What to Wear for Engagement Photos in Seattle

{A Complete Guide}

 

Let me guess, you’re already stressed out over what to wear for Seattle engagement photos coming up and you need some inspiration? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This complete guide will help with what to wear in Seattle in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter engagement photos. I’ve been a wedding photographer and documenting engagement photos for almost 7 years now all over the greater Seattle area, so I am totally here to share my knowledge with you in this guide!

In this guide, you’ll learn about:

• What to wear for your engagement photos in all seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter)
• What to do if it rains (because, hello, Seattle)
• Patterns that work and don’t work
• Some other things to keep in mind for your session

Okay, you ready? Let’s do this!

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What to wear for engagement photos: Spring

Okay, we made it through winter, we’re ready to see some green leaves come back in the trees and flowers blooming, am I right? For spring engagement photos, I love seeing the ladies in spring dresses and dancing around and the guys either collared shirts with short sleeves, or a solid nice shirt. Anything that’s simple and that can let the florals around us shine. Ladies, rip out those sun dresses! Spring is the time to get out of those jeans and wear a skirt, dress, or romper and have fun.

For spring engagement photos, check out my Pinterest Board for Spring Engagement Outfit Ideas.

 

What to wear for engagement photos: Summer

For Summer engagement photo outfits, I highly recommend bringing two outfits that are casual and classy. So you can bring some jeans and a nice top, and then switch it up for a dress later or something you can breathe a little more in. Make sure you’re comfortable in whatever you wear and keep in mind some sweat. Sometimes light gray colors on guys show more sweat stains, so just be mindful of that. Again, dresses, skirts, or rompers are fun to wear in the summer and can keep you cool! Usually Summer engagement photos are towards the end of the day at sunset so the sun isn’t too bright on your faces (and not too hot), so ending your session in a summer dress and adding a little jean jacket or light sweater is always an option, too.

Check out my Summer outfit Engagement Photo Board here on Pinterest.

What to wear for engagement photos: Fall

Fall is my favorite time to go out and wander around the mountains for fall engagement photos. I love the changing fall colors and it’s so fun to photograph! One thing to keep in mind, since the fall colors are all reds, yellows, and oranges, you might want to switch it up for a more neutral tones so you’re not overwhelmed looking at your photos and seeing so much red. Whites, tans, beige, grays, blacks, and soft blues are excellent options for fall colors. I absolutely love seeing pops of white among the fall leaves. More neutral tones are the name of the game in Fall.

Check out my Fall Engagement Session Outfit Ideas on Pinterest Here. 

 

What to wear for engagement photos: Winter

Winter is always such a magical time for engagement photos! Snow falling and cloudy skies- what could be better?! So for winter engagement photos, I highly recommend not wearing white. If you wear white, you run the risk of blending in with the snow around you! Darker tones work best in snow, like forest green, or dark grays. You can always do a bright yellow or a pink dress, anything that’s not white or beige.

Check out my Winter Engagement Session Outfit Ideas on Pinterest Here.

 

 

 

 

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SO what do we do if it rains?

Because, Hello, we’re in Seattle. 

Naturally, we need to check on the weather for our engagement session and see if it might be too rainy. If you’re a couple who enjoys dancing and running around in the rain, getting everything a bit wet, and having umbrellas in many of your photos- you do you and totally go whenever you want! Some couples would like some umbrella shots, but not all photos to have umbrellas in their shots, so totally check on the weather. Usually if it says ‘showers’ in Seattle, you could probably get lucky with some breaks in the rain. Google weather has a timeline of when to expect the most rain throughout the day.

So, if it rains, here is what I recommend bringing along for your engagement session:

1. Rain Boots – you can always switch out shoes if we’re moving around somewhere in downtown Seattle, or on the beach, where when we walk to the location, you’re in comfortable rain boots, and then change into cutter ones or whatever other shoes you want for your actual photos.
2. Cute Clear Dome Umbrellas that look photogenic. I always bring a few so you both can have your own or you can snuggle up under one and get the umbrella all steamy 🙂
3. A blanket or towel to dry off some bags or props we bring along on your session
4. Maybe add a fun hipster hat or cozy hood with your outfit to keep you dry and looking oh so good.
5. I also bring my portable changing tent so you can change outfits in my little private pop-up tent that keeps you covered.

PLUS! Rain means clouds roaming the skies and that makes your skin all so even and gives that #pnw vibe for sure. I always love rainy days and love it when the clouds are covering the bright sky for those gloomy and natural pacific northwest vibes.

 

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Patterns That Work and Don’t Work

So now that we’ve seen some outfit inspiration on Pinterest, now it’s time to see whats in our closets and if it works.

Patterns + Solids:

If one of you is wearing a pattern, like stripes or plaid, then the other should wear a solid color. That makes it so it’s not so overwhelming with too many patterns. Less is more!

Same Colors:

Sometimes couples show up in the same color for their session. It’s cute and it looks like you’re trying to match each other and we’ll totally get some shots of that, but also try to have another option so it’s not too matchy matchy.

Various Patterns:

If you want to wear a striped shirt under your plaid top, or polkadot or another pattern, make sure it’s not too overwhelming. You can mismatch all you want and get that fun hipster vibe, but be sure they compliment each other.

Solid + Solid: 

You can’t go wrong with solid on solid outfits. It’s classy, it’s more neat, and always looks great!

Super Loud Piece:

If you want a super fancy/ or ‘loud’ patterned shirt or jacket- make sure the rest of the outfit and your partner’s outfit is more solid and neutral. That way the top or jacket can stand out and it won’t be contrasting with anything else.

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Some other things to keep in mind for your session…

1. Bring a backpack or a bag that you can carry your extra outfits and props in so you’re not left carrying it all and then plopping it on the floor whenever we stop to take photos.
2. Bring some extra Kleenex or paper towels just in case
3. If you’re bringing your puppy, make sure you bring an extra towel to wipe their paws, and treats for their good behavior! Also treats help to have them look at the camera 🙂
4. I always recommend bringing a fun ‘date idea’ for your session so you can bring more of your relationship and personality into your photos. If you both love to sit and drink coffee together, bring some coffee and cute mugs! If you love to watch football together, wear matching jerseys, anything you can think of that brings more of ‘you’ into your photos 🙂

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Well that’s all I have for you guys!! Hope this was helpful in figuring out what to wear for your engagement photos in Seattle! Always be prepared for rain, so bring some umbrellas or ask your photographer if they have some (chances are that they do!).

Also, check out my new guide on Where to go for your Engagement Photos here! 

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to check out some of my amazing couples’ engagement sessions on my Portfolio now!

Cheers!!

 

Oh also, check out my Top 10 Favorite Engagement Session poses + prompts in the video below: