Lauren Baker is a fine art wedding photographer serving Boston, New England, and available for destinations worldwide.
The number one question I get when it comes to engagement sessions is:
Picking out outfits can be kind of tricky, especially if you haven’t been in a professional portrait session before…heck, even if you have it’s still confusing (I may or may not have brought 10+ outfit options to wear for my most recent head shot session #trueconfessions).
To start, bring options. Lots. Of. Options. Maybe not as many as I did, but it does help to bring items to choose from. That way, if you end up not liking the outfit you selected the night before, you aren’t stuck wearing it for your session. Nothing puts a damper on a portrait session that hating what you’re wearing! Bringing a few clothing options with you pretty much ensures you’ll have SOMETHING you’ll want to wear. And if you just can’t pick out an outfit, your photographer should be able to look through your clothes and put a few things together…they do know light, color, and composition pretty darn well after all. 😉
And that brings me to MY #1 TIP: wear something you feel comfortable in and feel like yourself in!! If you’re uncomfortable it will show in your photos and chances are you won’t be happy with them.
I always advise my clients to wear something they love. Something that makes them feel great. Something that makes them feel like the best version of themselves. When clients are comfortable and feel great it’s so much easier for them to relax and have fun taking photos with their honey. Trust me!
Lastly, and I fully admit that this is my opinion and others may disagree with me buuuuuuut…try to stay away from matching. You know what I’m talking about…when everyone is dressed head to toe in white and kind of look a little “Stepford Wives”-esque? Yeah. Don’t do that. Instead, coordinate your outfits with colors that compliment each other. Avoid clothes with large patterns, logos, writing, and other distracting things on them too. Again, this is just #imho, but if you follow these suggestions, your photos won’t look dated and will stand the test of time.
If you want even more inspiration for your engagement session outfits, I’ve got just the thing for you! Because I love you so much, I’m giving away my Engagement Session style guide absolutely free! Just click below to download!