We are so happy to announce the winner of our 2010 Valentine’s Day Boudoir Contest. This year’s winner is Bianca! Her story connected with everyone who visited the blog. We can’t wait to show her how beautiful she still is and has always been. She will enjoy the day of pampering along with a beautiful boudoir album. Please read the kind comments Bianca received from the voters below.

The contest was really close and the runner-ups received a lot of votes too. All of these stories are so touching and we appreciate the contestants for sharing them. Each finalist received many nice comments from the voters and we have posted some of those under their photos. Because of all the kind comments we received from the voters, we have decided to also award the two other finalists with a free sitting at one of our upcoming boudoir marathons!

Thank you to everyone for your participation and support for these amazing women.

Be sure watch out for our upcoming 1st Annual Mother’s Day Boudoir Contest! This contest will be held in April and is for all moms and moms-to-be. Be sure to check back in April for details on entering as a mom or you can enter your own mom!

Comments from Bianca’s friends and family:

“Bianca is so deserving of winning this photo contest. I have known her since 1993, she and her husband are a great couple and they truly cherish each other and their family. She is a remarkable person which is reflected in her family.” ~ Nicole

“Please pick my mom she is the best” ~ Jake

“I love my mommy and really want her to win! Please let her win!” ~ Alexis

“No one deserves this more and would appreciate this more than her. Over my 18 years she has always been there and guided me – she is a wonderful person and a great aunt. It would be nice to see her have something done for her instead of her doing for everyone else. ” ~ Michael (Bianca’s godson)

“My vote would be for the one person I truly admire my sister Bianca. She is genuine, beautiful, caring inside and out, she is a selfless person that does all and everything for her family and friends and puts her needs and wants aside. She would truly appreciate winning more then words could be expressed – it would build up her self esteem after three kids and give her a positive body, mind and spirit outlook.” ~ Renee

“Lets Go Bianca I Love You” ~ Loren

Bianca’s original story is at the 2010 VALENTINE’S BOUDOIR PHOTO CONTEST FINALISTS blog post.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY FROM TAIT BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY

We received many wonderful entries. So many touching stories, about relationships, divorces, new brides, weight challenges, young moms, and it was hard to narrow it down to our finalists.

If you entered this year but were not a finalist, we would love for you to submit your special story again next year. If you didn’t enter this year, but are moved by the stories then we encourage you to submit your own story next year.

The finalists for this year are:

1) Bianca
2) Carolyn
3) Christine

To Vote:

Send an email to contest@taitboudoir.com with just the name of the person you are voting for in the subject line. Feel free to include comments with your vote, comments may be posted to the blog. Also leave a comment below!

Voting ends on Sunday, February 14th at noon PST. The winner will be announced later on Valentine’s Day.

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Bianca’s Entry

I am writing to share my story for my reason to complete a boudoir session. I have been wanting to do a session for a long time, however I always found some reason not to schedule — too busy with my children, my husband always gone both with a full-time job and being part of the D.C. National Guard. Then it was my idea that I had to be perfect — loose more weight, have hair/nails done, use our finances on me instead of my family.  It was always easier to make an excuse then schedule a session.  Last year, I made the decision to finally do it for me, and after going to Disney World where my daughter took part in the Christmas Parade.  We came home with an unexpected blessing — so there went my session again.  I was not going to try to get a sexy boudior with a pregnany belly. I figured I would wait.  Now my new little man is 6 months. I am trying to once again avoid reasons why not to take the time to get some pictures where I can look and feel like a woman again.  The reason in front of me now are; have I lost enough of my pregnancy weight? should I wait til I look better? After nursing my 3rd child how flattering could I look with 2 different sized breasts??? I see so much negative reason that I afraid I might put it off again until who knows when.  I would really enjoy a session where I could have my hair/make up done and have a great professional photographer show my best qualities to make a  homemaker mother of 3 look fantastic and beautiful.  I have given up alot to be the best wife and mother that I can be.   I hold 3 college degrees, but chose to be at home and sacrifice my finances and time on myself to take care of those around me.  I would love to look forward to a day devoted to making me feel sexy and what a great gift to my husband. I just realized trying to find a picture to attach I really dont have any I like of me. The one attached is on me about 6 weeks before I had my son, I did my own hair and make up. The other is at home and the last of my beautiful daughter and I at disney with the ultimate beauty Cinderella, before she danced.

