What to Wear for Your Engagement Session

The thought of planning an outfit can seem stressful as heck.
“What should I wear?”
“What goes with what?”
“Does this match enough or is it too matchy?”
“Do I have to go buy a whole new outfit or do I have something that will work?”
I know, it can seem tough but I have a bunch of tips here to help you out and make this clothing conundrum a heck of a lot less stressful and a lot more simple. Let’s talk about what to wear for your couples or engagement session.

COLORS

• Go with neutrals, white, cream, tan, grey, black, dusty blue, earth tones, caramel, some other dessert name that sounds like a tan color, you get the idea.
• Every color has a neutral or muted shade.
  Example:
  Green = Forest, Army or Olive Green
  Yellow = Gold, Mustard
  Orange = Burnt Orange / Rust
  Red = Maroon, Burgundy or Wine.
  
  COLORS TO AVOID:
• Colors that are too close to your skin tone
• Neons
  Bright colors can take away from your surroundings and be distracting. It also helps keep images timeless.
  

PATTERNS:

• If your outfit has a pattern, small repetitive patterns are the way to go. Smaller patterns are less distracting than bigger ones. If your shirt gets moved or wrinkled, it’s a lot less noticeable with a small pattern, than a big one.
  

COMFORT:

Always choose comfort over flashy! If you’re into flashy and formal then by all means, do it! But if formal isn’t your usual, you most likely won’t be comfortable in it. If you aren’t comfortable, you won’t look comfortable and it will show in your photos.

I know it sounds cliche to say be yourself, but it’s true. If you’re more comfortable in jeans and a plain T-shirt, wear it. I would rather you show up comfortable and choose a comfortable location to you, because if you’re not comfortable it will show. If showing up in a cocktail dress and popping champagne is not crazy out of the ordinary for you, then let’s do it! But if you’d rather be shotgunning Busch Lattes in an oversized T-shirt — Heck Yeah. You don’t have to have a glamourous, extravagant outfit or location for great photos that show who you are as a couple.

MOVEMENT + TEXTURE:

This is my favorite. Adding texture and pieces that have movement + flow is a gorgeous way to add some details to your photos. Whether that’s a flowery dress, skirt, fringe, adding on a chunky, knitted cardigan or even having your hair down. Movement and texture add much more dimension and emotion to your photos.

KEEP IT SIMPLE:

When it comes to picking outfits, simple is usually better! Try not to stress! If you’ve booked a session with me, I’m always just a text away. Always feel free to send me photos or ask any other questions about outfits or ideas. If you’d rather show up in a solid neutral top and jeans, do it! I don’t think there is a thing as too simple.

EXTRA TIPS:

• Always feel free to bring more than one outfit! Sometimes photographers charge for extra outfit changes so be sure to ask what you package includes. Bringing an extra outfit can help you decide what you’re more comfortable in and give you some more options. Try to keep it to 1-3 outfits. Doing more than 3 outfits can get to be overwhelming.
• Look at Pinterest! I do have a couple outfit board on Pinterest you can check out HERE, for some inspiration.
• Think coordinating, not matching. Pairing outfits that go well and with each other. Matching outfits can honestly be a little cheesy, and won’t make for a grate outcome (pun intended).
• Try to stay away from logos and graphics to keep your images timeless.
• Make sure to check and see if you have hair ties on your wrists or if you’d like to wear things like your watch or not. These things can easily go unnoticed when you get ready for photos and even when we start your session.

Thanks for checkin’ in + reading about what to wear for your couples + engagement session!