What to wear for an engagement session
“Our engagement session is coming up, what should we wear? Should we match? Dressy or casual? We’ve never had professional photos taken together before. They’ll be used for our save the date cards. And our wedding website… Mom mentioned displaying them at our wedding. I really want them to be special! But what should we wear?” If you have an engagement session coming up, these may be just a few of the questions running through your head.
One questions I hear a lot is what to wear for an engagement session. So I’ve put together a few tips to help you prepare for this fun session!
Number of outfits for an engagement session
I recommend a two outfits for your engagement session, so that there is plenty of time to capture both outfits. I recommend a more formal outfit and a more casual one, so that you have plenty of variety to choose from later! The outfit change is a great time for your photographer to capture some photos of your beautiful engagement ring
Coordinating not matching outfits!
The goal is COORDINATING outfits instead of MATCHING! A few examples are:
- If she’s wearing a print dress, it looks great if he wears a solid shirt with one of the colors from her dress
- If his favorite shirt is plaid, a sweater in one of the plaids accent colors we be a great choice for her
- I also recommend avoiding both of you wearing WHITE as a top. White doesn’t allow for any contrast in your images.
Following the examples above, if one person chooses to wear a print, its looks best if the other wears a solid. This keeps the photos from looking to busy and keeps the focus on the two of you. In addition, I recommend guys avoid patterns that are smaller than a dime! These small patterns can create strange visual effects in a digital camera
Both outfits should have the same “feel.” If he’s wearing a suit, a dress or pantsuit would be a great compliment on her. The longer the dress, the more formal it looks even if it’s rather casual. Having the same “feel” applies not only to the formality of the outfits, but also to the season. One of you should not look ready for summer, while the other is dressed for fall.
Colors
Colors can help set the tone for your images. Neutrals such as blush, tans, link pinks, faint blues and teals, creams, grays and whites will always result in more of a light and airy look to your images. These colors photograph softer and more romantically!
If you’re really looking for a soft, feminine look, I recommend a flowing, maxi-length dress or skirt! The movement of this type of fabric photographs beautifully!
Guys shoes
Your shoes will show in some of the pictures, so this is a great time to break out those shoes that are a little dressier than normal. Close-toed shoes photograph well, and we recommend avoiding graphic tees and tennis shoes!
Gals
Gals, I recommend that you wear something that flatters the parts of you that you love the most and also allows you to be extremely confident! If you are uncomfortable when you look in the mirror, then that probably isn’t the best outfit choice for you.
I want you to be really confident in your outfit, because I know that you will love your portraits so much more if you’re not worrying about how your clothes fit!
Simple tips
These first few tips are so basic they are easy to overlook, that’s why I’m taking time about them. Make sure all clothes fit well, are free of stains and in good repair at least 1 week before your shoot! You don’t want to pull out your favorite sweater from last fall only to realize it shrank in the dryer or you forgot a button was missing! Even if you’ve just gone shopping, I recommend trying your outfit on after washing. I have had things shrink noticeably on the first washing!
Your engagement session is actually one of the most important parts of your photography experience, because it allows you and your photographer get to know one another, AND it allows you to get familiar with working together. With these tips you can go confidently into your engagement session, knowing you look fabulous together!
Recently engaged? Check out wedding planning tips here: Top 5 Things to do When you Get Engaged and The Next Steps: What to do After You Get Engaged
To learn more about the Simply Seeking Photography wedding experience click here: The Wedding Experience
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