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Carolyn’s Entry

I am honored to be considered for this fantastic offer.  I feel I qualify for this gift as it something that I would love to give my husband of twenty-five years of marriage.  Then, I was a naive bride that slid into a size 6 wedding dress and to him I was the “best thing since sliced bread.”  What followed I am not proud of and have promised myself never to return there.  We had 2 great children, a daughter and a son. Together we have endured many hardships of miscarriages, failed business ventures, arson destroying our business, bankruptcy etc.  I’m not making excuses, but during this time I did not make myself a priority and so told myself I didn’t care and soon I believed I didn’t care.  Through all of this I ate, didn’t workout and frankly didn’t do anything to enhance myself at all. My husband stood by me, loved me, supported me and made me his top priority through this whole period of time.  He never talked to me or others about my size, he always stated he was proud of me and genuinely cared for and about me. In March of 2007, after a medical scare,(high blood pressure and a diagnoses of Osteoarthritis) I was a size 26 at the time. I joined Weight Watchers and made myself the same priority that my husband had always made me.  Through this weight loss adventure of almost 3 years, my husband”s love and support increased immeasurably! I have now lost 107 pounds and I’m sure that he’s prouder of me than I am of myself! I am back into size 6 and am not embarrassed to say that I have made myself that priority and I do care about myself. These photos would be for my husband’s eyes.  He has put up with an overweight spouse and now has one that he is proud of not only on the inside but the outside too!

*UPDATED WITH VOTER COMMENTS:

“I truly hope Carolyn is your winner.  Her commitment and dedication to pursuing and achieving her weight loss goals have been second to none.  She has worked hard to get back to her former size and she looks amazing.  So much to be proud of with this girl! I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this prize. Carolyn, you’ve come a long way, baby!  You’re a terrific person and friend, and now your outsides truly match your insides.” ~ Paulette

“I am voting for Carolyn. She is awesome!” ~ Karla

“Awesome story….very inspiring for me!” ~ Sonya

“In addition to her inspiring weight loss story, Carolyn is just a wonderful person.  I have a special needs son and she was his teacher’s assistant for one year…and was the best teacher’s aid he’s ever had!!” ~ Teresa

“Carolyn is an inspiration to all women struggling with weight issues. Well done” ~ Sheila

“Fabulous lady and an inspiration to myself and a lot of us @ Weight Watchers Cochrane.  Good luck.” ~ Kelly

“I vote for Carolyn, as per her story, she is a worthy recipient. I have known Carolyn for almost thirty years and I would love to see her win this. She is truly an example to others.” ~ M. Walker

“My vote is for Carolyn.  She has won a long, hard and well deserved battle and is an inspiration to all her Weight Watchers co-workers.  Great work, Carolyn!” ~ Nancy

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Christine’s Entry

Like many women, I’ve been trying to lose those last 5 pounds. Well actually, it’s more like 8, if we’re being honest. Maybe even 10 on a bad day.

For the last 12 years.

Oh, there have been a few times when I got to that mythical “perfect weight,” but they never lasted very long, and I would rebound back with a vengeance. My weight wasn’t always an issue. In fact, until I hit university, I was, if anything, on the thinner side. I ate healthily, I didn’t have issues with food, and I didn’t think too much about my body at all. I gained a few pounds in freshman year, but who doesn’t? And then somewhere along the line, I learned to use food as a crutch. Feeling sad? I ate. Feeling happy? I ate. Feeling stressed? You got it. Along the way, I entered medical school. See above, rinse, and repeat. My weight ballooned over 20 pounds, which on a 5’2” frame is not insignificant. I shed most of it, but the stubborn last several pounds seemed irresistibly drawn to me like a magnet: I could pry them away by sheer dint of hard work and dieting, but then they would snap back as soon as I lowered my guard. I spent countless hours mourning the fact that my skinny clothes no longer fit, and gazed longingly at the cute outfits I wished I could pull off. I spent even longer gazing at myself in the mirror, cataloguing my imperfections, hating the way I looked: thighs too big, belly pudge, chipmunk cheeks, back fat, flabby arms. The squishy bits, the jiggly bits, the pudgy bits—it was all I could see of myself. While I was busy hating my body, I graduated from medical school (with a 6-figure debt), did my residency in Emergency Medicine, played violin, did my first ever 10K run, learned to tango, and began to cook. The body that I so despised got me through 32-hour stints of in-hospital call, allowed me to perform music, let me sprint 200 metres and up 5 flights of stairs in response to a Code Blue, and never uttered a word of reproach. I finished my training, moved to Vancouver, and started my new life as a full-fledged attending physician. And I’ve been thinking lately that maybe I haven’t been quite fair towards my body. My body—my imperfect, not-skinny, jelly-bellied body—has let me reset broken bones, provide comfort, love with abandon, and experience unalloyed pleasure. I’ve started to treat it a little better now. And I think it’s high time that I started learning to love my body, appreciate it for all its hard work. Instead of seeing flabby, squishy, and too big, I want to see sensual, curvy, and strong. I wasted my twenties hating what I saw; now that I’m in my thirties, I want to see my body in a new light. I want to see it through another’s lens, and see it as beautiful. And that’s why I would love to win a boudoir photography experience.

