The Wedding Co.: Sooo… how did it go?
Stephanie Gareri: It was awesome, loved the experience.

TWC: What did you anticipate most about the shoot?
SG: I was definitely apprehensive about being totally nude in front of a complete stranger. It’s quite rare we bare all and strut in front of the lens. When I look through my baby albums I rarely had clothes on and loved every minute of it. I was really comfortable before puberty and learning about body image!

TWC: How did you prepare?
SG: As per Josee’s instructions, I lathered my body with cream about three times each day for a week, I also found a great DIY-face mask recipe for the night before so my skin would be glowing and detoxified (1 TBSP of honey and a 1 TBSP of oats). I wish I would have gone and had my nails done.

I find it awkward to be the centre of attention so I coaxed myself into being open to Josée and leaving all my inhibitions at the door. Curiosity also played a role, who doesn’t want to know what they look like naked?

My goal was to embrace the feeling of naked freedom I had as a child while injecting some sexiness and losing my inhibitions to achieve some creative and beautiful pieces of art that both my fiancé and I could enjoy.

TWC: Where did you shoot and for how long?
SG: We shot in her studio where she played soft Billie Holiday and Parisian-inspired music and offered me a glass of champagne to relax at the start. The atmosphere lends to her creativity,it is a soft blue and white with a beautiful big window. I was in her creative space for two hours, it would have been longer if I had my hair and makeup done there.

TWC: What was the process of the shoot?
SG: We started off slow – in my tank and undies. Josée worked to get me comfortable in front of the camera for the first few shots and before I knew it, I was completely “nu” and prancing around listening to her direction.

TWC: Was there something you learned about yourself in the process?
SG: I definitely surprised myself by getting comfortable a lot sooner than I thought I would. I learned that I am more comfortable exposing my breasts than my behind!

TWC: When it was over, were you excited to see the photos?
SG: The anticipation to see the photos kept me up that night. Josée showed me a couple during the shoot which totally took me by surprise. I think it was a good technique on her part to give me a peak as once you get a taste of how you look “nu” – I got even more relaxed and let her do her thing.

TWC: Tell me about what happened during the shoot – did you feel like a model? Did it become ‘normal’?
SG: Being “nu” became normal about half way through. I will admit that as comfortable as Josée makes the atmosphere and as beautiful as the photos are, I am not 100% in love with the idea of showing the “frontal” region.

She shoots a lot of pregnant women which has given her an interesting perspective of the movement of the female body. Her direction was easy to follow and she gets you in comfortable positions that really accentuate a woman’s best features.

TWC: Any final thoughts on the experience in the studio?
SG: Josée markets the experience as a gift for a groom, but I truly believe this is a wonderful gift any woman daring to bare all would enjoy. It is an empowering and enlightening experience.  It is rare to non-existent that we ever expose ourselves completely in front of the camera. I like her style and the emphasis she places on natural beauty. She encouraged me to bring props and items of clothing, etc. that I would like to incorporate but said no blacks or fishnets! She achieves pure sexiness and allure by using light, pale colours and minimalism. She promotes the idea that sexiness is derived from inner beauty.

The experience is a truly intimate perspective of the skin we live every day in; it may be a cliché, but our body is a work of art and documenting this freedom, this moment and the natural beauty of the body is decadent.

TWC: Now that you’ve seen the photos, what do you think?
SG: I am completely blown away! All I can say is WOW! WOW! WOW! It is a surreal moment when you look at the slideshow and realize “Hey, that’s me!” I cannot say there is one photo I do not love. There are a couple that expose a little more than I anticipated that I would rather do without but I can cut those out. I absolutely love how she captured my natural beauty – I am truly astonished at the results and they are beyond my expectations. I plan on creating a book with Josée which I can share with Scott and cherish myself. This experience and the photos are something I will enjoy for a lifetime – it captures a moment of sensuality, excitement and simplicity.

Do I recommend this? Absolutely. Whether you are single, engaged or married – go for it!  It is a decadent, one of a kind experience.

