What to Wear for Engagement Photos: Timeless & Romantic Outfit Ideas
Your engagement photo session is coming up and you don’t know what you wear! Don’t worry, literally everything you need to know to choose the best engagement outfit is all right here. We’re sharing all the dos of what makes an outfit AMAZING on camera. From flattering every body shape to how it will all look once edited, we’re sharing it all!
Finding Engagement Outfits that make you feel good
When you have your engagement session with us, you don’t want to be preoccupied with whether or not your outfit works. The focus is all about how you feel together.
That’s why we recommend dressing in a way that makes you feel like a million bucks to start! If you feel really good in your own skin, that feeling WILL translate *magically* in your photos. And then you can focus on being present to each other and the joy of the moment (which is our most favourite thing of all to capture).
You also don’t want your engagement outfit to look so trendy or distracting that your photos feel easily dated. Like our editing, you want your outfits to be timeless, too! Keep reading below for the best outfit ideas to feel and look amazing at your engagement session.
How dressy should my outfit be?
We all LOVE wearing our casual tees and Levis. And while we genuinely adore those cozy and comfy feels, bringing up your dressiness factor just a few notches will TRANSFORM the feel and quality of your images. It’s not possible to overdress for your session, so our rule of thumb is this: dress as fancy as you can in something you love! We tell our couples to at minimum, dress like you would if you were a guest attending a wedding and wearing a gorgeous outfit that makes you feel really good in your own skin. It’s not possible to overdress for the occasion—so you can have some fun with great formal outfits since it’s not every day you get your photos taken. When you feel a little extra fancy and like your best self, you’ll truly get those WOW pictures that you’ll want to frame.
The Best Outfit Colours to wear for engagement photos
To create the style you see from us, one really big factor is colour. Picking solid tones (without patterns) in neutral, earthy, muted, or pastel colours brings all the attention to your faces and emotions, and adds more light to your photos too (which we love!). By avoiding ultra-bright, bold colours and also choosing solid tones (no patterns), your photos will also naturally be more timeless.
You’ll want to pick a colour scheme for the two of you combined of 3-5 neutral colour tones that coordinate together (eg. For a more classic chic feel, you could go with sophisticated light neutrals like blush pink, creams, heather grey, some pops of navy and leather brown. For a boho vibe, you could choose leather brown, rust orange, sand tones, cream, and sage).
Here’s a visual of some examples of tones that work well (see below). If you are not used to wearing muted or pastel shades, start by picking your favourite colour IRL that looks great on you, and find a lighter shade of that colour; it will still compliment your personal colours well (your skin tone, eyes, and hair) without being too harsh in your photos.
Pinterest is a great resource for colour scheme ideas! But in the end, keeping the colours simple works best 🙂
Engagement Outfit Ideas for her
The key to a great outfit for her is: Movement.
For a timeless clothing style, think romantic, light and elegant fabrics. We love adding in tons of movement during your photoshoot; it adds so much life and that authentic, candid feel to your engagement photos. That’s why for her, we recommend going with a beautiful maxi dress or maxi skirt that is able to catch the breeze. Light flowy fabrics add so much gorgeous movement and life to your photos. Fabrics to look for include lace, crepe, tulle, and lightly textured fabrics.
Depending on your location, another great option is a cocktail dress and gorgeous heels!
In general, when deciding on shoes, you can’t go wrong with a neutral colour; just keep the location in mind when deciding between heels, wedges or sandals.
For accessories, a great way to tie your outfit together is with simple jewelry, getting your nails done, an extra clean and sparkly engagement ring, and a wide-brimmed hat!
Overall, it is best to stay away from skin-tight outfits and opt for options that feel romantic, light, and elegant. If you prefer a more form-fitting, edgy look for a city-chic feel though, try to find ways to soften your outfit with choices that allow for extra movement (eg. mix in a cute pencil skirt or black leather jacket with a cream flowy blouse and a floppy wide-brimmed hat).
Outfit Ideas for Him
The key to a great outfit for him is: Layers and matching the dressiness-level of you.
Layers add-in an editorial vibe and he’ll be feeling extra handsome, too! For his outfit, think a button-down shirt, and bring along a sports jacket, too. Make sure his dress shirt is ironed/steamed to get out all those wrinkles. For pants, chinos or dress pants are perfect.
The number one secret weapon for him is definitely a sports coat. You’d be surprised how GQ he’ll look in a sports jacket with that shirt; it is naturally slimming, looks really good on camera and can bring a lot of variety to your images.
