What Should You Wear For Your Colorado Engagement Photos in the Mountains?

Woot Woot! Yaaaaas! You’re engaged!

This is one of the most exciting times in your life and I’m guessing you can’t wait to shout it from the rooftops for the whole world to hear. What better way to get the word out about entering into this new chapter in your life than with a stunning engagement shoot to show it off and share the news?! 

The question is, what the heck are you supposed to wear to an engagement photoshoot? Especially if you’re going to be showing off your adventurous side, hiking, or even just taking your photos in the Colorado mountains because they’re beautiful…

It’s all about finding the perfect balance between practical and awe-inspiring outfits that will help your pictures jump off the screen and make people want to hang your wedding invitation or save the date on their fridge for more than just a date reminder. Lucky for you, we have assembled our top tips for finding the perfect ensemble for you and your partner to have the perfect engagement photoshoot!

Don’t Be Afraid To Be Elegant

I totally understand the instinct to dress down for an engagement photoshoot when you’re going to the mountains or incorporating an adventurous activity and we’re all for it – if that’s what you prefer. However, just because you want to do a bit of hiking or climbing doesn’t mean that you can’t wear something more bold and elegant. If you feel more special in a gown or suit then, by all means, go for it! The contrast of formal clothing against the outdoor background is always enchanting.

A lot of couples we work with wear comfortable clothes to hike and change into their fancier clothes at the destination. If you’re worried about things getting wrinkled in a bag or backpack, you can even pack a garment bag by strapping it to the outside of a hiking backpack!

We absolutely loved Eli’s velvet dress and Brent’s suit for their elegant outfit choice in Rocky Mountain National Park

Bring Along Some Different Accessories or Props

When you book a more traditional engagement photoshoot it is not uncommon to bring along a few different outfit options, accessories, and props like blankets, champagne, or whiskey. However, just because you want to inject a bit more adventure in your engagement shoot doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice those options. 

When you book your engagement photos with us, you can bring two outfits for your photoshoot! We typically encourage couples to bring a fancy outfit and a casual outfit. This way you get more variety in your final photos. 

We love it when couples bring other props, like flowers, a blanket, an instrument, champagne (or another sparkling drink), hats, or even a picnic spread! Your engagement photos are a great way to show off your personality.

Kristina and Tim brought their favorite poetry books to their engagement photos in Estes Park to incorporate their love of reading!

Consider The Season

When you book an engagement shoot in the Colorado mountains, you need to take the changing seasons into account as you choose your outfits. If you’re miserable because of the weather it will be hard to take candid photos with a genuine smile. If it’s winter, don’t be afraid to wear warm, soft, and cozy clothes; you will still look irresistibly adorable. 

A cozy sweater with leggings or jeans is a great fall look for men & women.  In the summer, flowy dresses play nicely in the wind. We always recommend that you bring a warm & heavy jacket in colder months because it’s easy to toss on and warm up in between photos. 

Tip: If your adventure engagement session is in a colder season (Sept – June) you can wear baselayers under long dresses, pants, and long-sleeved shirts/sweaters. Thick, solid-colored leggings and fleece-lined leggings (like these great ones on Amazon) are also cozy options! 

Melissa and Bryan wore the perfect outfits to match both the weather and the fall colors surrounding them for their engagement photos in Boulder

Compliment Each Other Without Being Too “Matchy”

While it is a good idea to coordinate your outfits to a point, you don’t want to be in matching outfits because this isn’t a Brady Bunch themed engagement shoot. Rather than wearing matching shirts, you could choose clothes in the same color tones like jewel tones, pastels, earthy colors, etc. 

Let’s say that you want to play up the cozy for your engagement shoot, you could each wear a cozy sweater that compliments one another, or one of you could wear a sweater while the other wears a blouse and a cardigan, or a long sleeve shirt and a scarf.

Megan and Drew both wore outfits with earth-tone colors that complimented each other AND the scenery perfectly for their engagement session on the shore of this alpine lake!

Consistency and Cohesiveness are Key

One of the things we stress to our couples is to make sure your outfits are consistent and cohesive. If you’re wearing something casual make sure your partner’s outfit is casual too. If you’re dressed for chilly weather make sure your partner isn’t dressed for a warm sunny day. For example, if one of you is wearing a gown, the other shouldn’t be wearing light-wash jeans or if you’re wearing a dress with spaghetti straps your partner shouldn’t be in a jacket or long-sleeves.

Jack and Caroline’s outfits are a perfect example of how to have cohesive outfits that aren’t “matchy-matchy”. They each chose a soft color with similar tones and were both wearing long sleeves and pants to match the winter weather around them for their engagement photos at Dillon Reservoir

Make Sure You’re Comfortable

This is not a time to pretend to be something you are not. Rather, this is the time to let your unique personalities and style as a couple shine through. You should ultimately choose clothes and shoes that make you both feel comfortable and confident in your own skin. The less preoccupied you are with your outfit, the more you will be able to focus on one another, and the more your love will shine through the photos. 

Try on your outfits ahead of time (even down to the underwear!) to make sure they fit you without sagging or digging in. Make sure you can move in them and don’t have to constantly be adjusting your clothing, or it will become a big distraction. This is also a great time to check for stains and rips.

Tip for the ladies: Cut those little straps that are sewn into the armpit of your dress for hangers off or use paper tape to stick them to the inside of your dress. You’ll be moving a lot and don’t want them bunching up or popping out in the photos!

Adrian and Josh incorporated paddle boarding into their adventure engagement session, so she wore a dress that was easy to move around in and they ditched the fancy shoes to head out on the water!

Footwear

Finally, and this piece tends to be overlooked the most, make sure you’re wearing the right shoes. If you are doing any hiking or walking over uneven terrain, bring proper hiking shoes! Your feet and ankles with thank you. You can also bring a cuter pair or two of shoes to change into after the hike.

Tip for the gentlemen: Dress shoes typically don’t have traction. Check out brands like Echo to find nice dress shoes that still have good traction.

There are so many comfortable and stylish hiking boot brands now too! If you do decide to get new shoes for your engagement session be sure to wear them ahead of time and break them in. It’s hard to keep a smile on when you have new shoe blisters on your mind!

Falling off of a mountain wasn’t on our itinerary during Katie and Jared’s engagement photos – so they both opted for flat shoes with closed toes and tread for this epic mountaintop photo location in Boulder

Would You Choose the Colorado Mountains for your Engagement Photos?

If you are considering a more adventurous, out-of-the-box engagement photoshoot you’re in the right place! Let us take you on our favorite Colorado hikes and create some gorgeous photos while we’re at it! When you work with the Colorado Photographer Squad not only do we help you choose an epic location, we can even help you incorporate activities into your engagement photo session – like paddle boarding, canoeing, picnicking and more!

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