If you’re planning to have your engagement photos taken soon, you’ve probably got a few things you’re worrying about. Location, timing, and maybe most nerve-wracking of all… clothing.

Look, we all want to look our very best when we’re having photos taken, and for that reason, I find people spending the most amount of time on deciding what they should wear. Formal ballgown? Something a little more casual? How casual is too casual? Will our outfits clash?… the list of questions goes on, and I’ve heard them all! But regardless of what exactly you’re wondering about regarding engagement photo wardrobe, I always have the same exact answer.

You should wear whatever tf you want. 

I mean it! I have two rules that I enforce when I’m giving people direction on what to wear. 1. You must feel comfortable in your clothes, and 2. You must feel confident in your clothes. Other than that, there’s no right or wrong choice.

Usually when I say this, the first thing I hear back is some version of “lol okay, so just as long as we don’t wear t-shirts and sweatpants, we’ll be fine?” But truthfully… even sweatpants are a good choice! If that’s the vibe you want. Actually, when I photographed Joe and Shahana, I showed up to their house and both of them were in their comfiest date-night-in clothes. All that was missing were some fuzzy slippers 😜 And you know what? T-shirts were the perfect choice. Joe and Shahana wanted to have comfy, cozy photos that felt true to their favorite date-night activities, and formalwear just would not have done these photos justice.

On the other hand, when I photographed Joe and Stacey on the Brooklyn Bridge, they wanted a more formal look, so Stacey wore a stunning green velvet floor length dress while Joe showed up in a full suit. This would’ve looked pretty out of place on the couch eating popcorn, but it was the perfect outfit for dancing in DUMBO! Stacey felt natural in it, and it showed in the photos.

Sometimes your outfit choice might be affected by environment, too. Just like you wouldn’t wear a formal ball gown on the couch, you probably wouldn’t wear 6 inch stilettos if you’re spending your engagement session hiking to the top of a mountain or getting engaged atop a waterfall, like Matt and Evelyn. 

At the end of the day, I want your session to scream YOU, so if that means you are just not a heels person, then do not try to force it! Trust me, you don’t want to look back at your photos and think, “who are these people?!” You want your photos to be about your relationship- not the relationship you saw on Pinterest. Not the relationship your parents expect you to present to them. It’s okay to be totally selfish and make these photos exactly what you want! Plus… if you can’t decide between dressing up or dressing down, you can always book a session that includes two outfits, like Megan and Paul did here. You’ve got options, baby!!