The engagement session is typically the first professional photo shoot that you and your future spouse will take together. Not only that, these are the portraits that you will use to create invitations and/or announce your engagement to your friends and family. As a wedding photographer in Florida, most of my engagement sessions are taken on the beach. While the beach is a gorgeous place for engagement photos, it can also be difficult to dress for. Today, I am sharing my top three tips for what to wear to your beach engagement session.
Dress It Up
The first rule of engagement photos is that there’s no such thing as “too dressed up”. You only take engagement photos together once! So when it comes to your portrait session, don’t be afraid to have some fun with your outfits.
Dresses are always a good choice for the beach. They flow in the wind and make you look like a beach goddess! There is just something about long dresses on the sand that looks incredible. A well-dressed man on the beach is always a winning look, too. I love to take a few portraits in the water at the end of a session in formal clothes. The guy can roll up his pants, and the girl holds up her dress for some fun, whimsical shots in the water.
However, you should avoid jumpsuits! I know, I love them too, but for movement on the beach, I have found they aren’t very flattering, and we all want you to look your best.
Fabric Choice
The beach is always windy, wet, and full of salty air. Unfortunately, these three things can bring out the worst in certain types of fabrics. Fabrics that I would avoid on the beach are silk and satin. If silk or satin get wet, it leaves spots that are incredibly visible and distracting. The salty air and wind can always make these fabrics cling, which can be unflattering or, in some cases, revealing. Take it from me and avoid these fabrics!
Multiple Outfits
When it comes to beach photoshoots, I always recommend that my clients bring multiple outfits. Not only should you bring multiple outfits, but you should bring outfits that are very different from each other. For example, plan on your first outfit being more formal with a dress and a button-down with slacks, and then, in contrast, bring a casual pair of jeans and a nice blouse for your second outfit. This will give us variety in your engagement photos, which is great when you are choosing invitation photos, wedding website photos, etc.
Another reason that I suggest wearing multiple outfits for your beach session is that the beach can be messy. There is a very good chance that you will get wet and sandy. When this happens, you will want to be able to change!
I may be biased, but I think that beach engagements are the best kind of engagement photos. The background is gorgeous, and the posing options are so much fun, especially when you have the person you love most by your side. Follow these simple outfit tips and you will have a wide variety of portraits to use throughout the wedding planning process, and then to remember for the rest of your life.
