This is the blog post that I KNOW you’ll all want to save and come back to! We are talking all about what to wear to your session. Whether it’s an engagement, anniversary, or any other type of session, I am going to give you my best tips and tricks for dressing your absolute best. And as you’ll see below, absolute best doesn’t mean “new and fancy” but rather just as yourself. Of course with some professional tips to make your photos look like they’re straight off of Pinterest. Let’s dive in!

1. Be comfy. Please! 

When you think of what to wear to your engagement shoot, you may want to start shopping for new, sparkly, fabulous clothes to wear to your session. While I DO think it’s super fun to shop for a new outfit, I want to give you a little advice as you start looking around. The best route is usually to go with something that is tried and true to you. You are going to feel like YOUR best self if you actually dress like yourself! Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to go the jeans and t-shirt route. You can still glam it up a bit more if that feels right to you! But if authenticity is what you’re after, feeling comfortable in your clothes is a huge step. So if a sleek dress feels like you, own it! If a casual sun dress is more your style, great! If jeans and a t-shirt sounds the best, go for it. Whatever feels right to you, is what I want you to wear. 

2. Location and season 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but you want to dress for the location and season that we’ll be shooting in. If we’re shooting a winter engagement session, think about layering up with a cute sweater or jacket and wear shoes that you can walk in the snow with! If we are doing an in-home session, slip into your comfiest comfies (pants optional)! The location and season will all add to the vibe of your session and knowing what kind of vibe you want to have in your photos will help you select your outfit. 

3. Get color savvy 

One of the top questions I get asked when it comes to outfits, is what colors to pick! I always suggest going with neutrals, earthy tones, and metallics. These colors will compliment almost any outdoor environment and look damn fine in printed and framed photographs! Now I’m not saying you have to be a sad beige adult at all. When I suggest neutrals I’m really just meaning softer tones. If you love blue, think about going with a sky blue instead of bright electric blue. If orange is your favorite color, opt for apricot instead of bright orange! 

4. How to match…without matching 

So you know what color you want to wear…but what about your fiance? This is where complimentary colors come into play! To get these really natural flattering photos, you want to aim to compliment your other half, instead of matching them. Don’t feel like you both have to wear blue, or you both have to wear jeans and a white t-shirt. Honestly, that probably won’t look or feel natural! Instead, focus on finding outfits that compliment each other. Complementary colors sit across from one another on the color wheel. Ex, blue and orange, red and green, yellow and purple. But more than that, go with colors that feel and look natural together. If you are wearing a blue dress, your partner could wear a cream top and jeans. If you wear jeans and a white sweater, have your spouse wear a flannel in a dark color or something like a burnt orange thermal.

5. Be picky with patterns 

This is probably my biggest direct “no-no” that I’ll give you in the blog post. Avoid large prints, bold patterns, and logos in your outfit selections! These are all things that will dominate the photograph and distract from the focus of the photos; you! You don’t have to say no to all patterns though. Flannels or a light floral pattern are great when they complement the location, especially if your partner is in a solid color. Overall, less is definitely more so try to limit the outfit choices to just one pattern at a time. It’s a tricky task to match patterns and it’s super difficult to do well! If you’re scratching your head wondering if your pattern falls into the subtle or bold category, shoot me a text or email and I’ll be happy to help out!  

6. Shoes, shoes, shoes

You’ve decided on your outfit and then realize you need to figure out your shoe choice! First things first. If you wear heels like a prop, you do you. But if you, like the rest of us mere mortals, find heels to be moderately uncomfortable, then do yourself a favor and ditch them! In my style of photography, you’ll be doing more movement style prompts anyways so I don’t want you spraining an ankle on my watch. Choose a shoe that is comfortable to walk and move around in for an hour and is a nice neutral base to your outfit. If we’re on a beach then you can totally go barefoot! Leather is great for boots and if it’s warm, opt for sandals over flip flops. 

Bonus : Inspiration!

I’ve created a Pinterest board with outfit inspiration photos. I hope this board can help give you some ideas on what to wear for your engagement shoot. You can find the link HERE.

There you have it! I’ve given you my best outfit tips and I know you have the tools to pick out some gorgeous outfits that will make you feel like the best version of you. As always, if you get stuck or have questions, just reach out to me and I’m happy to help!

-Ashlynn