Planning your engagement outfits is almost as tricky as planning your wedding. You and your significant other want to look fabulous but also original. You want your sentimental and sweet snapshots to be perfect. After all, these are the images you will be sharing with loved ones in person and on social media. They need to be simply stunning and heartfelt, reflecting the love you and your spouse-to-be have for one another.
Don’t start splurging at the mall just yet. Hold off on that Amazon order too. If you are stumped on ideas, here are five different approaches you can consider.
1. Rustic Chic
Rustic chic is a great style if you want to wear clothes that just feel like “you” and you’re a bit country chic. Pick out a nice pair of jeans and a button-down shirt for him and a cute dress, skirt and top, or anything that looks good with a pair of cowgirl boots for her. There’s no need to drag out the old tuxedo and frilly dress with heels. Rustic chic is still totally ‘in’ and evocative of a relaxed, down-home vibe.
2. Casual Chic
Timeless looks are often casual in nature. Whatever is trending right now might not look so cute in one or two years. Casual chic outfits can help your engagement photos age well down the line. That cute floral print dress you have now might not look so nice a few years from now.
Just keep it low-key with something that has long been a fashion staple, such as a leather jacket or a nice black dress. Think about what you have in your wardrobe and how it matches this idea of what it means to be a fashion staple when it comes to engagement session outfits.
3. Add In Accessories
Regardless of which clothing pieces you choose, you can never go wrong with a properly paired accessory. These pieces can pull the eye in, drawing the viewer’s gaze to it without the accessory itself overwhelming the outfit. Whether it is a bright, chunky necklace or a simple, monotone scarf, the right accessory can add a lot to your engagement outfits.
What is best about adding in some accessories is that you can easily slip them on and off, letting you create a variety of looks in your photos. Photographers and stylists recommend that ladies incorporate at least one accessory while men layer it up with their clothing since this will create a lot of visual interest and room to change it up between photos.
4. Naturally Neutral
Keep it looking natural with neutral colors in your engagement outfit ideas. Avoid wearing anything neon like it is the plague since it does not photograph well and can look very dated very quickly. You could end up looking like one of those big, blinking signs that they have lining the Vegas Strip.
Instead, choose either gentle pastels, cooler tones, or a neutral palate. Orange does not photograph well, and neither will bright, vivid warm colors like red. Neutral, earthy tones tend to work the best and can be paired with cooler hues, as can some pastels.
Since your smiling faces should be where the viewer’s eye immediately goes, you will want to avoid wearing anything flashy and bright. This is why neutral tones work so well, plus you can pair them with just about any accessory and have them look good.
5. Dress For the Weather
Engagement clothes should evoke a sense of the season, especially if you are doing an outdoor photoshoot. Engagement session outfits for outdoor photoshoots should reflect the season, so dress for the weather. If the shoot is going to be characterized by snow, then dress in a nice parka, warm winter boot, a hat, scarf, gloves, and so forth.
With spring and autumn photo shoots, you can do more with props and dressing in layers. Layer up or down as needed to get a nice variety. And, of course, in summer, you and your significant other can break out some lightweight summery gear to stay cool while you pose for pics.
FAQs
A: Wear what makes you feel comfortable and like you. You and your SO don’t need to match, but there should be a clear theme to your looks. Keep the bright tones to a minimum and opt for accessories that give you variety in your pictures.
A: The most important thing about engagement outfits is that you don’t wear anything that is too distracting from your face and that of your soon-to-be spouse. The focus should be on your smiling faces, not on what you are wearing.
A: Bright, neon-y fabrics do not photograph all that well and are quite distracting. Fabric itself should depend on the theme of your pictures. For example, rustic chic photos often involve some denim jeans while cottons can help you keep it casual in a more contemporary photo shoot. Your engagement outfits should speak to who you are as a couple and read well in your photographs. Take advice when given by the photographer about what to wear or not wear; they do know what they’re talking about and how various items will photograph. Play up your personalities and the love you have for one another – that should be the real focus of your engagement photos.
