Ok, this post isn’t so much about what NOT to wear as it is a few tips on how to figure out what you SHOULD wear for your engagement outfits :) I just couldn’t think of another catchy title. Ha.
So, you’ve heard all the reasons why engagement sessions are awesome, you’ve decided to do one, and you’ve set the date and location for your shoot. Exciting! Then it hits you. What on earth are you going to wear?! Jake and I recently had our pictures taken for our anniversary, and I’ll be honest, I had NO idea it would be so difficult for me to figure out our outfits! (Which is actually what sparked the idea for this Wedding Wednesday series!) It totally brought me back to what it feels like to be on the OTHER side of the camera, which is sometimes easy for me to forget… I wanted to look pretty yet still be semi-comfortable while also being stylish but not look like I was trying too hard. Phew! Mouthful of a sentence. Anyone with me?
Well, before you go rampaging through your closet or running to the nearest J. Crew, here are some guidelines that will hopefully give you fabulous outfits without a ton of stress :)
1. Keep it Simple. Solid colors and light patterns photograph extremely well, while any sort of wording or really intense patterns tend to be distracting and draw attention away from you guys! The simpler your outfit, the easier it is for you to figure out, and the nicer it photographs. So try not to think too much into it!
2. Don’t forget about the location. When you’re deciding clothing colors, take the location of your shoot into consideration. Are you doing your engagements in a wooded forest area? That means there will be a lot of green tones, so for example, wearing a green blouse might not be the best option, but a purple dress would totally pop. Or vice versa, if you’re having them done in a downtown urban area, that usually means warm reddish tones, so wearing cooler muted tones could be a nice contrast. And on a similar note, the style of your clothing should compliment the area you’re shooting in as well. While a cute flannel top and jeans could look great in that wooded forest setting, it probably wouldn’t look right in a manicured garden area. Of course, it all depends on the look you’re going for, but keep in mind an outfit that might look awesome at one location can lose it’s pizazz at another if the colors and feel don’t mesh well!
3. Accessorize and layer. I’m a BIG fan of layering and accessorizing to add a little spice… Doing your engagements in the fall? Wear a pretty scarf! Are you donning a lovely but simple dress? Add some sassy heels or a fun pair of earrings to give it personality! Are you planning on more classy and neutral colors? Put on some red lipstick for a pretty pop of color! Winter engagements? Layer with a vest, tights, and boots for super cute look! The possibilities are pretty much endless. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, belts, scarves, hats, cardigans, hair up for one outfit and down for another… Just adding a little something extra to your outfit can be the perfect way to make it unique and feel complete.
4. Coordinate, but don’t match. There is a bit of a difference between matching vs. coordinating you and your fiance’s outfits. While you obviously don’t want to clash, if you match perfectly, it can look like something right out of awkward family photos ;) For example, if you’re wearing red, don’t feel like he HAS to wear red too. It’s best to pick a couple colors and then coordinate with different shades! Cute spring colors of soft pink, jean blue, ivory… Trendy summer colors of mint, cream, navy… Bold fall colors of dark gray, mustard yellow, maroon… Lovely winter colors of berry, champagne, and brown… Just a couple combos to get your creative color juices flowing!
5. Feel Good. This is probably the MOST important tip!! Seriously. If all you’re focused on during the shoot is adjusting your dress, or whether your pants look good at a certain angle, or if your shirt is hanging right, you won’t be able to let go and enjoy yourself! Whatever your outfit is, it should make you feel so good that you forget about what you’re wearing because you’re not worried about it. After all, when all is said and done, your engagement pictures are about your LOVE, not the super cute outfits you put together :)
And because I know you’re all just dying to know what outfits I picked for Jake and I, here they are!!
For the first outfit I chose a lace dress and spiced it up with a brown belt, brown boots, and big gold earrings! Then I had Jake in a gray shirt and dark jeans, but tied that into my outfit with his brown shoes and a brown belt as well.
For our second outfit I went with a cream blouse and mint pants with a pretty mint necklace, and then Jake wore Navy and gray to compliment it. (Yes, one of the color schemes I listed above. I guess I’m a bit partial to it!)
(Photos taken by the wonderful Heather Nan!)
While I probably made the whole outfit ordeal much more difficult than I had to (I didn’t really think of these guidelines until AFTER the fact…), in the end I’m really happy with what we wore because they totally made me feel good! And like I said, I think that’s the most important part :)
Hope that helps some of you in your outfit planning endeavors! Happy Wednesday.
