One of the most asked questions I get from brides is, “What should I wear for our engagement photos?” So, if you’re wondering this too, you aren’t alone! Here are my tips for what to wear for your session – and rock it!
7 Tips on What to Wear for Engagement Photos
1. Be comfortable and confident!
The number one thing you need to remember is to wear something that makes you feel good!! If you don’t truly love your outfit and feel good in it, then you won’t love yourself in it when you see the photos. So, if you hate dresses, don’t wear a dress! If you love the photos of the girl in the floral pants and tank on Pinterest but know you won’t look good in them, splurge on a great outfit you feel great in! When you feel confident, you look confident – and that’s just what we want for photos.
*Photographer’s Tip: Flowy dresses look ah-mazing in photos, and you can find many comfortable options. If you’re completely stuck and don’t know whether do pants or a dress, I always recommend the dress!
Some of my favorite places for engagement outfits are:
Lulus – They are the best because they have so many options for all body types.
Baltic Born – I love that you can select dress options based on occasion.
Forever 21 – Cute dresses and outfits without a crazy price tag.
Target – I mean, always cute things!
2. Keep the location in mind.
This is huge for a couple of reasons! First, you don’t want to match your surroundings. If you’re at a lush green park and you wear green, your body will blend right into the backdrop – let’s avoid floating heads! Are you going to be in the woods? Avoid brown, green, and earth tones there, too. Wear something that will pop against the background so that you will stand out and be the first thing the eye sees.
The second thing is you want to be comfortable wearing your outfit in the location you choose. For example, if you choose to do mountainside engagement photos, you probably don’t want to hike in a ballgown or form-fitting dress. (Or, maybe you do and you just want to wear boots under it – that’s cool! Throw on some bike shorts underneath and let’s go, girl! Another option is to pack your dress in a backpack and change at the top.) Additionally, check the temperature before heading out. It’s hard to take great photos when you’re freezing to death. Embrace the season and use your outfit to play it up!
3. Complement each other, but don’t match exactly.
You don’t want to match completely. Thankfully, gone are the days of white t-shirts and blue jeans for everyone. Work with your fiancé to find outfits you both like and feel good in, and make them complementary. For example, if you wear a jewel-toned dress, have him wear another complementary color so you don’t blend together in photos.
4. Don’t be afraid of color!
If you follow me, you know I LOVE color! I love the emotions you can feel with it! For example, yellow makes you feel happy, and it really brightens up the photos. Your outfit sets the mood for the session. Don’t be afraid to wear color during your photos. However, it’s important to stay complementary rather than both wearing the same color. Avoid busy patterns (although an accent pattern or floral design can work), but color is 🙌. If you do choose a pattern, make sure only one person wears it, or it will be too distracting to the eye.
5. Get Fancy!
Do you love dressing up? Or maybe you never do, and you’re looking for an opportunity to go all out. Now is the perfect time! There are services like Rent the Runway where you can rent dresses too! The only thing here is to make sure that you both stay within the same style – if you’re going glam, he shouldn’t be dressed for a walk on the beach.
6. Accessories and Layers
Try to pair at least on accessory your outfit. That could mean a chunky necklace or fun earrings. Don’t leave home without one! For spring and summer sessions, sunhats look amazing in a few of the photos! Or, if the weather is cooler, layer it up. You can accentuate the right parts of your body and feel cozy, too, with scarves, vests, boots, or belts!
7. Wear the Makeup.
I go without makeup all the time – I love a good natural look. BUT, for your photos, makeup really helps to define your beautiful facial features and prevents you from looking washed out. That includes lip color. When you don’t wear any, lips look pale on camera. I get it, your fiancé doesn’t want lipstick on him…but we can always wipe that off! 🤣 Treat yourself to a little glam session – you deserve it! 😉
Now that you know what to wear for engagement photos….
Book your session with Dawn Marie Photography today for your North Carolina engagement photos. Learn more about the Dawn Marie Photography here, and check out recent work here.
