Engagement Pictures: What to Wear

You're engaged!!! Congratulations! After the initial excitement fades, you might start thinking about your engagement pictures. If you've never really had professional pictures taken, you may not know what to expect. How do I pose? Where should we take them? Do I even need to take engagement pictures? What should I wear? What should my fiance wear? Should I use the same photographer that I will use for the wedding? What season would be the best to take them in? What if the weather isn't great that day? How much time should I allot for pictures?

For this article, we are going to talk specifically about what to wear for your engagement pictures. For answers to the rest of those questions check out our Engagement Pictures: What to Expect article!

Something You are Comfortable in

If you are uncomfortable in your outfit, it will come across in your pictures and no one wants that. If you are the most comfortable in jeans and T-shirt, there is nothing that says you can't wear exactly that! Likewise, if you feel comfortable and at your most beautiful in a full length, beaded ballgown, there is no rule that says you can't wear that.

Nothing Skin-Tight

No matter how amazing your body is, skin tight clothing almost never looks good in photos. It will show every lump and bump you have, and can even create them if you don't have them!

But also Nothing too Baggy

Loose and flowing can be great for engagement pictures, especially if you are doing them outdoors where the wind could catch the fabric! However, don't wear anything that is obviously too big for you. In general, you want to make sure it looks like it fits you even if it is a looser cut.

Avoid Anything too Short or too Revealing

One of my friends wore a short skirt for her engagement pictures and during the session (on a college campus) her fiance picked her up for some of the pictures. While the pictures of him holding her are absolutely ADORABLE, she told me later that she flashed about 20 people! Sometimes during these pictures (even if your fiance doesn't lift you up!) you can have to position yourself in ways that feel very strange to you and some may not be the most flattering with short skirts or lots of cleavage! Not to mention, you may look back at those pictures later and wish you hadn't worn it. What would your future daughter to say about this?

Pay Attention to Pattern

I'm not saying don't wear pattern. You most certainly can wear patterns. Just be careful with them. I would advise shying away from horizontal stripes. For my second outfit, which I picked out the day of our photo session because I just couldn't decide, I made the mistake of wearing a horizontal-striped shirt that was also skin tight! I thought, "They are thin enough, you can barely even tell it's striped, plus, I'm skinny so it will be fine!" Boy, was I wrong! The horizontal stripes, combined with how tight and long my shirt was and the ruching it had, did a weird optical illusion thing in my pictures and made me look like I have love handles (which I don't!). Now provided, it's subtle and I'm sure none of my friends or family noticed, but I noticed and it made me hate almost every picture of me in my second outfit.

This picture is actually painful for me to post on the internet, but here it goes...

Avoid Ruching

Again, because my shirt had ruching on the sides, I think that also played a part in why my second outfit was a disaster. The ruching can do strange things to your body in pictures, so I would honestly just avoid it if you can.

This picture is also embarrassing to post but...

Pay Attention to the Color Story You Are Telling

For a harmonious look, try to wear colors that complement each other. Here's a general guide. Look at this color wheel. If you wearing a red dress, for instance, it would be ideal for your partner to be in something on the same side of the color wheel. For instance, orange or purple. Ideally, you do not want your partner to wear something green. If you are wearing jeans and a purple shirt, you would want your partner in red or blue, but avoid yellow, orange or lime green.

Occasionally opposite colors can look good too, if you're going for a vibrant effect, but try not to be too literal. For example, Blue and orange are opposites. Ideally you would not want to be in a pumpkin orange tunic and your partner in a royal blue button down. However, you in an orange-based coral tunic and him in a turquoise button down could look phenomenal! For best results, have one of you with the pop of color and the other in all neutrals or have just a hint of the same color on your partners neutral outfit!

Let the Season Guide You

(But don't let that stop you from wearing what you want.)

What I mean by this is, it can be great to wear a sweater, jeans and boots for a fall session. However, if you have a beautiful maxi dress you want to wear -- don't let the fact that it's fall stop you.

If you're getting winter engagement pictures, don't feel like you have to wear a big, puffy coat! Maybe try a sweater with a scarf or a beautiful pea coat!

