What the Heck to Wear When Photographing a Wedding *girl, I got you*

Ok, so let’s be honest. As female photographers, figuring out how to dress for weddings is tough. This is a battle I’ve been fighting for 4 years now, and I finally think I’ve got it down. (trial and error, right?) I went through the phases of this dress is too long, this dress is too short, and the “wow, am I dressed up enough?”. It’s so tough. We want to be dressed up enough to be appropriate for a wedding, but we also want to be comfortable enough that we can do our job and not be worrying about adjusting our outfits or flashing wedding guests, amiright?

So here’s my advice. Comfort is key. Now, of course, I don’t mean sweatpants and a t-shirt (though that would be wonderful) What I mean is, choose an outfit that, once you you put it on your body, you don’t have to think about it again. Here’s what I mean by this: if you have to tug on the dress every time you move or worry about the way you’re squatting down, it’s a no. If you have to be pulling up the top every five second to hide you chest, it’s a no. Choose items that are easy, cover all the important things, and the outfit will be the last thing you’ll be thinking about during the wedding day, I promise.

It’s also important to blend in. You don’t want to wear white (obviously) or any light color such as a pastel. My personal opinion is to stick with dark colors, such as black or navy. I also think dark colors such as deep greens, purples, oranges, and yellows are acceptable as well, depending on the situation.

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For me, this is the criteria for an outfit… can I wear a normal bra with it and not be thinking about straps or cups showing? If the answer is yes, it’s a good choice. Can i sit down or squat down in the dress without flashing guest (too short) or stepping on it and tripping (too long)? If the answer is yes, then it’s a great choice. Guys, I have honestly squatted down to take a shot, stepped on my dress, and when I stood back up, I was stepping on my dress and I about wiped out in front of everyone. Don’t make this mistake. Learn from my embarrassing and awkward mistakes *haha*

I am very tall, so a midi dress is my go to. It hits me mid-shin, which means I don’t think twice about the length during the day. I also love a high neckline, because once again, no worries. I am also fine with a dress that I can wear a tight black bandeau under to ensure coverage as well.

I go back and forth between a flowy, dress and dress pants. It depends on the weather, the venue, and quite honestly, if I shaved m legs *girls, I know you know what I’m sayin’…* I love the dress pants from White House Black Market. They were a bit of a splurge but they’re a business expense, and the quality is unbeatable. I included a link to them below as well as some more affordable options as well. For dresses, I love shopping at Target, Amazon, and some smaller boutiques as well.

At the beginning of a wedding season, I usually order about 4-5 dresses or blouses that catch my eye. I try them on, and end up keeping about 3. This, combined with what I had from the previous seasons, gives me plenty of options for wedding days.

Another thing that factors into my outfit choice is the venue. Is it rustic and laid back or dressy/black tie? One piece that I love to have in my closet for a dressier wedding is a comfy blazer. I love one that is more of a sweater/softer material. A stiff blazer makes it difficult to move around and raise your arms to take images, but something made of a softer material allows movement, while still giving you the dressier look with the collar. Pair this with a cute blouse and dress pants, and you’re all set!

Shoes, I feel, is a personal choice. I personally have horrible feet and have to choose an option with support, otherwise I’ll be paying for it later. I included some cute options below with example of ballet flats, sandals, and of course, boots. I love a good boot with a dress (even if it’s not a cowgirl boot). I love this option because, if you have on a “shorter” dress (knee length), it covers a good portion of the bare leg, making it more appropriate as well.

Below, I’ve included some images of what I’ve worn on a wedding day. I also included images with examples of what I would buy. If you click on the image, it will bring you directly to the website to see the item. I tried to keep things pretty affordable. Almost all the example below are below $40!

Please let me know below if this was helpful or if you have any questions! Feel free to share this as well to help some other photographer boss babes out.