched the dress since the time it was worn. It was preserved beautifully and it was heartwarming to see her reaction and memories flooding in while she was unpacking it.

Jane and Erin’s Love Story

“Our love story started in January of 1978…I was 17 and a senior in high school in my home town in NJ about 20 minutes away from where I would audition for the musical “West Side Story”, being held at an all boys school which obviously needed girls!  Erin attended this high school as a sophomore and also was trying out for a part in the show.  Over the weeks it was obvious we fell head over heels with each other…he was tall, handsome and hilarious…and also 3 years younger than I….which I never realized until  a few month later which, by then, didn’t matter; it was just a number!…So we became friends, went on dates and by May of 1978, we were steadys. 😊”

When Erin moved away in 1979, they parted ways but stayed in touch. Jane gifted him a mizpah necklace and kept the other half. They wrote letters back and forth (and she still has them all!) because calling on the phone long distance was expensive. In 1980, Erin called and asked Jane to transfer to a college in Idaho so they could reconnect. In January 1983 they were married!  We asked Jane how she knew Erin was “the one”: 

“I just LOVED being around him and his funny personality and adventurous attitude, plus we basically grew up together over the 5 years.  I could not see my life without him so that’s when I was sure He was the one. I feel very  blessed that we are still together despite the odds of marrying soooo young and not a penny to our name but monetary wedding gifts…we made a commitment which we both took seriously.”

They never had the chance to go on an actual honeymoon since Erin had to fly back to school. Their wedding night was spent in a New Jersey Sheraton hotel. Erin went down to the gift shop at the hotel and bought her this teddy bear and a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Jane has kept the bear all these years, and it was a nice sentimental prop to be used in her shoot!

Her Boudoir Inspiration

Jane wore her dress for quite a few shots, then played with her wide brim hat, a blue sweater and the teddy from her wedding night! 

Jane and hubby’s favorite movie is Pretty Woman, so when she planned to do a custom photo shoot, she knew she wanted to recreate the infamous tie scene from the film. She borrowed a tie from hubby’s closet and put on a pair of nice heels to pay tribute to the film. They watch and quote it all the time. For her custom note in her album, she even chose a line from the movie.

We have had the pleasure of Jane being in the studio before when she wanted to do a vintage pin-up shoot because her husband painted pinups on airplanes.  Jane waited to give him this beautiful album on their anniversary date of January 2nd and she told us he was overcome with emotion and teared up at the album.

We asked Jane for some marriage advice on reaching 40 years! 

“Kindness and appreciation towards each other; forgiveness; learn and speak each other’s love language…what does your spouse need emotionally as well as physically?  Communication (no one is a mind reader); Humor/laugh;  There will be seasons in your life where you will be giving more to your spouse than receiving…then vice versa…a relationship is not constantly 50:50. Every day take even a moment to connect…even a glance that lets them know you care.Think before you speak ….once spoken, words can not be taken back and if they are harsh it can devastate and erode a relationship.  If you do, be quick to sincerely apologize.  Anger and frustration WILL happen…just own it.  WE are human and make mistakes.”

Jane decided to come into Le Boudoir Studio to do a special commemorative boudoir shoot and give him a beautiful custom album for this extremely profound occasion—and we couldn’t be happier for the two of them!

Looking to do something out of the ordinary for your boudoir shoot? We are always open to unique ideas. Let’s connect and hear more about your vision!