I get this question so much; what do we wear for our engagement couple shoot? And so, since I have been working on a little handout guide to give clients in the run-up to their engagement shoot I thought I would share a few tips.
Make it an occasion
The first and most important piece of advice I give couples is to make an occasion of their engagement shoot.
Consider this, you are only young and in love like this once in your life, make your engagement shoot an occasion to celebrate and enjoy being young and in love. A love like yours is rare and it is worth celebrating. And why not make it a date after the shoot, it’s the perfect excuse to go to that glamorous restaurant you’ve been wanting to check out.
Formal vs Casual
It doesn’t have to be formal and elegant to be an occasion though (unless that is the look you want to go for, of course). By putting a bit of extra effort into a casual look you can feel amazing and I can guarantee that you will have fun during your engagement shoot.
Put in an extra bit of effort
And by extra effort I mean simple things like painting your nails, ladies. If you can afford it, have your hair and make-up done (perhaps you can have your hair and make-up trial done for the engagement shoot) or check out a few tutorials on Youtube for some inspiration for your engagement shoot make-up and hair look.
Same goes for the men, make sure your hair isn’t too long or overgrown (if you have short hair, that is) and iron your shirt. It really is the teeny tiny little things like these that make a big difference in how confident you feel in front of the camera.
Comfort means confidence
Which brings me to my next point on how to decide what to wear for your engagement shoot. In order to feel confident, choose clothing that you feel comfortable in. No, I don’t mean show up in lounge wear or sweats but be careful about super trendy items because often the very trendy items can be extremely UNcomfortable which can make even the most confident person feel odd in front of the camera. With comfort comes confidence!
Staying on the topic of comfort. If you feel self-conscious about any part of your body, please don’t hesitate to let me know beforehand.
Colours
When it comes to which colours the clothing should be, I would say firstly consider which colours look well on you. Secondly, make sure that the colours of your outfits compliment each other. If you’re feeling hesitant about colour though choosing a neutral pallet is always a good idea. Perhaps then add a pop of colour with an accessory or a jacket that you can wear on and off throughout the shoot.
Keep it classic
Really, take some time to think about what you want the look and feel of your engagement pictures to be. To me timelessness is extremely important. I want you to be able to look at these pictures in five, ten or sixty years from now and not laugh about silly props you used (remember when everyone had Steri-Stumpies in their engagement shoot *cringe*) or a funky hairstyle (that was in fashion for ten minutes). No, sixty years from now you want to look at these pictures and smile at how young and absolutely fabulous you two were.
Here are a few other points to consider:
The season you are planning your engagement shoot in
The location you chose and what would work well in that environment
Limit the number of outfits to two (one formal and one casual perhaps)
Whatever you do, don’t dress too matchy-matchy