January 26, 2021

Engagement Photos 101

The 1st main engagement wave has commenced! Congrats to all you newly engaged couples, let the wedding planning begin! So fun fast fact, as you guys know I’m a personal stylist but I’m actually an event planner and consultant too! So when it comes to weddings, I know a thing or 2 😉 One of the many events that I end up helping my brides with is their engagement session. It seems all fun and games, but you think to yourself, “Oh no! What am I going to wear?!? What is my fiancé going to wear?” You then scramble through your closet and say, “Ugh! I don’t like anything. I have nothing to wear!” Then you end up dropping $$ on a new outfit for not only yourself, but your fiancé too realizing it’s something you’re probably only going to wear once. The struggle is real my friends, the struggle is real.

So what’s a person to do when they don’t want to spend a ton of money on something they’re only going to wear once? And more importantly, what is a person to do when they just feel stuck? Go thrifting, of course!! 😉

Utility jacket: $8.99
J.Crew grey sweatshirt: $7.99
Bonobos gingham check button-up: $5.99

When coordinating your outfits for your session, don’t automatically think you need to be matchy-matchy and both wear the same colors. I actually always tell my clients NOT to do that. You want your photos to be natural looking so it’s best to play with the colors and see what meshes well together. For example, the olive green jacket goes well with navy blue – pictured above. You could also do navy blue with an eggplant or a forest green! It’s safe to say, jewel tones with jewel tones, lighter colors with lighter colors, bright colors with bright colors and neutrals with neutrals.

In addition to paying attention to the color, you have to also pay attention to the style. You obviously don’t want one person to be more dressed up than the other. But how do you decide on the style in the first place? That’s a good question – Ask your photographer where you’re shooting! You hear the saying ‘Dress for the occasion’; in this instance it’s, ‘Dress for the location’. For example, if you’re shooting in the winter next to a lake, you may wear a flannel with a lightweight knit sweater underneath, leggings, boots and a hat while your fiance wears a puffer vest with a sweater underneath, dark jeans, boots and a hat. Maybe you even throw a prop in there such as some coffee mugs and a plaid blanket you found at Arc too 😉 Do take in mind that you will probably shoot in a few different locations which means you’ll want to have some extra outfits on hand. On average, I style my clients in about 3-4 outfits.

When it comes to the wardrobe, you still want to portray how you and your significant other are so don’t dress in something that isn’t really “you”. You WILL wear the uncomfortable look on your face – I don’t think you want to see that every time you look at them. You have to feel good in what you’re wearing in order to have a good, natural photo session. Lastly, and this is totally off the topic but I’m putting my event planner hat on – Make sure you pick a photographer that you mesh well with. This person will most likely be the person that’s shooting your wedding so if you’re not comfortable with them, taking photos on the biggest day of your life with them won’t be easy. So when you find that photographer that’s perfect for you, don’t forget to HAVE FUN!!

Congrats again newly engaged couples and happy wedding planning!

Til next time,
-Melissa
MHstyleconsultants.com / IG: @MH_style_consulting / Facebook @MHstyleconsulting
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Photo credit: @d_madeleinephoto, Venue: @modernwell