You’ve got your engagement session booked, but now comes the hard part – trying to figure out what to wear! Engagement photos are a fun precursor to your wedding day, but if not planned right, they can be stressful. That’s why I’m giving you my top five tips on what to wear for your engagement photos.
Tip #1 Your Clothes Need to be Comfortable
I know that saying this may seem obvious, but there are many couples who buy all new clothes for their engagement photos online because they like the way they look on the models, but never try them on and wear them for a day or two to see if they actually feel comfortable enough to move around in. I’ve had clients come to their session with the tags still on the clothes! You don’t want to discover that the sleeves are too tight or too long or that your fiance’s jeans are too big and you forgot to bring a belt. That kind of surprise brings on stress.
Tip #2 Stay True to Your Style
Your engagement photos should look like you. Now is not the time to re-invent your style and try a new look. If you’re both kind of traditional, don’t try and copy a BOHO look that you have drooled over on Pinterest. Your pictures won’t be authentic and your friends and family will realize that too. Now it can be fun to experiment a little with accessories like hats, scarves, shoes, or jewelry, but just be sure everything still stays true to who you are.
Tip #3 Avoid Noisy Patterns
Stay away from loud and bold patterns that will look distracting in your engagement photos. The focus should be on the two of you and how much you love each other. So bright and big striped dresses or shirts or checkered patterns are definitely a no-go. If you do want clothing with some type of pattern, stick with florals and other less obvious textile designs.
Tip #4 Engagement Photos Shouldn’t Be Matchy
The temptation is there to choose outfits that match, but when you do that, your engagement photos end up looking too posed and orchestrated. Look for coordinating colors or different shades of one color. For example, if you’re going to wear a floral dress, have your fiance wear a shirt that has one of the colors in your dress.
Tip #5 Have One Casual & One Dressy Outfit
Both of you need to have at least one outfit that includes your most favorite pair of jeans. If they’re a little faded and worn, you can always dress them up with a blouse or other shirt. We usually feel most comfortable in a great pair of jeans and when you feel comfortable, your engagement photos will reflect that. I always like my couples to have at least one dressier outfit. It can be a dressy cocktail dress or pantsuit for you and dress pants, dress shirt and blazer for your fiance. I don’t put a limit to how many outfits my couples can bring, but I do like to see one with jeans and one with a more formal outfit.
Engagement Photo Blog Series
This is part one in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing to help you get the most from your engagement photos. I’ll be giving advice on the best locations to shoot in, how to mentally prepare before your session, and more!
