What to Wear for Engagement Photos
Figuring out what to wear for engagement photos can sound daunting at first. You’ve seen so many beautiful sessions, and want to make sure your pics turn out just as great! Trust me, it’s not as hard as it seems! Here, I will guide you through the process of narrowing down outfits that are right for you and your partner! We’ll keep things true and fluid to make sure your pics turn out true to your personalities.
— Stay True to You —
This is by far the most important tip I have for you. We want you to feel completely comfortable with what you are wearing. I know a lot of my couples struggle with this because they feel their style might be a little boring or uninteresting, and they want their photos to stand out. But trust me, your style is uniquely you, and will stand out in your photos because your pics will feel personal, rather than staged. If your style is boho, go boho! If your style is overalls and a t-shirt, go for it! If you love a good dress, find that perfect dress! We want you to look back at your photos and feel like you both look completely like your true, authentic selves. I’m going to walk you through how to add unique and interesting touches, while still feeling yourself!
— Outfit Changes —
I personally like to do 2-3 outfit changes. One seems to be too few, two is def. a sweet spot, and three is great if we have time! It’s definitely nice to get a variety. I would stick to a theme, though. I would not pair a dress/suit with a second outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. I’ve found the shoot becomes less cohesive when couples do this. Your outfits can be different, but should still make sense in the same shoot together. Here are some examples.
Outfit 1: Jeans and Band T-shirts with leather jackets for both of you
Outfit 2: Jeans and a t-shirt for one of you, and a summer maxi for the other. Jean jackets to throw on top.
or
Outfit 1: Jeans and a t-shirt for one of you, overalls + flowey-sleeved top for the other.
Outfit 2: Button up + tan chinos for one of you + mini skirt + oversized sweater for the other. Jackets to layer.
or
Outfit 1: Jeans + white t-shirt for one of you, plaid mini skirt, spaghetti, and leather jacket for the other.
Outfit 2: Slacks and white button-up shirt for one of you (not buttoned to the top), textured dress for the other
— Location —
The next thing you’ll want to do is pick a location. Most people start with location, then move to “what to wear”, but it’s very important to pick a location that fits your personalities. If you are more of a city type, consider doing photos downtown, at a park, or in your home. If you love nature, consider doing the shoot at the coast, at a waterfall, or in the mountains. Think about where your best memories have taken place. Once you’ve got a feel for things, check out the link below for my full list of Oregon locations. Although this list is titled “Oregon Elopement Locations”, any of the locations could be used for an engagement shoot. If you’re living in another city, and haven’t hired me, ask your photographer for location recs!
Once you’ve got your location, you can start planning outfits! I can’t stress this more—make sure your outfits fit your location! A few years ago, it was very in style to pair a dramatic dress with a nature location. People were wearing glamorous maxi dresses in fields and on mountains. But now, personally, I advise to stay away from this. I have found that my shoots make sense when my couples choose outfits that fit the location we’re shooting at. If you’re shooting at the coast, jeans and a t-shirt or casual button-up work great. If you love dresses, and are shooting in any sort of nature location, go with a flowey summer dress and boots, or bare-foot! If your style is more upscale, go with a city shoot! You can totally pull off a suit and cocktail dress, or any outfit that seems a bit too nice for a nature location. Jeans, band t-shirts, leather and denim jackets also work well for the city if that’s more your style!
— Time of Year —
The next thing to consider is the time of year your shoot will be. If you’ve already got your session booked with me, plan on styling your outfits around that particular time. If you don’t, you can try to pick a time of year that resonates with you most. Again, think of what time of year your best memories have taken place. Once you’ve got the shoot date, it’s important to make sure you’re wearing outfits that make sense with the time of year. If you are shooting at the coast or in the mountains in the fall/winter, I highly recommend wearing boots and jackets. You can totally throw on the right dress underneath your jacket, and we can take the jacket off for some of the pics, but we’ll want to make sure you’ve got a jacket around for when you get cold. I love scarves, hats, long socks, and boots for winter. For summer, you can pretty much wear anything! Jean jackets, sandals, boots, band t-shirts, shorts, skirts, leather jackets, hats, etc. Just make sure it fits with the time of year!
— Color Scheme —
For color scheme, I generally prefer neutrals/muted tones. I would definitely recommend staying away from anything bright.. it truly just doesn’t fit with my shooting/editing style. Muted browns, blues, greens, yellows, pinks, etc. all work great! I also love cream and gray tones. You definitely don’t have to be too “matchy-matchy” with things. As long as the colors don’t clash, you’re good! If you want to match a little more, I recommend going for a tight color palette of 2-3 dif. colors.
— Accessorize —
This is how we’re going to really make your pics pop. Even if your style is more low-key, you can still throw on a couple accessories. Hats, jackets, and jewelry all count as accessories for me. Basically anything to add a little more interest to the photos. If you have a few fav. hats, feel free to ring! Bringing a couple of different jackets to add on top of your outfit for a few pics always helps switch things up. I love rings, necklaces and earrings, as long as they fit with the outfit! Be creative! This will really help your pics stand out. But as always, be true to yourself in the process!
— Communicate —
Communicate with me throughout the process. I’m here if you need ANY help at all! If you aren’t sure about a particular outfit, feel free to send me a pic or link! I am more than happy to advise and give my honest opinion about what will photograph well. Once you’ve picked a location, give me a shout-out if you haven’t yet, so that I know what to plan on for your shoot! And definitely give me a feel for the “vibe” you’re going for! This really helps to give me a picture of what to plan on, and to be building up inspo. as the date approaches.
