Your engagement photos are coming up and you have no idea what to wear!?!? It's all good. I've got you. Here are 3 of my top tips for what to wear for your engagement photos and picking timeless and romantic feeling outfits for both you and your babe that look great on camera.
What to wear for engagement photos in order to feel comfortable
The first thing I tell all my clients is regardless of all the other tips out there, my number 1 is always how comfortable do you feel in the clothes you're planning on wearing? I don't mean sweatpants on the couch kind of comfy, but more of is it a style or a piece that you are comfortable wearing?
A good example of this that I've found is guys wearing a suit. A common theme you find with the feedback is that they hate wearing ties and having their shirt buttoned all the way up because they feel like they are being choked. This is a super fair opinion. My question though is, are you comfortable wearing that outfit if you could remove that issue? Maybe consider a dress shirt and pants, but make it slightly more casual by skipping the tie and going with the top buttons undone. Fixes like this are a great way to make something you are already wanting to wear a better experience for you.
Another good example that works on the other side of the conversation is maybe you are a girl who doesn't wear dresses and haven't in more years than you can count. Maybe wearing a dress is your worst nightmare for a reason. This is a great example of something that you may never feel comfortable in regardless of making the small changes like I talked about in the tie example. If that's the case, skip the dress and find the best pant suit you feel comfortable in or whatever is more in your style and comfort range.
The overall message with this is that you have to feel a certain level of comfortability in what you are wearing in order to feel confident about your outside before you can truly feel comfortable on the inside. Being in front of the camera is already a vulnerable enough place that you don't need your clothes hindering, they should be helping.
What colours to wear for engagement photos
We all know that one person that can wear the bright, bold colours and loves it. We also know that person who's best friends are anything black or some other form of darker, basic colour. No matter where you fall on the spectrum between those two types of people, there are some key colours that will never let you down in front of the lens or while putting outfits together.
My list of tried and true "safety" colours are navy, dark purple, pale pinks, taupes, and dark greys. Black and white are also consistent colours that can be easy to work with for most. Especially if you are identifying with being a traditional white wearing bride, this can be a great aesthetic choice. My best advice when it comes to black and whites is to think about how they visually compare to the space that you will be taking the photos in. If you are going for a light and airy beach vibe, black will feel out of place visually if it's a large part of your outfit and it will change the vibe of the photos.
The best option when it comes to colours is to keep it simple and work within the same colour palette for both you and your partner. Think about your two outfits complimenting each other compared to matching. I find for a lot of clients this helps take some of the pressure off of them for not only picking physical outfits, but then it also allows each of them more room to find similar styles that work for each of them in the comfortability I talked about above.
My last piece of advice for colours is to avoid anything overly bright or patterned if that is not something that you are used to pairing together in your everyday life. Some people are really bright and have that signature yellow outfit. If that is you, 100% go for it and ignore me. If you aren't that person though, keep it basic. This loops back around to the comfortability factor, but stick with your normal when it comes to colours. Especially if you are wanting photos that are timeless, I recommend to avoid trying a new fashion trend for your session. Sometimes sticking with your version of "old trusty" is better than trying something new when jumping in front of a camera lens.
What to wear for engagement photos if you want to feel dressed up or casual
I am a sucker for dressy engagement sessions personally. I love how crisp and clean they look, but I also love how personal a more casual session feels. So what's my advice? Book a engagement package that includes multiple outfits. Why compromise with just one or the other when you can have both? If you choose to do this, I always recommend starting with the more dressy look to get them taken care of and then finish off the session with your more casual look. It is always easier on location to dress down on the go than it is to dress up.
If you are wanting to go with outfits that are more dressed up, don't be afraid of being overdressed. There is no such thing when it comes to engagement photos. No matter your location, getting dressed up with uplevel the location whether that be the middle of a forest or out on the town.
If going with a more casual approach to outfits, make sure you are still on the dressier end of casual. Break out your good pair of jeans and a nice golf shirt or something similar. You good old sweats that you wear around the house won't cut it if you are looking for engagement photos that you can hang on your wall and love for years to come. I challenge you to put your best foot forwards regardless of the vibe and look you are going for. You owe it to yourself.
In conclusion...
I really hope that this helped to at least get you started for picking outfits for your engagement photo session. I honestly wish there was a black/white formula that I could share the secret about, but it's honestly such a personal experience for every couple. I can say that I am always here to answer any questions you might have about any or all of this. No matter if you are a current client of mine or not, my inbox is always open. If you are a client of mine, I will 100% provide you with my complete outfit style guide that goes deeper into all of this and I also provide outfit planning support leading up to your session date.
Love Lots,
Quinn
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