SO HERE'S THE RUNDOWN
What you wear to your engagement photo
What you wear to your engagement photos can really make or break how you feel during your shoot, which is going to affect how much you love your photos.
Generally, most couples choose 1-2 outfits to shoot in, and many couples love shooting in a casual look and a dressed-up look! I will help you perfectly pair outfits based on the light, location, and weather to get the best results. This way, I can make sure the outfits compliment the environment so that the focus is on you two, not on any distractions. (Just as outfits can add to photos, they can also take away from photos by being mega distracting. Think bright colors, ill-fitting pants, loud patterns. No bueno).
Things to Keep in Mind
Here’s a few guidelines to help
if you’re feeling lost about what to wear :
First off, I always recommend bringing options. To get the best results, I’ll pick and pull from the options you bring for you guys to change into for each location we shoot at. This way I can make sure the outfits complement the environment so that the focus is on you two, not on any distractions, which yes, can be your outfits. All you have to do is make sure you bring stuff that you feel like a million bucks in that we can pick and pull from!
Don’t bring your whole closet though. It will take too much time for me to go through everything and will take time away from your session. Most people bring about 2 or 3 pairs of bottoms and tops each, then you can bring dresses, accessories, jackets and whatnot as well. Also, just know that depending on where we are shooting, you’ll most likely be changing in the back of the car on the side of the road. If you aren’t down with that, that’s totally fine and you can just bring one outfit!
Make sure it makes sense.
Think about the conditions and locations we are going to be shooting in and plan around it. If we are going to be hiking around the mountains, bring shoes with good grip and you won’t twist your ankles in. If we are shooting on a sandy beach, it would look weird if you’re wearing shoes (ps heels are almost always a bad idea in most scenarios, unless you’re really good at walking in them 😛 ). If it’s freezing cold outside, bring lots of layers and warm clothes with wool socks and boots. If it’s going to be hot, bring clothes that can breathe more so you don’t have sweaty pit stains in the photos. Be as comfortable as you can be!
Patterns
Avoid big, loud, chunky, crazy patterns. The smaller or more subtle, the better! If the pattern is too loud, it will distract from your faces. Flannels are always a yes in my book! I usually try to avoid pairing too many patterns together because, you guessed it, it makes the photos feel a little hectic and distracting from your faces and the location. Also, be sure to iron your clothes before so there’s not huge wrinkles distracting from your faces either!
Props
When I think “props”, my mind flashes through all of the cringe-worthy Pinterest photos I’ve seen of cheesy chalkboards and hobby lobby props brought to shoots that basically just make me wanna barf. But props don’t have to be cheesy! Props could be a dominos pizza picnic, a motorcycle, your dogs, blankets, a truck/car, a campfire, a bouquet, etc. If you have props you wanna incorporate, let me know and we can make sure to incorporate them in a non-cheesy way!
Hair + Makeup
A lot of people ask me whether or not they should get your hair and makeup done by a pro. My answer is always “Whatever will make you feel best, do that.” I absolutely don’t think it’s necessary whatsoever. But, if you want your hair and makeup done, then definitely do it, because the most important thing is that you feel confident. If you’re getting hair and makeup done, I recommend you schedule it to be done at least an hour before you have to leave for the shoot so you aren’t late.
Colors matchings
Tones + Colors
Welp, that’s all folks!
LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!
If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to let me know! If you’re still not sure what to wear feel free to shoot me a pic or two of what you’re thinking, or we can create a little Pinterest board together! But overall, just wear what you’re comfortable in and feel like you in. A pair of Vans you’ve had since 8th grade? Great. A sweater you wore for basically a month straight? Awesome. You do you, and I promise the photos will turn out amazing.