Are you already stressing about what to wear for your engagement session? Have you peeked in your closet and thought, I literally have nothing to wear for our engagement photos?

I have a sneaky suspicion that you may be scrolling through Pinterest looking for inspiration.

I totally get it.

Figuring out what to wear for your photos can be tricky, but after years of shooting engagement sessions and analyzing what worked best for my clients, I want to share my insider secrets with you on the best engagement photo outfits.

Start with dressing YOU first

It will be so much easier to dress your other half after you know what the heck you are going to wear.

Start with what you want to wear, and then pick out what your fiancé will wear. Opt for a long, flowy maxi dresses or skirts in soft fabrics like chiffon or tulle (which allow for beautiful movement in the images) or a midi or cocktail dress. Dresses look amazing on camera and a photo shoot is a perfect time to get dressed up.

Coordinate your color palette, but don’t match

If you only do one thing when it comes to selecting what everyone should wear, this is THE best tip, I can give you. Select an overall color palette that you want your family to wear, and then build on this. The goal for coordinating a family is to visually break up the colors and shades so that you’re not all wearing the same color on top and bottom. The more we can mix that up, the better.

The easiest way to do this is to dress everyone in your family with a different dominant color and similar accent colors. A dominant color is the one you see in most of the outfit and the accent color is the smaller color.

For example, if you are wearing a blush dress with nude shoes (blush is your dominant color), you can dress your husband in a navy sport coat and tan pants (navy as his dominant color).

Pick outfits with a neutral color palette

I recommend selecting softer, lighter tones and more muted shades.

By avoiding ultra-bright, bold colors, it will help bring all the attention to your faces, and let the eye focus on the way you and your emotions.

The camera loves shades of soft pink and muted blues, mixed with sophisticated light neutrals like heather gray, creams, leather brown and white. And this softer color palette works in just about every location.

Pro tip : If we are going to be in a location with a lot of green like trees or grass, avoid wearing green or anything in the green color palette like turquoise. 

Dress your guy in a fitted look

Leave the shorts, sandals and any pants that are loose or baggy at home. Dress your husband in fitted dress pants or colored pants, closed-toed shoes, and a solid shirt. Add in a suit coat, blazer or sport coat, and he will look photo-ready.

Think about adding layers

Layers look great on men (just look at catalogs or displays at department stores). Think about adding a vest or a sport coat to add another layer to their outfit or even pair a button-down shirt underneath a sweater.

Layers add dimension and make your engagement photos feel like you just stepped out of a catalog.

Say NO to the these things

When figuring out what to wear for your engagement session avoid logos, patterns and bold, bright colors. Sticking with solid neutrals and a soft color palette will result in gorgeous, clean timeless photos that you will LOVE for years.

Start digging through your closets and see what you can find. But if you feel the need to shop for a few new things, I always suggest starting with :

• my curated looks on Like to Know It
• Lulus
• Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack
• VICI
• Asos
• Rent the Runway (click here to get $30 off your order)
• Bonobos
• Trunk Club (snag a $50 credit when you sign up)

Still, stressing about what to wear for your engagement photos? Here are 25 engagement dresses that I LOVE from Lulus.

>>>Not sure what to wear for your engagement photos<<<

25 dresses that are perfect for engagement photos

25 White Dresses to Wear for your Engagement Session (or any wedding events)

stalk my pinterest board

view past engagement shoots

If you need more inspiration, free to peek at my pinterest board for additional ideas or check out past engagement shoots to see how other clients have styled their crew.

Interested in scheduling an engagement session with me? Send me a note!

>>> Looking for more engagement planning advice? Check out my best tips on how to include your furbaby in your engagement photos, the best Chicago photo locations for engagement photos and our favorite locations in the Chicago suburbs for photos. And if you aren’t sold on an engagement session, here are six reasons why we think you need one. <<<

First time to the blog? Hi, I am Brittany, and I am a fine art film photographer specializing in lifestyle wedding and family photography. I travel worldwide photographing beautiful weddings, engagements, and families, and most of the time you can find me in Chicago, Naples (Southwest Florida), and Las Vegas. My light and airy editing style and candid, joyful photos are what I am best known for. Interested in working together? Contact the studio for more information.