Personally, I want you guys to feel your comfortable and still look your best! I want you guys to look back on your photos and instantly remember that these are your engagement photos. So it’s my job to help guide you to wear what I know photographs best.

 

Let’s coordinate, but not feel like we’re matching

Think of this as coordinating through a color palette. The best colors that can work in almost any location you choose is earthy tones & neutrals – like dark greens, maroon, navy, khaki, tans/light browns, burnt oranges.  

Wanting to do your session in the city?  If you want to stand out, wear a maroon dress and he can wear a navy blue button down and khakis or he could wear black slacks and a navy or khaki button down. 

Wanting to do your session in a forest or with a bunch of greenery? Consider wearing more neutral tones. You could wear an off color white or cream dress, jeans and a tan sweater and he can wear khakis and a navy sweater or button down. Try to avoid wearing greens since you’ll already be surrounded by greenery. 

Pro tip – avoid wearing white or a bright white, go for an off-white or cream color instead. 

 

Be comfortable and make sure it fits 

Make sure that you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, I don’t want you to feel like you are squishing yourself into an outfit and feel like you can’t breathe. If you feel uncomfortable in an outfit at home, you’re more than likely going to have facial expressions that show that you are ready to get out of it! With that being said, make sure that your clothes aren’t overly loose either. Wearing an outfit that fits well is essential to you feeling and looking your best. 

 

Avoid busy patterns

Think layers!! Wearing layers can add dimension to your outfit – jeans, a plain sweater and a scarf. 

I’m not saying avoid busy patterns at all cost, I’m just saying that some patterns can really “F up” an image. But if you’re dying to wear a dress that has a beautiful pattern on it, then by all means wear it. Your partner will have to wear something that has no patterns on it so it can even it out. 

 

How fancy do you want to get? 

If you’re considering wearing a dress, then your partner should wear khakis or nicer pants with a button-down shirt. If you’re wanting to go a bit more casual, wear jeans and a V-neck shirt and she can wear some ripped jeans and a sweater or top and a leather jacket. 

 

Let’s talk Shoes! 

This will all vary depending on the location – if you’re wanting to do your session in the woods or a park, consider wearing a pair of cute sandals or boots. Loafers or a closed-toe shoe will look best on a guy. 

Not a fan of shoes? You could always go barefoot. 

 

Time to get glammed up! 

We’re talking – hair, nails, make-up! Try on your outfit, think about the location – take a moment to analyze the what kind of vibe you are going for. 

Want a more natural look? Consider just putting on some mascara and little bit of lip gloss, this can add so much to your look. 

Avoid super dark and overly glittery makeup, this doesn’t photograph the greatest. 

Nail time! Ladies consider painting your nails – even if it’s a super sheer nude color or even a clear coat. This is your engagement session so we will be looking at your nails often! 

Pro tip: If you’ve booked your makeup artist for your wedding, reach out to them and ask if they do make-up trials. 99% of the time they will say yes, this would be a great time to utilize that trial run. If don’t have a hair and makeup artist yet, no worries! In my engagement guide, I have a list of vendors who do amazing work. 

 

Create a Pinterest board

Pinterest will become your best friend. I can’t recommend this enough! This is a great tool to help figure out the type of engagement session you’re going for – do you want to do it in the city? On a beach? In your home? Or in a forested area? Etc. 

I recommend creating an “engagement session” Pinterest board and save all the ideas that you love. Once you have a bunch of ideas saved, feel free to send me the board and I can help list different location ideas. If you’ve got a bunch of ideas saved at different locations, it’s no problem. We will chat more about which style do you like more and which one fits you best.