The words stylized and fashion get us so excited! Yes, Brandon too, his style and fashion have dashingly matured over the years and to see him walk into a room looking handsome and debonair makes my little heart just explode with romantic ideas of him sweeping me off my feet. I LOVE IT!

Everyone loves to look and feel amazing and there is no better time to pull out all the stops then during your engagement shoot. Engagement shoots are full of love, romance, fun, playful flirting and one of the only times in life a couple gets to use the beautiful French word  “fiancé”. It’s your time! And by far one of the most asked questions we receive from our couples before their shoot is, “What do we wear?”.

To answer this question we thought it would be fun to share 7 Dos + Don’ts to stylize your engagement shoot fashion.

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Look Fabulous
An engagement session is the perfect reason to have some fun and look fabulous!  Think gorgeous dresses and shoes for the ladies and pressed dress shirts, ties and dress shoes for the gentlemen. You can never look to good for your engagement shoot… so glam it up! And a key thing to remember is to make it yours, meaning if a cocktail dress and heals are you – show it off girl! OR if a long floral dress and sandals make you feel absolutely amazing then rock it beautifully! Be true to who you are. Meredith looked absolutely stunning in her long floral dress!

2. Do Bring Two Looks
It’s always fun to switch up the look from formal + fancy to fun + playful during the shoot. But… the key here is to remember fabulous, so your playful out fit should be just as fabulous, something that makes you feel AMAZING! For Kaylee + Jeff’s shoot we hiked about 45 min to the top of a mountain. So for the hike up they wore a more fun relaxed out fit. Then at the top they both changed (we have a changing tent we bring along) and they both came out looking amazing on top of the world (pun intended!) with beautiful views as a background to their amazing outfits.

3. Don’t Worry About “Matching”
It may sound super cute to match during your shoot but we actually discourage the matchy matchy look. You don’t want to look like the “generic beach family” like in the frames you buy at the store. Instead let your individual personalities shine through what you’re wearing. Think complimentary colors rather then matching. And trust us, different colors and textures add visual interest, and they also make your photos look more authentic and true. Amanda + Travis both sported their individual style and their photos came out adorable.

4. Do Accessorize
The right accessories can add a dash of sophisticated style to your photos. Keep in mind “less is more”. If  you choose to wear statement jewelry we recommend to wear only one piece at a time. It is fun to also bring along accessories you can play with like a cute hat, scarf, small fancy purse or sunglasses. Of corse these would not be in all the photos, but rather serve as a fun accessory we can stylize and play with for a few photos. Rosie brought along a lovely spring hat she had with the word love on it, so perfect and fun.

5. Do Wear Clothing That Fits You Perfectly
The camera captures everything. That means every little curve so choosing an outfit that is not too tight and not to Baggy is key. Yes baggy clothes is just as bad a too tight. Baggy clothing can may you look (I hate to say it but) larger than you actually are in pictures or frumpy. So a good comfortable fit is best. Iche + JuRiel nailed it, a perfectly fitting dress that showed off Iche’s great figure and legs and a sports jacket and jeans that flattered JuRiel’s masculine chest and stance.

6. Don’t Give Into The Pressure To Bring A Big Purse
It is easy to feel like you need to bring along a compact, extra blush, hairspray, hair pins, a hair brush and to pile it all into your purse… but fight the urge. I know this one is hard, our purses go with us everywhere and had everything we need, but for your shoot its best to be hands free.  Leaving your purse at home and just bringing along your necessities is a better idea, like some lipstick or lipgloss. And as we mentioned before a small fancy purse works well for a shoot. Jordan brought along a beautiful gold purse for their shoot… LOVE!

7. Do Layer
Never underestimate the power of a great sport coat gentlemen! Layering has made men look amazing for centuries, a touch of wisdom handed down over the years. It may feel a bit warm, but sixty minutes of a little heat in exchange for fabulous + timeless photos are so worth it. The saying is true, happy wife, happy life! I mean seriously Garfield and Alicia look phonominal and Alicia is the perfect testimony to a happy wife!