When you get engaged and make the decision to spend the rest of your life with someone, likely one of the first things you will do is get engagement photos taken. This usually stresses couples out for one of two ways – either you or your significant other don’t like your picture taken, or you have NO IDEA what to wear. But don’t start stressing out just yet.
Let’s tackle the first issue here – You think you aren’t photogenic or you hate having your picture taken. I have just one thing to say. All love is photogenic all the time. This season of being engaged is about celebrating your love, and one way to do that is to capture all of those beautiful moments between you and your significant other. My advice is this: treat your photo session as a date night! Forget about the stresses of wedding planning for a second and focus on spending time with your love. Giggle and laugh together, admire each other, show off your love, and let the photographer capture it all. I promise you will absolutely love the photos.
Okay let’s get to the second issue – You don’t know what to wear. I feel this every morning when I look in my closet, so I understand. When we aren’t dressed in an outfit that we love, we tend to be less confident. So it is my goal to make sure you are able to pick out an outfit that you feel your absolute best in!
When it comes to engagement photos, most photographers will give you the option to wear multiple outfits. So let’s start planning for two outfits for both you and your partner. I would recommend one outfit to be fancy/dressed up and the other outfit to be more casual. This will give you a lot of variety in your photos!
FIRST OUTFIT: The dressed up outfit to give the WOW factor
For her —
- If you want the photos to have wedding vibes, consider a white outfit! A few examples would be a white cocktail dress, a white blazer and trouser set, or even a white jumpsuit. Any option can be dressed up even more with a cute pair of heels, and some jewelry. If you want to add color to the mix, consider a colored heel! (Maybe this doubles as your bridal shower, rehearsal, or reception dress!) Our favorite white dresses can be found here!
- If you are the cool anti-bride, feel free to dress in that little black dress you’ve been saving, or even a gown that you’ve been obsessed with since you saw it on that influencer’s page. You can always reuse this dress if you are a guest at a wedding. There are no rules that say you have to wear white for your engagement photos. Black dresses go really great with nude colored heels to give off that perfectly classy and timeless look. Our favorite black dresses can be found here!
- If dresses aren’t your thing, opt for whatever you gravitate towards when getting dressed for any kind of event. Skirts and a bodysuit or tank top, blazer and trousers, or any combination of the above!
- Nothing is off limits or “too fancy.” If you feel confident and excited about an outfit, then wear that outfit!
For him —
- You can’t go wrong with a classic black suit. Depending on your partner’s choice, dress it down with a white t-shirt underneath instead of a button up and white sneakers (clean ones though!!).
- You can also do suit pants with just a white button up or a trendy polo and accessorize with a nice watch (that apple watch does not count), cufflinks for any long sleeves, and loafers or other dress shoes.
- If the weather is chilly, you could consider a turtle neck shirt under a blazer with dress pants
When thinking of colors for your outfits together, an easy solution is to have one person in a neutral color, which gives the other person freedom to pick almost any color they want for their outfit. Or if neutrals are your thing, stick with the whites/blacks/beiges and you will be golden!
SECOND OUTFIT: The outfit to get creative with and show off your personalities
Creative ideas for you and your partner together –
- Think of your favorite things and try to incorporate them in your outfits. Wear blue if that’s your favorite color (or better yet if it’s your partner’s favorite color on you), wear graphic tees of your favorite band, wear jerseys if you love a certain sports team, or sport your favorite streetwear or favorite designers.
Causal for her —
- Linen pants can be dressed up or down and feel a little more elevated than a pair of shorts or jeans. Pair this with a cute bodysuit of your choice or a matching linen top! White sneakers, sandals, or even heels all go great with wide legged linen pants.
- You can also stay with the basics and wear jeans and a white t-shirt of your choice. Have your partner wear the same outfit and this is perfect for a cozy home session or beach shoot.
- Other ideas for outfits and accessories can be found here!
Casual for him —
- Something that is currently trending is knit material on men. Think sweater material but for a polo styled shirt. Or if the weather is cold, opt for a nice sweater! Pair this with khaki or linen pants, white tennis shoes and a nice watch.
- Just like above, if you want to stay with the basics, you can wear a pair of jeans with a white t-shirt along with your partner.
- Other ideas for shirts, shoes, and accessories can be found here!
Other tips to consider:
- Take into account where you are getting your pictures taken and what makes sense for that location. If you are on the beach, then you wouldn’t want to wear a classy pantsuit with heels!
- Wear the type of jewelry you typically wear day to day. If you normally wear silver, but think gold is trendy, stick with silver because there’s a good chance it matches better with your skin tone if you find yourself wearing it more often!
- For more visual inspiration, check out our pinterest board with these outfit ideas!
- At the end of the day, remember that this is to show off you and your future spouse and your love story together. Anything you pick that completes this goal will always look beautiful!!
