Oh, my goodness! If you are anything like me, you have been dreaming about these photos for years! And just reading a blog all about the different recipes for styling your engagement session, makes your heart bubble over in excitement! And I am so happy for you and this sweet season you are in!!
You want these photos to be perfect, dreamy, elegant, and look effortless! You want them to perfectly capture the relationship between you and your fiancé. And I do too!
But here’s the thing that most brides don’t realize: Believe it or not, you have so much control over the outcome of your shoot and what it looks and feels like! Styling your engagement session is one of the most important parts of preparing for your session.
And yes, the photographer you choose to work with will have a big impact on how the photos look… but a lot depends of how you decide to style your engagement session.
What you choose to wear at your engagement session is a big decision. And it often causes a ton of stress for the bride beforehand. However, my hope is that with a little education, you will be able to determine the style and feel you desire for your shoot. And then hopefully making your outfit selection will so much easier and less complicated!
In this blog, I’ll walk you through the two different recipes for styling your session! This is the fun part! Once you choose which style you prefer you can follow my simple steps for making sure you look amazing in your photos!
Which Style Do You Prefer?
BOLD or NEUTRAL
DRESSY or CASUAL
CLASSIC or TRENDY
These choices represent the three main decisions you will have to make in regards to your outfit choices. There are no right or wrong answers! Maybe you want one outfit to be dressy and the other to be casual. Maybe you want one outfit to be very light and neutral. And then you want to wear more color in the next outfit. These categories will hopefully help you determine what you’re hoping for in your engagement session. And help you choose a recipe for styling your session. If you’re feeling stuck and can’t seem to determine what you prefer, that’s very normal!
Romantic Style Recipe
If you’re hoping for a more romantic style of shoot that includes “light” and “airy” colors, you can actually make outfit choices that will lend your images to turn out brighter, softer and extra photogenic! Here are some ingredients that go into creating a romantic styled shoot. It’s important to note that you do not need to choose all of these ingredients in order to have a light and airy style to your images. However the more ingredients you include, the more romantic it will be:
– Neutral Colors: Blushes, tans, light pinks, faint blues and light minty teals, creams, grays and whites will always result in more of a light and airy look in your images. These colors photograph softer and more romantically!
– Long, Flowy Skirts/Dresses: Dresses and skirts with feminine ruffles, multiple layers of fabric and the ability to blow and move in the wind will always photograph beautifully! You would be amazed at how impactful moving fabric softens an image.
– Khakis vs. Jeans: If you really want your images to be as bright as possible, consider having your groom wear lighter pants instead of dark dress pants or dark jeans.
Bright & Bold Recipe
Just like the “Romantic” recipe, you don’t have to apply all of these “ingredients to get a perfectly Bright & Bold look to your engagement session. These ingredients include:
– Only One Wears a Pattern: If one of you has a bold pattern, it’s very important that the other doesn’t. The more bold the pattern, the more important this rule is!
– Bold Backgrounds: A lot of time, if my couples are going for a bold and bright look, I will notice solid colored backgrounds to use for part of their engagement session! It’s a double win if the background coordinates with their outfits!
– Only One Bold Color: If you really want a bold and bright look but you want to do it well and tastefully, I would suggest that only one of you have a bright and bold colored outfit and the other stay in a solid neutral to avoid over-doing it!
– Large Patterns are Preferred: If you really want to wear a pattern, my only request is that your pattern is on the larger side. Patterns that are smaller than a quarter can be difficult to photograph. This isn’t true of all patterns but it’s a good general rule to go by!
My hope is that by understanding what looks good on camera and all about the different styles, you will be able to choose one of theses recipes for your engagement session and easily decide the feel you would like your photos to have. And hopefully, choosing outfits will be less stressful! But also remember, I really do LOVE to help with this part of your session, so seriously don’t hesitate to reach out!
