What an anxiety-causing question! Well, I'm here to answer and hopefully make the process of choosing outfits for your portraits session easy breezy!
My favorite photos are the ones where the couple looks and feels like themselves. Wear outfits that accentuate your style and personality. Whether you want to wear jeans and a t-shirt or a cocktail dress, your comfort and relaxation will show through and influence the overall mood in the photos.
That being said, an engagement shoot is an opportunity to enhance your natural beauty. If you plan to wear makeup for your wedding day, this is a great time to coordinate a trial with your makeup artist. Even if you don’t normally wear makeup, cameras have a sneaky way of picking up uneven tones on our faces. A little foundation and mascara will go a long way toward making your pictures reflect how you look every day.
And, yes, if "you" is represented by your fur babies,let's make sure to get some photos with them!
Coordinating your outfits a little bit is fine, but don’t wear matching outfits. If you don’t dress like each other every day of the week, I don’t recommend dressing the same for your engagement shoot. However, I’m not against wearing colors that complement each other and pieces that have common shades. I love how the stripes in Russ’s shirt complement Jessica’s gorgeous blue dress.
Think of your surroundings when picking out colors for your outfit. If your photos are in a park, a green dress might camouflage you with the grass and trees. A complimentary color, like a red dress, would pop against the green if you want to stand out.
If you’ll be in more of an urban setting bold hues to contrast with the gritty background. If you’re going to be shooting in a country setting, try a casual sundress or shirt and jeans. Whitney grew up on a farm so she wanted to take her rustic engagement photos on her family’s property. I love her and Richard’s matching cowboy boots!
So many couples avoid prints because they don’t want to overdo it, but I welcome a good print. To balance the print, I recommend having your partner wear a solid color to even things out a bit. Patterns and prints will show off your figure, while hiding any parts you might not want to accentuate. Color-blocking breaks things up, and by adding textures or prints, it will only add interest to the outfit. I adore how Sergio’s bold print perfectly complements Patricia’s teal dress.
If you can’t decide between casual and formal, go for both. Bringing more than one outfit never hurts, as long as you don’t have to haul a bag of clothes around everywhere you go. Wardrobe changes are always welcome and will give you an alternative look for your photos. For our session at the botanical gardens, Marie and Jeff went more casual while our time at the El Presidio church showcased a more “night-time” look.
Black might be slimming, but I generally advise couples not to wear it since it leads to every speck of dust and hair being easily caught on camera. Wearing white should be saved for your wedding day, so go with bright hues that will pop from the background. Karen’s dress choices were fun and classy-perfect for Save-the-Dates.
Tip #7 – Comfort is key.
If you have to jump up and down in your jeans to get them to fit, you might want to opt for something you’ll feel freer to move in. Want to wear heels for your beach photo shoot? Swap them for flip-flops or go bare foot, which will help you look more natural and relaxed. If a strapless dress is in your “maybe” pile, think about whether or not you’ll feel confident or will constantly be adjusting your dress. The better you feel in your clothes, the better you’ll look in front of the camera, so don’t overthink it.
Another part of being comfortable does not have to worry about dragging a purse around or constantly shifting keys and your phone out of your pockets. Leave those items behind or in your car and you’ll feel a lot less restricted without them.
On the day of your photo shoot, you should both look like you’re headed to the same place. Therefore, plan on dressing to the nines? Make sure your fiancé isn’t wearing his favorite Bob Ross tee with shorts and white sneakers. Wear clothes that are on the same level of dressiness or casualness. In the photos below, Michelle and James are obviously spending a day at the beach together. Don’t you think it’s look a littleodd if he was wearing slacks, button-up shirt, and tie next to her shorts and tank top?
Because clothes often photograph better when they are layered, consider adding a cardigan, blazer, or jacket to finish your look. Layers are also great because they hide areas you might not feel comfortable flaunting. For the guys, depending on the weather, it’s often simple enough to have another shirt under a sweater or jacket to change things up halfway through the shoot. Layers can also include accessories like a cardigans or belt, which always add another element to the photos. I loved how Jeff has his jacket that he also used as a prop later in the session.
Most importantly, whatever you wear to your engagement or portrait session, all that matters if that you have a fun time with your significant other. Smiles, love, and laughter NEVER go out of fashion!
XOXO,Cherry