Weddingbee

It took me a while to figure out what to wear for our engagement shoot. Since they were more casual photos of us, I didn’t want to look too dressed up, but at the same time not too dressed down.

Angelica provided us with some great outfit tips:

• Go bold!
• If you wear a dress, try something long and flowy which allows for more creative movement and poses
• If you’re wearing something more casual, add cute shoes or bold jewelry to spice it up
• If you wear jeans or something more edgy, make sure your fiance dresses that way too
• Wear more makeup than you normally wear because it really will bring out your features in the pictures. You might feel like you are wearing a lot, but the camera does not pick it up that way
• No khakis
• No big brown work shoes (loafers)
• Moisturize! Even the guys
• Keep in mind that your hands will appear in many of the photos, so it’s important that they are neat/manicured. Goes for guys too!

Mr. Canary wears khakis almost every day, so he had to change it up a little! “No Khakis” because Angelica often asks her clients to lay out or get into grass for some shots. So Mr. C was set with wearing jeans, a nice button down shirt and a chocolate brown corduoroy jacket.

I, on the other hand, was racking my brain for outfit ideas! I knew I wanted to wear a dress, but not sure which.

I had already purchased a vintage dress that I loved from a store in Olympia, WA. If any of you live in the area, you have check out Sylphide. It’s a cozy little shop downtown that carries the most impeccable vintage wedding dresses and accessories, as well as custom wedding dresses made by the owners themselves. I had no intentions of buying a dress, I went in to look at veils, but could not resist when I saw this beautiful Jackie O styled 60’s wedding dress.

I took these pictures when I first got the dress. It’s in a thick paisley brocade fabric. My favorite part? The trailing bow in the back!

At the store I saw the cutest satin headband with a low bow near the ear that went really well with the dress, but they were charging $65 for it. Though it was handmade (and well-made at that), I figured I could make one on my own. So here is my replica:

I didn’t end up wearing the headband for the shoot, but it’s a cute keepsake.

To complete the ensemble, I paired the dress with these shoes that I got at Luly Yang Couture in Seattle in their very small sale section. Luly Yang is a great place to shop for wedding accessories as well as custom dresses (pricey for dresses though). These shoes were the last pair and happened to be in my Sasquatch size! They are part of the Luly Yang line were about $100 and went perfectly with the vintage dress I purchased for the engagement shoot. I’m going to wear the dress and shoes as my getaway outfit after the wedding.

In search of a nonwhite dress, I found these lovely ones from J. Crew and Nordstrom:

Contestant #1:
Simple. Chiffon- always flattering. Cool top.
(from Nordstrom)

Contestant #2
Loved the print! But I thought the print would photograph a little garishly and the cut was too similar to my white paisley dress.
(from j. crew)

Contestant #3
I didn’t often wear this color and the fabric on the boobs seemed a bit much. But it was fun and the silhouette is very flattering.
(from Nordstrom)

Contestant #4
A bit too low cut for me, but I liked the color and the beading.
(from Nordstrom)

Contestant #5
Simple with a little pizazz. The glittery stuff would have been too much for a day shoot.
(from Nordstrom)

Contestant #6
I liked the simplicity of this and the graphic print, but thought it would be a bit plain and summery for the Fall.
(from j. crew)

In the end, I went with #6 and I’m glad I did! The flare in the skirt was a lot of fun. Angelica got Mr. C to twirl me to take pictures of our shadows. The dress was also cotton taffeta which worked really well for some shots where we were laying on the ground. I didn’t want to worry about staining and the color complemented Mr. C’s corduoroy jacket.

Of course, what outfit is complete without shoes? I definitely wanted bright and bold shoes since Angelica is so great with color.

I really loved the J. Crew options, but didn’t want to spend so much…

image from jcrew.com (style: alexia)

both images from jcrew.com (style: isabella)

So off to another old standby, Nine West. I usually like most of their line and their shoes have always been comfortable and affordable. I found these babies for under $100. Awesome. And they were just loud and vintage-y enough, which added a nice contrast to the dress.

image from ninewest.com (style: sarno)

For makeup I went the day before the shoot to get a lesson at my local MAC counter. I bought most of the makeup and with a year of wedding events coming up, I figured I’d definitely use it. I had a great lesson (1.5 hours!) and the day of the shoot, did it all myself.

My best purchase? Prep + Prime Skin and a foundation brush. Prep + Prime felt wonderful on my skin and really helped with keeping my makeup smooth. I even got Mr. C to put some on his face… but guys be forewarned, it glitters! The foundation brush was awesome for applying… well, foundation. The foundation felt very light and blended.

Oh and my other little secret? I got a pair of Spanx to help “smooth” out everything. It worked great since I had to change into my other dress outdoors (a la Mr. C pulling one dress over my head, while I shimmied the other one off down my waist and legs!)

How did you prepare for your engagement photos? What kinds of “outfits” did you consider?

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