For shoes, a pair of brown dress shoes with a brown belt is great (unless he’s wearing black dress pants, then make sure to go with black dress shoes, although we typically suggest to stay away from black unless you like that edgier feel)!
Engagement Photos during the Colder Months
We adore winter engagement sessions! The key to loving your experience during the chilly fall and winter season is to stay cozy! Wear lots of layers to stay cozy, warm, and comfortable during your session! It will make a world of a difference! If you are wearing a gown or skirt, stay extra warm with fleece-lined skin coloured leggings like these ones. Bring winter accessories that work with your outfits, too, just in case you need to add in extra warmth! Bonus: Why not include a thermos of your favourite hot drink to share? Also, bring a cozy neutral coloured throw. So worth it!
Don’t forget the finishing touches!
Bring along all the little things you love… Ideas on little gorgeous touches you can bring along include:
- a picnic basket + neutral-coloured blanket: A charcuterie board in the middle of a forest! Yes, please!
- Some champagne to sip: A bottle of bubbly for a celebratory pop and toast is always a fun addition!
- Sparklers: Never a bad idea, adds that extra bit of special to your session at dusk!
- An overflowing bouquet: Bouquets at engagement sessions complement the colour story for your session in such a gorgeous way. Florals add so much life and beauty to your photos and an instant editorial vibe.
- A cute retro bike or Vespa: Always a nice addition!
- Get your nails done and shine up your ring: We’ll likely get some closeups of that bling, so doing your nails will make it look even more amazing!
- Your fur baby: We suggest bringing along a friend/family member to watch pup for the first part (eg. take him for a walk to burn off some energy!) and then include them in the second part of your session for pics as for some precious family portraits! (Want your fur babe at your wedding day too? Read about the best way to include your fur babe on your wedding day!)
- Create a styled scene for an editorial feel: Adding in extra styled touches naturally elevates your shoot for a magzine-feel. And why not have fun and go a little out to make it special? When you include these extra touches, we will capture even more beautiful details and moments that are personal touchpoints from your engagement session experience. Bonus: If you are wanting us to style a scene for you that feels like a little getaway that’s magazine-worthy, we’d love to make that happen for you! Just remember to bring along some fun accessories Eg. candles, twinkle lights, pillows, and blankets for layering!
Trial your hair & makeup
Professionally done makeup and hair is discernable in photography and can make a huge difference in the end result. Your engagement session is a great opportunity to get professional hair and makeup done since it really enhances your photos. It’s also a great opportunity to trial these services in preparation for your big day.
What not to wear for your engagement photos
There are certain outfit choices that can detract from your photos and the overall quality on the end. We suggest to avoid the following:
- Avoid shorts: they tend to not photograph so well because they give a “cut-off” appearance instead of giving a flattering “leg-lengthening” appearance
- Clothing with prints and patterns: Prints and patterns add a busy feeling to your photos that detract from your beautiful faces and draw attention away from moments captured at your session
- Ditch anything too matchy-matchy: if you are both wearing the same or similar colours (eg. black and navy, or both wearing white tops) it can be harder to visually differentiate the two of you in photos
- Skip noticeable logos, graphics, and busy patterns or bold prints: these clothing options are great for fashion photography, but not so much for portrait photography
- Switch out jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, and tank-tops too: these pieces are so comfy to wear and we love wearing them too, but opt for an elevated feel for more timeless images of this beautiful occasion
Where to Shop for outfits
For her, some of our favourite retailers include:
For him, we like shopping at:
More Inspiration Photos of Engagement Outfits
When envisioning the options, it really helps to see examples! To help, take a peek at a little collection of great outfit inspiration on our Engagement Outfits Pinterest board!
At the end of the day…
We’ve given you a lot to think about! Most importantly, this is all about the two of you letting loose and having fun together and celebrating your upcoming vows. Since you are all dressed up, you might even want to plan a little date night after your session 😉
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SARAH & JON
"Dylan & Sandra were incredible! We're not naturally comfortable getting our pictures taken, but they made us feel at ease. They captured the feeling of our wedding... When I look at the pictures it transports me right back. It's been such a precious gift!!"
When I look through the pictures IT TRANSPORTS ME RIGHT BACK"
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We are so blessed we get to do our dream job for a living. Capturing the authentic beauty of your love story so long after, you and the generations to come have a timeless reminder of just how significant it is. We live for real moments, serving our couples with light-filled, elevated imagery and an experience that is customized and centred around you.
Suckers for a good love story, we believe the classics will always trump trendy, and definitely consider donuts to be a staple of the good life.
