Selecting your engagement photo outfit can feel at times like an epic decision. After all, you’ll have to look at these photographs for the rest of your life. Perhaps you’re planning to use them on your Save the Dates or post them on your wedding website. These 1 or 2 outfits are likely going to get a lot of eyeballs. No pressure.

Take a breath, because we have a few handy tips on choosing the perfect outfits for your engagement session! Follow along, and you’ll feel like your most beautiful, confident, and in-love self for your photoshoot.

1. Choose something with movement

When you look through our old engagement sessions, you might notice a trend. Many of our Brides wear a skirt or dress to their engagement session. This isn’t a coincidence! We always encourage our couples to choose something dressier and something that provides some visual movement for their photos. There’s nothing more stunning than a flowy dress gently blowing in the wind. Long skirts and dresses give us a lot of opportunities for styling different poses as well.

2. Use a Pop of Color

Think about where your engagement session is taking place and choose an engagement photo outfit that will stand out against the backdrop. We wouldn’t suggest wearing a lot of brown and green to an engagement session in the woods. A pop of color really draws your eye to the subject (you!) and it can be a fun opportunity to tie in your wedding colors.

3. Don’t forget the accessories

While you might be focused on your shirt and pants, it’s important not to forget about your accessories as well! From jewelry and watches to shoes and belts, accessories can take your engagement photos from nice to WOW. On the flip side, accessories that are highly contrasting to your outfit or body can be a distraction. At Julia and Stephen’s engagement session (above), we ended up taking off their watches about 20 minutes into the shoot because they were drawing too much attention. Snap a quick pic on your phone while you’re dressed up, and see where your eyes go.

4. Layers are magic

Wearing layers to your engagement session not only adds depth to your overall look, it gives us more styles to play with. If you can’t make layers work (or it’s one of those classic 95 degree days), choosing outfits with some variations can be a nice alternative. Perhaps you wear a shirt with sleeves you can roll up, a dress with a hem you can carry while you walk, or a top that can be tucked or un-tucked on demand.

5. Show off your hobbies

Engagement session outfits don’t need to be all formal all the time. From fishing to Crossfit and beyond, we love incorporating our couples’ passions and hobbies into their session. This might mean you choose something more casual for part of your shoot. The bonus to selecting something a little more comfortable is we can sit you just about anywhere, and get you cuddled up super close to your fiance!

6. Study your closet

As fun as it is to buy a whole new engagement session outfit, it can be helpful to first start with your existing wardrobe. Take a peek in your closet and note what colors you see. Are there a plethora of rich jewel tones? Do you rock a lot of stripes and bold colors? Is black your main color staple? Take a cue from what you wear day-to-day to inform what you should wear to the shoot. You’ll look and feel most confident if you don’t venture too far outside what you already love.

7. Coordinate with your partner

When planning your engagement photo outfit, don’t make the mistake of forgetting about your fiance until the last minute. Your outfits should coordinate. This means the colors are complementary and the level of formality is equal. Try on your outfits together and make sure no single piece stands out too much without being balanced somewhere else.

How to guarantee amazing photos

Engagement sessions are our absolute favorite thing to photograph outside weddings, and we want you to feel comfortable and ready to have fun heading into your shoot. No matter what you choose for your engagement photo outfit, your images are sure to turn out amazing if you and your partner come to the session with open hearts and a willingness to get a little silly.

How is wedding planning going? Check out our 5 simple tips to help take the stress out of planning a wedding.