If you caught our most recent digital album, you’ll know we featured some beautiful photos from Vicky and Caleb’s couple’s session. So, this week, we’re going to focus on dressing for couple’s sessions! The very same tips from our solo session post apply here: talk to your photographer, plan your outfits ahead of time, dress for confidence, etc. However, there are a few extra things to consider when you’re posing with a partner. The easiest route is to wear jeans and coordinating tops, but you can dress up or down as much as you want. Just be sure the two of you match in style, whether it be casual or formal!

Check out these tips on how to dress for a couple’s portrait session.

Coordinate colors or color tones

The colors in your and your partner’s outfits can really pull a portrait session together. You want to coordinate; not exactly match. Though it may sound adorable to buy matching outfits for your portrait session, these can end up looking a little quirky in the photos. Instead, try to choose colors that complement each other, like light blue and soft pink, or colors in the same family, like two shades of blue. If there’s an outfit that you really want to wear, be sure to communicate that with your partner so they can choose the right coordinating look, and vice versa. You can try the outfits on together or lay them out beside each other to see if they look good together.

Keep it simple with little to no patterns

The best way to save some headaches when planning portrait session outfits with your partner is to avoid any bold patterns or prints. Stick to solid colors and basics as best you can; if you want to make up for the simplicity elsewhere, you can add some accessories. Plaids and other subtle patterns can work for one of you, but the other person should wear a solid color. The best way to get away with a bold print is to wear a dress! This can make things a bit easier in Spring photos, when many dresses feature floral prints and bright colors. A floral dress paired with a solid outfit on your partner will look beautiful in outdoor shots. Just be careful with any patterns, because you don’t want a busy outfit to be distracting.

When in doubt, go neutral

You can never go wrong with neutral colors. If you’re struggling to find coordinating color tones, one (or both) of you can always opt for neutral tones. These include shades of black, white, gray, cream, and ivory. Earthy tones are also considered neutral, so colors like navy and olive green are great, too. Neutrals are also a great way to ensure that attention goes directly to your and your partner’s beautiful faces — not to what you two are wearing.

Plan accordingly for major height differences

If there’s a big height difference between you and your partner, we can work with that! However, it might be helpful if you plan to bring heeled shoes to the shoot. This way, upper-body photos will look a bit more even. If you would prefer not to wear heels, there are some sneaky ways to hide major height differences. Depending on the location of the photoshoot, there can be plenty of seated photos, where both of you are sitting and where the shorter one sits somewhere elevated, like on top of a table. Alternatively, you can emphasize the height difference by doing some really cute looking-up-at-your-partner-lovingly photos. Just talk to your photographer to brainstorm some ideas!

If you want to wear a hat, consider the brim

Hats can make really cute photoshoot accessories — in a solo session. Wide-brim hats are on trend right now, but they can make couple’s sessions tricky. You can absolutely wear one if you want to, but just be mindful of the hat’s brim. You and your partner are going to be very close together for a good portions of the photos, so you don’t want the hat to create any awkward space or otherwise get in the way. Plus, you’ll want to think about hat hair, because you may have to take the hat off for some of those photos.

Comfort is still key

We said this in the solo post, too, but it’s very important. No matter how coordinated you get, both you and your partner should feel as comfortable as possible. It’s your day to shine in the spotlight, so neither of you want to be thinking about how uncomfortable you are the entire time. In the end, that will make the photos look less authentic. Both of you should dress for confidence and show off your personalities through your clothing. When you feel great, your photos will look great.

Contact October Dreams Photography to set up a session for you and your partner!