A few weeks ago Chris and I plus our photographer, Ashley LaPrade, spent the afternoon shooting our engagement photos.  We used our venue, Wiens Family Cellars, and a favorite restaurant, Blackbird Tavern, as the back drop and I knew I wanted our outfits to make sense for each location.  As I was planning outfits, researching the best colors to wear, and generally looking for inspiration on blogs and Pinterest I realized that there is really not a lot of helpful information on the subject.  Now that we have taken our photos I feel I can share some insights on how we picked the perfect looks for our photos.

1. What is  your vibe? Chris and I both knew we wanted the photos at the winery to be a bit dressier and the photos at the restaurant to be more of a reflection of our daily style.  I think it’s important to not try to be someone else during these photos.  If you are naturally a very casual couple it may come off as costumey to do a sequined gown and suit for your photos.  At the same time, if you are both stylish and like to dress up don’t be afraid to let that side shine!

2. Think about the time of year.  Use the season as a general guide for fabrics, colors, and silhouettes.  Fall photos are perfect opportunity to incorporate warm tones and boots while Spring is great for light linens, flowy dresses and wedges.  If at all possible try to coordinate the timing of engagement photos with the wedding.  Chris and I shot ours in October and our wedding will be in November so all the photos will have continuity of Autumnal color.

3. Decide on colors.  I knew I wanted to wear a white dress in the winery photos, I am a bride to be after all, but also loved the idea of using warm, jewel tones as well.  Since neither of us are into the “matchy matchy” photos we decided to compliment each other.  For the photos at the winery I wore a white dress and Chris opted for a white dress shirt under his dark sport coat.  At the restaurant Chris kept his look neutral in denim and tan while I used emerald green as the color pop and we coordinated our looks with hats. If you are choosing color over neutral think about how to compliment one another without totally matching each other.  A pale blue dress shirt would look great with a pastel floral dress or a red sweater might be perfect paired with a navy dress.

4. Don’t forget to ask your soon to be spouse what they want to wear.  These photos are not just for the Bride, they are for both of you.  Let your partner share their ideas and inspiration as well, sometime the authenticity of what they are wearing make the photos feel even more special.

So, what did we wear?

Winery:

Chris – John Varvatos sport coat // John Varvatos dress shirt // Ferragamo loafers // Levi’s jeans

Me – Ulla Johnson dress (via Elizabeth & Prince) // Ulla Johnson heels (old) // Anthropologie earrings

Restaurant:

Chris – Levi’s jacket // H&M t shirt // Levi’s jeans // Clark’s desert boots // Resistol vintage hat

Me: Reformation dress // Michael Kors leather jacket // Janessa Leone hat (via Elizabeth & Prince) // Steven heels

I hope this helps!

XO, Niki