Reviews of mellBella Boudoir & PinUp Photography (Photo Studio)

Beth Riera

They are excellent at what they do. These ladies are professional, kind and really care for their clients. Love working with Wanda and Mell Bell.

Melissa Ortiz Walchuk

I have nothing but the best of things to say about The MellBella ladies ! they are fun and super professional and really know how to capture each woman’s uniqueness ❤️❤️❤️

Emz Mello

We were at the weddinding expo at the colosseum and we went to the booth and my fiancee walked in to the booth to get a flyer because it was crowded and the girl was super rude and said Excuse me! there is no men allowed in here!, and scowled at him. I will never use this service because of how you treated my other half.

Taylor Browder

They really make you feel comfortable here. The hair and makeup artist they hire is top notch and the photos turn out gorgeous.

Barbara Carter

I did a boudoir photography session for my husband-to-be's wedding present. I will admit I was a little nervous at first, but it immediately went away once I was with Wanda and Mell Bell. I had such a wonderful experience at mellBella that I would recommend it to anyone and everyone! Wanda and Mell are so wonderful and professional! I cannot say enough good things about them! They made me so comfortable that I felt like one of the girls and truly enjoyed my session. I cannot wait to see my groom's reaction to my photos! I have never felt so beautiful and sexy!!! Thank you!

Leta Trimble

I cannot say enough amazing things about mellBella Boudoir! I am an extremely private person and yet, I chose to do a boudoir session with Mell & Wanda as a gift to my husband for our wedding. I was so nervous, I didn't want to go that morning. Once I got there, I was welcomed with open arms, smiles and a good time! Mell & Wanda sat me down and had a real heart-to-heart for a few minutes about any insecurities, worries or doubts. They show you how to do every single pose. I really tested their patience because I am the least graceful person on earth! ha! Once I got my photos back...oh my goodness!! They were nothing shy amazing. Seriously... amazing. I gifted them to my husband the night before our wedding and he was shocked that I did it because it's so far out of my comfort zone but he loved the photos. We had Mell's husband, Nathan Bell (Richard Bell Photography), photograph our engagement & wedding and those photos were also nothing short of amazing! The entire mellBella Boudoir & RBP staff are the nicest people I have ever met and take breathtaking photographs there are forever cherished. If you don't do a photo shoot with them, you will regret not picking them! I'm so happy to forever be part of the RBP family!

Jungle Davis

Love love love these ladies. Extremely professional and fun to work with.

Caroline Taylor

Cannot recommend enough! I had to book my session while I was visiting from out of town and the whole team was so accommodating. Sarah who did my hair and makeup did a fabulous job and Mell Bell and Wanda were fun and empowering. It was a great treat for myself and so good for my confidence, and I (and my partner) loved the final product.

Lora Marsh

I do not have the words to describe how AMAZING Mell and Wanda are! I am so excited to view my pictures next week. These 2 ladies made my experience painless, I smiled and laughed. They never let me feel awkward or out of place. I highly recommend them to anyone who might be nervous. Just DO IT, you won't regret it!

Starla McGorty

My experience with Mell and Wanda was nothing short of amazing! I went with 2 other friends, we all had such a great time! We were all nervous but they made us feel at ease, made us laugh and made the experience one of the best times of my life. They took care of all the details and made me feel like it was my day. I can't wait to go back and do another shoot, my husband loved the photos!!!

Joseph Orechovesky

Mell bell shot our wedding and did a fantastic job. There were plenty of photos catching moments we didn't see, and they were all very high quality. couldn't have asked for a better group to share our special day with.

Meagan Barrineau

Mel and Wanda are amazing photographers and out every client at ease! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute with them and trying to find any excuse I can for another photo shoot!!

Cyndi Richards

I attended a fashion show fundraiser and these ladies were amazing. So talented and absolute professionals!

Amy Spear

MellBella and her crew are so nice and welcoming. I was so surprised that when you use their services you become a community of positive and empowered woman for years to come!!!

