Recently engaged? Congratulations! Before you fall too far off your “I’m going to be married!” high, let’s schedule those engagement photos to capture the immense love and excitement you both carry for the future together.

When preparing for your engagement shoot, there are lots of elements to consider -- most importantly, what to wear for your session. Today I’d like to share with you the five recommendations I share with all my brides to help them come prepared for their session and ready to kill it with these pictures. Scroll to the bottom to see some awesome examples of what to wear after you read these tips!

Bring two outfits.

A lot of newly engaged couples feel stress surrounding choosing a single outfit for their engagement pictures, let alone TWO. But let me tell you a little secret -- bringing a second outfit actually alleviates some of that stress. Sound crazy? It totally is, but it’s true! Just having a second outfit takes some of the pressure off the first outfit to fulfill all those hopes and dreams for the perfect picture. Your pictures will be lovely simply because your beautiful smiles will radiate through the entire frame. But looking rad in some new outfits will help with your confidence!

I recommend bringing two outfits -- one that’s more fancy/formal and another that’s a dress/casual version of a “night on the town” date night outfit. It’s important to remember that for your engagement pictures, there is no such thing as “too dressed up”! In fact, if there is a dress you’ve had your eye on, but haven’t felt like it would get any use, now’s your chance to feel ultra-fancy because this is definitely the time to be fancy and rock that lovely dress.

Keep your wedding colors in mind.

These photos are going to be displayed in conjunction with all things related to your wedding, so if you have a wedding color scheme that you’re sticking to, you’d do well to coordinate your engagement session look with the colors and themes included in your wedding planning.

If you haven’t chosen your wedding colors yet, or if you are hosting a destination wedding and don’t have access to a similar-themed local, just go neutral. Choose simple patterns and colors that look good in any setting. Besides, having a neutral subject will allow the background backdrop of your photos to take the stage, which turns out beautifully for more “in the wild”-type engagement shoots in fields of wildflowers or up in the mountains.

Express your personality.

Do you have a favorite color or a significant look that represents your love or your relationship? Be yourself! I just recommend that you avoid graphics and logos - you don’t want to be repping a brand in these photos, just yourselves! Another thing to avoid is bold patterns and plaids. They look great out and about, but sometimes end up performing some funky optical illusions in the photos as the camera tries to capture the detail.

Find a way to coordinate your personalities and outfits with each other. One way to do this is by having each of you tackle a single dominant color, with accessories and accents that match each other, with all the colors still in the same color scheme. For example, you could wear a blush dress with nude heels, while your man wears a navy suit coat with tan pants and a blush pocket square.

Another way to incorporate more colors to match is through layering. Men just look great in layers. Think of the last time you walked past a J. Crew or Banana Republic display. The mannequins modeling the menswear are always layered, and those mannequins look great! Include a layered look if anything just to create some visual dimension to the photos.

Dress comfortably.

You should find outfits that are comfortable and flatter your shape. The last thing you want to do is spend time during what should be a fun, romantic engagement shoot concerned over whether pieces of your ensemble are falling the right way or making sure everything is staying tucked.

Women look best in long, flowy dresses and skirts. They flatter almost every shape and show up really beautifully on camera! Men look best in a sport coat or suit jacket, and if you’re stumped about coordinating, my go-to suggestions are always a gray or navy color for either the pants or the jacket. They’re great neutrals and will offer you a great array of options for your outfit to match.

Get your hair and make-up done.

These engagement pictures are timeless. They’re going to be used everywhere in the “advertising” of your wedding — on your wedding website, on your save the dates and invitations, or displayed at open houses and receptions. Invest in professional hair and make-up services to ensure you’ve got one less thing to worry about when planning your shoot. You can rest easy knowing the team will make sure you look stunning!

I hope you find this resource helpful as you’re planning your outfits for your upcoming engagement shoot! Happy wedding planning!