*UPDATED WITH VOTER COMMENTS:

“Hooray for a woman taking pride in who she is and how she looks!” ~ Douglas

“Christine Choi Rocks this contest. She should win!” ~ Shelly

“I would like to nominate Christine as the winner of your competition. I read Christine`s entry blog and I was really touched by what she shared.  This is someone that has given so much to others unconditionally and deserves to have beautiful pictures taken of her by TAIT for the beautiful person that she is inside.” ~CP

To enter the contest:
Please email your story of why you deserve a free session along with a photo of yourself to
info@taitboudoir.com with the subject line FREE VALENTINES BOUDOIR 2010

If you are a finalist then your story, first name, and images will be posted on our blog on February 12th and voting will begin. Feel free to nominate a deserving friend just please have their permission first and send us their contact info so that we can confirm. We will post the top 3 entries on this blog and then the winner will be chosen by readers! There will be runner up prizes as well.

*** We will be accepting entries until February 10th. The finalists will be announced and voting will begin on the 11th. Please visit the blog between February 12th & 13th to vote for your favorite story. The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day. ***

GOOD LUCK!

P.S. If you are interested in looking at the previous contests, please check out the V Day Contest category.

P.P.S. If you sign up for an upcoming boudoir marathon and you win the contest, your payment will be credited.

Chelsey was the winner of our annual Valentine’s Boudoir photography contest. Here are a few of her beautiful images. Chelsey was married this month and gave the album we made for her to her husband on their wedding day.

Chelsey told us the boudoir photo shoot was an amazing and totally liberating experience.

Congratulations Chelsey for winning the Valentine’s Day Boudoir Photo contest! We will be in touch soon to go over details for your photo shoot!

Here are a couple of nice things said about Chelsey with her votes

“I just wanted to say that after everything this poor girl has been through, I hope that she wins this. Her story is so touching and she sounds like she truly deserves this! Thank you!”

“Wow! What an amazing story!!! please make her beautiful (more than she already is) with your b-pics!”

“I think that this story is very touching as she has overcome considerable challenges & societal pressures about body images. You go, Girl!”

“I have a scar on my back and I know how she feels sometimes. Good for her for entering.”

“Chelsey is an awesome role model who i met through our youth group a few years ago! she’s so much fun and she really deserves a your photo shoot.”

We had to narrow it down to some of the most touching stories. Even with that said, some of the rest of the stories were so moving and we want to thank everyone for the time and effort they put into their entries. Even if we did not pick your entry at this time, most of your stories were so great and we would love to put you in consideration for future contests. Hopefully in the future we will be able to do contests specifically for categories such as trauma survivors, self-image reformation, military service, super moms, and more.

If you are not a finalist, we encourage you to try again in the future. Or just come in and book a session … We know you will come out feeling beautiful and sexy and like you can walk on water! Each and every one of you deserves it.

The finalists are:

1) Crystal
2) Chelsey
3) Cheryl
4) Jesse

Their stories are below.

To Vote:

Send an email to contest@taitboudoir.com with just the name of the person you are voting for in the subject line. Feel free to include comments with your vote, comments may be posted to the blog

Voting ends on midnight on Friday, February 13th. The winner will be announced sometime on Valentine’s Day.