If you're taking pictures in spring, a beautiful floral dress would be great! However, if you want to wear a leather jacket and jeans (like I did) don't be afraid to do that!

If you're getting them done in summer, a shorter, strappy dress would be super cute! However, if you want to wear jeans and a flowy T-shirt, don't feel like you can't!

In general, you want to wear something that is reminiscent of the season, but not necessarily exact. Wear something you won't be too hot in or too cold in. But don't be afraid to DO YOU.

Coordinate but Don't Match your Fiance

You want to coordinate your and your fiance's styles. For example, if you're in a floor length, beaded gown you do not want your partner to wear jeans. Likewise, if you are in jeans, don't dress your partner in a suit.

Also think about what patterns and textures you are both in. Just be careful that you don't clash. Always hold the outfits up next to each other before making your final decision. You don't want to look like you didn't even talk about what to wear. Ideally, only one of you should wear a pattern, the other should wear neutrals. If you are both going to wear a pattern, aim for patterns that look good together, are different scales (tiny pattern with large pattern), are in similar color stories, and aren't too loud!

Pay attention to colors. If one of you is in neutrals, it's OK for the other to wear bright colors, but I do recommend you mix some neutrals into your bright colors.

Matchy-matchy outfits don't look very good--they tend to look staged. If you both want to wear plaid flannel shirts, great, but do different colors and patterns of plaid. You don't need to look like your partner's identical twin!

This is a great example: They are both the same level of casual, they are in solid, neutral colors but have a pop of print and color in her scarf. Their clothes are opposites on the color wheel, but hers is pastel, which makes it a neutral, and jean blue goes with everything!

This couple shows what you don't want to do. They look like twins...not the best look when you're going to be making out in front of a camera if you ask me...

And this couple, They look like they didn't discuss what they were going to wear because she is much more dressed up than he is. Not to mention, the color story here is not a great one. They match each other too closely color wise...

Details are Great

Details within your outfit are great for pictures. Whether it's beading, a pop of color in a neutral outfit, cut outs on your shirt, or a great piece of statement jewelry. Just be careful not to overdo it. Choose one or two detail elements at MOST or your eye won't know where to look!

Don't Forget About your Feet

Sometimes it can be tempting to pick out the outfit and assume you have shoes laying around that will work with it. Don't do this. Pick out your shoes at the same time you pick out your outfit. You don't want to have to run to Payless 20 minutes before your pictures because you realize all your shoes are just wrong.

Don't Forget about Accessories

Don't be afraid to wear statement pieces in your pictures! A really awesome necklace, bracelet or earrings can be quite lovely! However, if you decide to do statement jewelry, please only pick ONE statement piece. Let the other accessories compliment that piece. If you wear too much, your eye won't know where to focus when you look at the pictures later.

Wear Makeup

Even if you don't normally wear makeup, you will want to wear makeup for your engagement pictures. Now, I'm not saying you have to cake on a TON of makeup. But pictures (especially good quality, professional pictures) will wash you out.

If you are the type who doesn't wear a lot of makeup, I suggest you check out a BB cream like this one, use a blush (I love this one), along with eyeliner and mascara to make your eyes pop.

If you do like to wear makeup, don't be afraid to wear it! Just be careful. The general rule of thumb is to choose one focus point. If you do a dark, smokey eye, do a nude lip. If you want to have a bold, red lip, do a neutral eye. Doing both a smokey eye and a dark or bright lip will NOT look good in pictures.

Don't Forget your Nails

I highly recommend getting a gel manicure 1-3 days before your pictures. It will last longer and look more glossy in photos than regular nail polish. Plus, it's really not that expensive. You can usually get a decent gel manicure between $20 (at a beauty school!) and $50 (at a high-end salon).

Don't forget about your engagement ring

I definitely recommend taking your ring to be cleaned 1-2 days before your pictures. Most jewelers will do this for free (!) and it will make ALL the difference in how it looks in pictures!

*At the end of the day, you want to look like your best versions of yourselves.*

For more engagement photo inspiration please check out our Pinterest Board!

To see more about what to expect when getting your engagement pictures taken check out this article!

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