Élisir’s boudoir package ($2000) includes champagne, hair and makeup with a professional stylist, a private portraiture session with Josée and your best poses are bound in a high quality keepsake art-book. Additional prints or canvasses can be ordered. Stephanie’s boudoir shoot was provided free of charge by Josée / Élisir Photography and her makeup (Deana Bassi) and hair were also complimentary and provided by Francesco Fontana (www.studiofontana.ca).

Ellen Ho, a successful wedding and portrait photographer in Vancouver began shooting boudoir photography almost a year ago when she and Ai Nagasawa, a freelance MAC makeup artist began experimenting with models in a modern boudoir environment. Now, Ho’s boudoir marathons – weekend-long photoshoots of men, women and couples – have become highly popular and while October marked her first Toronto marathon, she’s already planning a return visit.

Considering the increasing popularity of boudoir photography, Ho says she’s always surprised when people don’t understand what it’s really about and she loves to challenge the preconceived notions of vanity and shyness that people have about ‘undressed’ photography and she prefers to suggest that one’s lifestyle and personality can be beautifully exposed during a boudoir session. She loves witnessing when her client’s perspective changes and they go from feeling self-conscious to feeling sexy.

“[My sessions] are not about making someone beautiful, but about the experience,” she said, recollecting a conversation with a group of male photographers who couldn’t see the difference between her work and the cover of Maxim Magazine. “What I do is about empowerment, it’s not as much for the viewer as for the subject, although the final product is important too.” And, although she readily admits she’s a bit of a control freak when it comes to poses {knowing exactly how to showcase a person’s assets} she seems to feel that by providing a fairly fast-paced and structured environment that she gets the best from her subjects – helping them to relax and focus by taking charge: “your face doesn’t look good when you’re worried about your body,” she says.

Interestingly, from her boudoir sessions with individuals and from her love of engagement sessions, Ho has begun to photograph couples’ intimate moments as well. Strangely for her, however, when there are two people in front of the camera so closely involved with one another, the shoot unfolds a little more spontaneously than with a single client: when she asks a couple to do what feels sexy and good, they are far better at being natural and she must go with the flow. She thinks the difference is about pressure, when there are two people, there is less demand to perform and another person to interact with, but overall, most of her clients aren’t confident about their bodies and have a lot of nerves at the start.

When it comes to preparing her clients for a shoot, Ho highly recommends manicures, fake eyelashes (for women) and waxing and although she’ll recommend lingerie and shoe boutiques for the ultimate in feminine dress-up, she’s aware that not all women have the same style and will suggest bringing a man’s dress shirt, a pair of shorts and a tank top as an alternative look – “it’s all about self expression and being comfortable.”

Following her boudoir marathon in Toronto, we caught up with Ho earlier this week. She said she loved the Toronto vibe but found her new clientele to be a shyer bunch than the west coast girl. Whereas her clients in Vancouver are more aware of this re-emerging style of photography, Torontonians seem to be just becoming comfortable with it. We think it’s a spectacular idea as a gift for yourself (and maybe someone special) but definitely see the trend growing in Ontario.

Ho’s prices start at $425 in Vancouver for a marathon session which lasts about an hour and a half and includes hair and makeup, her private sessions start at $600 and her Toronto marathon price was $600.

All photographs are from the Toronto boudoir marathon and are courtesy of Ellen Ho/Höng Photography

The Drake's Sky Yard: movies & cocktails under the stars

Last week, we toured The Drake, a boutique hotel that takes its tagline: “Hot bed for culture”, seriously but with tongue in cheek. Previous experiences at the hot spot’s lively lounge had promised unexpected delights and a hotel with a mandate to serve every patron a side of uptown and downtown culture with their stay. However, the tour made it very clear that to appreciate the full experience of any specialty hotel, one needs to already somewhat appreciate what it has to offer. This is especially true on a wedding night when you likely aren’t staying long but want a memorable and very positive experience. Luckily, in a city like ours, with so many luxury and boutique hotels to choose from, a little research will get you exactly what you’re looking for.