GOOD LUCK!

Although I’m not at ease writing about myself, I want to explain it’s not because I’m uncomfortable with my body. Hey, I know I’m no Jessica Simpson. As a matter of a fact, I’m fairly certain both of her breasts would be the mass equivalent of half of my bum, but I love my body. If I don’t give you a little back story, you might not understand how big winning this contest would be for me.

I was in a major boating accident when I was 3 years old. My leg was pulled into the propeller and broken in eight different places. I survived the accident despite all odds and only one of my legs was damaged. Thanks to the miracle work of the surgeons they were even able to put it back together.
Because of the severity of my accident I’ve had two leg lengthening procedures (known as Illizarov) and probably over a dozen other surgeries. Since my accident I’ve spent the other 19 years of my life in and out of the hospital. It’s been tough, and I’ve had my ups and downs. My mom raised me to believe everything happens for a reason, and I do. Approximately 80% of my right leg is covered in scars and it took me a while to come to terms with that.

I haven’t needed surgery for almost over four years now and that has really helped to cement a brighter outlook on things. It may be cheesy, okay…. I know it’s cheesy, but my scars are a part of who I am. I’ve learnt so much from my situation. I know that when people see me on the street in shorts during the summer that that’s not what they’re thinking, and sometimes it’s awkward, but I’ve come to see things in a happier light. (Sometimes I joke I was bitten by a shark to break the ice.)

A few years ago I met a boy who didn’t notice I had scars, or that I even walked with a bit of limp sometimes. He loves me, supports me, and even wraps my leg in a wrap sometimes when it’s sore.

I’ve been interested in doing boudoir photo shoots with Tait Boudoir for over a year now, but something has always come up. When I first found them, I re-wrote an email to them a dozen times, trying to come up with a way of saying “hey, I’ve got scars all over my right leg, are you still willing to take pictures of me?” I’ve put this off for so long because I didn’t know how to explain my situation. But I believe everything happens for a reason and now if they read this, it’ll be out there.

I’d like the free photo shoot to not only celebrate but commemorate the confidence I have in myself and my body. A lot of my photo albums have pictures of me recovering from surgeries, and I’d like to add a boudoir shoot to add to the collection to show how far I’ve come!

In June of 2008 I made a major life changing decision with my family’s help and intervention. My dream life was about to all come crashing down. My fiancé was extremely abusive in many respects and controlled every aspect of my life. He separated me from my family and was slowly secluding me from the life I had before I was in a relationship with him. A number of things were brought to the surface in May of 2008 and one being the number of women he was in a relationship with, the financial burdens I was unaware of and a number of other aspects of his life I had no idea about.

While learning that my fiancé was living a double life, my family stepped in and supported me with the decision to leave, although difficult and wanting to believe that it was all a lie and just a dream. I found the strength to leave.

Within the last 7 months I have begun to realize the extent of the abuse he placed on me. It is amazing how deep the wounds are when you are in a relationship with someone who abuses you emotionally, mentally, financially, sexually and verbally. I have found my voice and have been so empowered with what I have been able to do without him in my life. My entire focus has been on just me and only me. Loving and forgiving myself are the reasons I get up everyday, they are the reasons that I have been able to accomplish what I have in such a short period of time, they are the reasons I can heal. One day I will forgive him, but I will never be able to if I can’t love and forgive myself first. I have made the decision to not be angry, or shameful or feel guilty for my relationship or what he did. I have chosen to tell my story and help other women find their voice and find the dreams they lost.

With a lot of work and continuing my healing journey I have started working on a documentary to help young women understand what types of abuse are out there, and to know they have a voice and can be empowered to take control of their lives. I have learned through this journey if better is possible is good good enough… For me I was living a life that was good or okay and now I have found my soul and I am living each day with a purpose and determined to be an authentic woman who loves herself.

I would love to have a photo shoot like this because I was never comfortable with my body in my relationship. Since I left I have lost 45lbs, I started running and training for a triathlon. I am so proud of the work I have done on my head, heart and body. To me it would be very special to see it all together in a picture being a whole woman. Many women I am sure are hoping to have these pictures for their spouse or significant other, for me I want to give them to myself a gift of how much I love my body, my heart, my soul…