What to Wear for Engagement Photos - Engagement Photo Outfit Ideas

Mar 14, 2018

Y'all I'm going to be completely honest, I am struggling this week. I don't know if it's just the fact that winter has been hitting us hard without any end in sight or I'm just in a place of burn out but writing anything for the blog this week has been a challenge. I apologize in advance that the content this week has been less than stellar, but I have a bunch of posts in the works that I'm really excited about so hopefully things will be better soon. I feel like I've let y'all down and that's the last thing I would want to do!

Today's post I actually got the inspiration for from a question that someone asked in last Friday's edition of #AskDar. I went back and realized that I had so much more advice to offer about what to wear for engagement photos that I just knew this was the perfect opportunity of elaborate on one of the questions Y'all asked! I am by no means an expert in photography but these are kind of my takeaways from two engagement photo shoots!

Honestly, taking engagement photos is one of the most fun parts of wedding planning and I always get super bummed out when people say they're not doing an engagement shoot. But trying to figure out what to wear for engagement photos can be super stressful. I've already written a blog post about tips for engagement photos as well as a YouTube video about what we wore for our engagement photos so definitely make sure to check those out as well.

And, as always, so much credit goes to the amazing Liza of Eliza Jane Photography who captured all of our amazing engagement pictures!

Patterns and Textures

Don't be afraid to make your engagement photo outfits playful by adding in patterns and textures to your outfit choices. Prints are a good way to make yourself pop out of a busy background and add some whimsy to the photo while textures, like lace, can make the engagement photo outfit seem more dimensional. I love both of the ways we incorporated pattern and texture into our shoot. This floral maxi dress was actually a last minute buy on Amazon and I'm still obsessed with it (PS: it comes in so many different options from patterns to solid colors).

What to Wear for Engagement Photos - Engagement Photo Outfit Ideas - West Point Engagement Photos

Pastels and Neutrals

I love a good pastel color and it is my personal belief that you can never go wrong with either a pastel or a neutral... or both! For both of our engagement photo outfits, I decided to incorporate a lot of both pastels and neutrals because I knew that we wouldn't feel too crazy parading around in them and that they would also come off well on camera. Neutrals are easy to work with, especially when you're using them for the guy's engagement picture outfits. Both pastels and neutrals also make it easy when you're not exactly sure what locations you're going to be shooting. As you can see, all of our locations were outdoors so using the pastels really made certain areas pop, just like the neutral colors did in others. Both pastel and neutral engagement photo outfits also aren't overpowering, making sure you're the absolute center of attention.

Skip the matching

When planning your outfits for your engagement photo shoot, try to stay away from anything that's too matchy-matchy. Unless that's a look you're really going for, matching outfits with your partner during an engagement photo session can come off extremely cheesy. If that's what you and your guy are into than have at it! For the rest of us, I say to focus on coordinating rather than matching. I chose Justin's outfits first because I knew they would be the most simple outfits for our engagement photos. Once I had his outfit nailed down, like this button down flannel shirt from Target, I found items of clothing to create my own coordinating engagement picture outfit.

Choose classic looks that are less trendy

Your engagement photos should be something that you look back on for years and years to come as a couple. So my number one piece of advice is to steer clear of anything that's super on trend. Unless there is a current trend that you absolutely love and want to be immortalized forever in your engagement photo outfit, you should probably stick to outfits that are more classic in nature. Choose classic shapes and fabrics, such as a shift dress or a solid color sweater for a classic, timeless look.

Always ask your photographer if you have questions

I cannot stress enough how important it is to communicate with your photographer. Not only can they offer solid advice on color choices for your outfits (for example, some photographers advise against white for engagement photo sessions) but letting them in on what you're thinking of wearing for your engagement photo outfits can also help them to get their creativity balls rolling.