When I’m working with couples for an engagement session, at some point in our planning process I often hear the same question: what should we wear? Most of us aren’t used to doing photoshoots, so it’s completely understandable to wonder how to dress for an engagement session!

To answer this question, I’ve compiled my top 10 tips to help couples wardrobe plan for their engagement session. That said, hear me when I say that ultimately, there is no one right way to dress for your session. It is up to you and your partner to decide what feels most uniquely and beautifully you. I offer these tips as guideposts, and I trust you to incorporate them into your planning to whatever extent you see fit!

Top 10 wardrobe planning tips for your engagement session:

1. Imagine you’re going to an event

If you’re not sure where to start in picking out outfits for your engagement session, my biggest tip is to stop thinking that you’re choosing an outfit for a photoshoot, and instead imagine that you and your partner are getting ready for an event.

Imagine you’re dressing to go hiking, to get Sunday brunch with your buddies, to stroll through an apple orchard, or to have a fancy dinner out with your partner. For each of these events, you two would probably dress to a similar level of fanciness, and you wouldn’t match but you would coordinate and make sense together while each wearing your own style.

While you might not know how to dress for a photoshoot, you definitely know how to get dressed to go to brunch or to go out for a fancy dinner, so conceptualizing it this way turns engagement session wardrobe planning into something you know how to do!

Sometimes the event you imagine matches the location you’re going to for your photoshoot: Aubrey and Cat dressed like they were going on a date to a brewery, and we started their engagement session at a brewery!

Breanne and Robbie dressed up like they were going out on a fancy dinner date, while we wandered around downtown Seattle for their engagement session.

2. Avoid too much matching

To avoid a matchy-matchy look, don’t wear the same color/pattern as your partner, and also avoid clothing that hits your bodies at the same place. For example, if you and your partner are both wearing jeans and a solid color t-shirt and the shirt meets the jeans in the same spot on both your bodies, then when you stand side by side this can make a distracting horizontal line in the portrait.

Instead, think about creating different clothing lengths/lines: so if one of you is wearing a solid color t-shirt and jeans, the other one of you could wear jeans and a patterned button-up under a jacket, high waisted jeans and a crop top, or swap the jeans for a fun flowy skirt.

Even though they’re both wearing jeans and wool jackets, Jordan and Colton have successfully avoided looking too matchy here — Colton in a patterned shorter jacket, Jordan in a solid longer jacket.

3. Include favorite layers, patterns, & textures

I love to encourage incorporating layers, patterns, and texture to bring life and personality into your portraits.

Layers and accessories can look like wearing a favorite leather or jean jacket, fun shoes, a headband, jewelry, belts, hats, makeup, etc! Try to choose different interesting elements between you and your partner (so don’t both wear flannel shirts and jeans) but choose items that reflect each of your styles.
Patterns are awesome in photos! A lot of us have been told not to wear patterns in pictures, but I totally disagree – if you are someone who loves to wear patterns in regular life, definitely include patterns in your engagement outfit. If both of you like to wear patterns, just make sure that they aren’t the same scale as each other so it’s not overwhelming (for example, one partner could wear a small-scale pattern on a shirt under a sweater, and the other could wear a large-scale pattern on a dress).
Textures bring life to photos and help them to feel like a real outfit instead of a photoshoot uniform. Between the two of you, try to incorporate multiple textures: think of denim, soft t-shirt cotton, flowing lightweight fabrics, heavyweight linen, silky shirts, tweed jackets, crinkled gauze, etc.

Sari and John make sense together but each have a unique sense of personality in their portraits! John has cuffed jeans, a linen dress shirt, and a belt. Sari has a patterned dress and a necklace!

All the layers that Megan and Jack incorporated make their anniversary session feel super cozy and textural, and fit in with their fall camping-vibe photoshoot! From Jack’s puffer vest and bucket hat and to Megan’s patterned knit cap, scarf, and soft sweater, there’s a lot of textures but they all make sense!

4. Colors to avoid

I usually recommend avoiding neon colors – they can photograph a little harshly. Beyond that, there aren’t ‘good’ or ‘bad’ colors for pictures, but I do encourage thinking about what colors will show up in the setting of your pictures, and try to avoid choosing colors that will blend in too much. In a pine forest, try to avoid dressing solely in browns and greens; in the snow, try to avoid dressing in all-white.

Catherine and Ryan successfully avoided blending into the background during their engagement session — I love how they chose bold colors that stood out against the water during their canoeing photoshoot.

5. My favorite colors for photos

Instead of primary colors, my favorite colors for pictures are either muted or rich earthy tones (think terra cotta instead of fire engine red, a muted olive green instead of kelly green, or rich mustard instead of canary yellow). I’m also a big fan of neutrals in pictures (whites, creams, charcoals, blacks).

Claire and David both wore earthy tones, and they look like they’re going to the same event - so they feel coordinated! But they also have their own colors and style too. I also love the variety of textures they brought in with Claire’s high-waisted black jeans and textured sweater, and David’s favorite corduroy jacket layered over a classic white tee.

I love how Sari and John mixed neutrals and muted colors in their outfits! Sari chose a muted peachy shirt with lighter jeans, and John was in his favorite gray button-down.

6. Avoid outfits with words or logos

While there are always exceptions, I recommend avoiding articles of clothing that might turn out distracting in your engagement portraits. Clothing with words or logos can draw the gaze away from the most important part of the portrait: you and your person!

7. Decide where you want to be on the casual-fancy spectrum

There’s no wrong decision here, but it’s helpful to consider whether you want portraits that feel fancy, casual, or somewhere in-between. What tone do you want your engagement portraits to capture? Do you want your portraits to feel easygoing, casual, and everyday? Do you want them to feel more dressed-up and elegant? Or do you want to wear multiple outfits and capture a little bit of both? If you and your partner decide to wear more than one outfit, I recommend making a distinct style change to add variety to your portraits.

Emmett and Ashley went for two outfits/looks during their session: they started in a fancier date-night outfit while we were wander the flower fields at the Arboretum (and I think their dressed-up vibe looks really effortless with all the flowers!), and then changed into a more casual denim look for the second half of their session at a brewery.

8. Consider the season

Your portraits will feel natural and cohesive if you choose outfits in line with the season your engagement session takes place in. This tip applies more for folks who opt for outdoor portraits, but even if we’re inside, it feels authentic to have your outfits align with the seasonal feeling of the setting you’re in. This doesn’t mean you have to wear a parka if it’s winter in Minnesota, but maybe skip the tank top in January and opt for a sweater instead.

Katharine and Ames look fancy and lovely, but also very seasonally appropriate in the snow — their jackets and gloves make sense and help their engagement portraits feel very natural.

9. Consider the setting

As you’re thinking about seasons, it can also be helpful to think about the setting where your engagement portraits will be taken in. If you are planning an indoor photoshoot – for example at your home, at a brewery, or at a favorite restaurant – it makes sense to choose a wardrobe that aligns with what you’d actually wear in that place. A formal dress and high heels may feel a bit out of place in front of your fireplace, but it’d make sense at a winery, or downtown at the Guthrie! If you opt for outdoor portraits, anything goes. Casual or fancy outfits can work well with a nature filled landscape as your backdrop.

Tessa and Michael look effortless and casual for their session at their home and backyard!

10. Wear what you feel great in

There can be pressure when planning an engagement session to feel like you “should” wear a certain type of outfit, but I encourage you to send those “shoulds” out the window! Wear what you and your partner feel comfortable, confident, and yourselves in. If you feel at home in your outfit, then that will come through beautifully in portraits that look natural and happy!