Choosing outfits for your engagement session
Trying to figure out what to wear can feel overwhelming. There is power in the colors and style of your outfit you choose to convey your story and who you are. Something to think of when choosing your oufit is aesthetic and does it work for the location. You want to paint a picture with each of your choices. Shoe choice, length of a dress are all a part of the story. Example of this is if you choose a winery for your shoot; a longer dress gives a more romantic and slow evening vibe - where as a shorter dress gives a flirty, fun, casual vibe.
You with me on this? Let’s dive into 3 keys things to think about and give you confidence in choosing the right outfit for you.
Colors:
Between the time of year, your wedding colors, home aesthetic and your closet options, choosing what color is best can seem overwhelming. One of the reasons you may feel drawn to some of your photographers images though might be because of the tones in their edits. Part of the process of creating those tones is the outfits the couples chose to wear.
One of my couples chose an early sunrise choose with a light known as blue hour. They each chose a shade of blue, one soft and one deep. Part of their story is they loved to hike particularly to the location below. Lots of grays and cooler tones were at this location which fit the outfits they choose. All that to say, choosing a color that compliments you both and the location can really create beautiful images as it sets a tone.
I will share some outfits and color tones that I recommend to my couples that help create the tones in my images.
In my engagement guide that I send to my couples before a shoot, I include a color palette of year long colors for my couples that don’t want to have their colors chosen based on the season. If you search for year long colors on Pinterest you’ll find some nice tones if you’re struggling to find the color tones.
What about Style?
This is all about aesthetics - the style of your outfit creates a vibe and you want it to reflect who you both are or the aesthetic of your wedding. When you try something new or out of your normal style you might feel uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable on a shoot is never ideal, if want to try something new thats still you outfit wise - just make sure you're at least comfortable in what you are wearing. Engagement photos don't have to be collared shirts and fancy dresses, - where what love and is you! When you decide on the vibe or aesthetic you like you can then choose style of outfits based on if it matches the vibe you want. A recent couple wanted magical, whimsical, and romantic. She looked for something flowy, found one with a backless and an off the shoulder sweater to create the romantic look she wanted.
When your looking at different styles keep in mind that you can add jackets, sweaters, hats, statement shoes etc.. to bring it to life.
Texture like with her sweater is a great way to add depth and layers to an image as well as creating a vibe.
Coordinating:
The most challenging part of figuring out what to wear is making sure you are coordinating not clashing. I always recommend if one of you is wearing a pattern or print that the other should wear solids. They might go well color wise, but two different patterns or prints tend to be distracting and busy in an image. Guys outfits tend to be a little easier to put together. Therefore my go to recommendation is figure out what she wants to wear and then coordinate him to what she's wearing.
Are you looking for outfit inspiration?
I got you! I happen to have Pinterest boards for my engaged couples to help spark ideas or give them confidence in their choices.