Wedding Wednesday: Tips For Engagement Photos + What To Wear

Happy Wedding Wednesday, friends! We have been deep in wedding planning the last few weeks and have been crossing so much off of our never ending to-do list! Two weeks ago I said yes to the dress (more on that in a few weeks) and last weekend we took our engagement photos with our photographer! We were scheduled to take them two weeks ago, but the weather was less than ideal. We totally lucked up this past weekend though because the weather couldn’t have been better! It was such a fun afternoon. Yesterday we got a sneak peek and I cannot wait to see the rest!

When we got engaged in December we knew we wanted to wait until spring to do our photos so that everything would be in bloom. It gave us time to plan locations and outfits and to enjoy being engaged!  Today I thought I would share how we planned our photos & a few tips and tricks that I learned along the way.

TIPS FOR TAKING ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

PLAN IT OUT | I know this may seem like common sense, but it’s really important to plan out everything to make sure you have a successful shoot. These are photos you will cherish forever, so you want to make sure they’re done right. This starts with choosing the right photographer. Do your research, have meetings, and find the right photographer that meshes well with your photo style and personality! Remember the photographer is going to be a HUGE part of your big day, so choose wisely!

Once you’ve chosen a photographer, go ahead and set a date for your engagement shoot. Brainstorm with your fiancé about where you want to shoot. Is there some place that is special for you two as a couple? Do you want to incorporate your venue somehow? Thinking about location first will help everything else fall into place.

When you have decided on location(s) then you can start to plan our your outfits. Plan your outfits based on the location. If you’re shooting in a field, pulling out a ball gown and a tux probably doesn’t make sense. If you’re shooting in a posh uptown area, maybe put away the cut off shorts and t-shirts!

CREATE A PINTEREST BOARD | Engagement photos are a totally different type of shoot than I’m used to doing. I took to Pinterest to gather inspiration on poses, shots, etc. I ended up making a secret Pinterest board for our engagement photo inspiration and inviting our photographer to it. I liked the idea of creating the board because it allowed her to see what we liked ahead of time. Some couples love the overly posed shots while others like more candid moments.

COMMUNICATE | When we signed our contract with our photographer she sent over a survey to each of us to get to know us better, which I loved. It asked questions about what we liked to do as a couple, what we liked to do individually, what we loved about the other person, and what our PDA level was. I’m more of a 7/8 on the PDA scale while Nick is a 4/5 haha! But by taking this survey it let her get to know us better. If there’s a certain pose or certain way you DON’T want to be photographed, speak up! Same if there’s something you DO want! Having great communication with your photographer helps ensure that both parties are on the same page and both will be happy!

INCORPORATE YOUR WEDDING COLORS | Engagement photos are a great time to incorporate your wedding colors. You don’t have to use them in the typical way in a piece of clothing though! You could find a wall that matches your color(s), a pair of shoes, a wedding ring box, etc. Get creative with it! I’m big on branding, so we chose to incorporate our colors and our venue throughout our photos!

RELAX & HAVE FUN | Sure, these are photos you will have forever and you want to make sure they’re perfect, but relax & let your photographer work their magic. It will show in photos if you’re tense and stressed out. It will also show if you’re relaxed and having a great time… choose the latter 😉

WHAT TO WEAR FOR ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

When it comes to engagement photos, it can be a little overwhelming planning outfits. Do you go with something trendy? Do you stick with the classics? How do you make you and your fiance’s outfits look cohesive? Needless to say, it can be a bit tricky! When Nick and I started planning for our engagement photos we decided to go with a more classic look, since we will be looking back on these photos for years to come. After I had my looks planned, I took a look into his closet and based his outfits around mine to make sure they would go together in photos. I’m sharing below a few options for what to wear for engagement photos.

LITTLE WHITE DRESS | You’re the bride, so find a little white dress you love for your engagement photos. I’ve always had an affinity for white dresses, so I pulled one of my favorite dresses that I already owned for photos. I kept the accessories to a minimum so that everything has a classic feel. Since my white dress is more on the dressy side, I paired Nick’s navy suit with my look. We decided to use this for our “dressy” location.

SEMI-CASUAL LOOK | You want to feel comfortable for your photos, so choose an outfit that you love that can also be dressed up with accessories! If you have an outfit that you wear often that is pretty versatile, see how it looks with heels and fun accessories. Remember, you always want to feel confident so wear what makes you feel and look good!

CASUAL SEASONAL OUTFIT | Casual looks can work really well for engagement photos, especially if the location is right! For our last location we chose a field that had gorgeous grass, a green ivory arch & plenty of wooded areas. For this locations, we chose to go more casual. I wore a bell sleeve top, jeans, and sandals. Keep in mind your season and incorporate elements from that (i.e. in fall think about including cozy blankets, spring a fun picnic set up etc.)