WHAT TO WEAR GUIDE
SO HERE'S THE RUNDOWN
I know it can feel kind of daunting to pick what to wear for photos. Here are a few guidelines I’ve put together so you guys can be sure to look great, while still making sure the images are focused on your love, not what you’re wearing. This is just what I’ve found to work best from trial and error from past shoots, they’re only guidelines, not rules!
Ultimately, I want you to look like yourself. The most important thing to me is that you are as comfortable as possible! A lot of people go shopping for new clothes before the shoot but I don't recommend going that route. Bring clothes you normally wear, stuff that’s already in your closet that you love and feel like yourselves in. Your favourite sweater and ripped jeans? Perfect. As long as it represents who you are right now, that's all that matters. Guys are usually not all that excited about putting on a collared ironed button up with dress shoes if they’re used to wearing flannels and sandals boots. I promise they’ll be way more happy to be at the shoot if they're wearing something they like. And if you'd like to dress up - by all means, I'm all for it!
I only have one no no. Avoid logos at all cost on everyone's clothing including the kiddos. It ends up feeling like a commercial rather than a personal shoot and your eye just gravitates towards the text. Oh and guys, leave your wallets and phones in the car. Apart from that, wear whatever makes your heart sing.
HERE’S A FEW GUIDELINES TO HELP IF YOU’RE
FEELING LOST ABOUT WHAT TO WEAR:
First off, I always recommend to bring options. To get the best results, I’ll pick and pull from the options you bring for you guys to change into for each location we shoot at. This way I can make sure the outfits compliment the environment so that the focus is on you two, not on any distractions, which yes, can be your outfits. All you have to do is make sure you bring stuff that you feel like a million bucks in that we can pick and pull from!
Don’t bring your whole closet though. It will take too much time for me to go through everything and will take time away from your session. Most people bring about 2 or 3 pairs of bottoms and 3 or 4 tops each, then you can bring dresses, accessories, jackets and whatnot as well. Also, just know that depending on where we are shooting, you’ll most likely be changing in the back of the car on the side of the road. If you aren’t down with that, that’s totally fine and you can just bring one outfit! You can text me a few photos of the outfit options you have and we can pick it out together beforehand.
MAKE SURE IT MAKES SENSE.
Think about the conditions and locations we are going to be shooting in and plan around it. If we are going to be hiking around the mountains, bring shoes with good grip that you won’ttwist your ankles in. If we are shooting on a sandy beach, it would look weird if you’re wearing heels.
If it’s freezing cold outside, bring lots of layers and warm clothes with wool socks and boots. If it’s going to be hot, bring clothes that can breathe more so you don’t have sweaty pit stains in the photos. Be as comfortable as you can be!
Tips for cold weather: It's nice to be able to wear your favourite sweater for a shoot but let's face it, it can be quite brisk on the West Coast. Wear heat tech or long johns underneath your outfit to make sure you're warm enough. It's hard to relax and look like you're enjoying yourself if you're cold.
PATTERNS, COLOURS & TEXTURES
Avoid big, loud, chunky, crazy patterns. The smaller or more subtle, the better! If the pattern is too loud, it will distract from your faces. Flannels are always a yes in my book! I usually try to avoid pairing too many patterns together because, you guessed it, it makes the photos feel a little hectic and it's distracting from your faces and the location. Knits add a beautiful texture to images and dresses or anything that flows creates movement. Be sure to iron your clothes before so there aren't huge wrinkles distracting us from your faces either!
I recommend you lean towards neutral colours, earthy tones and metallics and stay away from bright colours. This doesn't mean just creams and browns and greys. There are neutrals for every single colour! Instead of green, go for a soft sage green, instead of red, go with a deep maroon. Instead of yellow, go with a mustard yellow and so on.
I love colours and encourage them, but in my experience bright/bold colours become more of a distraction especially since I shoot in more earthy and natural settings. Something to remember, depending on the light, the colour of your clothing will reflect onto your own face or bounce onto your partners' or kids' faces which makes it extremely tricky when adjusting skin tones.
PROPS
Props don’t have to be cheesy! Props could be a dominos pizza picnic, a motorcycle, a hat, your cats and/or dogs, blankets, a truck/car, a campfire, a bouquet, a paddle board, etc. If you have props you wanna incorporate, let me know and we can make sure to incorporate them in a non-cheesy way!
IN HOME SESSIONS
All of the above applies, but for in home sessions feel free to show a little more skin if you like. It makes the photos look a lot more comfortable and intimate than if you’re in lots of heavy layers. I recommend having options of tank tops, t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, and jeans to mix and match! If you can avoid loud colours and patterns here, softer colours have more of an at home cozy vibe.
HAIR + MAKEUP
A lot of people ask me whether or not they should get your hair and makeup done by a pro. My answer is always “whatever will make you feel best, do that.” I absolutely don’t think it’s necessary whatsoever, because in my personal opinion, I would rather look like MYSELF rather than a super glammed up version of myself. There's been countless times where I’ve had women show up to shoots wiping off the caked on makeup and taking out 200 bobby-pins because it just doesn’t look like them. I know this sounds obvious but at the very least come to the shoot with freshly washed hair.
If you want your hair and makeup done, then definitely do it, because the most important thing is that you feel confident. If you’re getting hair and makeup done, I recommend you schedule it to be done at least an hour before you have to leave for the shoot so you aren’t late. Also, if you’re whiter than toothpaste like me and want a spray tan, be sure to get a suuuuper natural airbrushed spray tan rather than one from a salon/tanning place.
Tips for a windy day: I love some wind in the air, it adds emotion to the whole scene. But it also means that your hair is most likely going to end up in your face. If you wanted your hair down, doing a half up do is a good compromise, keeps that down feel while keeping it out of your face. If anything bring a hair elastic with you in case you need to whip your hair up for a few shots.
Engagement sessions: You can expect your hands to be in quite a few shots so I recommend doing your nails or at the very least, giving your fingers a good scrub. It's easy to forget to do but goes a long way in the outcome of the images.
LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!
If you have anymore questions, don’t hesitate to message me! Feel free to send me a picture or two of what you’re thinking of wearing, or we can create a little Pinterest board together! But overall, just wear what you’re comfortable in. A pair of shoes you’ve had since university? Great. A sweater you wore for a month straight? Awesome. You do you, and I promise the photos will turn out amazing.