So you've picked a location and booked a session with your favourite photographer. But what exactly should you wear?

Dress for the occasion 

Ideally, engagement photographs should reflect your personality and sense of style. Couples will often have an idea of whether they would prefer a more formal style of dress, or a more relaxed casual style. If you're sitting on the fence, try to be guided by the location that you've chosen. For example, an engagement session on the beach tends to lend itself to a more casual style of dress compared to photographs taken in a period mansion. On the beach, you might decide to wear sandals and a summer dress, whereas in the mansion, you might consider dressing up in formal wear for your engagement session. However, these are only guidelines - and if you're dead set on wearing formal wear on the beach then go for it!

Wear complementary colours

If you can, try to coordinate your outfits so that the colours that you are wearing complement each other. But avoid getting too 'matchy' as this can cause the images to look somewhat contrived (if you've ever seen photos of a couple or family all wearing matching white tops and blue jeans, you'll know what I mean). You can learn more about colour theory and how to apply this to your wardrobe here. 

Avoid large logos

Nothing dates faster than large or conspicuous branding on clothing. Just don't do it. A good test is to try to picture how your images might look on your living room wall in five or ten years time. If you want your images to stand the test of time, this is definitely one to avoid.

Don't buy new

It may seem counterintuitive, but I recommend to couples not to hit the shops for a set of new threads. This is because you're generally going to be less self conscious when wearing clothes that you already own. And the less self conscious you are, the more relaxed you'll be. This will result in much more natural expressions and images. Just make sure that whatever you wear is clean and not worn out.  

Remember the practical stuff

Being Melbourne, it's almost guaranteed that the weather will change (probably several times) throughout any given day. So, when preparing for a engagement session, you'll need to keep the weather in mind and be prepared.

To capture the best available natural light, engagement sessions are usually held one to two hours after sunrise, or one to two hours before sunset.

Particularly in the cooler months, it may get quite cold at either end of the day. But does that certainly doesn't mean that everyone should have an engagement session wearing a puffer jacket and fleece pants! By far the best item of clothing to bring along in cold weather is a warm jacket that can easily be put on and removed when needed.

When there is a chance that it may rain, and we still decide to go ahead, it would be useful to bring an umbrella to protect your clothing, and prevent your hair and makeup from being spoiled.

Comfortable shoes are a must, as engagement sessions usually involve a couple of different locations and it may be necessary to walk some distance between locations. You can still wear your high heels when being photographed - just be sure to bring a pair of comfy shoes when it's time to hoof it.