What to Wear for Your Engagement Session

Over the years, the question we get asked most often with regards to engagement photos is “What should we wear?” And since many couples plan to use their engagement portraits on their save-the-date cards, guest book, wedding website and more, not knowing what to wear can lead to serious stressing out!

We’ve put together a guide on what we feel will showcase best on your images. Follow the tips below and you'll be well on your way to dreamy engagement photos that you're obsessed with. 

Keep Your Location in Mind

The first tip actually is not about any clothing articles at all. The first decision you’ll need to make when you schedule your engagement session is where the session will take place. Once you’ve figured that part out, you should choose a style of clothing that suits the location. If you’ve chosen a beach you might not want to wear your stilettos. If you’ve chosen a desert location, you may not want to be bundled up in heavy jackets.  No matter how cute the outfit is, if it’s not right for the environment, it may always look a bit awkward. 

Coordinate, But Don’t Match

As you are coordinating your outfit with your fiance’s, keep in mind that your outfits will look the most cohesive on camera when the color palettes coordinate, but do not necessarily “match.” You should each aim to wear a different dominant color, but stay within a similar color palette family. So if you’re wearing a blush dress, soft blue earrings and nude heels (blush being your dominant color), then he could wear a navy coat with gray pants, paired with brown leather shoes and maybe even a blush pocket square. Now he has his own dominant color (navy) while still incorporating a few touches of your color palette. Most of our brides choose their dress first, and then put together their fiancé’s outfit based on that. 

Limit the Outfit Changes

Stick with two outfits for your engagement session (you don’t want to overwhelm yourself). A more formal outfit and an elevated casual outfit or something you may wear to a casual date night. 

Embrace color while Avoiding Large Patterns

We all know that that black is slimming and white is classic. But free your mind and your wardrobe from these constraints! Bright or bold colors really pop on camera and colors will give your photos an instant wow factor. Think ruby, emerald and sapphire. If you’re going for colorful, opt for a gem tone instead of neon colors to get that punch of color. These vibrant gem tone colors can be paired with neutrals or color-blocked to add a punch of color without being distracting. Gem tones photograph beautifully and the colors transfer well on camera. 

Avoid Logos and be Careful with Patterns. You don’t want your photos to look like an advertisement for your favorite clothing store so stay away from graphics. 

If Pastel’s or Neutrals are your thing… 

There’s something sophisticated about some well coordinated neutrals. Think blush, tans, link pinks, faint blues and teals, creams, grays and whites. These will always result in more of a light and airy look to your images. These colors photograph softer and more romantically!

Accessorize

Accessories (stylish scarf, necklace, hat) can add dimension to any engagement look. Plus, they're easy to slip on and off, which means you'll be able to style a variety of looks. Adding in at least one accessory per outfit for the ladies, and layers of clothing for the guys, are two things that photograph well because it adds more visual interest to the looks.

Flatter Your Body

Wear clothes that make you feel your best. Express your personal style—the more confident you feel, the better your photos will turn out. Clothing looks best if it fits properly and accentuates your assets. 

Dress It Up!!

You likely have lots of photos and selfies of you and your fiancé wearing jeans, so please don’t wear jeans to your engagement session. Instead, make this a unique experience and dress it up! Remember that you’ll be passing down these images to future generations and your children and grandchildren will love seeing you all dressed up and looking your best.

Long, flowy dresses and skirts look amazing on camera because they bring extra movement to the photos. Especially when juxtaposed with nature, like a field, vineyard, lake, or beach. Cute, shorter-length dresses photograph beautifully as well. Dresses and skirts tend to look most stunning on camera because they really flatter the female body 

Consider a Rental Subscription

We get it. These photos are meant to last the test of time, and your engagement is deemed special enough of an occasion to warrant the purchase of a gorgeous designer piece. Services like Rent the Runway, Le Tote or The Black Tux will allow you to rent a dress or tux that would normally be $100-400 for as low as $20-40. They also include a backup size and sometimes an additional outfit, just in case something happens! Both options make it easy (and more affordable) to access high-end looks that you may only wear once.