What to Wear

LET’S START PLANNING!

You’re engaged! What an exciting time for you two. I can’t wait to spend some time with you, capturing your love during your engagement session.

Preparing for your engagement session is really easy — all you have to do is continue being in love. However, I find that a lot of my clients, brides especially, tend to stress about planning the outfits they wear during their engagement shoot. This is totally normal, and expected. It’s exciting to plan what you’re going to wear! You might even get a couple new favorite outfits out of this!

Choosing what to wear for your engagement shoot is definitely not something to stress over, and I’m going to walk you through exactly how to find the perfect outfit pairings for you and your future hubby so that all you feel in preparation for your upcoming engagement session is excitement.

Read through the suggestions in this guide and reach out to me at bellaelisealder@gmail.com if you have any questions! I can’t wait to work with you!

STARTING AT SQUARE ONE

The first thing you want to do when you’re planning your engagement outfits is figure out the style you’re going for: dressy, casual, playful, sophisticated, etc.

Will these photos be used on your Save the Dates? Do you want the vibe of your photos to match the vibe of your wedding paper suite or reception if the photos will be displayed in conjunction with any of those designs?

A lot of sessions will allow for an outfit change or two, so at the very least, you can simply choose one more casual outfit and a more dressy outfit to change into later. Remember to keep it you, I don’t want you in what you feel obligated to wear, I want you in what you want to wear.

CHOOSING YOUR MVP

My top recommendation, after you decide the style you’re going for with these photos, is to choose your MVP. By that I mean: your pickiest, hardest to dress person of the two of you. The term “MVP” is to make them… or you feel better! But really, if the person that has the hardest time finding great outfits, whether because of style or taste, price range, or self-confidence, is able to feel like a superstar, then the other outfits all fall into place perfectly.

If your partner tends to have a particular style and dressing in something they’d wear on an everyday basis helps them feel more relaxed and comfortable while taking pictures, then by all means, let them go shopping and you can choose their outfit first and plan yours to match!

Or, if you tend to feel insecure about your frame, to which I say “you don’t need to!” But also “I absolutely understand”, you should find an outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks, and let your fiancé coordinate what they wears to suit the style set by your choices.

As you’re choosing these initial pieces, be mindful of where you are taking your photos (you don’t want to be traipsing through mud in heels! Make sure to grab your Chacos on your way out.) and make sure you’re comfortable. If you’re stressing throughout the entire session over whether your shirt is riding up in the back or if you’re showing too much skin, then your pictures are going to manifest that stress on your face.

CREATING A COLOR SCHEME

Here are my magic tips for creating a cohesive color scheme for your engagement session:

Choose one person to be the “dominant” color for each outfit pairing. It can be the same person both times, or you can switch.

This “dominant” color doesn’t have to be your MVP — if your MVP found the perfect neutral-colored top, then the other person can fill in the outfit with a more bold or bright color. For the both of you, there are lots of places to bring in color and represent the color scheme: tops, bottoms, jewelry and accessories, shoes, the landscape. Use these places to accent the dominant color by incorporating various shades of that tone and a coordinating tone.

Avoid too many bright colors. When in doubt, stick with neutrals earth tones and shades of the dominant color.

CHOOSING PATTERNS & COLORS

It’s super fun to include bright colors and patterns in your wardrobe when you figure out your own personal style, but when you’re preparing the outfits for your engagement session, remember that not all those bright colors and patterns will photograph well.

Taking pictures is a great way to preserve the memory, but it does distort reality in some ways. For example, coral is a beautiful color and super trendy, but it does NOT photograph well. A lot of subjects end up looking distorted, their skin tones look wonky, and the color even makes them look larger. It also bounces off other subjects, messing with the coloring throughout.

Black and white are great color options for a slimming look and to keep things neutral. If you go with a pattern, use it sparingly, and only bring in another pattern if you can stick with the exact color scheme — you don’t want too many colors having a party, ruining your shot!

I also recommend against matching tops. It’s cute to match your sweetheart, but use your engagement session as a way to embrace your individual styles! Or at least don’t have every outfit twinning.

If you’re aiming to choose colors that pair well together and don’t clash, look up a Color Wheel and find colors that are close to each other and similar in tone, i.e. warm colors, or cool colors.

ADDING ACCESSORIES

I mentioned earlier all the ways you can bring in your color scheme through accessories: scarves, ties, shoes, hair pieces, jewelry, etc. Avoid having distracting bits of color and pattern throughout your photos by making sure that even these accessories fit your color scheme, too!

When in doubt, go with neutral: tan, navy or black, rose gold or silver, brown, cream, white. Neutral is best!

However, accessories are a great way to tie in that extra color that you’re having trouble coordinating with. For example, if you’re wearing a colored cardigan, have your fiancé’s tie match the same color! Or, wear some earrings that match some color from his top.

I hope these tips help you plan your outfits with ease and without any stress!