“This was honestly the best experience I've ever had and I'm so thankful to Ashley, Rachel, and Ashlee M. for giving me the ability to look past my insecurities and see my true self!” h, wow! Thanks so much...
“This was honestly the best experience I've ever had and I'm so thankful to Ashley, Rachel, and Ashlee M. for giving me the ability to look past my insecurities and see my true self!”
h, wow! Thanks so much for wanting to feature me. I don't really know where to begin, but I'll do my best to tell about about my AMAZING experience with you all!
I have always been a "cup half empty" kinda girl, especially when it comes to my own body image. I've been up and down on my weight my whole adult life, never seeming to be able to be happy with how I look. In the past few years I have actually lost some weight and kept it off for the most part, so I wanted to do something to celebrate. I've been following Southern Belles on Instagram for awhile and loved what I was seeing and how beautiful every single lady looks, no matter their shape or size. Every time I thought about actually booking though, that little voice in my head would rear up again and remind me of all my flaws. I have a little loose skin from weight loss, stretch marks from having babies, my butt and hips are are dimpled and too big, those kind of things, and it would keep me from following through with booking a session. I continued to follow on social media though and seeing all the gorgeous women they feature, I couldn't get it out of my head. I have a few close friends who had done sessions, so I listened to their experiences and finally talked myself into booking and I'm so happy I did!
The entire process from the moment I booked was super simple as these wonderful ladies talk you through everything from what to wear, when to show up, and what not to do in the days leading up to your session. Literally all I had to do was bring whatever I wanted to wear (though they have an amazing closet of sexy things to look through as well) and show up. When it was finally my day I was amazed at how nice and "real" they were with me. You can tell these ladies truly love what they do and your not just some client to them. When they tell you you're beautiful or sexy they mean it and I found myself believing it too! I was comfortable from the second I set foot in the studio. Ashley M. did a wonderful job on my hair and makeup while Rachel and Ashley told me which outfits to wear and how to pose for each shot, talking me up the whole time, which made me feel absolutely incredible!
Most of my session was just me as this was something I wanted to do for myself. I wanted to have pictures to celebrate me, my body, and my 40th birthday which was coming up. I wanted something that would remind me of how fabulous I really am, especially in those moments of self doubt that creep in occasionally. As my 16th wedding anniversary was coming up I had asked to throw my husband in for a few shots at the end as well, and I'm so glad we did! It was amazing to see the look on his face and what I looked like in his eyes after all these years.
When we went in for our reveal session a few weeks later I was so nervous. What if I didn't like how I looked, if my butt was too big or if you can see all the flaws that came creeping back into my thoughts? I can honestly say when we were sitting in the studio looking through all of the photos I was speechless! Like, we didn't make a sound as we were taking it all in. I couldn't believe how beautiful I looked and how sexy and empowered it made me feel! This was honestly the best experience I've ever had and I'm so thankful to Ashley, Rachel, and Ashley M. for giving me the ability to look past my insecurities and see my true self!
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