Thoughts On Marriage Archives - Photography by Rayleigh - Women's Portrait Photographer

This handsome guy is my brother-in-law, Rod. I had the pleasure of photographing his beautiful Bride-to-be, Alison. She had the album of bridal boudoir portraits delivered to him on their wedding day. I can’t imagine a better Groom’s gift idea for the wedding day!

Groom's gift idea. This is a wedding image of a man receiving a boudoir photo album as his wedding gift. For more info about boudoir photography, visit byRayleigh.com — (Wedding photos used with permission by Kirsten Hammericksen)

I love what Rod had to say about the photos.

“A few months before our wedding, my fiancée went to visit Rayleigh to have some sexy photos taken. On our wedding day she completely surprised me with a boudoir photo collection book and had her maid of honor deliver it to me just before I saw her in her wedding dress for the first time. What a great groom’s gift idea! Thoughtful, memorable, and a clever way to help with any pre-wedding jitters. The photos were tasteful and classy and sexy. As you can imagine, it was a topic of much interest and discussion among the groomsmen.”

“She was a little nervous about getting it done, but said that Rayleigh did an excellent job of helping her feel comfortable. Really allowed her to let her own personality show up in the photos, and I can tell. Good times and great memories every time I see that little book of fun! We undoubtedly recommend Rayleigh to anyone considering doing it. And if you haven’t considered it, you should. Take it from a recently married man, it was a great groom’s gift idea.”
–Rod L.

The Bride’s boudoir photos

Wearing white for boudoir photos always adds to the bridal feel and I love the lace robe that this bride wore. Lace adds interesting texture and looks so feminine.

You might also consider bringing some wedding day accessories, such as your veil, wedding shoes, and any special jewelry.

Groom’s gift idea

Having the album delivered to your groom in his dressing room while he is getting ready for the wedding is a fun idea because it adds to the anticipation of seeing his beautiful bride walking down the isle and for the fun honeymoon you have planned together.

Another option, though, is to gift the album to your groom the night of the wedding, when you are alone and winding down from an amazing day. I really like that idea, too, because it’s fun to look at the photos together. You get to see his expressions as he looks at the beautiful images of the woman he cherishes.

Want to see more?

Click on the links below to see more photos on the following topics:

Bridal Portraits
Boudoir Portraits
Session Tips

Please contact me if you’d like to chat about your bridal boudoir shoot for a great Groom’s gift idea!

Lies at the alter

Before Nate and I got married (in 2010), we were reading a book called, Lies At The Alter by Dr. Robin Smith out loud together and there was a paragraph that really struck us.

The paragraph read, “Truth must precede love. Otherwise, what we think is love is just an illusion. The promise of truth is freedom. You can stand at the alter and say, ‘I’m not here because I feel forced to be here. I’m not here because I’ll die without you. I’m not here because it’s my last chance. I’m not here because my parents will be pleased, because everything is paid for, because I’m too embarrassed to back out. I’m here because I chose you. We stand exposed before each other. You see me. I see you. And we say, “Yes!” It’s an informed, full fledged yes. We choose to be together,’ That’s mature love.”

In love with love

It seems that too many people fall in love with the idea of love, and not as much in love with the actual person that they chose to marry. Then when the infatuation fades and the illusion dissapates, they are stuck with someone they aren’t happy with. They don’t understand what it means to be married. They don’t know how to get their needs met or how to meet their spouse’s needs.

Last chance

Other people get married because they think they found someone who will work out okay for them and they think it may be their last chance to get married. For those who have yet to get married, I plead with you, never think in those terms! Don’t let the thought affect your choice in the least! I have thought like that in the past and I cried to God, asking him why he would let my chance slip by like that. I must have looked so silly to God. He knew there was someone a million times more perfect for me than any of the other loves I wanted so badly in the past. After falling in love with Nate, I thanked God with everything in me for not letting my past desires be fulfilled and helping me to wait for the right one.

Mature love

I’m confident in my marriage and in our ability to stay happy because we see each other for who we really are. And we love what we see. And we desire to meet each other’s needs. We know the impact of not meeting each other’s needs.

Romantic high’s are great, but they don’t last on their own. You must have a sturdier foundation that you can keep building on. And then you have to put in effort to keep romance alive in your marriage.

Living in truth and reality and being well rooted in your marriage is the key to mature love.

Category Archives: Thoughts On Marriage

Groom’s Gift Idea | Boudoir Photography Portland Oregon