Marni Abigail

I did this photoshoot as a wedding present for my husband. Wanda and Mell have this thing about them where they can harness your nervousness and bring it under control. Coming from Europe, I am used to nudity, but am not 100% confident about my body, even in a bikini. However, being with Wanda and Mell help you realize your full beauty, forget about being nervous and capture it in photos. Wanda actually photographed my wedding, so she was also able to capture my husband opening this present. His face was priceless, and deemed it the best present ever. Thank you both for this amazing experience. I hope to share this experience in the years to come and to see you both again when I come back to Charleston.

Stephanie Albanese

This was the most amazing experience!!! I had these pictures done for my boyfriends birthday and I can not wait to give them to him!! Mell and Wanda are amazing and make you feel so comfortable and beautiful!!! Everyone I met that day was super sweet and nice!!! My hair and make up looked amazing and I honestly could not believe the pictures were of me!!! I highly recommend doing this for whatever the occasion may be!

Tara Suggs

I scheduled a session with Mel and Wanda as a wedding present for my husband. I, of course was nervous before the shoot started as I had never envisioned myself at the time to take pictures in lingerie! Even before we started though, Mel and Wanda sat with me and talked; just everyday stuff that took the edge off! It was so great of them, to make you feel comfortable right away. Then we talked about my husband and anything I had in mind for the pictures. It was a fantastic experience!!! Afterward I felt more confident than I had in such a long time and I owe it to these great women! Also, the makeup artist from Paper Dolls was fabulous as well!! If you have ever wanted to do this before, please call them and do it! I cannot wait to do it again!! Oh....and my husband loves, loves, loves the pictures!! Worth it so much...I cannot express :)

Caroline Lee

Princess. Diva. Super-model. I’ve been them all, if only for a few hours. Here’s my story: I’m an overweight, thirty-something (coughcough) mother of two, and a boudoir photography session has been my goal for years. I told myself that I was going to get skinny, so that I could take some rockin’ photos for my husband—and myself!—to look back on. Barring reaching my goal weight (which hasn’t happened), I promised myself that I would do it for my ten-year wedding anniversary. I blinked, and here it is; we’re planning our anniversary celebration. So even though I’m not ideal (at all), I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and make an appointment with MellBella, the sister company of Richard Bell Photography, one of the premier wedding photography companies in the southeast. Here’s their story: Five years ago, two best friends conceived of this company in order to honor women. I’m going to paraphrase Mell herself here (and when she explained their motivations, she was so impassioned that she was tearing up a little): Women are under intense emotional strain. We’re often the primary caregivers. We’re often the primary house-keepers. We’re often working a job inside or outside the house. We’re expected to stay strong for our families while being told by social constructs and media images that we’re not good enough. Many of us have issues with the way we look, and know that we’re not the ideal. I know that I’m not the ideal; any photo that I share with my public not only represents an hour of hair, make-up, and wardrobe prep, but has probably been edited a bit too. In other words, at my very best, I’m still not ideal. MellBella took my not-ideal body and (yes, there was an hour of hair/make-up prep) made me feel ideal. That’s an incredibly empowering talent. I am still walking tall, knowing that I might be lounging in yoga pants and a ratty t-shirt today, but I can look like a magazine model with a little help. One very efficient strategy Mell employed was flipping the camera around early on, to show me just one of the shots she’d taken of me. If the lady in the viewfinder of that camera hadn’t been wearing my birthmark on my arm, I wouldn’t have believed it was me. I looked… gorgeous. Sexy. Beautiful. Like I belonged in a magazine… and from that moment on, I was confident instead of awkward in my poses, because I’d seen how I could look. Boudoir photography is ostentatiously for men—we do it for our husbands and lovers, and MellBella offers discounts to wives of deployed military husbands—but that’s not the complete truth. We tell ourselves that, in order to justify the experience—justify the chance to feel like a princess for a few hours—but the experience is really for us. We don’t have to be scantily clad in these photos; I took several that are perfectly normal and I plan on hanging on my wall. Because while I plan on giving most of these photos to my husband, I’m also keeping some for myself. Thanks to this session, I not only feel better about myself, but I have a series of incredible photos that I can look back on in the years to come. Mell even told me that many women carry copies of these photos with them, to peek at when they need a pick-me-up. One glance at these, and I know that I would walk taller, prouder. Consider booking your session with MellBella today, so that you can have this natural high I’m still feeling—the high of feeling like super model for an afternoon, and looking at photos of yourself and knowing that you’re a beautiful, sensual, confident woman, no matter what you feel like society is telling you about being good enough. I promise you that you won’t regret it. MellBella Photography: Beauty at Every Age and Every Stage

