You’ve just booked your engagement photos and you’re both so excited! But there is the dread of choosing exactly what to wear. With all of the stress that comes along with wedding planning, your engagement photos should be a breeze, but if you’re stuck trying to figure out just what you should wear to your engagement session, you’re not alone. Almost every couple asks this and that’s totally normal! You want to look your best, but you also want to accurately represent yourself. So instead of telling you exactly what to wear, I prefer to give tips that you can look back on while searching your closet! Hopefully these tips will put you more at ease!

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WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN

Wear what you know, what you feel good in. I have suggestions for clothes, yes, but ultimately I want you to look for these things in your own closet! And if you are buying something new for your engagement session, wear it out a few times beforehand. Go on a date night in it, go to the store in it, wear it in the comfort of your home. I don’t want you to show up uncomfortable!

ALLOW FOR MOVEMENT

My style of photography is more direction driven rather than posing which is how we get those cute candid in-the-moment photos! So wear clothes that will allow you to move around! If you can’t raise your arms or you have to adjust the shoulders after raising your arms, I wouldn’t recommend choosing that piece. If you do wear restricting clothes, like an off-the-shoulder top or dress, a restricting denim jacket, etc. the posing will become more intimate. So if you’re a playful couple, allow for movement!

CONSIDER THE LOCATION

You wouldn’t wear heels on the beach and you wouldn’t wear a ballgown in the forest. I understand wanting to dress up for photos, but it should make sense! And your engagement photos are a reflection of yourself on a daily basis and your relationship, so be sure to be conscious of the location chosen and do your best to match the environment! Both with colors and with the pieces of clothing you wear.

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COLORS

Speaking of colors, they might be one of the more important aspects to focus on while choosing your outfits for your engagement session. Circling back to matching the environment, earthy tones photograph best for a reason—most engagement sessions are outside. And if your engagement session is with me, it will more than likely be on the Oregon Coast, the forest, the mountains, a brewery, a greenhouse.. you get the picture. Neutral tones tend to look the best against most environments but also help keep the focus on you and your partner! We’re wanting to capture your love, not necessarily your bright neon tee that you love.

CONSIDER THE LOCATION AND the SEASON

Even though we’re surrounded by green, keep seasonal colors in mind. Of course this depends almost entirely on the location which is why the season is just an added blurb. If we’re on the beach and it’s the beginning of fall when leaves are changing, it won’t be incredibly important to wear burnt oranges and mustards. You’re still going to want to match with the beach environment. But if the season is evident, let’s complement those colors!

PATTERNS

Patterns don’t always translate the best in photos, but when the patterns are minimal and complement your partner’s, they can definitely work. Just be mindful of aggressive and distracting patterns.

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COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER

Match but don’t MATCH. You don’t want to look like you’re going to prom. No need to pair a purple tie with a purple dress. Think about the color wheel. We don’t want to be on the same side! And if you don’t understand the color wheel, you can refer to this amazing bit by Chad Daniels.

AVOID DISTRACTIONS

Logos, graphic tees, super-bright colors, crazy clashing patterns. I want to see YOU. But for real about the bright colors. It’ll be all you can see in the photo and we don’t want that!

ACCESSORIES

I tend to recommend to not wear too many accessories as they distract from the subject, which is your connection with your partner! However, if accessories are totally your norm, by all means, wear them! If you wear hats, bring a hat! Jackets are encouraged. Blankets are welcome. But please, leave the Apple Watch at home. I’ll have mine on and I can tell you how many steps we took.

BRING OPTIONS

Not entirely sure what will look best together in photos? Let me help! Bring a few different options and I can help choose what you and your partner will wear. Plus I’m always down for outfit changes. Outfit changes basically turns one session into two.

Hopefully these tips help you when choosing what to wear for your engagement photos! But if you still have questions or simply want to send me some clothing options, just text me!