Congratulations on your engagement! You’re planning your adventure engagement session and know it will be a beautiful location, but you might be wondering, “what do I wear?”

I’m Jia, a personal stylist and guest on the blog to help you figure out what to wear for your outdoor engagement session.

Engagement photos are a great way to practice what it’s like being in front of the camera while capturing timeless portraits for lifelong memories. The question I often get from clients is, “what do we wear to make these photos timeless?”

I recommend answering these 3 questions to gain clarity on what you want your engagement photos to look like and how to keep the attention on you. After all, your engagement session isn’t about what you’re wearing - it’s about celebrating you as a couple!

1) What is your desired theme? How do you want to bring YOU to life?

I encourage you to first think about what theme you want for your engagement photos. A great way to figure this out is to first identify how you want to convey your celebration of each other. Do you want to capture laughter and the quirkiness of each other, or do you want a moody and serene tone to your portraits?

From there, you can think about how you can bring this theme to life. Do you want to be casual, like it’s a typical hiking day, or like you’re in a fantasy on top of the world?

2) What do you envision wearing to complement your engagement session location?

Once you have a sense of your theme, you can start thinking about how to complement it with what you’re wearing. 

For example, if your theme is a hiking day, you can wear polished hiking gear, light makeup and clean hair. For a theme around a dramatic contrast to the natural landscape, you can wear a long dress (females) or fitted top and all-purpose pants (males). For an outdoor setting, think clothing that is breezy, breathable fabrics that will flow naturally in the wind.

When deciding what to wear, think about what style you typically go for. Are you a more laid back kind of person or do you like to be dressed to the nines whenever possible?

Make sure to complement your partner. For example, if your partner is wearing a casual dress, consider wearing a casual top instead of a full-on suit or belted pants.

What I don’t recommend is trying something you typically don’t wear. For example, if you never tuck in your shirts, keep it untucked for your session. If you never wear dresses, don’t stress about buying a new dress. Now’s not the time to experiment with new concepts. You want to feel comfortable in what you’re wearing and if you try something new that doesn’t feel like yourself, you’ll notice the discomfort in your photos. You want to feel confident during your session, not uncomfortable!

3) What colors best compliment your skin tone and allow you to focus on each other as a couple rather than your outfits?

Colors are one of the biggest areas of confusion for couples. I get it! Wearing certain colors can either bring out the best in you, or they can distract us so much they bring our attention to your clothing instead. First and foremost, we want to keep the attention on you as the couple, not what you’re wearing.

To find your best colors, look through your closet and figure out what brings our attention to your face the most.

Start by comparing warm vs cool colors, then play with brighter and more muted colors within those categories.

• Which colors make your skin glow and radiate? These colors are great for your session.

• Which colors bring out more shadows and imperfections in your face? Avoid these colors.

Some skin tones look better in warmer colors and others will look better in cooler colors. For example, a warm neutral like a tan would be great on warmer skin tones, and a light gray could look great on cooler skin tones. Choose colors that look best on you and pair them with your partner so you have a cohesive palette for the session.

Need more help?

I hope these tips help you as you put together your engagement outfits. If you have any questions or want additional styling help, feel free to book a complimentary Style Strategy Session with me to find your timeless style no matter what event or life phase you’re in!