Over the years, countless couples have shared a big worry that gets in the way of their excitement about their engagement photos. They simply don’t know what to wear. And since many couples plan to use these portraits on their wedding website, guest book, save-the-date cards and more, not knowing what to wear can be a real concern.
Have no fear! I may not be able to dig through your closet with you to find the perfect outfits, but I can offer some tried-and-true guidelines that will help you find your engagement shoot style!
1. Coordinate! This doesn’t mean you have to wear matching outfits. In fact, looking extremely matchy-matchy is artificial and an outdated trend. But your looks should fit together. There are two aspects to coordinating:
A - Level of Formality. If he’s in a tux, you shouldn’t be in an old blouse. And if you’re dressed to the nines, he shouldn’t be in a sports top.
B - Colour Palette. Drawing from the same colour palette is a great way to coordinate! Check out the photographs below - Danielle & Ricky on the left both have used hints of red, in Ricky's top, Danielle's scarf and her wellies, this ties their outfits together without being too matchy! And with Jessica and Dan on the right, they've both gone with very relaxed outfits and used natural tones which work perfectly together.
2. Embrace colour and pattern! I know, I know - you’ve been told for years that black is slimming and white is classic. But free your mind and your wardrobe from these constraints! I already mentioned the way colour can be used to help coordinate. Well, pattern is a perfect way to FIND these colours. Choose an item of clothing with a pattern and then draw colours from within it to create the palette for your outfits. One word of warning! Small, tight patterns, like very narrow stripes, aren’t the best for photos.
The photograph below of Esme and Nathan isn't the most colourful outfit I could have shown you, but I wanted to use this photograph here to show you how her patterned scarf really adds in a lovely texture to the photograph and into their outfits. If you aren't into colourful outfits - try a touch of pattern!
3. Layer and accessorise! Layers and accessories can add so much depth and interest to your photos. They can also turn a decent outfit into a stunning one. Besides adding interest, accessories are also a great way to bring your personal sense of style into your engagement photos.
As with Esme above, her scarf adds in another layer to her outfit giving more dimension, as well as Danielle below with her scarf and hat!
4. Get fancy! Engagement photos are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pull out all the stops for your portraits. Why waste it on an outfit you wore to the supermarket last weekend? If previously asked for, I can always offer time to change your outfit, so you can have one fancy-schmancy outfit and one more casual.
I love that Lucy and Fryer below went a touch fancier - Lucy wearing a beautifully patterned dress with her Chanel bag as her accessory, (who wouldn't want to show off a Chanel bag if they had one?!!), and Fryer looks so lovely and smart with a more tailored coat jacket to match Lucy's look.
The most important suggestion I can offer is this: Be yourself, but be the BEST VERSION of yourself. Elevate your outfits beyond the everyday so that you’ll have engagement photos that you’ll want to show off for years to come!
