Do you want to look amazing but still like yourself during your engagement photos? I'm not writing a list of rules of what to wear to your engagement session, more so guidelines because I don't want to lock anyone into a certain box. I hope these tips help you look amazing during your engagement photos! If you have any questions on anything that wasn't covered here, please feel free to comment below or reach out to me: regina@asthephotographer.com.
Show your personality & aesthetic
Think about who you are and how you want to represent yourself. For example, if you're not a super formal person you wouldn't choose an evening gown. Think about who you are and what you wear daily or on a date night. You can spruce that look up a bit as well. A great place if you're looking for formal wear but don't want to buy new is going to sites like Rent the Runway or Black Tux and rent a look from there. Also, you may have a local shop that rents, too. Here in Tampa we have Valhalla Resale which is fantastic for engagement photos! There are tons of other sites you can rent from as well. If you like to wear jeans and t-shirts think of what really shows your personality. Personally, I love converse all stars and flats so I wouldn't wear heels to my session. I'll be covering colors later, but choosing the right colors is another way to show your personality. Remember, you will have one to two outfits for your session that you will choose ahead of time, so one could be formal and one could be more casual. Don't be afraid to get a little fancy!
Weather and Location
The weather and location will definitely control your ideas a little and help decide what you should wear. Of course, you can go against that. Look at this couple that wore formal wear in the forest. This is where deciding your aesthetic will help. If you're on the beach you may want to choose a longer flowing dress knowing that the wind is going to be blowing. If it's cold, you can have fun accessorizing with scarves and hats. If it's warm, think of comfort and cooler fabrics. Take for example this couple that wore linen outfits on the beach. Shoes are also important when thinking of location. If we are in a park and are hiking trails or walking in far distances in the city, sneakers or hiking boots would come in handy. If you are insistent and want to wear shoes that may not be comfortable, make sure you bring different shoes to wear while we're walking/hiking around the location. Or you can go barefoot if you're on the beach of course. Ha!
Color Palette
I LOVE colors! All colors. Especially the ones that show your personality. You guys don't have to match of course, but using complementary colors is key. So choose a couple complementary colors. This article is awesome for that, plus this one that goes over the color wheel for helping choosing colors. Some colors also look better with certain color eyes and skin tones, but don't feel obligated to choose based on that. I love earthy tones myself so reds, rusts, blues, greens, teals, browns, etc. Once you've chosen your colors, you should then choose your aesthetic as I spoke about at the beginning. Formal or casual or both, etc. This will all help you choose your engagement session outfits plus where to look for them, which may be your own closet!
Hair and Makeup
If you're not sure on if you should get professional hair and makeup done or not, I'm here to tell you yes do it! If you are comfortable with the idea of someone else doing it for you, I promise you won't regret it. Even if you're going for a very natural look, express that to your artist and they will listen. It's always easier to add more makeup than take it away. Your makeup definitely will look less on camera than it does in person so if you feel like it looks like too much, take a photo with your phone and look. Having a professional do your hair is also helpful because of weather, wind, etc. I love windblown hair, but here in Florida we also have a lot of humidity that will make frizz and drop curls really quickly if you don't know how to curl or what products to use.
Ready to schedule your engagement session? Reach out to me here!