The Drake's Suite complete with Hairy Chest Man doll

The Drake, which has been awarded the prestigious Top 500 Hotels nod from World Traveller Magazine, is definitely unique and highly specialized. It boasts an in-house design team; a rooftop Sky Yard, complete with marshmallow roasting fire pit or juice stand, depending on the season; and the infamous, and very popular black book of pleasure from which hotel patrons can select any number of naughty delights – some of which are on casual display at the concierge’s desk. Curator and Cultural Programmer, Mia Nielson who maintains the hotel’s collections and who has contributed to the distinctive flavour of each of the 19 rooms’ with carefully selected pieces from current, highly sought-after artists to yard sale finds (like the portrait of a woman whose eyes have been drilled out for a slightly disconcerting effect in the hotel’s only suite) says with regards to the black book: “we’re not shy.”

Inside The Drake's lively cafe

One of Mia’s favourite additions in each of the rooms is artist, FabricaWakuWaku’s Hairy Chest Man dolls, which await guests propped on their bed. The whimsical dolls, all of which are decidedly hairy, and definitely male, epitomize the overall experience The Drake’s staff fastidiously work to create – they’ve each got a cheeky surprise for someone willing to take the time to investigate and looking for a good laugh, they are completely original and they can be taken home for $60 apiece (many of the decor items in the rooms can be scooped as mementos of a visit). So, if you’d love finding a hunky little doll hanging out on your bed when you check in, then perhaps this hot bed’s for you!

Wedding photographers often get that moment with their individual brides and grooms as they prepare for their big day and the photos are often some of the most beautiful and personal. There’s often a lot of emotion flying around and laughter, tears and nerves are all very much present but something always changes when the dress or the suit jacket go on – those clothes become very symbolic of the purpose of the day and add this invisible layer of protection to their wearer, it’s an incredible and sexy transformation.

Photos courtesy of stillmotion photo + cinema

Making and retailing their own brand of cozy threads, Bed has been a faithful partner to the masses for 10 years. Their stripe and printed collections for duvet covers are limited {love the Blue Marrakesh} but their solid basics are a visual delight to scroll through, and everything is sold separately. Registry is simple and straightforward, for you and your gift-buyers and because the company has such a small, hands-on feel, they’ll even let your friends know if you are going to take care of the shipping, or if you’ll be picking gifts up to save them the freight costs.

We suspect the company is a fantastic bed partner.

Bed
2151 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6K 1N7
1.877.736.3482 (604.736.3482 in Vancouver)
info@bed-online.com

Thinking about spending time in bed, I began to wonder about that ultimate first the one that’s potentially the first private meal a married couple would eat together. Whereas my bottomless mimosa, the perfect banana and French toast with plenty of real maple syrup was a struggle to come up with and felt rather unsatisfactory, my colleagues didn’t need a second to nail down their ultimate ‘first’ meal. The conversation was so rapid fire, it felt like a rehearsed moment of a movie, rather than real life….

The scene opens with three women at a table, each with some kind of notebook or calendar and pen at their fingertips.

Stephanie Wright: So, your ultimate breakfast in bed would be …
Catherine Lash: Coffee, a croissant you don’t need butter for, and strawberries {pause} milk and sugar [for the coffee] {pause} oh, make it a chocolate croissant.

{Longer pause}
The coffee cup has to be beautiful and the whole thing needs to be served on one of those
{She gestures with her hands for us to understand the concept of the legged tray}
Stephanie Gareri: {Nodding, already 100% sure of her own answer}
I’m a bacon and eggs kind of girl
CL: Even in bed?
SG: Yup, I’d have Prosecco and a strawberry, eggs cooked through, rye toast, a spinach salad and coffee
CL:Oh, I’d want Prosecco too, with raspberries

{A pause}
CL: But really, I’d love to reenact the Breakfast at Tiffany’s coffee and croissant in front of Tiffany’s.
SG: Oh, me too!

Hungry yet? What’s your best breakfast  – in bed or out?

“Sunday Morning” Photo by Elena Kovyrzina

Inspired by the super sexy gowns Catherine saw last week, we’ve embraced our own sexy side and we’re spending this week ‘in the bedroom’ – from getting dressed moments before the walk down the aisle, to selecting the perfect spot for your first night together to taking it all off in front of a camera for modern boudoir photo shoot.

Photo courtesy of stillmotion photo + cinema