Engagement sessions are one of my favorite ways to get to know my couples better and for them to feel more comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding day. Planning your engagement session should be one of the really fun parts of being engaged and is something I know my couples love and look forward to during the planning process! Choosing your outfits for your engagement session is an important part in making sure your photos look amazing and truly reflect your style & personality!

Here are my top 5 tips for choosing the best outfits for your engagement photos:

1. Choose your locations first before you pick out your outfits.

Knowing the style of the location will really help you choose outfits and a color palette that go with that specific setting. Outfits for a beach engagement session will be a lot different then picking outfits for a more rustic or woodsy location, so make sure once you have your location nailed down you start finding inspiration for outfits that will look great with that setting! The colors of the locations can help determine which colors you should or shouldn’t wear, for example if you choose a really lush green location with lots of plants and grasses, I wouldn’t suggest also wearing a green outfit (too much of the same color). Instead I would go for something more neutral and lighter so you’ll stand out against the background.

2. Start with your outfit first and then pick your fiance’s outfit based on what will look best with yours!

It can feel overwhelming to pick out a bunch of clothes that go together and there can be a lot of pressure since these outfits are for your engagement photos, but I have found it’s best when you choose your favorite outfits that you feel amazing in first and then choose things your fiance will wear that complement your outfits. For example, if you are going to wear a long floral printed dress with sandals, your fiance could wear denim or chinos with a solid colored button up shirt which would complement your printed dress. Bonus tip: If one of you are wearing prints (floral, plaid, stripes, etc) it looks better if the other person is wearing solid colors- this way the photo doesn’t look too busy or the patterns aren’t clashing.

3. Choose neutral, jewel, or earth tones.

Neutrals are perfect for timeless, classic outfits (ivory, cream, taupe, light grey). Jewel tones look really nice for Fall engagement photos (emerald green, dark blue, burgundy, mustard yellow). Earth tones are beautiful any time of year and are definitely becoming the new “classic” (rust, mauve, terracotta, sage, and beige). All three of these color palettes look really nice in photos and are perfect options for your outfits! The most important thing to remember about the colors in your outfits is to make sure you are NOT MATCHING, so choose different colors or different shades of a color that go together.

4. Have 2 outfits to add more variety to your photos!

I always encourage my couples to choose two outfits each, it adds a little more variety to the photos and gives you some options for different looks when you are choosing photos to use for save-the-dates! A lot of my couples like to do one casual outfit and one dressier outfit (again, this adds more variety!) but you can totally choose to do two casual or two dressy. It’s really important that you feel your best and look like you do in real life, so choose things that you are comfortable in and reflect your personalities!

5. Before your engagement session, send your photographer photos of the outfits you picked out and get their opinion!

Your photographer should know what looks best in photos, what colors photograph well, what will look good at certain locations, and what will be flattering on our couples so definitely take advantage of their advice! My couples typically send me photos a few weeks prior to the session so they have time to change things if needed and we can go back and forth to make sure what they choose will be perfect for their photos! I also think it’s totally fine to do a little research online to see what other couples have worn in their engagement photos to give you some ideas and inspiration!

I hope these tips help you as you plan your own engagement session! Remember that this is such a special and exciting time of your wedding planning journey, so make sure to enjoy the process and have fun with it! If you have any questions or are interested in an engagement session with me, get in touch!

Check out more engagement sessions here!