Kimberly Scogin

I can not say enough wonderful things about Mell Bell! She has photographed our family on numerous occasions and is always very professional!

Kodi Koch

These two women are basically magic! I have terrible anxiety and it was so bad I ended up red and splotchy when it came time to have my pictures taken. But, I walked out happy, laughing and feeling like the most beautiful woman on the planet. Oh, and the pictures turned out amazing.

Hillary Shealy

Incredibly creative group of photographers! I used Richard Bell Photography for my wedding and this sister company, MellBella for two boudoir sessions. Yes, two! They were that good and it was that fun. MellBell and Wanda make you feel comfortable and beautiful. If you have a vision, they will master your vision. Major talent, professionalism, timeliness, and fun! Just do it...choose them, they will not disappoint!

Meghan Stevens

I just have to leave a review telling you how awesome Mell and Wanda are with mellBella. They truly care about every client that they are able to photograph. They give affirmations that are genuine and come from the heart; they don’t see size (petite to curvy) as a challenge they see it as an asset. I just love their hearts! Oh, and as for the product, you could not find better photographers. They use light and posing to make you look and feel your best, and they always accentuate the best parts. Seriously, if there is anything holding you back (insecurity, weight, scars) give yourself this opportunity and gift... give yourself the chance to see how your significant other sees you - beautiful and gorgeous.

lisaowensjordan .

I’m seriously amazed and in awe of these artists, they take care of their ladies, make us feel beautiful, special, utterly unique, and protected as we express ourselves through their photography, I’ve never felt as sexy and beautiful as you ladies made me look and feel, the photos speak for your artistry, and I know myself, as well as my sweet husband, certainly appreciate the discretion taken when others are viewing these private photos. I still shake my head in wonder when I look at the emotions you captured in each photo, flirty, fun, shy, sexy, and beauty....You ladies ROCK!!! Love MellBella

Amanda Mcfann

I had so much fun with these ladies. Normally self-conscious, they helped me to feel relaxed, empowered, and beautiful. I cannot wait to have another session with them!

K E

I can't recommend or rave enough about Mell and Wanda. The whole process and experience was just perfect. Seriously, don't just do this for your significant other, do this for yourself. I have been recommending all of my friends and I can't wait to do it again!

Heather Taylor

One of the things that I loved about this experience from the beginning was the privacy. The website is only viewable through a request from a female. Mell Bell and Wanda made me feel comfortable and beautiful. They filled the session with laughter, confidence building, and pictures that amazed me. This was a gift for my husband, but turned out to be a gift of confidence to myself.

Alicia Coffey

I had awesome headshot a few months ago with these ladies. They made me very comfortable and their makeup artist was amazing. I can't wait to see the pictures. Alicia Urgwll

Shann B

Very sweet and nice ladies! I appreciate the amount of privacy they keep when they do bridal shows and I enjoy their presence, they are nice and amazing down to earth women, who help other women see their natural beauty and don’t shame anyone. Their personality will make you super comfortable talking to them even when you’re normally shy they can pull the shy right out of you. Bless you sweet ladies for all you do, including your support for local groups