Engagement Photography Outfits
Four themes to try
By Natalie Tsang
November 21, 2011
What do you wear to your engagement photo session? Luckily, most photographers will let you go through a few costume changes. Perhaps you want a few casual or quirky ones for your Save-the-date cards and the wedding website, and a formal picture to send to relatives. Perhaps you’ve decided to incorporate photos into the wedding décor or guestbook.
Here are some simple guidelines. Try to stay to the minimum number of outfits that you can live with. And create some coherence between all your outfits. Most couples have a combination of formal and casual photos, but it also depends on location.
Casual
There is more aimed towards your other half, but casual does not mean sloppy. T-shirt and jeans are fine, but make sure they’re clean and wrinkle free. Consider ironing his jeans. Under no conditions should underwear be visible. Unless a stain or hole tells a story, it should not be in the picture. And even then, that’s iffy.
It’s recommended that you stick with solid colors, because it will show up against a variety of backgrounds. However, one print item is fine as well. Just be sure that you and your fiancé’s outfits do not clash.
Formal
Formal wear is a must for engagement photography. If you haven’t picked out a wedding dress yet, try modeling formal gowns in a variety of silhouettes. Although you should limit yourself to two or three gowns, the act of trying them on will give you a good idea if A line wedding dresses or ball gown wedding dresses are right for you.
Go easy on the bling with a several simple pieces or just one big item like chandelier earrings. And don't forget to show off the engagement ring.
Matching outfits
Matching outfits can make you look like overgrown siblings, but I love His and Her T-shirts and sports related apparel. If you are high school or college sweethearts, think about wearing school colors for a few photos. It’s even more interesting if you went to rival schools and there are all sorts of interesting scenarios you can act out.
Costume
For your inner theater geek, part of the fun of a photo is telling a story with poses and costumes. This can be as goofy as shipwrecked sailor finds mermaid, or a reenactment of an adventure like paddling a canoe with cutoff jeans and plaid shirts.
1-800-701-4026
