What should I wear for my engagement shoot?

lildropofsunshine

We're having our engagement shoot done this Friday at the botanical gardens, and some at the basilica across the street...and I have no idea what to wear! FI only has 2 nice shirts (one a beautiful blue -- that I picked out lol), and one black.

I'm having the hardest time finding a dress to compliment his blue shirt, and I don't have any nice pants or nice shirts for that matter since I don't wear "real" pants and 95% of the time I'm in a dress and the other 5% of the time I'm in comfy clothes such as leggings or scrubs since I'm a home health aide...I feel like I might be best off going to the thrift store tomorrow to see if I can find anything since I was thinking blue would look great with our background and black is too muted.

Opinions? The only thing I have that I think may possibly work is a white floral dress, but I'm worried it'll compete with the natural beauty of the gardens.

Help please!

emmaaa

I prefer solids with outdoor photos, especially when it will have flowers and a lot going on at the botanical garden.

DH and I wore colors that just complimented. DH wore a light green button up with dark wash jeans and I wore a peach tank with a high waisted denim skirt. We didn't match but they went well together. 

lovemesomemonster

We went casual and did use patterns outside, but we were by lakes and not in gardens where flowers would compete. I would suggest something more solid, maybe with a little pattern, and I think it looks nice when the two people compliment each other but not necessarily match. I put some of ours below so you can see the difference in patterns and solids, we are also in black in one of them.

aliwis000

The follow is what my photographer sent to us for our engagements! HTH!

Nature - greenery/trees - works best for more casual looks

City - skylines/buildings/clean - coordinates well with dressy/date night style (think going to the theater or little black dress)

Urban - warehouse/graffiti/texture - goes well with trendy, fashionista looks and dressy styles


As far as wardrobe, I usually advise people to wear what makes you feel beautiful and confident. You will want to be comfortable enough to sit/stand easily and move around. Key points:
1. Color: Don't match each other, complement each other. Shades of the same color are okay, but complementary colors look better. (Exact or near matches draw attention away from you two and toward your matchiness instead.) I would avoid big, bold patterns. Simple or small patterns are good, as are solid colors. Avoid solid bright white and solid black, as texture can often be lost with those; soft ivory or charcoal are better options. Texture is great.
2. Style: Do match the "level" of dress. If he's in shorts and a polo, she should not be in a little black dress, for example. Your idea of jeans with a nice shirt is good.
3. Fit: Do be aware. Short dresses can be tricky, and bra straps can peek out of sleeveless shirts. This doesn't mean you can't wear short skirts or sleeveless tops, but choose carefully. You don't want to be worrying about whether something is showing that shouldn't be.
4. Accessories: Avoid extra jewelry on your hands. We want the focus to be on your sparkly engagement ring; other jewelry can take the eye away from it. If you wear high heels or other sassy (read: uncomfortable) shoes, I recommend bringing a pair of slip-on shoes as well so you can switch out as you walk between locations.

julieanne912

We did photos in our own backyard and in the fields surrounding the house.  I picked our outfits, we did muted shades of green (think like an oliveish color) and gray, and both wore dark jeans and our cowboy boots.  I also agree that doing big patterns isn't really good for photos, keep it simple so the attention is more on your faces than what you are wearing.

lildropofsunshine

I went to the thrift store today and got the perfect outfit! A nice cream lace dress with a teal braided belt and a pair of champagne peep toe wedges. With that I'll wear my matching cream headband, and a pair of tri-toned leaf earrings. He'll be wearing a blue button up with khakis and Sperry's.