Lindsey and Blanton initially met about 16 or 17 years ago through work, but reconnected several years ago when they were each at a crossroads in their lives.
“I had recently lost my husband in 2016 and Blanton was divorced and had recently ended a dating relationship,” Lindsey explained.
At the time, her children were four and two. She had their third child soon after he passed away in November 2016, only two days before the funeral.
Lindsey was understandably hesitant as a single, newly widowed mom whose children meant the world to her.
“When Blanton re-entered my life the baby was still very young. We had been quietly dating but were very careful not to be affectionate around my kids due to the sensitivity of the time, trying to be respectful of the situation and just wanting to be sure before the kids got attached,” she said.
Blanton quickly showed Lindsey not only how much he cared for her, but also how much he cared for her kids.
“Blanton had come over to hang out and brought me gifts for my home. He was going to get them out of his car and Kieran asked if he could go. Without any experience as a parent or having kids himself, Blanton took that tiny child so craving male connection and sat him down, put his shoes on and took him with him out to his car. And never even needed to ask me what to do or how or anything. I had spent the last months and truthfully even before that in my last relationship feeling alone and without a true partner so the initiative and intuitiveness that showed told me I was ready to talk to the kids and at that point just like Blanton knew it was serious and we were all in,” said Lindsey.
Blanton jumped right into the role of parenthood and in 2018, the couple surprisingly and happily learned they were pregnant with their own child. They now have four children together and were engaged in December 2019 just before Christmas.
Lindsey found Allebach Photography on Instagram and showed some photos to Blanton.
“My previous relationship had left me with quite a bit of emotional baggage and self esteem issues so the fact that I even felt comfortable enough to share it with him was very telling of our relationship. He looked at some of the pictures with me and agreed that it would be fun! And a great way to see each other as lovers and more than just parents which we are pretty consumed by with four,” Lindsey said.
She bought a gift certificate for a session then “basically waited as long as possible” since she was still nursing to schedule their session.
Separating from their kids for the session was hard, emotionally and logistically, but they felt better upon entering the studio.
“It was the longest we’d been away from the kids in a while and the logistics of that was hard. I cried the whole drive up I think. As soon as we saw Mike though, his smile and tour of the studio started to put me at ease,” said Lindsey.
Getting into hair and makeup also helped get Lindsey in the right frame of mind to enjoy her and Blanton’s session.
“It was fun to watch the transformation as I had only had it done one other time,” she said.
The couple then went downstairs to get dressed, where Lindsey promptly set her bra on fire! Not intentionally. “I was changing in the bathroom and took it off and threw it onto a tea light by accident. Once I put that out and sheepishly apologized we got started,” she laughed.
Lindsey says they trusted the process completely, instead of going in with any preconceived ideas of poses in mind. She even surprised herself by going nude at the end, something she wasn’t necessarily planning to do.
“I didn’t think I would go nude but I did. I ended the session in nothing but a bright red thong!”
She continued, “Mike was amazingly professional at all times and worked his magic for sure. My favorite part of the whole day was the end of the shoot. Mike had more snacks ready and we hung out and just relished in the day. Seeing the pictures unedited was something I thought I needed to prepare for. I was ready to force myself not to hate them and my body but I loved almost every one and cried.”
The couple chose a large album of all of their favorites, which we drop shipped to make sure they’d have it in time for Christmas. They also chose a few of the “tamer” photos for their bedroom wall.
Lindsey says she can’t wait to do another session.
“We’re definitely planning on doing it again. I’ve lost weight so I’m anxious for new pictures in my new body to help with some of the dysphoria. My kids are older. The first time we did the shoot, got dinner and went right back home because of the baby. I’m anxious to be able to do a shoot and take the energy from it back to a hotel instead of into the real world with kids!”, she says.
Lindsey can’t say enough about her session with Blanton.
“Not only did it give us the gift of seeing ourselves as lovers, not parents, it strengthened our already amazing relationship and gave me a new appreciation for my body and my sexuality/sensuality just as is. I can’t really put into words how healing that exact moment was but anyone who has been in an emotionally abusive relationship in the past should understand.”
Ready to see your partner as more than your co parent in crime? Book your couples boudoir session by calling 610.539.6920 or going to http://allebachphotography.com/contact/