About 10 years ago I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding. I was 25 and single, the other bridesmaids were about the same age but married. Curious about everything and never afraid to ask personal questions, I asked how they kept marriage fresh. I wondered if they had loads of lingerie and if every day was a sexy day. I have rarely seen two people laugh so hard. They assured me that married life is NOT a constant Victoria's Secret fashion show. As my cousin took her wedding vows to love, honor and cherish, I took a vow of my own. I vowed I would not fall into the "sweats or lingerie - it all looks the same on the floor" trap. Fast forward. I'm married, and I hate to say it, but they were right. So when I decided that my Valentine deserved sexy pictures of his wife, I opened my lingerie drawer and found ... a LOT of less-than-sexy cotton, some of it was downright embarrassing. What's an apparently boring cotton-underwear-wearing wife and mom to do? I picked myself by my imaginary garter straps - because I've just admitted that I had NOTHING like that in my house - and planned a full day of lingerie shopping.

Albuquerque boudoir photographer - ccliberman photography First stop: Frederick's of Hollywood. Yep, right into the deep end. I was told by a friend that they custom fit you for corsets, and being more than a little nervous about showing it all off, I thought corset equals coverage and coverage is GOOD. Before every shoot, I have nearly the exact same conversation with every woman I photograph. I reassure each of them that she is beautiful and that her pictures will reflect that. I tell her that her partner loves her the way she looks right now and the rest is just frosting on an already delicious cake. It's all absolutely true, and I believe it with my whole heart. And I was totally freaked out. This was ME. And I almost never step in FRONT of a camera. Turns out that I had all the same insecurities as every other woman in the world. So I gave myself my own pep talk and started loading up on lacy and sheer and strappy and sexy. To say I was in over my head is an understatement. I can clip a garter like nobody's business ... on you. But I can't tell you how many things I get tangled in in dressing rooms everywhere. Good thing I had some help. Vicky, the manager at the Coronado store, became my surrogate BFF and second set of hands. She picked out a few things she thought I might like, taught me how to loosen the corsets to get in and then pulled (and pulled and pulled and pulled) to tie me into them. We pushed up and pulled in until I found the one that was just right for my body and my photo shoot. She taught me how to escape from and, most importantly, how to get back in to my custom-tied corset. We added stockings and undies, and some little water-balloon thingies to give my post-baby "girls" a lift. I was excited to wear my cute outfit, and I was completely EXHAUSTED.

Albuquerque boudoir photographer - ccliberman photography Later that afternoon, I was back in the lace mines with a trip to Victoria's Secret...because I thought, contrary to popular belief, maybe life COULD be a constant VS fashion show. I also had a very large gift card that was burning a hole in my pocketbook. After my Frederick's adventure, I was definitely more comfortable with the lacy things I usually blow passed on my way to the cotton. I was looking for something ... different, and they don't make sexy head-to-toe Spanx ... I looked. I picked up a few pairs of embellished cotton panties. Baby steps. I also got a few everyday bras, one of them was VERY hot pink, and a sheer little thing with matching panties. I picked up a lacy bra and panty set. I always suggest women bring outfits in an array of colors for variety, but I wear black, or its cousin, grey - my husband says my wardrobe is a rainbow of black and off-black - nearly every day. So it's no surprise that I picked two sets in black. I was already breaking my own rules. Bad Carm, but I hope not bad karma. Don't tell.

It was a long day of shopping, but I left the mall armed with a few super-sexy outfits that made me feel confident and H-O-T for my boudoir shoot and a few things to spice up my everyday wardrobe. The next step was getting out of the house with hair and makeup done, and a giant bag of frothy lingerie without giving away my sexy surprise.

Albuquerque boudoir photographer - ccliberman photography NEXT UP: Taking it all off at my personal boudoir shoot ... and maybe, if you're good, I'll even show you a picture or two.