Stumped on what to wear?

Are you tearing through your closet wondering what the hell you are going to wear for that engagement photoshoot coming up? You aren’t alone. I was still looking for the perfect outfit while I was in the chair having my makeup done by my makeup artist the morning before Hunter and I were going to drive an hour and a half up to Trillium Lake at Mt. Hood for our engagement photoshoot with our lovely photographer in February of 2020. In the snow.

Don’t be like me.

Your engagement photos are the first step of you and your Significant Other’s journey into married life. It’s a great time to test out your makeup artist, get to know your photographer, get the hang of how to pose and strut your stuff, and snap those shots that are going to be on everything from your save-the-dates to wedding invitations, wedding websites, and the picture galleries of your home. I still have the gif of me throwing a snowball at the back of my now-husband’s head on my personal instagram.

o1. Dress for the weather.

This is something I always tell my future brides and grooms: we live in the Pacific Northwest. We live in the wettest corner of the United States. The weather can turn on a dime and June can sometimes be safe or sometimes the mother of all rain storms down from Alaska can hit us for a week. October can be nice and chilly or it can be a hundred and seventeen degrees and the West Coast could be on fire. That was a new one.

Be prepared for the possibility of rain. Your photographer will more than likely be checking the weather every twenty four hours leading up to your photoshoot session and providing you with updates as you get close to your session date, but usually short of something catastrophic, sessions won’t be rescheduled due to a light sprinkle. We will always do our utmost to accommodate any sort of emergencies for our couples, but during prime wedding season we may have our Saturdays and Sundays booked out for the next six months.

Hunter and I both have a few clear umbrellas in our kits for emergencies (and those make for some gorgeous photos!), but having a covered backup plan is always a smart idea. When in doubt, reach out to your photographer a few days before your session and ask what they think!

o2. Wear the clothes that make you feel like you.

If you both are strictly a Carhartts and boots kind of couple, don’t feel like you have to break out the tux and evening gown. Engagement photoshoots are supposed to be a carefree and fun experience and if playing in the rain or going on a hike is fun for you, that’s what we’ll do! The photos will turn out breathtaking no matter what. Our best advice is to dress comfortably.

If you do have an evening gown and heels, bring flats or comfortable shoes for after the full-body shots. We can work magic with height differences without killing your ankles and leggings under a gown are practically invisible and will help you stay warm and toasty for the rest of the photo session. And when in doubt, bring that nice warm coat to throw on in-between shots. 

o3. Co-ordinate your outfits.

This is the big question that Hunter and I get most often from our wedding and engagement couples. “How do we coordinate outfits?” And the truth is, there is no magic recipe. We’ve done casual coffeeshop engagements, mountain engagements, beach engagements. Some where are couples are in t-shirts and jeans and some where they are wearing slacks and a gown. Everything goes! It’s about your personal preference. Our most basic recommendation is to avoid loud patterns that clash. Everything else is fair game.

But if you are out of ideas and need some inspiration, here is a link to a pinterest board that we’ve created with some lovely {and comfortable) outfit choices!

o4. Be yourselves, and have some fun.

Our ultimate goal is to make you feel like yourselves. If we are doing our job well, you won’t even notice there are pictures being taken— you’re going to be too busy smiling and laughing, throwing a snowball at your fiancé, jumping in that pile of leaves, and spinning each other around. We might give you some strange prompts— our favorite is ‘can you pick him up’ and ‘walk towards us like you’ve had too much wine’. These prompts might be silly, but I promise, the photos will turn out beautifully.

These are going to be memories you will have forever! Have fun with them!

Still looking for your engagement photo photographers?

Hunter and I LOVE going on adventures and finding some gorgeous spots for engagement sessions! We are very casual photographers and will have you goof around for an hour or two while we capture some beautiful memories. You can head over to our contact page and give us a shout, we’d love to hear from you!