What to wear to your engagement session?

Be you and only you

This one may seem obvious but the most important thing during your engagement session is to be yourself! Remember the main reason of the session is to capture exactly who you both are and to showcase your personalities. If you pretend to be someone your not by picking an outfit that just isn’t ‘you’, you’ll feel very uncomfortable and trust me it’ll show in the photos. Whether you want to wear ripped jeans and a t-shirt or matching fluffy onesie set, your happiness will show through and dictate the overall mood in the photos.

Remember an engagement session can be an opportunity to enhance your natural beauty. If you are planning to wear makeup and have your hair done for your wedding day, this is a great chance to coordinate a trial with your hair and makeup artist. Having your hair and makeup done is a small investment that helps give you that little boost and feel more confident which will most certainly be apparent in your photos. Even if you don’t normally wear makeup, cameras have a naughty way of picking up uneven skin tones especially on our faces. A touch of foundation and mascara will go a long way towards making your photos reflect how you look every day.

Feel Comfortable

This is all about confidence whilst feeling comfortable. Think about your body types; you will know what suits you both and what doesn’t so please refrain from picking something you thought looked great in a magazine. If your worried about what your arms look like in that strapless dress, it’s going to be harder to capture those pure moments of a couple in love. I don’t joke when I say you should literally choose clothing which is comfortable to wear but also outfits which make you feel your best. The worst for creating awkwardness in front of the camera is the feeling of self-consciousness, so be sure that whatever you choose to wear gives you confidence!

Matching & Colours

Here is where you can spend a little thought into coordinating with each other, rather than looking identical. For example, if SHE is going to wear a red dress and HE is to wear a red tie then voila we have a match. This will look great together without being too “matchy”. As a side note here they don’t have to be the exact same colour. A colour from the same colour family would work well too! I like to think about it like you think about painting the interior of your home, what colours compliment each other? For example a pale blue and pink, or a cobalt blue and turquoise, and make sure your outfits are colour coordinated.

A default colour for a lot of people is black and although this might be slimming, I generally advise couples not to wear this colour as it leads to every speck of dust and loose hair being caught on camera. On the other end of the scale wearing white should be saved for your wedding day. If you’re feeling the vibe, go ahead and embrace those bold prints and bright colours. You’ll be genuinely amazed how easily you become the focus of the photo, rather than just an addition to the background when you’re wearing an eye-catching colour or pattern. If bold colours are your thang don’t both go for bold patterns. Instead, only one of you should and the other should choose a top that pulls out a colour from the pattern. Oh and a word to the wise, it’s a good idea to stay away from clothing which has their brand logos front and centre. You don’t want to look like a walking advertisement in your photos.

Style

For the day of your engagement session, you should both look like you’re heading to the same place. Wear clothes that are of equal dressiness or casualness. You’ll want to have the same vibe so if your going for a formal look, then you both need to look formal. Another key look out is too dress for the season, given that the majority of my engagement sessions are mostly outdoors. If you wear thin summer clothes in the winter then all this will do is make you cold and miserable. The same goes for wearing heavy winter clothes in the peak of summer which is a surefire recipe for sweatyness, and trust me sweat stains and melting makeup isn’t a look you want to go for!

Layers

Here is a great way to give yourself multiply looks with only one outfit. How I hear you cry? To incorporate a layering technique into your style for the day. You often see this with catwalk models when they are showing off the seasons new clothing line. Consider adding a blazer, cardigan or jacket to finish your look. Layers don’t always have to be clothes these can also be accessories like a vest or belt, which always adds another element to the photos. Another great reason to layering your look and preventing an uncomfortable photo session is the good ole blighty weather and how unpredictable it can be all year round. By layering you have the best of both worlds, if you decide to have some photos taken in the cool shade and then hop step it to your next sunny location, you don’t have to break into a sweat. Another top tip is that layers are great to hide areas you might not feel comfortable flaunting. Food for thought, huh.

Location, location, location

As a photographer I never dictate wear we go for an engagement session. I do this for many reasons, mainly because it keeps me on my toes and keeps me thinking outside the box as opposed going to the same location and taking the same safe shots, and besides beauty can be found everywhere you just have to look for it. So when your thinking about where to go for your session, try and think about what feel the location will give the photos. Are you wanting to go for a soft natural/rustic feel? Then sticking to soft neutral colours like a woodland/long wild flower field might be an option. How about a city vibe? Then brighter colours or a more “dressed up” approach may work with the setting better. It’s all about those colour tones, if your photos are in a park, a green dress might camouflage you with the grass and the trees. A complimentary colour, like a red dress, would pop against the green if you want to stand out. For more of a subdued look, try a cool colour like a blue, to differentiate from your surroundings. If you are wanting to be photographed in say a wheat field, then a casual sundress or shirt and jeans. Get those creative juices flowing and imagine you look and play off the location, apps like pinterest are great for this to get inspired.

Can I bring more than one outfit?

Of course! Bringing more than one outfit never hurts, especially if you can’t decide between casual and formal. I love the idea of starting off with a casual laid back look, then switching it up with a more high end fashion style, and why not close with a little themed idea that really speaks to your personalities as a couple. Wardrobe changes are always welcome in my book and will give you an alternative look at your photos. Mostly engagement sessions will take place in the great outdoors so be prepared to change clothes in a car…just to let you it’s possible to change your outfits. 😉

Relax and most importantly have FUN!

Engagement sessions are very low-key and it’s all about capturing the two of you as you are -interacting, kissing, loving, laughing… so make sure you bring your A game and a smile and be ready to have a laugh and a great time! As I write this I wouldn’t want anyone to feel like you have to treat any of the aboves as a do or die rules. these are merely my suggestions from my experiences as a photographer.  So what do you plan to wear for your engagement session? Remember, Pinterest is full of fashion ideas in case you need an inspirational boost. Please don’t hesitate to let me know what your ideas are. I love shooting engagement sessions as I get to know more about the bride and grooms I will be photographing on their wedding day. I can learn a ton from a couple and their style just by what they are wearing during thor engagement session. I get a great feel for what they like, their personalities and how their style will be reflected on their wedding day.

So there you have it my top tips for you smashing your engagement session out of the park! Please if anyone has any questions or just wants some reassuring ahead of a engagement session please don’t hesitate to to reach out!

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