One of the top questions I get asked when planning an engagement session with my couples is what should you wear? Your engagement session will likely be the first time you and your partner have had professional photos taken together. This makes what you wear and how you coordinate your outfits super important! You want the photos to be mantle-worthy for years to come! But in saying that you also want to dress in a way that reflects both of your personalities. That's with out further a do, Let's look at 5 tips on how to style your outfits for an engagement session!
Style Tip 1: Bring a more relaxed outfit you'd wear to date night
If were being honest most guys don't want to wear a full suit in their engagement photos. We'll talk later about tips for the couple who loves to dress up. But I suggest a more casual outfit to start the session with, then you can warm them up to the idea of a more formal outfit for the second half of the photoshoot. Casual looks are also great for more movement if you want to do a dip, jump on his back or go more adventurous with a champagne pop! The photos bellow show the couple doing some a lift pose, but luckily Abi's dress was nice and flowy while being formal to help with the movement the pose needed.
Style Tip 2: Each of you gets a colour and try to keep it neutral
Colour in engagement photos can be beautiful but also overpowering as you can see in some of the images above. That's one of the main reason I've created the engagement guide. I love colour don't get me wrong, but you want to stand out in your images! To make your love and connection stand out more than the outfits your wearing. Colourful outfits can work for a neutral backdrop like heritage buildings but for gardens especially with green tones you can blend into the background. Choosing your own colour for your accesories or pants if your a guy can add a personal touch to the images. Then you main colour can be in the same to tie both your outfits together while also making sure your outfit is neutral and not over powering to the location you'll be doing your session. This is wedding images are loved by so many as a white dress creates a soft, bright look enhancing the brides features!
Style Tip 3: Bring a Formal option
These photos are often the most elegant and you'll stand out with a nice suit, layers or a long dress!
Besides your wedding when will you get to go all out for professional photos of just the two of you! So why not add a little spice to the photos if your comfortable with it! Some couples are usually a little apprehensive about dressing formal as their worried about a cost to purchase a new neutral dress or a suit that's well fitting. In this case a highly recommend renting a dress or suit for your engagement session. Designer Wardrobe is a great option for all my New Zealand readers. Their great because they cater to women and men., so you can purchase both your outfits in the same place, You can buy, rent and sell garments on there, perfect for an outfit you might only wear once! Link to Designer Wardrobe here
If your mans not keen on wearing a shirt another great option is a white blouse and dress pants or dress shorts making it formal and comfortable. If he's really not keen you could mention that it's a one off and it would make you really happy if he wore something a little more formal. Or you could bribe him with food after, the way to most men's heart haha.
Style Tip 4: Don't Match Exactly
Matching exactly is not the only option, although white t-shirts and jeans are a classic look. People are getting more and more creative with their outfit choices and your engagement photos are going to be seen by a wholeeeee lot of people if you share them. Do you guys match on a normal basis? If the answer is no, then you probably will feel out of place trying to match in your engagement photos. Instead, opt for complimentary colors or outfits. Guys always look really great in layers, so think shackets, vests, suspenders. Ladies, if you want to look taller, long dresses are always a good idea as they can be casual or formal! Pair with nude heels to add even more length to ya legs!
Another good tip is to try to keep a color scheme for your various outfits. So, if you do an outfit change but still want to be able to hang the engagement photos side by side on the wall, they will still flow really nicely together.
Style Tip 5: wear something with texture & add Accessories
Neutral outfits don't have to mean boring! Adding a fur coat, textured blouse, sparkles to a neutral outfit can take your outfit to the next level and they create some flare. A statement accessory like Sunglasses, statement earrings, small veils are all accessories you could add to the look to elevate it as well. This could also be your colour for style tip number 2. You want to make sure the texture or accessory compliments the engagement photos rather than being overpowering. You can decide if an accessory or texture is suitable to add to your look by considering the busyness of the backdrop of your engagement sessions location. If your location is a busy city back drop accessories may be overpowering, however a garden or nature backdrop may be a perfect location to add accessories.
